The Dream Of My Life

9- So, we met again...

I woke up in the morning with all the peace until I realised that it was late and I had to rush to school. Rashi wasn't there anymore. I went for a quick shower and dressed up fast. When I came out of the room mom wasn't there like everyday. It was weird. I peeped into her room and saw she was still asleep. I thought she'd be really tired and didn't wake her up, instead left a note there saying, "leaving for school.. see you later, take care. Love you!" I reached school and saw there were really few people there. I couldn't understand why was everything weird today. I could hardly find 8-10 people there and the watchman didn't let me in. He asked, "Kya kaam hai?" (What work do you have?)

I was clueless till I heard a familiar voice from behind. "Ye mere saath hai Kaka," (She's with me uncle) said Kabir. Okay now my cluelessness doubled. Why do I need to answer that why I'm at school? Since when did this happen? Am I dreaming?

The watchman smiled at him and opened the gate. We walked in and I looked at him with questioning eyes. His expressions were questioning, too. 

He broke the silence and asked me, "why are you here today?"

I plainly answered, "Because I study here?"

"On a Sunday?" he cross-questioned me.

I slapped my head and checked my phone to have a look on the date and day. Now everything fell into place. It actually was a Sunday!

"So, you don't trust me, do you?" he asked again.

"Huh? No, it's not like that. I really didn't have an idea it was a Sunday and came here rushing, thinking that it'd be late," I chuckled.

He laughed and said, "get a calendar!"

"Shut up!" was all I could say. But then it hit me that what was he doing here on a Sunday? And why did the watchman open gate for him so easily? So I raised a finger and turned towards him. Before I could speak he himself answered, "Calm down, I'm here for a project. And so are they." He pointed to those people I saw before. I just smiled. We kept walking towards canteen and got a table. The waiter came and asked us to order, "Adrak Vali chai" (ginger tea) he ordered for himself and asked me, "what do you want?"

"I..wait, if you knew I was here on a Sunday, why did you let me in?"

"Great choice!" He said pressing his lips.

I rolled my eyes at him. He told the waiter to wait and just bring the tea first.

"Tell me," I said pulling his cup on my side. He gave me a death glare and said, "don't ever mess with my tea." He pulled his cup back and sipped his tea. I got up to leave and he held my hand from behind. When I looked back he was drinking his tea, holding cup in one hand and holding my hand in other. I looked in the sky dramatically. I saw him smiling behind the cup. When he was done he told me, "See if you came here on a Sunday morning, it meant that you had nothing else to do and now that you were here I thought where would you go this early? So why not take you in.."

"Alright," I said. He got me a sandwich and we walked outside, while I was finishing my last bite, my phone rang. It was in my bag.

"Can't you look? My hands are messy," I asked him to help. I knew it was one of three persons : Mom, Rashi or Adi. By the time Kabir took out my phone, it stopped ringing.

"Two missed calls," he read, "one from Rashi and other from Adiii" he further read, pronouncing Adi's name as it was written. I was wondering why didn't I hear first call.

I wiped my hands and took my phone back from Kabir. I took both of them on conference and explained them the story and told Rashi to make something up at home. She said she'll take care of it. After I hung up the call Kabir was nowhere around. I walked towards the classrooms where those project people were. And there he was, talking to a professor. He looked so sincere. I was thinking whether I should wait or leave. Then the professor left to take a book and Kabir looked out and saw me. I whispered to him, "Should I leave?" He nodded in a no and told me to wait. I just gave him a thumbs-up and started walking. I sat on staircase and plugged in my earphones. I was listening to some of my favourite songs. After two songs or so "Enna Sona" was going on and that's when he came. I smiled at my screen and paused the song.