For months I was happy without even a reason. But at the same time I was sad. I was longing...I was craving...for that someone. That someone who was handsome but shy. Who had invoked a side which i was unaware of till now. He had applied all the right ointments on my wounds unknowingly but at the same time he had provided me with some new pains. I was sometimes missing him....when at first place all I knew about him was how he looked. I never forgot his face. That divine creation.....i never forgot.

I was working for a software company as their marketing expert. Few days back I was transferred to its new opened branch in Agra. City of tajmahal....but at the same time polluted Yamuna too. I had witnessed red fort of Agra in untidy and dirty condition. Well.....We people of India barely take our responsibility seriousluly..so nothing can be stated.

When I came here, It was burning hot. I was almost bathing with my own sweat. When I came to my flat, to my finest luck it was not properly arranged. Kitchen had only cobwebs and dirt instead of fruit and veggies. In anger I shut it and went out. I was so angry that I didnt even had food. I had come here for my company and those assholes couldnt even take care of my food! I'll see them one day. Just wait and watch.

It was almost four p.m. in evening so it was silly to go and have food. I decided to have tea. So....with my cards in my back pocket I started my chinky and left for main market. My mood was gross and It was not going to bear five star tea. So....I left for the newest and smallest restaurant in agra...

Hopefully I found one. But it had been two hours to my search so I decided to order my food too. Tea was not going to help me. Moreover If I were going to kill each and every person responsible for negligence of my flat, I'd have needed food. So...better to stay alive.

There were only three to four tables. And three were occupied.

I grabbed fourth and free one. I picked up menu.

Dal makhni...

Shahi pulaav..

Butter chicken...

Kahadi paneer...

Paaw bhaji...

Masala chicken...
.
.
.
List went on but I put thebmenu down..

'God! I am dead! Ab in sabko order kaise karu? Karu bhi to khayega kaun?' I muttered under my breath.

But God heard me. And sent someone...

'You can start with tea. Me bahut acchi chai banata hu.' As I heard someone, I turned to see that someone. But I got a shock .I was about to fall from my chair when he held my chair back at its place.

'Aram se...I dont want my precious customer to break my more precious chairs.' And he smiled.....He fucking flashed his shiny pearls on me with huge curvature of his lips....

Fuck it!

I could even decide what to say. I was opening my mouth and closing it. Again Opening for saying something and again closing because I was unable to form a proper word..

He...then took the seat beside me.

'Deep breaths....Mera secret formula. It keeps me normal.' I did what he said.  'Now tell me what you want first. Tea or bisleri?' He smirked with his words...

Ok....When I am going to do this....I need to be the old one. I took deep breaths.. and then turned to him...fully.

'I'll go with three bisleries and two teas. Waki ka menu....I leave upto you mr. Chef. By the way...what happened to that shy, silent male? When we first met you barely spoke. Aur ab...your shocking me with your outspoken nature. Kya ho gya in mahino me? Did someone feed you weeds? Normally itna change to tabhi aata he. And your hair? You had your hair grown. Itne lambe baal to ladkiya rakhti he. Btw...tum chef kab bane?' I was asking when he smiled and spoke.

'Hold your horses madam. Otherwise I'll run away again...aur bhookhi rah jaogi. Sooo.....stand up. And come with me.'

'Kidnap to nahi karoge na? Mera pahla din he yaha. Aur abhi mene Taajmahal bhi nahi dekha..suna he white se yellow ho gya he. Ye manav jati....bahut hi nirdayi he re baba! Humans are so greedy. Mene kabhi socha bhi ni tha ki...white se yellow tajmahal ko dekhna padega. How ironical! We never-' he put his index finger on my lips and.....Moment stopped..

'If you promise me to keep quite, I can feed you something then. So...promise?' I nodded. I was going to do anything as long as he was going to give me delicious food.........................................and his dazzling smile!

He stood up amd took me to his kitchen. Then he made tea for me....Meanwhile I was drinking my three bisleries. God.. I was thirsty since eons. Then He came to me and gave me flask full of tea..

'Hold this.' He handed me flask. Then he picked glasses from a shelf and handed them to me. 'And these too. I'll be back in ten minutes. Chinky laayi ho?' He asked....and once again...I was surprised.

I nodded without even opening my mouth. He smiled. 'Great. Chalo...Chinky ke pass jao..I'll be back sooner.' I without even asking him why, how, what, who,.went to my chinky and opened its door. I placed flask and glasses on dash.

And then My phone went off..

And I spoke following phrases....

'Hello........
to?......
To me nachu?......
Jahannum me........
Nahi he mere pas.........
Chal nikal.....' and I disconnected the call.

Well....it was none other than my fellow employee....who was none other than my ex. Only i know how much I enjoyed working with him. There was not a single day when I didnt abuse him or rub it on his face that he was not the one. I know I was practically harassing him but it kept my cool. I was feeling relieved...

By the way our conversation was bit like this...

'Hello.....Hello....Abhi here.

To?........I am in office right now

TO me Nachu?..........what nonsense! Mujhe ye jan na he..where are you?

Jahannum me!............. ohh please...I have some important work. Tum kal se resume karogi but i need few details about-

Nahi he mere pas................Thats why I broke up with you . You cant  talk normally. Har jagah tumhara raub chalta he.

Chal nikal'......Anddddd....tada...I had kept the phone.

I never needed to join any yoga classes or some kind of meditation classes to keep my shit together..abhi was my punching bag. I was punching him and keeping myself happy.

And besides it.....there was someone else too..

KNOCK..KNOCK..

He knocked at my window. I had kept them rolled up. He had knocked twice when I opened them.

'Ok...Keep these....And....please without even asking anything drive as I say. Because I know...tum mujhe apni chinky ko hath lagane nahi dogi...so.. Please?' He requesting while handing me four tiffins.

'Ok...but no touching with my chinky' radio or anything. Okay?' I took Tiffins which he had brought with him.

'Fine.' And i drove as he instructed me.

After driving for half hour I was infront of ........

Symbol of strange love....I mean...no...Symbol of dedication and ..whatever. i am weak in emotional education.

He opened door and came out. I handed him everything he had brought and came out too.

'Hmm....Taaj mahal....I am impressed. By the way Hum taaj mahal ke andar to aise ja nahi sakte. You know khana wana leke. Log hume pagal samjhenge. Aur me bahookh se mar bhi rahi hu To.....what are you going to do now?'

'Hum taj ke andar nahi...piche jaayenge. Come on.' And he took me along him the place I have never seen..

We sat there on grass. He poured me tea. I was hungry so I rejected his tea and opened tiffins..

'Wow.....agar ye khana ek insan hota...to me ab tak is se shadi kar chuki hoti!' I exclaimed as soon as I opened the box.

'Aur phir tum usko do din me poora kha jati! Please....aram se...Eat slowly.' I started munching food....when he warned me to eat slowly, I almost choked. He handed me water.

We kept mum....because I was eating. He was perhaps looking at me with comic expressions at his face. Why not? I had attacked food as if I were hungry since ages. I was acting like a glutton. Well..I was done with my food in twenty minutes. And whole twenty minutes he was silent...observing me....smiling at me....shaking his head....sometimes handing me water.

I wiped my face clean. I turned to him...

'Tum bhule nahi mujhe?' My first ever query after meeting him after so longggg

'Your the reason what i am today.' Damn! He just played all the wrong nodes.

'Acccha! I never knew I was this much motivational. Pata hota...to me ek shop khol leti...logo se paise lekar motivate karti...us do take ke marketing department me apni heels nahi ghisti. Aur na hi abhi ko galiyan deti aur uski sunti....Kash.....ye pahle bola hota...mera to jeevan safal ho gya hota.' I sighed.

'You very well know how to change my mood.' Gosh! This guy is planning to give me heart attack. Whatever he is saying his smile is never leaving his lips.

'Accha...howr you feeling now?' Now my turn....to smile.

'Good. Its good since I met you. Ab meri baat suno..beech me nahi bolna.' I nodded. 'The day we met, It had been one week to my granny demise. Mujhe unka jana bilkul khali kar gya tha....I was so lonely. Bahut kareeb tha unke...lekin achanak se sab kuch badal gya...I was depressed. But when we met and you gave me this smiley....Na jane kyu....thoda sa akelapan kam ho gya...aur us ne mujhe thodi si himmat di. I went home...and packed my bag for chennai to meet my friend who helped me in making true my unfinished dream. Phir yaha aa gay...aur now I am owner of my own restaurant ..chota he...but i know its best in whole agra.' I kept staring at him...

'Tareef karni hi he thi to dhang se karo na...itna short me kaun niptata he? Tumhe story suna na nahi aata...tumhare baccho ka kya hoga? Bechare padosi ke ghar jaya karenge! Tumne apni struggle story char lines me khatm kar di though Itd be atleast pages long. Aur phir your credit to me...is me bhi 6 ya 7 pages bhi lagte. Kamal karte ho pandey ji! Wese tumse kisne kaha ki your restaurant is best? I'll tell you. while I am here I'll test your culinary skills. Wese bhi I am in agra for next .....four months?..umm...dont know how long. Mera boss na sala sanki he. Accha khasa me bombay thi...agar la patka..Me accha khasa apni family ke sath thi..us ne aakar mera break up kara diya...btw you know..mera ex mere hi department me transfer huya. Aur mere hi cabin ke samne....Me usko subah shaam balti bhar ke galiya deti....Aur wo kabhi jawab deta he.. to kabhi sirf man hi man me galiya deta he. Kamina..kutta...karamjala.'

'Your the bizarre person. I have never met someone like you....' really? Well...I wish you'll never meet someone like me again

'Ha...Aur mene bhi tumhare jitna handsome koi nahi dekha.' Right then as I stated this obvious fact, his cheeks turned bit pink.  'Haaw! Tum sharma rahe ho....Galat bat. Hamari society me ye kaam sirf aurato ka he. But I find it cute. When you were crying that night, I found you more cute. No...Not your weeping form. It were your innocent eyes that captivated me. Itna innocence to mere lallu ki ankho me bhi nahi he... how your eyes are so innocent?' He smiled a bit....shyly.

'Kab shant rahti ho?'

'Haaw! Galat bat....Aise nahi bolte..wese jab me soti hu tab hi shant rahti hogi...pata ni mujhe..kabhi khud check nahi kiya..ab mujhe khud kaise pata hoga ki me rat me baate karti hu ya shanti se soti hu ya snore karti hu? I have never checked before. Aur wese bhi i am so alone....so alone...Mere snores kisi ko bother nahi karte..' I was replying him while roaming my hands in grass nearby..

'Do you want me to.....To bother myself for.....you?' He asked while his gaze was fixed at me and his forehead was sweating a bit.

'Kya? Tumhe kaise bother kar sakti hu me? Uske liye to tumhe mere sath- Holy shit! Did you just asked me out? Ya you just proposed me? Aise kaun propose karta he? Bandi confuse ho jaye..ki samne wala propose kar raha tha ya taang khinch rha tha. It was the worst proposal ever. Aise proposal se tumse is duniya ki koiiiiii...i tell you koi bhi ladki nahi pategi. Dhang se pucho na.. Koi sign do. At least ladki se pahle ye pucho are you single and ready to-' i was cut off because.....

He had silenced me with his lips.

However he just pecked me.

And it ignited something in me. An old feeling...which I first felt when I had seen him first time. He then held my hand. His knuckles rubbing my fingers smoothly. And then he looked into my eyes....

'Will you....Umm...will you-' he stammered but I....the express train applied brake to his staggering vehicle.

'I'll do everything you say. Your girlfriend, sabji wali, kapde wali,yaha tak ki tumhari assistant bhi ban ne ko taiyar hu.....but please...ye chefgiri dikhate rahna...wo kya he na...log hotel me to chef hote he..ghar par aakar apne partner se kaam karate he. Mere se na ho paayega. Mujhko sirf khane layak khana banana ata he....aur ye daal makhni chicken chakhni...I dont want to cook them . Itna sab kuch dher sate time me banao...phir wo oharab ho jaye to mood kharab ho jata he. Isliye I cant make them. Uske alawa...mera patience level itna kam he...ki me maggiee hi raw kha jati hu.. jabki wo 5 minutes me cook hoti he. To mujhse cook nahi hota. Besides it jo maja dusro ke hath ke khane me he...wo maja-'

Again he kissed me. This time we kissed like a real kiss. His lips grabbing mine..his teeth grazing my lips...tongues fighting...and moans being swallowed by other.

We separated breathing heavily..

'Ooohhhh no..' i remembered somthing..

'What happened? Something serious? Have you lost something? Any problem?' He was bit tensed..

'Tumhara naam kya he basanti?' I asked in Jai' style...And he gaped. Well...This was the most important thing. We met...twice. confessed our feelings...kissed twice..but still unaware of each other' names.

He was taken aback...and then he laughed.

'Rajveer singh shekhawat..Age- 26..height 5'11" weight-70 kg, qualification- B.A. Hons and I can play violin. I was a basketwall player in my school days. And me ek bahut accha chef hu. Fav color- denim blue. Movies ka kuch khas shauk nahi...Anddd abhi mera temporary stay mera restaurant hi he.' He dazzled his glory again.

'Hi...nice to meet you. Naina Singh. Kal tak single thi ab taken hu.' And I winked. On which he smiled and kissed my cheek.

'Accha rajveer shingh Shekhawat...ek baat batao.'

'Yes. .pucho.'

'Ye shy aur emotional Rajveer kaha gya? Mtlab...you were all silent when we first met. And today you kissed me twice. You held my hand.. aur bhi bhi bilkul chipak kar baithe ho...Can someone imagine ki ek emotional cry baby sa banda aise tharakpan par utrega? Batao.. ye jamana kaha ja rha he! Pahle log ek sal me hath pakadte thw.. do sal me gaal....aur tumhe sirf do mulakate lagi...But above all.. you kissed ne with so much ease. Tumko dar nahi laga?'

'Sahab.  Thappar se dar ni lagta... pyar se lagta he' and we both fell while laughing..

We sat there until moon came up to welcome us. Then he stood up...and offered his hand which i accepted after showing how displeased i was.  He smiled and we both left for my chinky..

In car he offered me a chocolate..

'Rajveer. Agar cavity se daant sade to case kar dungi. Agar mere dant nahi honge to me smile kaise karungi? Aur me smile nahi karungi to-'

'Be quite. Chalo...shanti se drive karo.' He scolded me mildly.

'I hate you...' I pouted.

'But I cant..' this melt my stone heart....My eyes were almost brimming with tears. So i pecked him when he said this. He smiled and I started engine. I turned my car towards his place.

And with that perhaps......I found that lost source of happiness back. It was strange how easily I let him come into my life. But he was meant to. After all....all these past months I had been thinking nonstop about him only. 

So....All of sudden, out of nowhere I got him......Such a fairy tale it is!