FIRST SHOT
LONDON
4th August, 2014
The long wait was over. They were Graduates!! It was celebration time. He entered the Bar near his College dorm where he usually hangouts. He was not alone; his few close friends were with him. They used to celebrate each and every, either small or big thing in this bar itself. It was like a second home to them. It was Friday and they had planned to party hard the entire night. They sat at their regular booth and the bartender brought their typical order.
"Ahh Bob!! Thanks a lot, dude! But today we will have something else along with this, what say guys? College life is over now! We are Graduates! Let's have shots!!" said Ian.
"Hey..hey..!!You know I don't like to get drunk! No shots for me Bob! Get my usual ONE Beer!" said Siddharth.
"Yaar C'mon! This is not fair!! You got to do shots!! We all are doing it! Bob don't listen to him get his shots too!!" said Kiara.
"I said NO! You shouldn't force a person to drink! I will do anything for you guys literally, just not this!" he said aloud.
"Fine!! The night is not over yet, I will make you live up to your words!" said Rohan and smirked.
They started talking among themselves about their future plans. Their drinks were served.
"Cheers" everyone said. Siddharth looked happily at his friends. They were like a family to him. Being apart from his family for the past 5 years he had been habituated with these people. They bickered, and pulled each other's leg.
After an hour or so, all of his friends were drunk and he was enjoying to the fullest, still holding the one beer in his hand. He despised getting drunk. Kiara and Rohan had started with their drunken romance, jumping down at each other's throat, which made Siddharth uncomfortable as once he used to like Kiara more than just a friend.
He looked around in the bar to look anywhere but at them. He spotted a girl at the far end of the corner. Sitting all by herself, engrossed in her work. She had no drinks, and from far even though he couldn't see her face because of the hat she was wearing, she looked quiet pretty as well as mysterious. He was intrigued by her. Ian noticed him observing her.
"Guys, it is time for making Sid do something for us! You promised, Sid!" he sneered.
"Sure!! I always keep my promises! What should I do? Drop you drunkards home?" he laughed.
"No.. No.. You seem to be smitten by that girl sitting over there.. so I dare you that you have to kiss her!" he slurred.
Everyone started cheering and clapping listening to his dare.
"What? Kiss!! Cool.. Now just wait and watch Sid's magic!" he gets up and walks towards the bartender. He sits on the bar stool. She did not notice him at all. Judging from what she wore and how she looked, he ordered a Cosmo for her and asked the bartender to serve it to her. The waiter serves the drink on her table. Siddharth knowing that she would look at him once the waiter told him who bought the drink turned to face the other side of the room.
He had thought that the girl would come up to him. He waited, but she did not. Slightly tilting his face, looking from the corner of his eyes he saw that the drink was still on the table and she had not touched it. Neither was she looking at him. She was still doing whatever the hell she was doing! His friend's booed him and made obscene gestures. He rolled his eyes and thought - "This trick has worked all my life. It is the easiest way to get a girl out here. This one has attitude, huh! I like it. Abh toh kiss karke hi chodunga isko! (I will not leave her without a kiss)"
He gets up from the stool, settles his hair and walks towards the corner paying no heed to the constant hooting of his friends. He sits down on the chair opposite hers.
"Why isn't she looking up? Kitna attitude hai iss ladki main?(This girl has a lot of attitude!)" he thought.
He cleared his throat and took the cosmo in his hand,
"Well it looks like you don't wanna drink it, so why waste a perfect drink, right?" he said playfully.
Finally she looked up at him. His entire cool look posture changed once he saw her. She had large, mesmerizing eyes which were hidden behind her round geeky spectacles. Her skin was flawless and it radiated the minimal light of the bar. She wore no makeup yet she looked like a Greek Goddess. Her forehead was hidden with her bangs. He was expecting a foreigner but she was an Indian.
"Go ahead. No one is stopping you." she said and started scribbling on the paper.
"You're an Indian!" he exclaimed.
"Indian hona paap hai kya? Tum bhi toh Indian ho! (Being an Indian is a Crime? Even you are an Indian!)" she raised her eyebrows.
"Ahh.. Sorry.. I don't know why I said that." he fumbled. She smiled while looking at her work. Siddharth finally spots what she was scribbling. Well she wasn't scribbling, she was drawing and Boy! It was damn good.
"Are you an arts student?" he asked curiously.
"What is your dare?" she replied tediously still working on her art.
"So, you heard. Well, I was dared to kiss you." he said boldly and smirked.
"Kiss? Huh. What grade are you in?" she mocked.
"Well if you think it is an immature dare then let us get it done with It." he leaned forward.
"Hey, easy Dude. Well, let's see.." she looked at his friend group who were staring at them with anticipation.
"You have quite a reputation to maintain, don't you? I saw how they were jeering at you. Paid for their drinks, right? Nice shoes, branded clothes and cool car outside. You are from India came to study abroad, I can guess from your accent. Buying drinks for random strangers, I must say you are Rich...very Rich.." she said daringly.
"Another rich-spoiled-brat, isko maza chakhana hi hoga! (I will teach him a lesson!)" she said to herself.
Siddharth was taken aback. She had a keen eye. Everything she said was true; but he did not like how she called him rich.
"Come to the point" he said annoyingly.
"I will help you with your dare, but you have to drink until I ask you to stop."
A mischievous smile spread across her face. She must have understood he loathes drinking. He couldn't let her win this - whatever they were having!
"Bring it on! Anything for a kiss from you now!" he winked at her.
"Bob, one shot of bourbon here and keep em coming" he said out loud.
His friends hooted from the other end.
"Go, Sid!!" screamed Kiara. He ignored his friends, and looked straight in her eyes. The waiter served the drink; he takes it and gulps it down in one shot. She raises her eyebrows in approval.
"So, you did not answer my question! Are you an Arts student here in the University? Haven't seen you before!" he asked cheerfully trying to make small talk.
Seconds passed but neither did she look at him nor did she answer his question.
"Hey, C'mon are you slight deaf? Or are you dumb?" he pestered for an answer.
"I just don't like talking to strangers!" she said. "Especially guys like you Rich-Self-obsessed-brats" she said inaudibly.
"What? Nevermind! Well, I am Siddharth Khurana and I just graduated with an economics degree!! See? Now I am not a stranger! So, what's your name?" he asked.
"That is something you really have to work hard on!" she smirked.
"Okay, Bhagyashree! So, what are you drawing there?" he says with his hands up in defeat and indicates towards the paper.
She looks down at the paper and shows it to him.
"Well some designs to kill the time." she uttered.
"WOW! You are amazing, I must say! So, you are into Fashion Designing!!" he said happily.
"Yes. I came here last month via an exchange programme in the department. Tomorrow is my last day here then I'll be leaving for home." she said and sighed.
"Arre waah! Mere bina puche hi tumne khud se bata diya!(You answered me by yourself, even when i did not ask a question.) Kya baat hai Bhagyashree, are you falling in love with my charm?" he asked jokingly.
"You wish!"
She rolled her eyes and asks him to drink again. He drinks another shot of bourbon.
"You know I have high tolerance of liquor! So, whatever plans you have up your sleeve to mess with me will fail clearly!" he grinned.
"We will see!" she challenged.
Ian shouts,
"Siddy boy.. we are leaving! Party at the dorm, remember? Are you coming?"
"You guys go, I would like to complete my dare." he stares at the geeky girl in front of him.
Rohan and Kiara had started kissing each other rather intensely.
"Let's move lovebirds!" said Ian.
This made Siddharth look up in their direction and he wished he hadn't! The girl was keenly observing Siddharth's face. His friends finally leave the bar. Siddharth was lost in his thoughts.
"Interesting!!" she breaks his reverie.
"What has amused you finally!" he asks shaking off his thoughts about Kiara.
"You.." she said.
"Now you are talking!!" he smiled mischievously.
"You and your little high school crush!" she teased. This made him frown. He drinks another shot of bourbon.
"Hey!! I did not ask you to drink!" she exclaimed.
"If I have to talk about that, then I need some liquor in my body!" he replied. He looks at her staring at him with big eyes; waiting impatiently to hear more about his story. Finally the girl got intrigued about something atleast! - he thought.
"You have really beautiful eyes.. they get hidden by these spectacles of yours! Why don't you wear lenses?" he asked.
She was taken aback with his compliment; not that it was a new one. She had heard it before from many guys whenever they had caught her with spectacles but the way he said it made something tingle inside her.
"Uhh.. I have lenses, I didn't know I will have company tonight." she replied honestly.
"Rohan and I are best friends since high school. He has always been unlucky with girls. Those he desired were always after me, I am not boasting..!! They liked me because I was rich!! I knew that, I just played along with them. But when we came to college, we fell in love with the same girl. Before I could tell him that I loved Kiara too, he told me the same. Anyone in my place would have fought for their love, but for me, my friendship was much important. So I kept mum about it ever since. Then he proposed to her and she accepted it. Which made me think, why I should interfere in their love when they both love each other so much? I am not that selfish!!" he said sincerely looking in her eyes.
She was enthralled with his honesty and his love for his friends. There was something strangely different about this guy and she liked it. It made her think that maybe she was wrong about him. He was not spoilt after all. Maybe rich people thought about other's feelings as well unlike her own mother! DD!! She made a face remembering her mother.
"What was disgusting about my story?" he asked.
"Huh? Nothing!! I.. I was thinking about something else!" she fumbled.
"You don't give up much!" he exclaimed.
"Well, let me give you a free advice, lena hai toh lo warna shot ke saath gulp it down!" she mocked happily.
"Yeh sacrifice karna pyaar mein, friendship mein.. yeh sab na sirf movies and T.V mein ache lagte hai!! In real life you have to think about yourself too! Kya pata tumne usse pehle propose kia hota toh usne tumko haan bol dia hota? (All the talks about sacrificing in love and friendship looks good on television not in real life. Maybe if you would have proposed to her first she would have said yes!)" she said.
"Hmm.. I think I will gulp it down with this shot, your freee advice!!" he slurred slightly drunk now.
"So what are your plans after this? Joining Father's business?" she sneered.
"Yes.. Joining my father's business!!" he said.
"As expected! Khud ka toh kuch karna nahi hota inn ameero ko!(Rich kids, don't like to do anything of their own!)No aspirations and dreams! Buss apne baap ke paiso mein aish karna hota hai!(They just want to live in their father's money!)" she mumbled to herself and faked a smile to him.
"But I wish..." he started. He was very much inebriated now. The reason he despised drinking was whenever he was in a drunken state he has poured his heart out. Things he wouldn't want the world to know. Things he would have loved to keep it to himself.
"But what?" she asked curiously.
"I don't want to do business!! I never wanted to study Economics.. I hate it.. I hate it to the core.. Kya karunga main jaanke iss duniya ke demand..suppy..What not..!!" he shouted and got up from his chair.
"Heyy..Calm down dude.. You are creating a scene now!" she whispered and pulled him to sit down again.
"Shhh.. Please don't tell anyone.. I want to.. I want to be the best author in the world.. I want to write my thoughts and share it with the world!! I want to make people happy by writing something which will make them happy.. you know happy..." he pulled his cheeks and made a smiley face.
"Ohh!! Then why didn't you study literature!! Tell your Dad!! I am sure he will understand!" she tried to convince him.
"I can't.. he expects a lot from me.. If I will not look after the business, then who will after he is gone! All his hard earned work can't be left just like that.. I don't want to disappoint him!!" he smiled.
"I am sure that your Dad loves you more than your business...everyone cannot be like my mother in this world.. I refuse to believe that.. just tell him once.. atleast you will always know that you tried.." she persisted.
"You are so cute!! First you were showing so much of attitude and now you are concerned about me!" he beamed gladly.
His phone rings. He excuses himself and goes towards the restroom.
She kept looking behind him as he walked towards the restroom, thinking about his words. He was just a stranger to her then why are his words affecting her so much? Making her think things which she would have never thought otherwise.
"Ughh.. I hate this guy! He is messing up my mind!" she said.
He walks up to her and says,
"Bhagyashree, Sorry I have to cut off like this.. but I need to be somewhere right now..!" he said and smiled.
"Yeah sure, I don't want to keep you away from something else! Even I will leave now, it is getting late."
She gets up and starts walking towards the door. Suddenly he pulls her by her hands and pins her against the wall.
"What are you doing?" she whispered out of astonishment. He leaves her hands but keeps his hands on either side of the wall so that she couldn't escape.
"You forgot something! You promised!" he smirked.
"What??" she asked stunned.
"KISS" he replied.
"Ohh!" she said inaudibly.
"I did not get drunk for nothing, baby!" he said huskily. He leaned towards her lips. She closed her eyes waiting for the kiss, but it did not come where she thought it would. He kissed her cheeks and steps back. She opens her eyes and looks at him questiongly.
"I was dared to kiss you, so I kissed. There was no mention of where." he winked at her.
"See you later, Bhagyashree!!" he saluted her and leaves. She stands there flabbergasted and calms down her heavy breathing. She looks at him through the glass door walking towards his car and smiles to herself,
"Bewakoof" she thought.
He walks happily towards the car as this was the best drunken night he ever experienced. He sits in the car and glances one last time towards the bar. He saw her standing sideways through the glass door with her hands near her chest and a broad smile on her face. She was blushing. Seeing her like that made him feel very happy.
"Pagal" he thought.
I hope this was long enough for you guys ๐๐ I hope you like it too ๐
Edited by skinnypal - 8 years ago