NAYANTARA & NEELANJAN CHAPTER 5

I stood there surprised. But before I could question her any further, she had disappeared in the alleys of the maddening crowd at Churchgate station. I was disappointed. I was feeling incomplete. So I just pushed myself into the madness that I had stood spectator to. I was keen to look out for Nayantara. I knew she tried to hide herself in the crowd but she was still watching me from somewhere. I was not able to see her. I remained sure, she definitely was watching me. I was pushed ahead and I was thrown back. I could have flexed my inactive muscles that had gone cold over a period of years. But I had to maintain my sanity because I was trying to compete alone with the world. I managed to pull myself out and went back to the same position that I was near the book stall. As I stood there trying to catch some fresh breath of air, a hand tapped my shoulder. I responded with frustrated eyes, raised eyebrows and a hint of agitation in my voice that ejected with a, “Hoo”.

I was surprised. It was Nayantara again. She stood their calm. Her gaze managed to calm me down. She just moved forward and asked me, “Neelanjan. Did you hear that announcement?”

I hadn’t heard any. Nayantara made me concentrate on a female voice which said the downpour over the hours had only worsened towards the suburbs. As a result of which, no trains would leave Churchgate till further notice. I looked at my watch and it showed 10.15 pm.

“Calm down”, advised Nayantara.
“I am fine”, I replied.
“Your eyes tell me, you are not able to lie”, remarked Nayantara.
“What do my eyes say?” I asked.
“Hmmm. Well they tell me, you are angry. They tell me, you are very displeased. They also tell me that you were on my quest. And when you found me, I once again disappeared”, said Nayantara in one single breath.
She read my thoughts. She caught the expression of my eyes. I pulled out a kerchief to rub the sweat off my face. But it was just an effort to hide the amusement I was subjected to by Nayantara’s perfect observation of me.
I replied, “I am still angry with you”.
“What for?” she asked.
“Don’t act innocent. You had promised me something and you broke it”, I yelled back.
“You are not supposed to yell Neelanjan. It doesn’t suit you. In fact, look at your face. Anger itself is completely a misfit for your face”, she replied smilingly.
“Thank you for the advice”, I replied back.
“Sorry”, said Nayantara.
I looked at her face. My mind was still flooded with the questions, I wanted to ask her. But her smile just didn’t allow me to do so. She looked the same that she looked the day I first met her at Marine Drive. She stood there calm, composed and confident pleading me to forgive her. I forgave her instantly. I somehow knew I was falling for her.
“You don’t have to be sorry Nayantara”, I told her.
“I am not Nayantara”, she replied back.
“In that case, I am not Neelanjan”, I countered.
“Wouldn’t it be nice to know our real names?” she inquired teasingly.
“Abhiroop Mukherjee”, I gave out my real name.
“Paakhi Seth”, she revealed.
“Paakhi – A bird”, I said amusingly.
“A free bird, you can say who wants to fly high in the sky”, she spoke.
“A bird that knows no boundaries just traverses through continents and loves to meet people rather than species of her own kind”, she added.
“Now this bird is thirsty and is dying to have a cup of cappuccino coffee”, she completed.
“My favorite too”, I added.
“But Neel… Excuse me Abhiroop, the vendors seem to have run out of stock!” exclaimed Paakhi.
“The world has still not run out of cappuccino”, I replied back teasingly.
“Imaginations are turning real?” I asked her.
“We are still in an imagination Neelanjan”, replied Nayantara.
“Are we still in an imagination?” I asked.
“Yes. I am still calling you Neelanjan and you haven’t yet called me by my real name”, she replied.
“But then who is Neelanjan?” I asked.
“He is in you Abhiroop”, replied Paakhi.
“Where is he?” I asked.
“Within you, visible to me but not you”, replied Paakhi.
“And who is Nayantara?” I asked.
“She is me but only visible to you Neelanjan”, she replied.
“So what is the difference between imagination and reality?” I asked confusingly.
“Just that in reality you are Abhiroop and I am Paakhi and in imagination you are Neelanjan and I am Nayantara”, she replied calmly.
“What is the next step then?” I asked.
“Café Coffee Day or Barista where we both can converse over a cup of cappuccino”, she replied smilingly.
“What about Nayantara and Neelanjan?” I asked teasingly.
“Taxi!” she waived.
“They will follow us and they will give us company over our conversations”, she concluded.

-vociferous