IN LOVE WITH MY BEST FRIEND

Drawn To Her

PRESENT TIME

Punit stepped out of the store, holding a small bag of his purchase. His face was animated as he addressed his viewers on YouTube.

In the background, people bustled about, going on with their daily lives. Cars zoomed past, their tires screeching against the concrete. The sky was a brilliant blue, dotted with fluffy clouds.

"We’re planning to cook some khichdi tonight," Punit said, his voice full of excitement. "And she’s a splendid cook, have I told you? Give her any ingredient. She’ll make something great out of it, and one look is all that she takes to get ideas."

As Punit spoke, he walked down the busy street, weaving his way around pedestrians and dodging cars. He checked his phone briefly before continuing.

"So, where were we?" he said, looking up again. "Ah, yes! That day, she headed to the principal’s office to complain. Well, it didn’t work. Ask me why I’m not surprised."

Punit's face darkened slightly as he remembered the incident.

"That guy was a chicken and didn’t have the spine to lift a finger against the chairman’s son. Well, I can’t blame him. He had to save his a*s. He and he alone must, because no one else will save it for him."

Punit paused for a moment, taking a deep breath, and then continued.

"So, one afternoon, as I was taking a cautious stroll in the school grounds, cautious because, you know… this bully Sibal usually lurked in corners waiting to bash me up, I chanced upon a ruckus."

BACK TO THE PAST

The noise was deafening, and it seemed like every kid in the vicinity had gathered around to see what was happening. Their voices mixed together in a cacophony of sound, rising and falling in excitement as they jostled each other for a better view. Some of the taller kids stood on their tiptoes, craning their necks to get a glimpse of the commotion, while the shorter ones elbowed their way through the crowd to try and get closer to the action. It was chaos, pure and simple, but nobody seemed to mind. They were all caught up in the moment, their attention fixed on whatever was happening in the center of the crowd.

The commotion had piqued Punit’s interest, and he too found himself drawn to the gathering crowd of kids.

“What’s going on?” Punit stood on his toes, craning his neck to peer beyond the sea of heads.

Being tall had its plus points. Punit could reach anywhere. Well, not everywhere. He could also take the backbench or be the last in a row. It was a blessing considering that Sibal was shorter and had to stay in the front of wherever he went, be it a bench or a row.

Sibal was also chunky, like a piece of meat, had man boobs, and was shorter by a couple of inches. But that didn’t make his punches any softer.

Punit peered over and a big grin appeared on his face.. Sibal was getting mauled! By Anki!

Note – Narration in bold italics

Let’s admit, I was happy. I could break a marathon hurdle record. I was THAT happy! He deserved it! Sucker used to taunt me a lot for no reason at all! I’d always dreamt of watching him getting butt-caned in full view of the school or at least get into the most humiliating moment of his life, but alas, it never happened, until now. My joy knew no bounds! I wondered why he was getting bashed up, though!

“Kick his a*s!!!” someone cheered beside him, making him almost jump out of his shorts.

Wow! Looks like I wasn’t the only one who loathed this guy?

Many others joined in hooting.

It was deafening. It felt like I was in the Roman Colosseum watching a fight to the death between gladiators. NOT. More like a bullfight, rather. And this little matador was getting gored to death by Anki. She was literally kicking him around like a plastic cup. I did not know what got her so possessed.

Sibal hauled himself on all fours. He trembled when he tried clambering to his knees. One kick to his side made him bite the dust yet again.

There were a hell lot of oohs which stopped when out of nowhere the teachers charged with their canes. All of them scattered like bullets.

Thanks to Sibal, I was great at sprinting, so it didn’t take me long to cover up the whole ground in one stride.

Punit hurtled across the open grounds, his legs pumping with adrenaline. He took cover behind a tree and caught his breath when he heard Anki being dragged to the Principal’s office. He peeked out cautiously, getting an eyeful of the scene and sincerely hoping that they didn’t hurt her.

Mr. Shah, our chicken poop principal, was about to hit her with a cane. But man, talk about defiance and guts. She just crossed her arms and refused to give in. And that’s when he grabbed her by the skirt and tried to whack her a*s.

“Don’t touch me!” She snarled like an angry cat and knocked his cane away. “I’ve done nothing wrong! If you dare, pick on that mutt, Sibal. If you have issues with me, talk to my parents about it!”

Punit blinked. Like seriously, what creature was she? Even the teachers looked embarrassed.

“How dare you!!! HOW DARE YOU!!!” Mr. Shah trembled in fury, making him look like a giant, flabby hippo.

I wanted to hang around, get a closure, but unfortunately, I had to get back to class.

***

A while later, I saw her dad for the first time. She was with him, too. They were having a chat as they walked past our class. I really wanted to know what happened.

I remember fidgeting in my seat to get a better look at him. After all, he was Anki’s father, and I wanted to know everything about her.

Ratan Agarwal. That’s his name. He had salt and pepper hair, glasses, and sharp, piercing eyes. On the first impression, he looked like a hot-tempered, no-nonsense guy. Maybe that was where Anki got her fury from?

That was the first time I felt a powerful pull towards her. I don’t know what it was. Admiration? Curiosity? Or attraction? I felt like a helpless fanboy. I wanted to get close to her. Grab her attention. Be her friend. Be everything!!!

I ended up thinking about her several times in the day.

My eyes were quick to spot her almost anywhere, even from amidst a crowd.

My ears were eternally up to listen to what she had to say, or what others had to say about her.

I defended her when anyone spoke s**t about her. Not that anyone did. She was so right in all her ways.

I followed her. Secretly. Um… is that stalking, by the way? I refuse to believe that. I wasn’t stalking her. Um… was I?

I don’t know why the heck I was following her, I mean, like what exactly did I want to find out? Beats me. Maybe it was the way she walked around with that guitar strapped over her back. It made her look so special as if she wasn’t already. I learned that she took music lessons when the rest of the school pigged out on their lunch. How fab is that?

But I’ll admit it, I was s**t scared. From the way I was going on, I was damn sure, someday; I was going to get caught tailing her, by someone or the other. And if it was going to be her who caught me red-handed, well, God save me. I’d seen the way she’d mauled Sibal. She was strong and didn’t give a damn about anything or anyone. Yet, something told me that she’d have spared me. She would, right? Um…

So, one day, it happened. She caught me! I don’t know how; she must have sensed someone pursuing her.

I was, as usual, ‘stalking’ her all the way to the girl’s room (without even knowing it) when, all of a sudden, she whipped around and faced me with a Clint Eastwood expression.

I was dead. I felt like I’d rammed head-on into a brick wall. I could do nothing but fidget and twiddle. I’d even considered running away when she asked that question.

“Why’re you following me?”

“Uh-what?” he gurgled.

“I asked, why are you following me?”

He swallowed nervously, his eyes darting around as he searched for a way out. "Um… um… g-gui-guitar?" he stammered, his heart racing.

"What?" she said, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

He took a deep breath, hoping to steady his nerves. "Guitar… c-can I see your guitar?" he blurted out, his face turning bright red.

She looked at him skeptically, but something in his expression made her pause. Slowly, she reached down and unzipped her guitar case, revealing a sleek instrument.

He grinned with excitement and reached out to take it from her, his fingers tingling with anticipation. As he strummed a few chords, a smile spread across his face and he felt a rush of euphoria.

Man. That thing was a b-e-a-uty. That smooth polish made that body look so glossy as if drizzled with melted caramel, you could actually lick it off. Um… did that sound a little erotic? Hmm… Never mind.

So, that was the first time we kind of actually talked. It was scary, to be honest. For a moment, I really did think that she’d punch me. Thankfully, she didn’t. From that day forth, I made it a point to be a little extra careful. And that meant watching her from a distance. I also found out that most of the kids were scared of her. Probably because she was so hot-headed? Or maybe because she was too quiet and timid? She didn’t really talk much. She opened up only to a handful like Rachel and Vaidehi. They were the privileged ones who got to see her bright, dazzling smile. And now I got to see it too. Secretly. Um… you shouldn’t be stalking Punit.