Chapter 1
Amidst the deafening cheers and the symphony of teenage hormones, I found myself dancing like a newborn giraffe on roller skates. The crowd was going wild, but I wasn’t having much fun. I hadn’t wanted to go to the concert, but as a responsible elder brother, I had to accompany my younger brother (who was five years my junior). He was filled with teenage hormones and was dancing like crazy. I had never seen someone move like that before - it was like he was being electrocuted in front of my eyes. I even checked to make sure he hadn’t accidentally stepped on some electric wires, but he was just caught up in the moment.
Amidst the blaring electric guitars, pulsating bass, and stink of sweat, I felt bored and nauseous. Suddenly, when the beat dropped, the crowd went crazy, and a girl stepped on my shoelaces, causing me to fall. Nobody cared about me, not even my brother. The crowd was scaring me, and I was not entirely positive that I would make it out of there alive.
Amidst the chaos, someone reached out for my arm and helped me get back on my feet. I turned to see a girl, and I couldn’t help but notice how stunning she was. Her long, wavy hair, pretty face, and stunning blue dress left me smitten. It was an instant connection, and everything around us seemed to fade away. I was lost in her gaze like a pair of socks finally finding their match after getting lost in the dryer.
“Uh-uh...” she said.
I realized I was holding her hand too tightly and let go. She was saying something, but it was inaudible in the chaos. I signaled her to get out of the crowd with me. She moved her head in assertion. We both somehow got out of the crowd.
(P.S. You all might be thinking what will happen to my brother? He has a device called a smartphone which he can use to call me, understood?)
We both got out of the stadium. The sound faded now.
“Thank you for helping me. I thought my skull was gonna be crushed by some over-excited teenagers” I said to her.
“It’s my pleasure. But tell me, how did you fall?” she asked.
“Someone might have stepped on my shoelace. Always happens to me. I am a clumsy person. By the way, I’m Aayush. Aayush Arora.” I said and held out my hand for a handshake.
“Manya Agarwal,” she replied shaking my hand.
My heart was still thumping as if it wanted to escape my chest. But it would have been deadly, I mean literally. I wanted to talk to her more. I did not want to lose her. And the problem with my brain is whenever I declare a state of emergency, it simply ignores me. I was clueless about how can I continue the conversation. Maybe coffee, I thought. The silence was now getting awkward.
I finally asked her, “Hey, you know, I think we’ve had enough adrenaline for today. Maybe we can switch to caffeine and grab some coffee. Unless you want to go inside. I will try to keep my shoelaces tied.”
“Hmm, not very subtle, are you? How can I be sure you’re not a serial killer?” Her grin gave her away.
“Do you think that serial killers fall slipping on shoelaces in the middle of an over-crowded concert?”
“You never know.”
“Well, I guess I need to work on my charming stranger skills then. But don’t worry, I’m just a harmless coffee enthusiast and a sucker for awkward encounters. Plus, I promise not to bring any chainsaw to our coffee date.”
“Well...... I think I’ll give this serial killer a chance,” she said after thinking a little.
My heart started racing again. She was the first girl I had talked to this much without embarrassing myself. Oh wait, did I do that? Yeah no, I just embarrassed myself four times since she met me and it has only been a few minutes.
But what does it matter now? I talked to a girl, and more importantly, convinced her to go on a coffee date. I just hope I don’t embarrass myself again.
We both walked to a nearby café, but the way felt longer than it was due to the awkward silence that prevailed throughout our journey. I desperately searched for a topic to talk about with her, but yeah, couldn’t find anything.
We arrived at the café, which though small, had a beautiful ambiance. After finding a table by the window, I pulled out the chair for my companion and ensured that she was comfortably seated before taking my place opposite her.
“I am resisting myself to say this, but can I say you something?” I said.
“Yeah sure” she replied.
“Do you have a map? I just got lost in your eyes.” I noticed her blushing.
“I think the last person who tried, got stuck in traffic,” she replied.
I was falling in love, I realized. I cannot let go of this girl. I had butterflies in my stomach. I was just getting in the mood when suddenly the waiter interrupted.
“What would you like, sir?” he said.
I looked at the menu for a moment before saying, “I’ll have a regular latte with whipped cream. Manya, what would you like?” I asked, turning to her.
“I’ll have a mocha,” she said.
The waiter noted our order and left.
I decided to get serious now. I asked, “Let’s talk about our hobbies. I’ll start. I love playing basketball, listening to classical and peaceful music, and reading books. Oh, and I should mention, I can get a bit dramatic at times.”
She said, “I guess my hobbies are a bit different from yours. I love traveling and going on adventures. I also enjoy listening to rock music and singing, which I have a social media account dedicated to. Additionally, watching action movies is one of my favorite pastimes and I adore trekking. But my ultimate dream is to sing and perform on a stage.”
As we discussed our hobbies, the waiter brought our orders. The coffee looked tempting, so we both took a sip. However, we both found it disgusting in taste. It was evident from Manya’s expression that she felt the same way.
“I think my tastebuds and the coffee are having a difference of opinion today,” I said breaking the silence.
She smiled again. “I feel the same way,” she said.
“Let’s get out of here and go to some other place.”
She checked her watch and said, “Actually, I’m getting late. I have other plans for tonight.
“I understand you want to go. Let’s not make it too long before our next coffee date, though.”
“I’ll have to think about that, I guess. But see, you did not break your promise. You did not bring any chainsaw or any other weapon to kill me today.”
“See, I told you,” I said while maintaining an awkward smile on my face. I got the impression that she wasn’t interested in me and wanted to go away.
“Let’s go,” she said while getting up from her chair.
I got to the counter and paid up the bill. The prices were a bit high for the distant cousin of coffee.
As I stepped out, I realized she had already left. A wave of disappointment and guilt washed over me. Perhaps, I had failed to keep her interested and she had to make up an excuse to leave. She didn’t even say goodbye. I knew it was my fault and I regretted losing the chance to be with the most beautiful girl I had ever met.
My brother called me on my smartphone. He said, “Bhaiya, where are you? I am searching for you.”
I said, “Come to the parking.” and hung up the phone.
I was thinking about that sadly when I got to the parking. My brother was standing there. He was waving his hand for me to notice him. I got to him. We did not say anything to each other and sat in our car.
The sunset had a gloomy feel to it. We drove home in silence, with him occasionally glancing at me and giving me ugly looks. Upon reaching home, my mother was waiting for us.
“Honey, you said you will be back by five. It is eight now. What took you so much.” my mother asked.
I was gonna answer when my brother interrupted, “Bhaiya got out of the concert and was roaming around. He left me behind alone, Mom.”
My mother turned to me. I knew what was coming my way. So to avoid it, I left them behind and went to my room and locked it from the inside. I lay down on my bed. The thought of her was not going from my mind. I was just thinking how beautiful she was and how dumb I was. I must have hurt my brain seriously when I fell. Otherwise, who would have been so embarrassing to the girl they like? Also, I crossed the limit when I said that cliche pickup line to her. "Do you have a map? Map, my foot," I thought, mocking myself in my mind.
"She will have a great laugh remembering the night and mentioning it to her friends," I thought.
As I was consumed by my thoughts, I received a notification on my phone. Curious to see what it was, I checked it and found it to be a credit card notification. This only made my mood worse, as it felt like the company was saying, “We heard your heart is broken, so let’s make you financially broke too.”
I was feeling frustrated with my phone when suddenly, I received a notification on my social media. My heart skipped a beat and all negative thoughts disappeared. It was a follow-up request from Manya Agarwal. I immediately accepted the request and she sent me a message.
“Hi, this is Manya. Let’s meet up tomorrow at ‘Froth & Flavour’ at 4 p.m. Hope you are not busy.”
I replied, “Yeah sure. I’ll make sure I do not wear shoes with laces in them.”
She sent a smile emoji.
My heart was racing as I couldn’t believe she wanted to meet me the following day. I eventually fell asleep, feeling happy.
