A Little Much About Her

The beginning of complexity:

"A straight drive for four runs down the mid-on fielder. The chase now stands for 37 in 17 balls", the commentator excited. In the midst of cheering crowd and the forever' revival match between CSK and MI, with CSK chasing the score, my phone started vibrating showing a call from an unsaved contact. I picked up the call and answered.

"Hello, who's this?"

"Hello Aniket, I am sorry for today's mashup, please pardon me for all that".

The phone was disconnected. I knew whose call was it. There was small argument today evening in our team after the office work. I appreciate her efforts to take the responsibility to beg pardon from all, infact I was just the spectator there clueless about the matter and whose fault was that. Anyways arguments are always meant to get lessons and not to be won. 

I had never saved her number earlier, although we knew each other for almost a month or two. I was moved by her action of whatever had happened earlier in office today, she is always cool and chillax kinda girl. Since the call got disconnected, I thought of calling her back and ask if everything is okay. Honestly, she is my first female friend with whom I have been accompanied little much. I didn't have much knowledge what to do, what to talk and what not to talk when girls gets upset. Then it felt like calling her again will bother her more. So I texted her.

"Hey! No worries. Good night and have a sound sleep. Will meet up tomorrow"

"Gd n8, sd, tc...", was her text reply.

And that's how our first chat conversation started. My heart was never that heavy earlier than that night. I almost forgot about the revival IPL match later that night. Something kinda struct my emotions...was it her innocent voice over the call or was it her character. It was that night I felt that comprehending this weird feeling that people calls love is just beyond our body and look. I have been meeting her almost every day in my office and never felt that attracted towards her until today midnight...

The introduction:

Our first introduction wasn't like some bollywood clip or some corporate romantic scene where in you smile and she blushes back. Back to our training days, I was wandering around the building from one floor to other floor to get access for my office account to use some of its internal tool.

I headed towards the internal security management room to talk to the person in charge, but I didn't have access to that ODC since I was new in that building. I didn't find any one looking at the door, so that I could ask them to provide access. Failing to which I was returning to my training desk, when I heard a voice from behind...

"Excuse me, could you please let me know how to reach the security management room. I have been trying to find since last fifteen minutes. It seems you are working in this building, so I thought of asking. More or less, the building seems to be quite vacant and I can't notice anyone coming out from any ODC." 

It was a shrill voice with her hands waving with actions and her throat slightly dancing around of whatever she spoke. She was wearing a red kurti with black carvings draped around the border. Her eyes were black and was wearing a blue spec frame.

"I am just returning from there. I had some work there too, but I don't have access to that ODC, I am new to this building."

"Oh could you please lead me that way. Infact we can use my ID card, I am in this building for past two three days, but I need some help with my internet settings in my training desktop."

"Yeah sure, that could definitely work."

We headed towards the corridor to reach the ODC.

"So you are a new joiner, too? I thought you would be working here", she asked.

"Yes, though I had joined the organisation five months back, but after completing the initial learning sessions, I have been assigned to this project last week."

"What about you?"

"My story is quite similar, joined almost a quarter year ago, got some non-technical work in some project temporarily, and now this health care project."

"Oh nice! I guess we are in same project then. But I have never seen you, may be we are under different teams"

"By the way, I am Aniket Srivastava from Darbhanga"...

l approached for hand-shake. She forwarded her Id card as we almost reached the ODC door.

"You have my name and the ID card. Lets enter the ODC"

I swiped the card, met with the person in charge and queried about my troubles. He replied that he would look into that and probably everything would be fixed by the end of the day.

I waited for her inside the ODC as she was still querying her issues. I was holding her Id card, I saw the name. I thought what probably she don't like her name so much, so she just forwarded her Id card and I felt little guilty as I was trying to approach for a hand-shake.

"Let's go Aniket, everything is sorted here."

We moved out of ODC. We descended down to our floor to reach our training room.

"I have known your name earlier as it was mentioned in the list of employees in the excel sheet shared to us a week earlier. I have never seen your face before. I had been longing to know you", I broke the silence.

"And what makes you remember my name. I don't like my name. My name should have been like some books character like Maya, Ever....or even Anna would be fine", she replied with a argument note.

"There's nothing wrong in your name, it's simple and small. Does rose knows that it's name is 'rose' and yet it is beautiful and used as a symbol of love? Or does brinjal knows that it's name is brinjal and yet most people hate to eat it?"

"Your name catched me because its your surname signs that you are from Bihar which is same as my native, and so I thought at least I would have a friend from my place and that too a typically bihari kudi amongst all other south Indian office colleagues"

"Well interesting, but I am not from Bihar , rather I have been living with my family in Dehradun for past twelve years, but my native and other relatives are still living in Jamshedpur which is close to Bihar."

"And what was that rose thing about...? Your arguments looks quite psychological..."

"Anyways, nice to meet you, Aniket."

She approached for hand-shake and I forwarded her ID card. It became a little awkward situation for both of us. She took her ID card. We shook our hands.

"Never mind..my stupid arguments...I wasn't trying to impress you"

"Yeah bye...see you later"

Our first meeting ended quite incomplete. It felt like I was trying to impress her by making a synonym psychological argument with her name..and yet it didn't bother her.

The training days:

It was quite a past two or three weeks since we had our first meeting. Since then, I have never been thinking so much about her, but what else boys do..they just keep on following the beautiful girls everywhere be it on the training session, or on the cafeteria or in the library, and she would probably show her presence among those beautiful groups. 

I would notice her, sitting on the first bench, making notes or whatever lessons we are given, she would fill the notepad with the notes. I got to talk to her once or twice in bits of hi and hello mostly in the library but never had a chance to meet her alone. 

Sooner after completing our training, we had to attend interview, she was the one who got selected first and there was no doubt in that. Few other guys also made through the hurdle. I and one more guy were selected too by eliminating the others. Thanks God I made it.

So we were a group of five people, she, Akashdeep, Utsav, Chetan and I initally that got selected in the core development team. Later one more girl Manisha joined our team from the same training batch.

The immature instinct:

Initially we didn't have our own desk allocated to our account, so we used to share the system so that we would work mutually on our assigned demo project. 

It was usually she and Chetan or she and I used to share our system and work mutually. She was more friendly to Chetan, even before coming to the project.

One Friday evening, it was the end of our shift, she and Chetan also finished their work. And most of our colleagues had already left for the day. I was about to shut down my system, when she called me to her desk.

"Hey, could you please help me in tying this bracelet to the left hand. It's been impossible for me to tie up with one hand"

"Yeah sure...let me see this"

She handed over her blue glittering bracelet and forwarded her hand towards me.

"Why don't you seat and tie it up, it will be easy for you"

"It is easy on either way", I continued sitting by her and tying the bracelet when I could feel her hot breathes warming my hands. I looked at her eyes. She was looking at me but soon diverted her eyes towards the bracelet. It seemed as if she was looking for something more than just tying her bracelet.

"It's done...see it was easy", I broke the silence of the assumed romantic atmosphere.

"Oh thanks! How do I look?",she exclaimed with joy and watching the glittering edges of the bracelet. 

"You look the same as you walked to your desk today morning, only difference is that you have eaten your lipstick now"

"Bhaaak! Aniket! I meant how do this bracelet looks on me?", she was eagerly waiting for my response.

"It's looking beautiful, yaar. You should be wearing this with some blue-green one piece dress. It will suit you perfect"

"It seems you know much about girl looks about their matching dresses and about their lookups, haan? Tell me how many girlfriends you had in the past and whom are you trying now?"

"Cool girl, I didn't have any girlfriend in the past, yeah I have seen my sisters and cousins dressing up with matching accessories, so I have general idea"

"Ohh! So you catch up lot of small things, it seems"

"Might be for others, it's normal for me to notice the unusual things", I continued.

"By the way, why are you wearing this now, it's end of the day. Aren't you going your home tonight?"

"No, my few friends from other office building and I had planned to go for party..since it's Friday night and we haven't been out for quite a long time. Would you like to join us?"

"Me going to party, in formals? No..no..you girls enjoy the party. I am not so party making guy. Thanks for asking though?"

"Where did Chetan went? Had he not left for the day? I could still see his bag here", I asked.

"Don't know man, might be he went for a tea"

"Anyways I should be getting ready with the party dress. I will be going to rest room. You can leave for the day. Happy weekend! Bye"

"Bye! Enjoy hard!"

I logged off my system, went out off the office building, took the first BMTC bus to reach my home. While outside, it was honking the horns in the midst of all traffic jams, my head was still stuck at why did she ask me to tie the bracelet, when Chetan had not left for the day. And as far as those days, Chetan and she were good friends together. To give it a second thought, it seemed that she had more trust on me, or may be she wanted to have a different emotions and attachments that she shared with Chetan. I was confusing whether it was some test of her to check my intentions and my characters, and whether or not I have passed it or not,or whether I am still immature to identify her instinct and intentions.

All that mattered for me, at the end of the day was to be her as she was the day before. I didn't want anything to be awkward between us because I am not ready for it.