Everything For Him - Part 24

There will always be that one person in our life without whom our existence seems meaningless. Jayanth had created an unfading impression in my mind. The previous meeting more or less seemed like a date.

Often many relationships start with a friendship and we became best friends in this one meeting. I don't understand whether this is an act of destiny or something supernatural which is beyond the realm of human understanding.

After that meeting, I reached my home. At twelve midnight, he sent me a text message saying - 'I have never enjoyed like this before. Thank you so much for making my day. I am really lucky to have met a person like you. Good night :)'

Is he getting interested in me? Come on Ananya, he is just treating you as a friend. Please don't think too much. Somewhere deep in my mind, I had a feeling like how amazing it would be if I had a husband like Jayanth. 

I never believed in destiny and looking at how the events are turning out I feel like maybe it exists. 

One week has passed and I have been assigned a new project. Tulasi started working independently and this reduced the burden on my shoulders. Jayanth and I started working together on coming up with new ideas for product advertising. 

This time it is for a European client. I had a brainstorming session with my team for more than three hours and yet there was no good concept from anyone.

'Ananya! This is a very important project and the competition is really-really tough!' He emphasized. 'If we grab this there is no need to look back.'

'But Jayanth the concept is really a complicated one.'

'Don't think about the problem. Think about the solution,' he said in his managerial style. 'We need to submit the idea in a week.'

'What kind of concept can we come up with for a mobile phone? Can you help me in providing me with the technical details?'

'It's simple like every phone.'

'Then this is really complicated. If they didn't include anything new then why are they planning to launch it?'

'That is none of our business!' remarked Jayanth. 'Your team had come up with many great ideas in the past.'

'I don't know why they are not coming this time.'

'See if you can't do great things. Do small things in a great way.'

'Idea!' At last an idea flashed in my mind.

'What is that?'

'I just read somewhere that in one of the local trains a group of boys was making fun of a lonely girl. One passenger sitting in the last row of the compartment had shot the video with his phone with a long zoom and immediately alerted a railway officer. The railway police arrested them in the next station.'

'In which way this is going to work.'

'Simple. We can end it with the caption - "Nothing gets hidden in this smartphone world. Introducing XYZ mobile with 48 Mega Pixel camera and so on..."'

'Let's keep it in the pipeline. If we don't get any idea then we will go with this.'

'Ok!' I replied. 'And also please ask Tulasi to make a storyboard for your idea.'

'Ya, I will! Is there anything else that we need to discuss?'

'As of now nothing,' he replied.

I was expecting whether he would say anything more but he didn't. I got up and went back to my desk.

From ten o'clock to eleven o'clock, I made sure everyone in the department was on task and supervised the interns' brainstorming meeting. I even managed to spare a few extra minutes to get ahead on some past-due assignments.

From eleven o'clock to one o'clock, I conferred with the art directors about the visuals of the advertising, sat in on a conference call with the national marketing committee, and started reading the proposed expense reports. 

At 01:30 PM, I received a message on my phone from Jayanth which went on like: Shall we go out for a second show tonight?

It was hardly only a day since we had spent time together. I didn't reply as I wasn't sure whether going out with him was good or not.

Sometimes I wonder how I feel about him. and sometimes I am scared of these feelings. Still, the dreams about Jayanth are so vivid and clear that I feel true happiness and my fear disappears. 

People say dreams have an underlying meaning to them and one should not ignore them. But as I wake up from my dream, I feel alone. I don't realize what I feel for him. He makes me daydream in the office. However, in reality, I am all alone without him.

There was a message again from him and this time there's a question mark. 

Looks like he keeps messaging me until I give him a reply. Anyways it's just going out for a movie and what's wrong in giving him company? 

I replied Ok and resumed my work. Nobody had come up with any new ideas.

On the other side, I wondered why he got the idea to go out for a movie and that too with a woman. 

Ananya! Maybe he wants to get near you. Did I do the right thing by accepting his proposal? Sometimes I wonder how my life would have been if I didn't get to meet Jayanth. To be frank, I think there's not much difference in me before and after. I am the same plain old victim with a broken marriage.

There's nothing wrong with taking Jayanth as a friend. Friends go to the movies and enjoy it a lot. Jayanth is just doing the same.

At 06:00 PM I received another text message: Please leave your home. I will pick you up from your home at 07:30. Is it okay?

I replied Yes and then packed my bag and left for home. I didn't inform Sandhya as she always adds complicated philosophical things to it. 

I wore a purple gown with bright floral patterns. At 07:30 exactly Jayanth called me.

'Hello, partner! Are you ready?' His voice was vibrating with enthusiasm.

'I am ready! Coming down in two minutes.'

I locked the door and went down. His Audi car was right in front of the gate. I opened the door and climbed inside.

'You look beautiful!' He said.

'Thank you and which movie are we going to?'

'Hakuna Matata! The Lion King!'

'I already watched it long ago.'

'This is the remake of that old one only. I am sure you will enjoy it.'

'Your wish. I don't have any problem.'

We reached the cinema hall and unfortunately, the tickets have been sold out for 'The Lion King'. There was another movie 'The Bitch on the LightHouse' that was being run on the other screen and there was no one standing in the queue.

'What about going to that movie?' I asked, pointing my finger towards the poster. The poster itself looked intimidating with a weird figure sitting on top of the lighthouse.

'Are you serious?' He asked with a frown.

'Yes!'

'Hmm… Ok!' He replied, pursing his lips.

He went to the counter and bought two tickets. 

It was time for the movie to begin, so we went inside the cinema hall and took our seats. Almost all the seats in the theatre were unoccupied.

'Do you love horror films?' Jayanth asked.

'Yes! I love watching horror films.'

'Don't you feel afraid?' Even in the dim lighting inside I could easily see the fear in his eyes.

'Never!' I replied.

The lights were turned off and the movie started. One row ahead of ours, I saw a couple who were busy making their own movie. They were so engrossed in kissing each other that they hardly looked elsewhere. Both of them had closed their eyes and were feeling every inch of each other. It reminded me of the crazy moment that I had with my ex-husband Raghav. We once went to a romantic movie. In between the scenes, he kissed me on my cheek. Memories once again transported me back to those times. 

An hour passed and the movie was really horrific. A scene had come where the hero and a group of ten go into the lighthouse only to find the ghost inside.

All of a sudden! Jayanth caught my hand. His eyebrows were raised and pulled together.

'Ananya! This movie is looking horrible,' he said. His hands are still catching mine.

'Ok! Ok! Let's go out,' I said.

He made the first move and we walked out. 

'Are you afraid of horror movies?' I asked as we approached the waiting lobby.

'A lot!'

'You should have told me before. We would have gone to some other movie.'

'I felt a bit shy,' he said, staring at the floor.

'Shall we go to another movie?'

'No need. This is enough for today. Instead of a movie, let's go and have a bite.'

'Okay!'

We got into the car and reached the tank bund where the food carts are always open 24*7. We stopped at one of the food carts and ordered Pav Bhaji. 

'Are you afraid of horror movies since childhood?'

'Yes! I rarely go out to watch movies in theatres. I should have booked the tickets online.'

'Pav Bhaji is really nice!' I said taking the bite of Pav.

'But the movie was really scary!'

'Forget about it. We are already out of the theatre. Leave your fear there itself. Every human will be afraid of some of the other kinds of things.'

'What are you afraid of?'

'Once upon a time I used to feel afraid of loneliness. But as they say, when you face the fear it will no longer have control over your life. The same applies to me. I have been living alone for nearly ten years and today I am not afraid of it anymore.'

'You are alone because you don't have a family. I am alone despite having a family. We both are on the same page and I feel I am not alone when you are by my side,' Jayanth said.

I turned at him in surprise. It seemed as if he had read the shock on my face. 

'I mean! We are best friends right and when we have friends we are not alone. Am I wrong?'

'No-No! You are right,' I added. 

We then finished off the food on our plate and Jayanth started the car. By the time he stopped at the apartment gate, it was already twelve. 

'Ananya! I am extremely sorry for making everyone work on Saturday. I will make sure that everyone gets an incentive for this.'

'That's not at all a problem.'

'And also,' he took out a small box which was completely gift-wrapped from the cabinet of the car. 

'This is for you,' he said, handing out the box to me.

'What is this?' I asked in surprise.

'Go home and find it. Good night!'

To be continued...