A Coffee at Dawn

Chapter 11: College-1

"Seriously!? Couldn't you find a better place than this? At this time of the night, or should I call it early to morning what I get to see is you, with all that devdas look. God! What's up with you man! " Dhruv had come down to meet me after I had told him the reason I had called him a few hours ago.

He drove from his office after logging out. He was my solace in this humongous city. He was as new as I was to this city, I came here with apprehensions and he had come here to have fun, literal fun.

He was of my age and from Delhi. Tall, fair and an impeccable sense of humour, he was the guy who set his charm on girls easily. The distance I moved from Bangalore to Mumbai also had brought in awkwardness between Nishanth, Tanmay and me. Well distance was just a part of the reason. There was something else that added to the slowly groing bitterness between us. Dhruv had moved in to the place where I stayed, few months back.

"Will you finally utter as to what has happened? Or have you decided to stay as silent as a rock on the beach bed next to you? After a mind boggling day at office, it is time to get some sleep and hug the bed. And I am here knowing nothing as to what happened." Dhruv fired no less than a fire bolt.

Silence prevailed for a while, I stared into the space making no attempts to put out anything. For a while he gazed at the horizon, then at the stars above, rested his head on the table thinking I would speak out a few words atleaast then. For his dismay, he realised late that it was of no use waiting. He got up from his chair and came and sat on the table next to me.

"You look terrible, you have been having a bad phase at office and now this state of yours is not good. I am sorry for shooting things at you a while back. Look up, tell me what happened. Mujhe nahi bolega toh aur kisko?" He patted my back and waited for me to start.

People felt, he was insensitive and he rarely understood emotions. But little did they know about him.

"Dhruv" I started, he cut me through.

"Aah! finally" he said and laughed.

"Not funny bro." He sensed the intensity and was all set to listen,

I explained him everything as to why was I at Lé Cafe and what was affecting me to this extent. He heard me completely and fell silent.

"What was the fight all about? Why did you instigate one? Knowing the person you are, fights are the last thing I would even imagine!" He knew nothing about the tiff!

"Well, I actually don't know much about your story at all. I only know that you are devoted to her. I know nothing as to how did you get into relation. If it does not bother you, I would insist you tell it. Sometimes revisiting the past gives a new insight about the near future. " he tried explaining. I only nodded in response and stood up from the chair.

Taking few steps ahead towards the fence opposite to the table, flashes of her eyes, sounds of her laughter, the nerve she set every time she made contact with me brushed through my brain. These memories were slowly turning to be a sign of weakness. Staying clueless about her, about Aryan who had interfered and about her outburst just made hell an easier place to dwell in rather than the one I was in.

"Oh hero! I'm waiting here." He was not getting annoyed rather he was trying to pull in some humour just to lighten the loaded environment.

I told him how we had met and how things had grown to our first unofficial date. He found it silly at places but was patient enough to hear me further.

"College had just started. Engineering was exciting to all of us. I went in with Nishi and Tanmay. I had my world around me, so I was happy. The main reason why I was happy was because from that day I could be seeing Aarti everyday."