The meeting was over, and I was very happy. They had liked my style of writing and had selected me to write for their magazine. They were also paying me well. But my mind was occupied with the girl in the park. Bhayya advised me to offer prasad at the temple, as he dropped me near my house at Green Park.

“Thanks. Sure bhayya, I will do it” I said as I got down from the car.

I rushed to my room, cleaned my face with facewash, combed my hair properly, lifted the bag which contained my Novel related papers, and rushed towards park. As I settled down, I noticed that in the place where girls were sitting yesterday, today a few children sat.

I thought that in case the girl came, she wouldn’t be able to sit in front of me, because the kids were already playing there. I asked the kids to move away, but they refused. I gave them fifty rupees and again pleaded with them to move away. The bribe worked and they moved away. One tension was over.

The second tension was that today there was no breeze. Means the papers wouldn’t fly today. So, I desperately tried to blow air from mouth to see if the papers would fly far enough. Meanwhile, unknown to me, the girl had already entered the park, and had witnessed my funny attempts.

When I saw her with her friends, I took out my writing stuff, and tried to look busy in writing, as if I had not noticed them. She also came and sat down with her friends, in the same place as yesterday.

While writing my Novel, I also tried to look furtively in their direction. How I wished there was air today. I didn’t have the courage to approach her, but I silently prayed that somehow she should come to me at some pretext. Seems the God heard me. She suddenly got up and started walking towards me. I had noticed it, but showed as if I was busy and didn’t care.

She was in front of me. She was wearing a beautiful black color suit. The Kajal (kohl) in her eyes made it look as if someone had drawn a line around the moon. Her lips looked like rose petals with that red lipstick. She looked awesome.

“Hello, recognize me? We had met yesterday”, she said.

How could I tell her that her face had been constantly in front of my eyes - how could I forget her?

“Hello,” I smiled.

“I hope you have not forgotten me. I have heard that writers have very short memory.”

“Oh no, nothing like that. I do remember you, but I don’t know your name. Forgot to ask yesterday.”

“Oh, yes. How stupid of me. Yesterday we spoke so much, and yet we don’t know our names”

“Why don’t you sit,” I nodded in agreement.

“I am Rihana. What’s your name?” she asked, as she sat down.

Initially I thought of telling her some filmi name like Rahul or Raj. But then realized she might come to know the truth eventually. So, it was better to be truthful.

“My name is Aarav. Can I say something…”

“What?”

“This black suit is looking fabulous on you”

Girls like it when they are praised. She was no exception.

“Thanks”, Rihana smiled.

I thought this was the right time to stretch my luck.

“Your name is also very lovely”

“Thank you. Bt the way, your name is also very nice”

We started talking. My only worry was that her friends might come and again take her away.

“Tell me one thing. A few kids were sitting here. Why did you ask them to go away?” she enquired.

Hearing this, I lost my confidence. As if I had been caught red-handed. I tried to bluff.

“No, I didn’t ask them to go away.”

“I had seen from a distance. You had also given them some money.” She said.

I knew my lie had been caught. For a moment I thought of telling her the truth that I was waiting for her. But being a writer, I knew how to twist situations.

“The kids were making a lot of noise, and disturbing me. That is why I asked them to go away. When they didn’t agree, I had to offer some money.”

“Oh, is that so,” She took a deep breath.

I thought my lie had worked. But when she asked her next question, I knew that I had been exposed.

“Today it is not so breezy. Isn’t it?”

“Yes, hardly any breeze today” my face started turning pale.

“I saw you trying to blow papers with air from your mouth”

As soon as she said this, I blushed. I was confirmed that she had seen all my activities. It was better to tell the truth. I tried to muster all my courage.

“ I will tell you something. Please don’t mind. Yesterday when I met you, I felt very good talking to you. But I didn’t know your name. I thought if you come here today, I will ask you your name. Yesterday we could speak, because it was breezy and my paper flew towards you. But today neither was there any breeze, nor the place empty where you were sitting. That is why I gave money to the kids to go away. And I was practicing blowing the paper with my breath, so that it could reach you and you would again come to return it, and we could talk.”

She started laughing loudly “You are really crazy. Let me tell you the truth. Today I have come again to meet you only.”

I thought she was joking with me, and in a while would tell me that it was all in fun. Still I asked her “Have you really come to meet me?”

“Oh yes. You don’t believe it? I was really so impressed by that page of your Novel, that I couldn’t stop myself from meeting you again. When this Novel is published, you will become a big writer. You may not remember me then, so thought of meeting you now.”

Now I was sure she was joking. But before I could say anything, she called all her friends. They all sat around and Rihana introduced me.

“This is Aarav. He is a writer. Presently he is writing a Novel.”

Then she introduced her friends.

“Aarav, this is Tanya. And she is Pooja, and that is Sofia.”

We said Hello to each other, and started talking. All this was like a dream come true to me. Yesterday I didn’t have the courage to go and ask these girls to return the paper, and today we were all chatting. Tanya asked me about myself.

“I am an orphan since childhood. There is a Bhayya, Bhabhi and their 10 year old son, who are like a family to me.”

Everybody’s face became a bit sad. Rihana looked the most upset. So I thought of changing the mood and told them about my new job. Everyone’s face lit up.

“Congratulations Aarav. A treat is due” Rihana said.

“Yes, sure. When do you need party?”

“We can party some other day. Today let us have some nice coffee somewhere.” Pooja said. Rihana also nodded in agreement.

“Ok. There is a coffee shop nearby. They serve excellent coffee. Why don’t we go there?” I offered.

“Ok. Lets move” Rihana said.

I packed my stuff, and all of us walked up to the coffee shop. We settled in a corner table and as I got up to place the order, Rihana asked me “Where are you going?”

“I am going to place the order”

“The waiter will come and take the order here itself. Why do you need to go?” she said, surprised.

She was right, but I had something else in my mind. I made an excuse.

“I also have to go to the wash-room. So, thought of placing order on the way.”

“Oh, fine.”

I went to the waiter, and said “Get 5 cups of coffee at the table where the girls are sitting. And take these hundred rupees”

“Hundred rupees for what, Sir?” the waiter was surprised.

“This is your tip. Just do a small task for me…”

“What work?”

“Do you see that girl in black suit there?” I said pointing at Rihana.

“Yes Sir”

“I want the cup in which she drinks the coffee. That too without cleaning it”

The waiter looked at me as if I was a mad. But, I didn’t care. I just wanted the cup.

“Sir, what will you do with the cup? If you want, I can give you a new cup just like that.”

“No, I don’t want a new cup. I can also get that from market. I want the cup with the marks of her beautiful lips.”

The waiter was really confused. He looked at me and said “Sir, what are you saying? Are you ok?”

I was getting angry. But, since he was much younger in age, I tried to explain it to him “Have you ever been in love?”

“No sir, not yet”

“The day you fall in love, you will know why I want that cup. This is love, my friend. When you fall in love, you will also act mad like me.”

Seems he understood my feelings.

“Oh, so this is a matter of heart. Ok Sir, I will get you the cup. You can collect it whenever you want.”

I was glad he had finally understood my feelings. I told him “I will collect it in a few

hours”

“Ok Sir. I am here till 10 pm. You can collect it any time”

I returned to the table. No one realized that I had not gone to the toilet. I had lied to Rihana, but everything is fair in love and war. Rihana knew everything about me, and it was time to know about her.

“What do you do?” I asked her.

Rihana thought for a while. Then said “I work in a call-centre”

All her friends looked at her as if she was lying. But, I believed her.

“Who all are there in your family?” I continued.

“Only my father, no one else. He has a shop”

“Ok”

The waiter put the coffee tray on the table, and looked at me, as if telling me that he was ready to take the cup. I kept silent but gestured through my eyes.

I enquired about her friends too. Surprisingly, all of them worked in the same call-centre, and had formed friendship there only.

Now the only thing in my mind was how to get Rihana’s number. Despite having talked so much, I was still scared of asking her number. I desperately wanted her number.

“What happened? Where are you lost?” Rihana asked.

“Nothing. Was thinking…”

“What?”

“Nothing important”

“Arre tell me”

I thought this was the right moment to say it.

“Can I get your phone number?” I blurted.

She kept silent for a while, then said, “Sorry. I don’t give my number to anyone.”

I was heart-broken. I had not expected a ‘No’ from her.

“Where do you live?” her friend Pooja asked.

“Sharma building, very nearby.” I replied.

We had finished our coffee.

“Shall we leave?” Rihana said.

“Yes, of course”

“Where will you go now?”

“I have to meet someone at Old Delhi for an important work. Where are you all going?”

“We will go to New Delhi” Rihana said.

“Ok. I will go and pay the bill.”

I paid the bill at the counter. When we came outside, I saw a taxi waiting. All the girls went and sat in that. I just kept on looking at Rihana. I didn’t know when I would be able to meet her again.

The driver started the ignition. Before the taxi could move, Rihana asked the driver to stop the car. She asked me for my phone.

I gave it to her without realizing why she wanted it. 

She typed something, and gave it back to me. When I saw, it was her phone number. She smiled and said “This is my number. Sorry, I refused earlier.”

I was like on cloud nine. I smiled and said thanks to her.

She also smiled, sat in the taxi and left. I again went inside the coffee shop and asked the waiter to bring the coffee mug with Rihana’s lip marks. He handed it over to me. I looked at it lovingly and came out of the shop.

It was late night when I was returning from my meeting, in an auto-rickshaw. Rihana’s cup was in my bag and I was feeling on top of the world. I had never been so happy in my entire life. Rihana sharing her phone number with me indicated that she also had feelings for me. I could be wrong, but at that moment, nothing else mattered.

Getting down from Auto, I asked him “How much?”

“80 rupees, Sir”

I took out a 100 rupees note and gave it to him.

“Don’t you have change?”

I was so happy, I asked him to keep the balance. As I entered our building, I met Bahadur at the gate. He was totally drunk, and wasn’t even able to recognize me.

“Who are you…at such late night?” he said.

I told him my name. But he was not in a position to understand anything. When I threatened that in the morning I am going to complain to Sharma ji, the landlord about his drunken behavior, he immediately recognized me.

“Arre I was joking. Don’t take it seriously.” And he let me enter the building.

I was much relieved. The way he was drunk, I had feared that I would have to spend the entire night out on the road. I hastily went inside and rushed to my room. Once inside, I opened my bag, took out the cup and kissed it several times. I had already taken my dinner, so just washed my hands and legs, and jumped into the bed.

But as they say – sleep vanishes for lovers. I checked Whatsapp on the phone. Rihana had put a beautiful picture as her DP (Display Picture). But she was not online.

Tonight I just wanted to feel Rihana in my dreams. I was tired, and soon fell asleep.