14: A Celebration, An Isolation:

Arnav tugged his hands deep into the pockets of his white shorts, as he allowed the warm evening breeze to dry his attire. The girl was fun, he declared to no one but himself having spent those cozy moments with Aileen. The flirty, seductive, playful ones had always been real easy for him. He enjoyed it with the easy ones; it definitely did wonders to his male ego. But then, he knew the fun was bound to last not very long. It never did actually. He gets too bored too easily. Nevertheless, he now had another reason to not hate the place. Belhaven, was surprising him more than he had expected.

He jogged across the pavement, beside the railing that separated the sea from the colony, and marched his way into the Gupta Villa, only to be greeted by something that he had least expected to find in that house. A small, private celebration.

Sameer and khushi were seated at the dining table facing away from him and opposite to them was a young Scottish man, comfortably oscillating in the rotating stool that belonged to the kitchen platform. In between them was a rich chocolate cake placed on the dining table, decorated deliciously, over which were a few candles, the light of which forming the only soft illumination, causing the room to gleam with some kind of serene joy.

“Who’s Birthday?” He found himself say, effectively interrupting a cozy little communication, whilst walking his way towards the group.

“Arnav!” Sameer was the first to greet him, while Khushi shot him one of her eye-rolling glance. “Come join us.” Arnav smiled at the elder man and dragged a chair for himself turning it around and plopping his legs across the back rest of the chair before poking at Khushi, as he found himself sitting right next to her.

“I don’t think I forgot an occasion today, did I?”

“Well except for you winning the Oscars, no, nothing”  She faked a smile at him.

“Smooth, but that’s a very reasonable imagination Maddy, you will see the day soon”

“Yeah, in your dreams…”

“It’s the reunion day of Khushi and her friends” Sameer interrupted them, smiling at the fighting duo before shifting his attention to a positively baffled Camron, alerting the presence of a guest in the room, even as his eyes silently warned them to behave a little more civilized.

“Arnav meet Camron, Khushi’s buddy from University. And Cam, this is Arnav, our family friend from India”

“Hey there!” Camron greeted while Arnav nodded shaking his hand in a courteous manner.

“Reunion day?” Arnav asked, this time directly to Camron and the other man smiled, bracing himself to explain.  “Well, four years back, K, me and a few others including my twin sister have all met on the same day. It was the first day of our UNI and we have clicked almost instantly. Of course, all of us being from Belhaven, travelling to Edinburgh together did help….”

“So you actually celebrate this day?” Arnav asked incredulously not believing the guy he was talking to.

“Cheesy much? Tell me about it! If you do have a twin crazy, hopeless romantic sister, who unfortunately shares the friends that you have, you are bound to remember such days”

“I pity you man!” Arnav joked and Khushi could tell, he didn’t mean a bit of those words. Just when she was about to give back at him, Sameer excused himself but not before patting Khushi on her back reminding her to behave well.

“Okay wait! Is this the party I’m invited to today?”

This time Khushi chuckled silently enjoying the turn in the conversation and Arnav shot her one side glance, before shifting his attention to Camron. “Ah I’m afraid, yes!”

“Damn! What am I supposed to do in your private party?”

“My sister throws the party every year, because this also happens to be the same day when she met her boyfriend. They celebrate their anniversary with all of us, and this party has a rule”

“That you are only supposed to come with a date” khushi completed and looked at Arnav batting her eyes, all too innocently as Arnav realized what had he gotten himself into.

“You could have told me!” he snapped and frowned much to Khushi’s satisfaction and she let out a victorious laugh.

Camron chuckled too and Arnav could see the two sharing a comfortable laughter together. He seldom saw her laugh like that. With genuine warmth spreading across, with no traces of any hidden sarcasm, her little laughter was a refreshing expression on her face. As he kept his eyes intact on her, her lips curved up into a teasing smile directed at him, her red hair catching the soft illumination in the room, the pupils of her eyes reflecting the glow of the candles, Arnav was suddenly reminded of a certain elder Gupta woman and the resemblance just hit him suddenly. Their smiles were so similar that he was fascinated if not anything else.

“You should have seen your face, the way she trapped you into it that year…”

“I know! The one time I had to be her date! Oh don’t remind me K, Clare teased the hell out of me!”

He forced himself out his little reverie only to witness them talking away completely enjoying each other’s presence. Her voice was even, laid-back for once and genuinely warm towards her friend. It again was a rare sight to see, at least for him it was. And suddenly he was all the more curious about this guy, the party and everything that surrounded the day.

“So, are you guys like having a private celebration before the party?” he asked quite aloud, interrupting their conversation and he had no idea why he found pleasure in doing that.

“Oh no, K doesn’t attend the party, so I just make sure that she isn’t left alone” Cam answered for him and Khushi chose to ignore him, as usual. Now Arnav was even more curious. “Why you fail to get a date for yourself every year?” He raised his eyebrow at her.

“Why do you think all of your questions will be answered?”

“Okay, that’s about it. Oh common Khushi! You should really go out there and try. Blind, nerdy, not happening, anyone, one of such men would definitely be interested in you, you are not that bad you see?….” That caused Khushi to open her mouth in her perfect O and Camron giggled beside her.

“Cammy, you need to get going” she spoke choosing to ignore Arnav and his comment yet again.

“Oh yes, here, please do the honors!” he offered her the knife and yet again Arnav have seen her effectively drift back into that little whatever celebration mood she had been in, before he interrupted. With some sudden annoyance tugging him internally, Arnav excused himself much to Khushi’s relief and even as Camron insisted him to stay, he found himself refusing and finally exiting the back door towards the store room, but not before glancing at Khushi just in time to catch her looking at him with an unreadable look, as minute as it was.

A few hours later, as he cleaned himself up into a jet black coat over a blue t-shirt and a pair of torn jeans, his hair gelled and combed behind, he found himself even more curious about her constant absence to the party. He knew there was a better reason, and he distantly had an idea of what it was. He needed to confirm, if he was right.

He walked up to her room and opened the half closed door of her room, all too silently only to her find her sitting at her study table engrossed in some kind of conversation with Coco. The pet was sitting on her table, cuddled inside the tangle of her arms and she was resting her chin on the surface of the table to come in face to face with the animal.

“I know alright? Everybody will be there. But trust me Coco, the party is no fun!” She whined and the dog cooed along with her, licking the wrist of her hand as some kind of gesture. And he could see her smile.

“Do you want to go girlie? Huh huh?” she nuzzled the pet’s face pouting her lips and it rested her head on her palm all too submissively. “Oh the surprise? Well I know what Clare is going to say! And I’ll meet her later anyway!”

Khushi was actually giving an explanation for her not going to the party to no one but herself. Yes, she was having an imaginary conversation with the dog and he was literally witnessing the lonely self that she is, or rather, that she has made herself into. And for some weird reason she reminded him of his own self. As he continued to observe her for a minute longer than usual, he was introduced to the conscience within him and the resemblance yet again, seemed unusual. Loneliness it is, that they both are in, he realized. But the difference was, he chose the noise and she chose the silence. As he stood there contemplating unusual aspects for the second time in the same day, he found Coco swerve its head just in time to look at him and she jumped from the table, running towards him causing Khushi to stand up and look behind her in confusion.

She fixed her eyes on him, with uncertainty, just when he picked up the dog and walked inside the room, cradling it inside his arm. He looked at her for another silent moment, knowing very well that the silence wouldn’t last much longer and submissively stretched his hands, offering the pet to her. She looked between the dog and him for a brief moment, before grabbing it away and made her lips flat, putting up her trade mark annoyance for him.

“Looks like you have excelled in the skill over the years” she stated with her hands tugging Coco close to her.

“Huh?”

“The black magic? To attract everyone close to me to you? It started working with the animals as well now, you sure have mastered the skill, haven’t you?”

The little theory has actually caused him to laugh out loud and he didn’t find himself annoyed with her comment. And that’s a first. Or maybe he really was opening his mind to look beyond the cranky, possessive, and jealous, complain box that he had known all his life?

If his laughter surprised him, it surprised her even more, causing her to look at him open eyed, without a mere blink in her stare.

“uh, sorry” he said in between his little laughter. “Black magic yes, I practiced it well over the years, I wonder why it never worked on you..?” his coyly voice resumed, like always all too fluidly.

That definitely caused her to blink and she looked away resuming the annoyance put up. “You! Why are you here?”

“Why are you here? Aren’t you supposed to be in the party?”

“Again Badass, what makes you think I’ll answer all your questions?”

“Let me guess, what is it in a party that can possibly annoy you? Uh…” he continued to talk despite her dismissal, as he started walking around the room, just when Coco chose to jump out of her hands and exit the place. “The people?” he asked mocking a thoughtful expression.

“But then everybody is your friend there, so no” he answered the question himself, walking across the room and she just remained silent waiting for him to complete. Or maybe she already knew where the conversation was going.

“The food? Na! you are a foodie!” he nodded.

“The celebration? I don’t think so. Because it’s your day too, umm, what else can it be?” he turned around as if pondering over the options all too seriously and after a brief moment, he veered his gaze right into her eyes. “Music?” he raised an eyebrow.

“Listen you….”

“Oh yes! You hate music! How can I forget! It makes sense, yes, you should really not be in the party” he cut her off.

“Good that you….”

“But then Maddy, you don’t want to come because you hate music, or because listening to music can make you forget that you hate music? I’m now a bit confused….” He interrupted her again and that has got her all worked up again.

“What is your problem Arnav? I just don’t understand? All I’m asking you is to stay away from my life…..?”

“Well, you could have done the same too, when I didn’t attend the audition”

“----- That’s because I drove you all the way! What? Is this revenge now? Alright I apologize! For intruding and I promise this will not be repeated. You give the audition, don’t give the audition, go flirting with girls, sleep with them? do anything that you always do, I don’t care alright?” she spat yelling and didn’t realize when he started walking towards her to stand just inches away from her. She looked up realizing his proximity and he chose the exact moment to hold her by her arms and bring her closer, his eyes suddenly turning ferocious.

“Why? Why are so you so fucking scared to face the one thing that has been holding you together, since forever khushi? You seriously can’t be in the same room where there is music? When and how has it come down to this?” his voice was unexpectedly too determined, too troubled than he had intended to and the similar perplexity was evident in her eyes too.

“I don’t know!” she yelled back.

“Well then…, face it and know it” he stated with an even voice and the very mystic brown eyes, as she remembered from the dream that haunted her, looked down at her with confront. The anger from a few seconds ago flaking off and in its place was a sudden compassion. The baffled eyes resembling an almond filling her face were met with the mystic eyes turning dark, as he gazed her face a moment longer, with his orbs taking turns between her eyes and her lips and then he let her go, in a swift moment before the weird eye-lock lasted longer. Just as she tumbled a step behind, he turned around to exit the room, leaving an even more bemused Khushi alone.