15. The biggest secret of ....

Sagar suddenly pointed at the 2 girls who just came to the coffee shop, and said, ‘Arsh your Manali girl !!!’ All of us except Arsh, turned at once to see whom Sagar was talking about. She was not the same girl, but Sagar blinked his eyes and asked us to keep quite. Then I said ‘Oh my god ! yes she is the same girl (smiling).’ Then slowly Arsh tilted his eyes in a manner that we couldn’t know. But as it was done intentionally by us, all of our eyes were fixed at him only. At last he said ‘ naa... she is not the one. She was better than both of these.’ That was the moment, when all of ours face lit-up. We somehow managed to lighten up Arsh’s mood. After that, Karan, Sagar, Disha and I didn’t let Arsh think about past and just changed his state of mind. We asked him about any friends or rather more specifically about gfs. We knew that his parents took him to all sorts of marriages and parties where some really hot Punjabi girls came, with best possible make-up. We asked him that did he find someone there or anywhere else. He replied(laughing), ‘girl.... hmm ,,, naa !!! no one.’ We all were experienced enough to read his eyes by now. Disha said ‘Really... Girl ,,, hmm,,, naa, what does this 'hmm...' mean Arsh. Common man, now your game is over. Now are you going to speak yourself or shall we ask your parent about your "hmm...girl".’

It was then that Arsh opened up his mouth about a girl he met during a marriage. Now, one more thing that we came to know that day was that Arsh was very naughty and chill kind of person whenever he is around or in family (shame on us, we being his best friends didn’t know this). Infront of us he was so silent and behaved as if he had pledged not to see any girl. He told that ‘Last time when I came home before the mission, on a leave of 10 days, we went to Ludhiana on the marriage of my brother. Marriages in Punjab are on such a grand scale, what to say about that. There were 3 functions and on the first day I saw her.’ Disha (restless creature) interrupted ‘Her!!! What’s her name ?’ Arsh continued ‘umm....(shied) Simran. Her name is Simran. I went to my sister and started talking to her, somehow trying to take the topic to this strange looking girl. Actually no... not strange, a very childish, lovely smile and just enjoying every moment of her presence there. She was playing with small children, spending time with her elders, going to stage trying to convince both bride and groom to dance and after doing so dancing with all joyfulness. I asked her about Bhabhi, her relatives, and then said that people are really nice here. Hardly you get to see such a disciplined marriages in our place.’ ' And let me tell you one thing that my sister is no less, don't know how she reads up my mind sooo well that I... jus.. just can't survive any secret infront of her.'

At this very moment Karan (as his usual habit to put his nose into every other smooth going matter) jumped to say something, when Sagar and I pulled him and closed his mouth and asked Arsh to continue. My sister said ‘hmm,,,, people here are nice, no doubt, its punjab afterall but ‘which people’ are you talking about,,, bro ??? Be specific brother (Now these sisters are really prehensile, they always get the things right on first attempt)’ Then I felt a bit shy but who cares she is my sis.

‘The girl in Orange dress. She is looking good, her smile 'bachcha typs', who's she? As far as I know she's not from our family.’

‘ohhoo...looking good, her smile, great yaar.’ she said.

‘Do you know who’s she? Anyways leave it, I’m not interested. And that too I just can’t talk to anyone randomly, right!!’

'yes , obviously how can you talk to someone whom yo don't know, forget her.' (follewed by a shrewd smile)

I became restless hearing this from her, I said above lines expecting she would introduce me to her or atleast give me some idea how to approach her. But she left me, smiling on her way back. I cursed myself for not being straightforward, and directly asking her to do something.

Then I went in the group of uncles and aunties. But, the magic she had created did not allow me to stop staring her, I just couldn't. After some time, I went for dinner. After taking the plate in my hand, I went to a corner and started sharing Harneet's experience of her first conversation with our new Bhabhi, in which now I was no more interested. Again because of force of this peculiar thing called 'heart', I couldn't stop and once again tried to see her but didn’t find her this time around. I thought she might have left, and then somehow tried to be busy with dinner and Harneet's everlasting blabber, hoping to see her again next day.

Suddenly, someone pulled my shirt from back. It was my sister, as I turned around, I was baffled to see Simran, standing right infront of me. How idiotic this thing is, when you are away and want to talk to someone, you plan things in such a perfect manner that a girl seeing you would directly come in your arms, but when she is actually standing infront of you behave in such a dumb way that the person feels so awkward. I was stupefied, and didn't even give a proper smile, and started gazing her in such a way that she might have felt that what crime she had commited.

I don’t know from where, my sister came to my side and introduced me to her friend (yes, Simran was her friend and she was just trying to make a fool of me all this time). I closed my mouth (which was open all this time), and became normal soon. It was then, how it all started and we became friends. But hardly I got an opportunity to call her. Then, I had to go on mission and now I don’t even know whether she remembers me or not.’

Then after listening to this sweet little story, we all attacked Arsh like some mad hungry dogs on seeing the meat after a long period of time. Sagar, snatched Arsh’s cell and found out Simran’s number from it and asked Arsh to call her, to which he denied saying she might have forgotten him by now. But then how can a civilised person survive infront of so many hungry dogs, Arsh had to agree and call her. He also wanted to do so, but somehow tried to act as if he was uninterested. He called her, and went to the side as she picked the phone. He looked extremely excited during the call, and it continued for about 10 mins. He told that Simran was also waiting for his call when she heard about the mission and was so glad to her about their success. We were also happy about Arsh, after all who expected anything from Arsh.

Really, some people are destined to meet and when they meet the world changes, then there is only love.