Love Started With A 'Boo' | ✓

Episode 7

𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘩, 2017
𝘋𝘪𝘷𝘺𝘢𝘢𝘯𝘵

I was still in the mayhem that whether black magic exists or not when Ambika Bhabhi appeared again in front of me with a tongue-in-cheek kind of stupor. I couldn't pinpoint what was running inside her agile mind but one thing was undoubtedly true that something was brewing inside it, I could smell it with my experienced nose.

Reclining beside me on the green bed, she nudged me, "You didn't tell me, what's the name of that girl who was able to break the records of infringing an ascetic like you?". I frowned at her question as even I wasn't cognizant of the name of that girl, I had just called her kid or black magic girl, I wasn't sure of her original name.

Must be Phoolan Devi or something, the way she used to frighten people with her antics.

I pursed my lips for a moment and belatedly stated out the truth, "I don't know, Bhabhi, I never got the chance to ask it and I wasn't even interested too". Humming in deep thought, she responded, "Wasn't interested, hmm. Now, are you interested to know her name?" her tantalising tone was starkly unambiguous but it was awkwardly making my heartbeat rise faster and faster as it had just gotten itself installed on a running hippo.

Would those secrets of my heart be out that even I wasn't aware of?

Before I could've pondered over for that particular question, Bhabhi snatched away my phone with which I was playing swirl-baby-swirl and opened the lock using my index finger on the fingerprint sensor and stood up from the grass bed. What was she trying to do, I wasn't honestly conscious about it and I didn't even put an iota of interest to see what she was doing with my mobile as my topmost priority question was; what was happening with me since that girl had made an entry into my ex-normal life.

"Chutku, why don't your brain works in such matters? Here, look. If I am not wrong then this girl who's hugging Meera, Rudra's would-be wife is the girl with whom you've been hooked and here, her name is Pritika, wow such a ..." I didn't even let her complete as I snatched my phone out of her hands in my overexcitement to see that boo girl. My inquisitiveness was higher than any toddler, my subconscious rustled against my head and I lastly gazed into that one face which was able to make my eyes adhered to it, for the first time in the history of Divyaant's Jain life.

There was something about her lizard-like face which had always made me look at her again and again from day-one but I couldn't pinpoint what was it. Was it her child-like zest, her dainty parrot's beak-like nose, her puerile liveliness, her pumpkin-sized eyes or her two Rasgullas stuffed cheeks?

The staring competition with me and the virtual lizard was broken by a throat clearing and I was awkward would be just an oversimplification of any simplification which I was going to give to Bhabhi. "Playing lovestruck puppy, already?" stifling her laugh, she managed to say out mischievously. I didn't know why my body was suddenly out of bounds, I couldn't control my expressions neither could I stop the game of fast and furious that my palpitating heart was playing right now.

"Stare, stare, after all, Pehla Nasha, pehla khumar," I was a lawyer but I wasn't even able to explain my case to my own sister-in-law who had now left the garden leaving me on my own with hundreds of questions in my mind. The first one was about the abrupt absence of my voice, was my vocal cord ruptured or was I a voiceless now?

I put my hands on my larynx and choked out, "Hello, hello, mike testing". I heard my voice and yelped in utter joy, yay, it was working but why wasn't it working in front of Bhabhi?

Was I really having a crush on her or was I in love with her?

Did she really make me a dumbfounded lovesick puppy in her love?