When life happens

ITC's reception

The ICT hotel was in total chaos next morning before leaving for Kolkata.

The bus was honking outside the gate and Shikhar and Virat were banging on Rohit's door violently, yelling, "COME OUT, ROHIT... THE BUS IS HERE, EVERYONE'S READY, COME OUT, COME OUT..."

Bhuvi appeared, his face screwed up at the noise. "Why didn't you call him earlier?"

Apparently, when Jaddu had called Rohit in the morning, Rohit had responded actively that he was awake and getting ready. Clearly though, he had fallen asleep after that.

Bhuvi sighed. They would miss the plane today for sure, something Rohit had been threatening to make them do for the last 7 years, and still hadn't managed.

"Give it back at once," Neha was screeching nearby.

"You gave it to me," howled Hardik.

"Yeah, so you can't take it back, Neha," said Siri snidely.

"That's right, sweetheart," said Hardik, extremely smugly.

"It's my pen, so it's my choice," said Neha, sounding really mad.

"Siri, go away and help them call Rohit bhaiya," commanded Tani, as Virat bhaiya glanced at Neha, Siri and Hardik shouting at such a crucial time.

Siri grinned and indicated she wouldn't speak anymore.

Hardik and Neha kept squabbling over an antique pen which Neha had given Hardik few weeks back, but wanted back now, because she would never speak to Hardik again.

"Hardik, give it to her for a while, she'll calm down eventually," said Tani in despair, but then she realised she was speaking sense to the wrong person, and Neha heard it as well, and started another round of protests, and Bhuvi stormed over to them, shouting over their yells, "What the hell is wrong with you two?"

"Hardik isn't giving back my pen!"

"Neha gifted it to me, so it's mine now, isn't it, Bhuvi?"

Bhuvi stared at them in disbelief, and then snatched the pen out of Hardik's hand and pocketed it and told both of them menacingly, "Bring your suitcases and report at the reception in two minutes."

Which effectively put an end to their fight.

Rohit finally opened the door and Virat dragged him out forcefully without giving him any time to react at all.

"Our flight leaves in one and a half hour," observed Tani, who had been sitting peacefully in the reception with Jassi and Kuldeep and Yuzi for the last one hour.

Everyone was ready to go finally, and just when they were stepping out of the hotel, Siri, who was rummaging around in her bag, said, "I forgot my pen in my room!"

Bhuvi looked like he would explode any moment.

"One more word about pens...!"

When Bhuvi spoke in that tone, no one defied him, so Siri didn't dare go to her room to retrieve it, and the ICT eventually boarded the plane in the nick of time.

Hardik, just to get on Neha's nerves, tried his best to sit beside her instead of Siri, but Virat, already in a black mood, told Kuldeep and Yuzi to take Neha away with them.

"Why are you mad at Hardik?" asked Kuldeep, who was the only one who hadn't heard the nightclub story yet.

Neha and Yuzi told him.

Kuldeep wanted to tell Neha how wrong she had been to go there alone, but he figured the seniors had already scolded her, so he said, "I suppose he didn't realise you'd really go," defending Hardik for no reason.

Neha wouldn't listen to reason, of course.

The flight attendants announced that mobile phones were to be switched off.

"Tani!" said Virat. "Put down that thing at once!"

Because Tani was talking on her phone, looking rather busy.

"One second," she whispered.

"Mam, please switch off your mobile phone," said an air hostess.

Jaddu reached over and took away her phone. Tani didn't try to resist.

"Who was it?" asked Rohit.

"It's a friend of mine from college," said Tani. "Since we're going to Kolkata, she wants me to make her meet the team." She looked at Virat bhaiya.

"Yeah it's ok, invite her over to dinner one day," said Virat at once.

"Tisha will be so happy," said Tani, grinning. "The kind we were when we first came here!"

Now, of course, it seemed unimaginable that there had been a time when this team had been their gods, and not their family.

"Bhuvi, give me the pen," Hardik was still whining, one hour into the flight.

"No, Bhuvi bhaiya, don't," said Siri, who had woken up hearing a particularly loud whine of his. "Give it to me, I lost my pen at the hotel."

"I'm not giving it to either of you, nor Neha," said Bhuvi, not bothering to look up from the movie he was watching.

"Have you seen how Neha fights with everyone?" Hardik complained to Siri.

Well, Neha did fight all the time with her, but Siri felt a wish to defend her; she was her partner after all.

"No," said Siri. "You're the one who fights with everyone."

Hardik muttered something that sounded like 'girls'.

...........................................................................

Tisha was getting ready for dinner at the ITC, in a happy daze, because she was going to meet the Indian team today.

She got there early and called Tani, who said in a harrowed voice, "We're coming in a little while...no, Yuzi, don't dare touch that book...Tisha, can you wait for some time?"

"Yes, of course," said Tisha. "Take your time, bye."

Tisha sat down in the reception to wait, trying to control her excitement.

Rishabh had also invited Abhishek Sharma, who was a close friend of his, that day, because he was in Kolkata too.

Abhishek arrived early too, and saw Tisha sitting alone in a reception. She had a dreamy smile on his face, and Abhishek felt an inexplicable need to talk to her at least once in her life.

He sat a few seats away from her, trying to think of an excuse to begin a conversation.

Finally he approached her with, "Excuse me, can you tell me the time? My watch has stopped for some reason."

"Sure," said Tisha, glancing at her watch. "It's 8:30."

"Thanks," said Abhishek, wondering what to say next.

Tisha saved him of the bother because as she looked at him properly and exclaimed, "You're Abhishek Sharma, aren't you?"

"Yes, and you are?" asked Abhishek, delighted that he knew him.

"Tisha Jalan," said Tisha, extending her hand.

Abhishek shook it and said, "Are you waiting for someone?"

"Yes," said Tisha. "Are you, too?"

"Yeah. The Indian team to be precise," said Abhishek, aiming to impress her.

"Oh, so am I! My friend is travelling with the team for a project, she invited me," said Tisha.

"Seems like we're having dinner together today," said Abhishek, grinning.

Tisha found herself smiling back.