Page 4 of 12 Years: My Messed-up Love Story

‘Good nervous, though, right?’

She laughed.

‘Hopefully. You have that corporate audition soon, yes?’

‘This Friday. For a company called Reliable Polymers. They have an annual conference coming up and need an entertainer.’

‘Sounds exciting.’

‘Hardly. Corporates pay well, though, that’s it. Crayon Club, on the other hand, hardly pays.’

‘But you’re building your name at the club. Which allows you to make money through private functions like these corporate offsites.’

‘That’s true. I’m nervous though. I have to make a room full of HR people laugh. Does anyone ever associate HR with laughter?’

Payal laughed.

‘See, now that’s funny. You can use that,’ she said.

‘Can’t use HR jokes on HR people.’

‘Relax, you’re naturally funny.’

‘You think so?’

‘I know so. Don’t worry, you’ll ace it.’

‘Thank you, Miss Motivation.’

‘You’re welcome, Mister ESOP.’

Were we flirting? Did this, in some part of the universe, count as flirting? Should I take the next step and ask her to meet up again?

‘If we both rock our respective presentations, let’s go out and celebrate together,’ I said.

‘Done,’

she said, and ended the call a second later.

Wait, did she just agree to go out with me? Sort of?

I opened my laptop again and resumed writing jokes about dentists, praying nobody in Reliable Polymers’

HR department was related to a dentist.

‘I feel bad for dentists. Any dentists or anyone related to dentists here?’

I said, looking at the eight people from the HR department who sat in the conference room at Reliable Polymers’

office. The office was just as boring and dull as the name of the company. Everything—from the furniture to the walls to the people—was grey.

I continued.

‘Anyone here in HR who secretly wanted to be a dentist? Pull people’s teeth out?’

Half the people in the room had a rather pained expression on their faces, as if they were getting a colonoscopy done while listening to my audition. Trying to make HR guys laugh is like trying to make a funeral procession dance. One of the senior HR guys, however, smiled. Imitating him, two junior guys smiled as well.

Okay, this was progress.

I figured the senior HR guy was the key. In the world of corporates, the juniors only laugh at the jokes their seniors laugh at.

‘I think the medical education board’s been unfair to dentists. It’s like they said, “Okay, some of you are going to be doctors. You’ll get to treat the whole body. And some of you guys will be dentists. You’ll only get to fix teeth.” The dentists were like, “Only teeth? Can we not treat the whole face?” The board was like, “No!” The dentists said, “How about the head?” No. “Give us the lips or the nose at least.” Nope. “You guys are dentists. Your job is to learn about teeth, and only teeth. The thirty-two teeth that humans have, that’s it. And you’ll do this over four years.”’

I walked up and stood in front of the senior HR person. I looked directly into his eyes and said.

‘Sir, tell me, what do they even do in dental colleges? Learn about thirty-two teeth? Sure. That’s eight teeth a year, over a duration of four years. That’s, what, like four teeth per semester?’

The senior HR guy laughed. Jackpot. On cue, his juniors followed and then the juniors’

juniors followed. The entire room erupted into laughter.

I continued.

‘Doctors are learning about the nervous system, the circulatory system, the endocrine system and so many more systems—all in one term. Meanwhile, the dentists are like, “What do we do now, sir? We’ve already learned about eight teeth this year. What now?” And what does the board tell them? “Why don’t you guys check all the toothpastes in the market and figure out which toothpaste is to be recommended by dentists in ads?”’

Everyone laughed without waiting for any cues from their seniors this time.

I bowed as I finished my three-minute audition.

‘It’s fine, you’re on,’

the senior HR person said, offering me a handshake.

‘I’m Priyansh Gupta. Head of HR here.’

‘Thank you so much, sir,’ I said.

Priyansh then turned to his two immediate juniors and introduced them.

‘This is Akhil, he handles our offsites, and this is Rakesh, he looks after employee welfare.’

I wondered what kind of welfare activities a soul-crushing, blood-sucking corporate that made polymer resins did for its people. Okay, resist making any HR or corporate jokes.

Akhil walked me out of the conference room.

‘We have to discuss the commercials with you,’ he said.

‘Mudit manages all that,’

I said.

‘I’ll ask him to call you.’

‘Sure. Would you like to do a deal for multiple events? We have four zonal offsites—Goa, Kochi, Jaipur and Siliguri.’

‘I’d love to do all four. I’ll ask Mudit to call you and work out the details and the commercials,’

I said, mentally high-fiving myself.

‘Done, bro. I spoke to Akhil already. Four cities, all in a row. Sixty. Cool?’

Mudit said to me over the phone. I was in a cab, on my way back from Reliable Polymers.

‘That was fast. And sixty thousand? For four cities? Okay, cool,’

I said. Crayon Club paid me five thousand for a night. This was fifteen thousand per show.

‘No, bro. Are you mad?’

Mudit said.

‘This is a corporate gig. Sixty thousand per city. Travel and stay separate. Four cities mean two lakhs forty thousand. The club will keep fifteen per cent. You’ll make two lakhs or so.’

‘Two lakhs?’

I sat up, unable to contain my excitement. I hadn’t heard the word ‘lakhs’

in the context of my earnings ever since I became a stand-up comic.

‘You’re welcome,’

Mudit said, laughing.

‘You should’ve made me negotiate your divorce settlement, dude.’

‘I swear. You’re the best. No wonder you’re the boss,’

I said, ending the call.

I decided to call Payal.

‘Free to talk?’

I asked when she picked up on the first ring.

‘Hi. Yes. I’m heading home from work. I was going to call you today as well.’

‘Really?’

‘Yes. Two things. First, I wanted to check how your corporate audition went.’

‘You remembered? I’m just on my way back from Reliable Polymers actually.’

‘And?’

‘So, the thing is … I’m not doing the one event.’

‘Oh,’

she said in a disappointed voice.

‘Because I’m doing four,’

I said.

‘All in different cities. And they’re paying me a lot more than I expected. Turns out, HR people do laugh at dentist jokes.’

‘Oh. Congrats, Saket. I want to hear the dentist jokes right now,’ she said.

‘Sure, sure,’

I said.

‘But wait, if I may ask, how did your IM presentation go?’

‘That was the second thing I wanted to talk to you about.’

‘Okay. And?’

‘Smashed it,’

she said in a soft voice.

‘Really?’

‘Wait. Let me read out the message that Jagdish sent me. He said, “You did an incredible job with the IM, Payal. Considering the ESOPs and valuing them properly was a great insight. Well done.”’

‘That’s insane. Well done, you,’

I said, emphasizing each word.

‘Jagdish never praises anyone. And he sent this message on the office chat group.’

‘You’re a star, Payal.’

‘All because you helped me.’

‘No, no. It was all you,’ I said.

‘Thank you,’

Payal said.

Saket Khurana, you can do it, I told myself and asked the question.

‘Payal, what are you doing this weekend?’

‘Nothing. I’m free only.’

‘Okay, I was wondering if I could take you out for dinner?’

‘Dinner?’

‘Yeah … We said we’ll celebrate this, remember?’

‘True. But I should be giving you a treat. For helping me.’

‘No, I want to take you out,’

I said.

‘I cracked the corporate deal. And I’m older than you anyway.’

‘Okay,’

she said. ‘Where?’

‘Let’s go to Aer? Tomorrow at 7.0 p.m.?’

‘Aer at Four Seasons, Worli? Isn’t that really high-end?’

‘Don’t worry about it. It’s sponsored by Reliable Polymers. See you tomorrow.’

Aer, the rooftop lounge and bar, offers a stunning panoramic view of Mumbai and the Arabian Sea in the horizon. The bright lights of the city twinkle below it at night, while the darkness hides the less savoury bits, like all the dilapidated buildings and the slums. It has an all-white decor, with everything from the chairs and the tables to the bowl-shaped bar in the middle done up in a stark, minimalist white. Everything is high-end, as are the prices on the menu. If Reliable Polymers cancelled their deal, I would’ve to do shows at the Crayon Club for a month to pay for tonight’s meal.

I reached Aer first, and the hostess ushered me to a table near the edge, for a better view. I’d barely been there for five minutes when Payal reached as well.

‘Got stuck at the last Worli Naka signal, sorry,’ she said.

When you look that stunning, you don’t need to apologize for anything.

She had worn a short shimmery dress, the colour of red wine. Her lipstick matched the dress. Around her neck she wore a rose-gold chain with a tiny butterfly pendant. She had left her hair open, and it cascaded down to her waist in waves. She had a tiny mole on the left side of her neck, right where it curved up. And that was all I kept looking at for a while.

‘I said hi,’

she said again.

‘Oh hey, hi. Sorry. Come, please sit. Umm … You look amazing.’

‘Thank you,’

she said, blushing a bit.

‘What a view.’

She sat down across from me.

‘A glass of Prosecco, please,’

she said when the waiter came to take our order.

‘I’ll have the same,’

I said and then, turning to Payal, said.

‘Should we make it a bottle?’

‘Really?’

‘Yeah. Why not?’

I turned to the waiter.

‘A bottle of Prosecco, please. And some dips and pita bread. Can you make the dips without onion and garlic though? Jain-friendly?’

‘Yes, sir, we can,’

the waiter said.

‘I’m such a pain to be out with,’

Payal said after the waiter took our order and left.

‘It’s okay,’ I said.

The waiter returned a few minutes later with the wine and two wine glasses. He placed the sealed bottle in a silver ice bucket and left.

‘This is exactly like champagne. Strange that they’re not allowed to call it champagne,’ I said.

‘Yes, only sparkling wines made in the Champagne region of France can be called champagne,’

Payal said.

‘It’s like lassi not being allowed to be called lassi outside Punjab,’

I said.

‘Imagine Punjab saying, “Lassi is ours. Gujarat, you better call your Amul drink sweet dahi smoothie or something. Else we’re shutting down your factory and arresting you.”’

Payal laughed, hand over her mouth.

‘That’s what the Champagne people do in France, literally,’ I said.

‘It’s fun to come out with a comic. I get front-row seats to a free show,’ she said.

I smiled and proceeded to open the sparkling-wine bottle. The cork came out with a gentle pop. I carefully poured the wine into the two glasses and passed one to her. As we clinked our glasses, the waiter arrived with our food as well.

‘Thank you again for helping me with the ESOPs,’

Payal said, dipping the pita bread in some Jain hummus and taking a bite.

‘You don’t have to keep thanking me,’ I said.

Payal nodded. She looked around Aer as both of us sipped our Prosecco.

‘A lot of dating-type people here,’

she said, subtly gesturing towards the other couples sitting at the tables around us. One of them was holding hands.

‘Yeah, it’s a popular date spot,’ I said.

‘Oh, really? I wouldn’t know anything about all that,’

Payal said.

‘You’ve dated people before, right?’ I said.

‘As in? Having a proper boyfriend or something like that?’

‘Well, yes.’

‘Not really.’

‘What does “not really” mean?’

‘It means no. I’ve never had one. Crushes, yes. Boyfriends no.’

‘Like never?’

Payal looked at me with a sheepish smile and shook her head.

‘You’ve never been on dates, held hands or kissed anyone?’

‘No and no, but I’ve kissed, yes. On the cheeks only, and that too my younger cousins.

‘No, like a proper kiss.’

‘This is so embarrassing, but no.’

My mouth stayed open as I wondered what to say next.

‘Okay, that can happen. You’re still young. What about Stanford? Didn’t meet anyone there?’ I said.

‘I had a crush.’

‘You did?’

‘Yes, but again, it’s embarrassing. It was a professor. A young assistant professor, to be more specific, but he was still a fair bit older than me.’

‘How old?’

‘I was nineteen. He was thirty-one. Taught microeconomics. I aced his class, hoping to make him take notice of me.’

‘And?’

‘Nothing. It was just a silly crush on an older guy. Went nowhere.’

‘Do you like older guys then?’

‘My crushes would suggest so. Who knows though? I don’t have any real dating experience.’

I nodded.

‘It’s probably hard for you to imagine someone like me in today’s day and age,’

Payal said after a while.

‘It’s a bit unusual, yes,’ I said.

‘You can’t imagine the environment in my home. I told you no? The restrictions I grew up with?’

‘Yes, no meat, no eggs and no onion and garlic.’

‘And no boys. Having a boyfriend would rank as sinful as me eating a beef steak.’

‘Why?’

‘Because my mother drilled it into me—only bad girls have boyfriends.’

‘What do the good girls do?’

‘They study well and listen to their parents.’

‘Like you. You’re a good girl then.’

‘Yes. It’s who I am now. Even at Stanford, I had to top the class. It wasn’t my parents pushing me there. I just had it imprinted in me. If I lost even one grade, I’d berate myself for months.’

‘A perfectionist?’

‘A toxic perfectionist, if you ask me. To top at Stanford means having no life. Guys did try, by the way. They’d ask me out for coffee, drinks, dinner.’

Of course, they did.

‘And?’

I said, keeping my face politely curious.

‘I said no each time, what else …’

‘And yet you’re here tonight.’

She looked at me, somewhat surprised.

‘Is this a date?’

she said softly.

A trick question. If I said no, my chances would be blown forever. If I said yes, she could take it the wrong way. When there is no right answer, the best response is another question.

‘What do you think?’ I asked.

‘We met for dinner. To celebrate our wins.’

‘Correct.’

‘But, like you said, this place is a date spot. It’s full of couples.’

‘Also true.’

‘When does this become a date? I don’t know,’ she said.

‘Are you really that innocent?’

I said, and laughed.

‘Fine, make fun of me,’

Payal said, taking a big sip of her wine.

‘I’m not making fun of you. It’s just cute.’

‘I’m trying to change … I’m now aware of my mother’s over controlling nature. See, I’m pouring myself a second glass of alcohol. Another forbidden item.’

Payal refilled her glass and mine.

‘Didn’t we establish that wine is Jain-friendly?’

‘It’s not about it being Jain-friendly,’

Payal said.

‘Wine is too much fun. And as per the Yashodha Jain Manual on Bringing Up Good Girls, anything fun is not to be done.’

‘That’s your mother?’ I said.

‘Correct. The only fun thing we’re allowed to do at home is eat unhealthy food, as long as it’s Jain-friendly of course.’

‘Like what?’

‘Bhujia, laddoos, halwa, kaju katli. There’s an unending list of Jain-friendly foods that are unhealthy. No problem in all that. But boys and alcohol, bad.’

‘So, both these things, very bad,’

I said, pointing first to her glass and then towards myself.

Payal laughed.

‘Yeah. Pure-evil-level bad. Anyway, enough about me. Tell me about yourself.’

‘What do you want to know?’

‘You live in Mumbai alone?’

‘Yes.’

‘And your family?’

‘My parents live in Chandigarh. Dad retired from the Army eight years ago.’

‘Hmm … and that whole difficult divorce thing you mentioned in the show? Is that true? Or was it just show material?’

‘It’s true. My divorce literally came through a few days back. Although, Raashi and I have been separated for years now.’

‘Raashi, your wife?’

‘Ex-wife.’

‘How long were you married?’

‘Six years.’

‘No kids?’

I shook my head.

‘What happened between you guys?’

‘Long story. I’ll tell you some other time,’ I said.

‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry,’

Payal said, looking apologetic.

‘No, it’s fine. I’ll tell you in short: she fucked her rakhi brother before, during and after our marriage.’

‘What?’

she said, looking shocked.

‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have used such crude language. What should I say? Ugh … she was intimate with her rakhi brother? Or she made love to her rakhi brother?’

I said, somewhat agitated.

‘Does that make it sound better?’

‘Is this making you upset? Sorry … We can change the topic.’

‘It’s okay. Bottomline, she had a thing with someone. We also wanted different things in life. She wanted money, assets, the high life basically. And you’ve seen me, doing dumb things like quitting private equity for the sake of cracking jokes.’

‘It’s not a dumb thing. It’s a brave thing,’

Payal said.

‘You think so?’

‘Yeah. Chasing your dream is brave, not dumb. But people continuing in jobs they hate, that’s dumb.’

‘Thank you. I guess I needed to hear that,’ I said.

‘You’re welcome. Sorry you had to go through all that in your marriage.’

‘Well, it’s all over now,’

I said.

‘And I’m sure Raashi has her own version of events. As a reaction to what she did, I did some stupid things myself. I’m not proud of that.’

‘There are always two sides to a story.’

I kept my glass down.

‘I want to say something to you.’

‘What?’

‘I like you.’

‘Oh, I like you as well.’

‘No, I mean … I don’t want to be just friends with you. I mean, I couldn’t, even if I tried.’

‘What do you want to be then?’

‘Perhaps one of the items on your banned list?’

‘Garlic?’

she said, and grinned.

‘Sorry, that was a bad one. But I couldn’t help it.’

I laughed.

‘That was good, actually. You, too, are funny. Who’s the real comic here?’ I said.

‘Thank you, I’m learning from the best,’ she said.

‘So, umm, I like you. And not just as a friend.’

‘Wow.’

‘Is that a good wow or a bad wow?’

‘It’s an I-don’t-know-how-to-react wow. I’ve never done this before, Saket.’

‘In a way, it’s a first for me as well. Raashi and I had an arranged marriage.’

‘Is this a date now?’

Payal said.

‘Depends on your response.’

‘I’m not allowed to have a boyfriend, you know that,’ she said.

‘I also know that sometimes you like to rebel and make your own decisions, no matter what the rules are,’

I said, pointing to her glass.

She smiled.

‘And if you can decide whether to invest millions in a company or not, you can also decide what you want for yourself.’

Payal remained quiet. I gently placed my hand on top of hers. She didn’t retract her hand.

‘Do you like me?’ I said.

‘What? Of course, I like you. You’re nice.’

‘Are you attracted to me? Even a little?’

‘What does “a little attracted” mean?’

‘Do you think about me? Do thoughts about me randomly pop up in your head?’

‘Yes … sometimes …’

‘What kind of thoughts?’

‘Oh … I feel like talking to you. Spending time with you. I wonder about what you are doing. I think about you performing at the comedy club.’

‘How many times a day do you think of me?’

‘I don’t know. Two? Three? I haven’t counted. How often do you think of me?’

‘Fifty, sixty times.’

‘What?’

‘Relax. I’m joking,’

I said, laughing.

‘But I think of you a fair number of times.’

‘Okay,’

she said, looking uncertain and amused at the same time.

‘Also, I know I’m divorced and older. So it’s not an easy decision for you.’

‘Well, I’ve never been married or even dated anybody.’

‘I know.’

Payal leaned forward.

‘Whatever this is, Saket, take it slow, please,’

she said.

‘I’m curious about things. I want to see where this goes, but I really haven’t done this before.’

I removed my hand and looked into her eyes.

‘Slow is good.’

‘Thank you.’

‘From now on, I’ll be like an actor in a slow-motion movie,’

I said and picked up the menu card in slow motion. Then I lifted my wine glass and sipped the Prosecco in slow motion.

She laughed.

‘Shall we order some dinner?’

I said, gesturing for the waiter in slow motion.

‘Do you want me to get you a cab?’

I said.

‘Parel, right?’

We were in the lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel, having come down after finishing dinner.

Payal checked her watch.

‘It’s only 10 p.m. Not that late by Mumbai standards,’ she said.

Okay, she wanted to spend more time with me.

‘You want to go somewhere else?’

I said.

‘Like a nightclub or something?’

‘Somewhere we can take a walk? Near the sea maybe?’

‘There’s the Bandstand in Bandra. Shall we go there for a bit?’

‘Sure,’ she said.

We took a black-and-yellow cab up to one end of Bandstand.

‘That’s Galaxy, Salman Khan’s house,’

she said, pointing to an apartment complex.

‘Yes, and at the other end of Bandstand is Shah Rukh’s Mannat.’

‘Let’s do the Salman to Shah Rukh walk, shall we?’ she said.

Bandstand was full of walkers and strollers even this late in the night. Payal walked close to me, her bare arm occasionally grazing my shirt sleeve. Halfway through our walk, when we passed a bhutta seller, we stopped to buy one.

‘I love this,’

Payal said, taking a bite of the bhutta before passing it to me as we continued walking on the promenade. It felt more intimate than Aer. Every now and then, our fingers touched.

‘You have a brother, right? You told me about him that day,’ I said.

‘Yes. Vansh. According to my parents, he can do no wrong,’

Payal said.

‘What do you mean?’

‘He never did well in studies, not that my parents cared. Dad wants him to come help in the factory, but Vansh doesn’t want to work hard. He prefers hanging out with his friends and playing video games. And yet …’

‘And yet what?’

‘He’s the son. I’m the daughter.’

We reached Shah Rukh’s home, Mannat. Quite a few people stood outside, taking pictures and hoping to catch a glimpse of the superstar perhaps. I held Payal’s hand in mine as we crossed the road and turned around to walk back.

‘Was it hard? The divorce?’

she said, edging closer.

‘Changed everything. I lost my home and my life in the US. Most of my wealth too.’

‘I mean, was it hard for you emotionally?’

I turned sideways to look at her.

‘Nobody has ever asked me that.’

‘You don’t have to tell me if it’s too personal.’

‘No, it’s okay. It was difficult emotionally,’

I continued.

‘Finding out that she was involved with someone else, that too since before our marriage. But she still chose to marry me. In a sense, she fooled me from the start.’

‘Why did she marry you? Why not the person you said she was with?’

‘The rakhi brother? That guy’s family had a higher status than Raashi’s. His parents said no. You know how Indian families are.’

She nodded.

‘And what made you get married?’

‘I didn’t know any better. It was the logical next step according to the tick-markers.’

‘Tick … what? Who?’

‘Well, I have a theory. All the people around us, who judge us and tell us how to live, they are tick-markers. If we do what they say, they give us their approval—tick marks,’

I said, making tick marks in the air.

‘Interesting concept.’

‘It’s a trap. But like most people, I fell right into it. Tried to live up to others’

expectations and lost myself in the process.’

‘Are you okay now?’

Payal said.

‘Yes, I’m much better. Honestly, though, I’ve lost faith in the whole institution of marriage.’

‘That’s not surprising. You’ve really been hurt,’

Payal said, looking into my eyes.

I remained quiet. She held my hand and squeezed it.

‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to make our outing all serious,’

I said finally.

‘It’s fine. I’m always happy to listen to people’s stories.’

‘You sound so mature and sensible for your age,’

I said.

‘And you’re a great listener.’

‘Thank you,’

she said and smiled.

We reached the point where we’d started our walk from. I checked the time: 11.0 p.m.

‘It’s late,’

I said.

‘But I still feel like spending more time with you.’

‘It’s not late for a Saturday night in Mumbai,’

Payal said softly.

‘How about some coffee?’

‘Sure,’

she said.

‘Where should we go?’

‘There are many cafés on Carter Road. But Saturday night means they’ll all be super crowded,’ I said.

‘Somewhere not too crowded, please,’

she said.

‘Somewhere we can sit in peace, and talk.’

‘I have a place in mind. We could go there, but only if you’re okay with it.’

‘Tell me.’

‘My place is not far from here. I have everything there—coffee, tea, wine. And it’s also not crowded.’

Payal stared at me for a second and then looked away, biting her lower lip, as if mulling over the idea.

‘We don’t have to,’

I said hurriedly when she didn’t respond.

‘Also, it’s a big mess. This wasn’t the plan. I mean, it was just—’

‘Okay,’

Payal interrupted me.

‘Let’s go to your place. Why not? It’ll be more relaxing than a busy, crowded café.’

‘This is so nice. And such a cute window,’

Payal said.

We stood in my living room. I switched on the table lamps, including the one next to the window ledge.

Payal walked up to the window, sat on the ledge and turned to me.

‘If I lived here, I’d always sit here,’ she said.

‘That’s exactly what I do,’ I said.

Leaving her looking out of the window, I went to the small kitchen next to the living room.

‘What do you want?’

I said loudly so Payal could hear me outside.

‘What do you have?’

she said, walking into the kitchen.

I opened a wooden cabinet and showed her its contents—there was black tea, green tea and coffee.

‘I also have some soft drinks and wine in the fridge,’ I said.

‘May I?’

she said, pointing to the fridge.

‘Of course,’

I said, laughing.

‘It’s not my private safe. Not that I have a private safe.’

She opened the fridge. It was filled with whey protein shakes, pre-workout drinks and about five dozen eggs.

‘Wow. You’re really hard-core,’ she said.

‘I try.’

She dug a little deeper into the fridge.

‘Is this regular white wine?’

she said, pulling out a bottle.

‘Yes, what else would it be?’

‘I don’t know. Maybe you keep some high-protein wine or something,’ she said.

I laughed. She spoke like me, making smartass comments when you least expected them.

She kept the bottle on the kitchen counter.

‘Are we drinking this then?’ I said.

‘No?’

She blinked.

‘I thought we were going to have coffee or green tea, but wine is fine.’

‘Maybe, at your age, green tea is better …’ she said.

‘Ouch. Are you making fun of me?’

‘No. You’re supposed to be the funny guy, right?’

she said with a twinkle in her eye.

I laughed and poured the wine into two wine glasses.

‘Let’s sit at the window …’ she said.

We returned to the living room and sat on the ledge, facing each other, with our backs against the wall, our legs extended.

We sipped the wine in silence, gazing out of the window. The gentle rustling of the tree leaves in the breeze and the occasional sound of vehicles passing on the road below filled the space. My right leg brushed against her left leg.

Her phone rang a little later. She ignored it. But it rang again. This time, Payal cut the call and began typing a message.

‘Everything okay?’

I said.

‘Take the call if you want …’

She shook her head.

‘It’s my mother. She called earlier when we were having dinner. She calls every night, to check if I’m okay.’

‘Then take the call.’

‘No. She’ll ask too many questions. What did you eat for dinner? Who did you meet?’

‘And you can’t tell her you met me.’

‘Not unless your name is Sakshi instead of Saket.’

‘You can call me Sakshi. I could pass off as one.’

Both of us smiled.

‘I’ve messaged her. I wrote that I ate dal chawal, worked and then dozed off,’

Payal said.

‘Listen, if you want to call her back …’

‘No, it’s all right. It’s Sunday tomorrow. I’ll visit them anyway,’

she said and kept her phone aside.

‘Music?’ I said.

I connected the Bluetooth speaker in my room to my phone and opened the YouTube app. A.R. Rahman’.

‘Piya Milenge’

filled the room.

‘Nice song,’

she said, swaying slightly to the music.

‘It’s a new song, from the movie Raanjhanaa.’

She nodded and looked outside the window.

‘These trees. It’s so peaceful here …’

She sighed.

‘May I sit next to you?’ I said.

‘Yes, sure,’

she said. She slid her slender body towards the window to make space for me.

‘Is it really true?’

I said as I sat next to her.

‘What?’

she said, turning her face towards mine.

‘That you’ve never been kissed?’

‘Oh, that,’

she said, making a silly face.

‘Yes. It’s true. Rather stupid in this day and age, isn’t it?’

I looked at her, maintaining eye contact. I leaned forward, our faces mere millimetres apart. Her breath quickened. She turned her gaze away and then looked back at me.

Somewhere in the background, the song reached its crescendo.

‘Okay?’

I whispered.

She gave me a brief nod.

Gently, I held her chin with one hand and kissed her lower lip as softly and slowly as possible. A moment into the kiss, I increased its intensity, and felt her respond. She shifted her body closer to mine. Never in my life had I felt so much from a kiss alone. The world seemed to have receded somewhere into the background. Minutes passed. The song ended. Two YouTube ads, one for a detergent and another for an anti-dandruff shampoo followed, making the most mood-killing first-kiss background track ever. However, we didn’t really care. We just continued to kiss, our lips fused together.

When we finally broke apart, Payal leaned her head against my chest and hugged me. A second or two later, I felt a wetness on my chest where her eyes touched me.

‘Payal? You okay?’ I said.

‘Yeah. I’m fine,’

came her muffled reply, her head still buried in my chest.

‘Are you crying?’