𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘩, 2017
𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘬𝘢

People are sometimes mystified infinitely in the promptitude of a moment that they have to take the help from the people they never even wanted to converse with. I was in one such moment, taking the help from the same man with whom I had a little bickering and childish dispute a while ago.

Seizing the hand of that hippo in mine, I let out the statements I hadn't even contemplated of saying to him ever, "I am betrothed to him and he's my love, my life and my would-be husband. Do you get it? Or, should we kiss baby to prove it to him that we are a couple?".

Throning a donkey, when needed, was what I was doing with the pupil just out of some LLB offering university aka Divyaant-the lost hippo of Kaziranga who was now roaming freely in the City Beautiful, Chandigarh, I tittered leisurely but in the spur of a moment maintained my composure in front of that Pushpinder, the so-called fiance of mine who was forced on me long ago by none other than his late grandmother's undeniable and inexorable love for me.

"What? Preet? But we were destined to be married, this is your another prank, isn't it?" that lemur started nearing me with his face already resembling Tide's superwhite advertisement. Before the lawyer beside me would've started his speech of Vakil Giri, I pricked him with the safety pin that was attached in one of the bangles I had worn today, no one speaks when Pritika wants to say something, I distracted him trenchantly and dropped his hand. He was now mourning over the little blood that was seeping off his wrist where I had pricked him. Two drops of blood and he had called me an overacting actress? I snickered.

Advancing closer to that Alcoholinder, whose mouth was still reeking of alcohol, I expectorated, "Look, brother, we were kids when your grandmother wanted us to be married and I was a pubescent teenager too to not see that what kind of person you were, so even I had not retaliated back then. And my parents too had forgotten about that as you were nothing but a spoilt brat which you still are and no parents would ever want to give their daughter to a man like you. We were never engaged, so remember that. And also, Divyaant is my fiance now. Right, my Babushona?".

I nipped on Divyaant's back with my right hand and he had to nod his head at my command, I beamed at my small triumph and Alcoholinder was flabbergasted would be just an understatement. His face was currently worth promulgating in one of the posters of some Circus shows, funny and intriguing.

"I will not leave you, remember that. You were mine and will always be," he left scrambling agilely when I took out the Punjabi Jooti that I had bought from Amritsar, my maternal hometown. "Stupid, mad, fool, donkey, ape..." I would've recapitulated but I heard the euphonious laughing sound of some person. Who was it? I turned around promptly and noticed that the angry hippo was laughing arduously throwing his head back.

He could laugh too?

Won't he age up while laughing?

Won't his teeth break?

Won't his ego be wounded?

I was deliberating over all this with a goofy smile on my face. He looked cute though with that laugh and smile adorned on his face, as who wouldn't look adorable while smiling, even an ape looks super charming, I corrected myself and kept looking at him till his laughter died down. "I didn't know you were this gallant, but what was that prick for?" he moved closer to me, staring at me with a way he hadn't ever done before.

This time there was an amusement, a playful look inside his optical globes, unlike the usual angry and annoyed speculations that he had put a copyright on for possessing them 24/7. I tittered and squared my shoulders, giving my 'Gallant' appearance more effects and visuals. "I pricked you so that you won't open your mouth and tell that Alcoholinder about the truth about our relationship. Thank you so much for co-operating". I knew I was wrong to use someone for my good but Pushpinder was one person I didn't want to come across with.

"His name is Alcoholinder? Really?" his 45º smile's arc turned to 135º and it'd be extremely stupid and ignorant of me if I wouldn't appreciate the gorgeous smile that he was bestowed with by God that he used to practice rarely.

Sighing at his smile, I rejoined, "No, no, his name is Pushpinder but he consumes so much alcohol that I had named him Alcoholinder," I answered for his bemusing query, checking him out with the corner of my eyes but taking the safety precautions to not to make him conscious about that. Boys get all disdainful and domineering if a girl checks them out wantonly, I had read thousands of novels to be 100% sure of it, I patted my back and continued scrutinising him out covertly.

"You are funny, I had never seen..." his words died down when I heard my sister-in-law's alarmed voice, interrupting the first-ever healthy conversation that I was having with Mr Hippo of Kaziranga National park.

"Ohoo. So, you were talking with Divyaant. So nice to meet you again, Mr Divyaant. Thank you so much for that day, also hearty congratulations for your success. Preet, Meera is calling you for the photo session, let's go. Will see you soon then, Mr Divyaant. Good night," my Simran Pabhi had made a record of declaiming long sentences in one single breath and Guinness Book of the world record was just a word away before she would make into it too, I sighed feverishly and after glancing at Mr Hippo for the last time, I left with her for the photo session.

But I couldn't forget the longing look that was etched on Divyaant's countenance while I was leaving. Why was he unusually morose, I couldn't interpret and left with millions of thoughts playing Kaun Banega Crorepati in my mind of the things that had happened in such a short period.

****

The big fat Indian wedding was decisively concluded and the bride too had left for unlocking the new chapter of her life although lachrymosely. I too had sobbed like a part of me was stolen away from me, Meera's lugubrious cries had grieved every person who stood there for tendering her the final farewell, the Bidaai; the stage where an old chapter's last page was turned over to a new, fresh chapter.

After her rituals at her in-laws' house at Rohtak, she along with Rudra Bhaiya would leave for Boston as she would be completing her MS from there only. She was serendipitous to have a husband like Rudra who could shift everything in his life to give his wife the discipline she wanted to pursue from wherever she fancied. That's why even he too had intended for establishing some Indian eatery there but of course, legal things would take time, it'd take some years to put everything on the palette of the picturesque dreams they had seen together and shared with me. I sighed and closed my eyes, praying for the best for the most beautiful couple.

I tossed and turned towards the left on my bed and opened my eyes. Another person was timely interrupting my thought process so much like the snooze button of an alarm clock. Moving the tendril away from my forehead, I breathed out and pondered over the things which had happened today.

He was so unlike of his usual self today even after the stunts I had uprooted against him.

First, the 'Boo'.

Second, the Traffic signal incident.

Third, the failed trial of flirting.

Fourth, the pricking and proposing a kiss to him for the proofs?

Fifth, the....!

The mirage of my thoughtfulness terminated when I heard a 'Tweek' sound coming off my phone. Who was messaging me at this sacrilegious hour? I hunkered up instantly and took the phone in my hands and noticed that there was the notification of a 'POKE' from what? My kernels were more magnanimous than the dinosaurs when I saw the name.

Was it him or some fake ID?

I rubbed my eyes and double-checked.

Divyaant Jain

Poked you!

4 seconds ago!

How could he just poke me like this, I rationalised but didn't get an answer in return. Knotting my nest-like hair into a bun, I sat straightly on the bed and peered at my screen again. And in another second, I received a friend request from his highness, Yuvraj Hippo of Kaziranga. I received it hastily and opened the messaging section promptly.

"Hey, what was the need to poke me?" I keypunched and hit the 'send' button, anticipating impatiently for his reply. 

"You pricked me physically, don't I deserve even a single poke, Yuvrani Chewing Gum?" what did he just call me? Chewing Gum? Seriously? Was he really that Divyaant who had given such penetration and soul-shattering glares to me in the past or someone like 'Angelpra' kind of account it was?

I didn't reply to him, instead, reviewed his profile. He had the profile pic of him in our religious holiest place, Harmandir Sahib or Golden Temple, facing the ecclesiastical Amrit Sarovar. He looked charming though, I smiled softly and scrolled down and I found that he was the mutual friend of Rudra Sharma and Meera Bhardwaj? That meant he was surely the Divyaant I had met and known. But how dare he call me chewing gum, how barbarous!

"What happened Yuvrani Chewing Gum?" I received another message from him. Why this NAME! I fumed and started typewriting a much-needed message for him. 

"Why did you call me chewing gum? Tell me?" I directed and added at least hundreds of angry emoticon along with my text. I admittedly was percolating the way he had called me a chewing gum. That stupid hippo!

"Because you stick to me everywhere I go," the impertinence of this man, I clenched my teeth.

"You are the chewing gum not me," I retaliated back.

"Haha. No, no. You are. My Bubble gum," MY BUBBLE GUM? MY?

"My bubble gum? What is it?" I never kenned this side of him, was he really that same angry young man Divyaant or had taken some drugs to do Sarahah with me at three in the night?

"You are my friend? Aren't you? So, in that way," he sent the message although a bit delayed than usual. 

"When we became friends?" I keyboarded and sent with a smile already frolicking on my lips, witnessing the cutesy side of Divyaant. It'd be fun to have this side of him more. 

"Leave it. I am going. You just used me when you wanted. Sorry for disturbing you," he replied back. No, I didn't want to leave this chat now. Please. 

"Sorry, I am extremely sorry for that and (thanks)^2," I uttered and beamed at my Mathematics' knowledge. 

"It's okay but why thanks' square?".

"For the seat-belt and also for coming at the right time, your presence had given me enough backbone to talk back to that glutinous guy".

"Then it'll be double thanks, not square, Yuvrani Chewing gum, how squaring, mathematics was weak?" this guy seriously won't leave a single chance to debase me. 

"By the way, you were saved from that guy, who would save you from me?" the next reply of his was alarming enough to make my jaw hit the ground.

Divyaant and flirting? Was he for real?

"In reality, you couldn't even say a 'hello' to me and now flirting, so splendid you are, aren't you?" I typed out in a mocking tone, after his flirting message.

I waited for a few minutes still didn't receive any message from him. Did he sleep? What happened to him? My mind started processing and preprocessing all the things that could've happened to him.

"Let's meet on Sunday at 'Ovenfresh', Sector-7 at 11'o clock in the morning? What say?" I never knew that there could be a proposal for coffee as fast as light like this one and that too a stoic person like Divyaant.

Was I woolgathering or it was happening?

Or, someone hacked his account?

What was this?

~**⁕**~