Twinj left for their home.. Kunj was having a smile on his face.. N dis tym it was not a fake one.. Not a pretence one.. Rather a real one..
Twinkle was also happy.. But dis tym for him.. She was determined to pull him out of his past.. To teach him to live again, to fall in love again, to believe in second chances..
Twinkle was constantly teasing him.. N she allowed herself to fall for his bright smile.. D smile dat can do wonders.. Now she cud actually see the soul prolong hidden in his dark eyes…
“U really fyn na..??? ” Twinkle asked him for d last tym before leaving..
“Does it look I m not..?? ” Kunj said tilting his head to one side n grinning..
“No.. It doesn’t but still u r soo duffer u know na.. Even u dn’t know what wud u start thinking anthr moment.. ” Twinkle laughed..
“Reallyy… ?? Dis minute m thinking to have a maggi.. 😀 ” Kunj grinned in mischief…
“Achhaa.. Ok.. Then come.. Today, I’ll let u go after maggi only.. ” Twinkle gave a devilish look..
“Arree.. No.. Twinkle.. I was just kidding.. ” Kunj said..
“No.. I won’t listen now… U have to come now.. ” Twinkle said n dragged him into her home…
“Mummaa.. He’s Kunj.. My clg frnd.. ” Twinkle spoke as soon as she encountered her mom..
“Namastey aunty.. ” Kunj said touching her feet in modesty..
“Namastey beta ji.. Howz u..?? ” Her mom asked..
“Aunty m gudd.. Aap bataiye.. ” Kunj smiled being decent..
“Mom..!! U know what..!! He was saying dat I dn’t even know how to make maggi.. Tell him na.. I make very awesum maggi.. ” Twinkle said to her mom making a puppy face..
Kunj looked at her astonishingly.. “But.. Wen did.. ” Kunj spoke but was interrupted by Twinkle..
“Ssshh..!! I dn’t know anything..!! Just wait here.. I’ll prove u how awesum maggi I can make huhhh.. ” Twinkle said winking at him surreptitiously so dat her mom cudn’t see what she did..
“Haahh..!! ” Kunj baffled..
“Calm down beta.. What happened.. ” Twinkle’s mom asked him..
“Mmm..mmm.. Nthng aunty.. Okk.. I’ll wait den.. ” Kunj smiled..
“Twinki.. Y dn’t u take him to ur room.. U both talk till den I’ll prepare some snacks.. ” Her mom said..
“Mom!! Twinki..?? ” Twinkle scowled at her but instantly composed herself realising Kunj was still der..
“Ok.. Mom.. We r going upstairs.. U prepare evrythng else u want to except maggi.. ” twinkle said..
Her mom nodded n went to d kitchen.. Twinkle held Kunj’s hand..
“Twinkle.. U r crazy.. I tell u ur parents gonna kill me.. ” Kunj screamed..
“Hahaha.. No.. Dey r vry sweet… Dey won’t kill u.. Dn’t wry.. 😛 ” Twinkle poked her tongue out n took him to her room upstairs..
“Ahaan.. Now dis is gudd.. ” Kunj exclaimed..
“Hehehe.. Is der nythng u find gudd…?? ” Twinkle grinned..
“M sure dat all dese paintings r made by u only.. Ms. Painter..!!! ” Kunj chuckled pulling her cheeks..
“Yupp… See dis one.. ” Twinkle pointed towards a portrait..
“He is.. ” Kunj asked..
“She is my mom, He is my dad.. ” Twinkle smiled..
“Woww.. Dis is soo pretty painting.. ” Kunj appreciated..
“Thnk u…” Twinkle blushed..
N Twinkle showed him her some secret paintings dat no1 knew she ever made.. She then switched on her laptop n showed him her collection of movies n songs n some shayaris..
“Woaah.. I never knew dis side of urs.. ” Kunj said in amazement..
“Arree.. I din’t write dem.. Wait.. Here.. Look.. ” Twinkle said fishing out a small diary hidden below her eiderdown..
“Woww.. Dis is amazing.. ” Kunj almost had his eyes bulged out on seeing a diary full of shayaris..
“Hehehe.. Dese r Sid’s shayaris.. I just love dem… ” Twinkle answered wid a smile..
Just den dey heard a knock on d door.. Kunj almost panicked for a moment but Twinkle held his hand n asked him to stay calm..
“Dis tym mom knows u r here.. Idiot.. ” Twinkle got up whispering in his ears..
Twinkle helped her mom in placing d snacks..
“Achha listen.. M going to make maggi.. Mom.. U accompany him… ” Twinkle rushed towards d kitchen saying dis..
Twinkle’s mom n Kunj talked for few minutes..
She asked him about his family n all.. 15 minutes later Twinkle came wid a bowl of hot sizzling noodles along wid 2 cups of cold coffee…
“Achha.. Beta. I’ve some work now.. M leaving.. N Kunj, it feels gud to meet u bachha.. ” Her mom swayed her hands on his head blessing him..
“Pheww.. By d way ur mom is sweet.. ” Kunj smiled..
“Haan.. I know either way kiski mumma hai.. ” Twinkle chuckled..
“By d way, I din’t know dat u always wanted to be a guy.. ” Kunj laughed..
“Hell.. Did mom tell u dat..?? ” Twinkle frowned..
“Hahaha.. Obvio..!! Who else will..?? ” Kunj laughed..
“Arree.. Yaaar.. I used to think dat wen I was a child.. Coz I always believed dat their life is much easier.. Dey can go wherever dey want, dey can roam around even at late nyts, n most importantly der is no need to pile up clothes like hell.. 5 shirts 3 jeans.. Dat’s it! ” Twinkle sighed..
“Oh my god.. I cn’t stop laughing!!! Twinkle what shud I say.. ” Kunj was laughing hysterically..
For moments Twinkle was lost in his smile, his laughter, d shine in his eyes.. He was mesmerizing her..
“Fyn na.. It happens.. But now m happy being a gal. So d topic is over.. ” Twinkle grimaced giving him d bowl of maggi..
“Umm.. Maggi.. Again.. Deliciously awesum.. If u continue to cook like dis, I’ll daily find an excuse to show up here.. ” Kunj chuckled..
“Hehehe.. U r always welcome.. ” Twinkle smiled..
After d long talks, teasing conversations n spending some unforgettable moments, Kunj was forced to leave..
“If u dn’t want den don’t go na.. ” Twinkle insisted…
“Arree.. It’s 9 pm Twinkle.. What wud ur mom think… I shud leave now.. We’ll talk about d rest in msgs na.. ” Kunj blinked in assurance..
“Okay… ” Twinkle said..
“Smile now.. ” Kunj said leaning towards her n hugging her tightly..
“Haan.. U too dumbo.. Always keep smiling.. ” Twinkle slapped at his forehead playfully..
Kunj reached his apartment n comfortably threw himself on couch.. He switched on d TV..
He was shuffling thru d channels wen he suddenly stopped to a song..
“Saari raat aahein bharta
Pal pal yaadon mein marta
Maane na meri mann mera
Thode thode hosh madhoshi si hai
Neend behosheein si hai
Jaane kuch bhi na mann mera
Kabhi mera tha par ab begaana hai yeh
Deewana deewana samjhe na ho… ”
[Song: Mann mera from Table no. 21]
His eyes were glued to d TV screen.. He started imagining himself n Twinkle in d song..
He was dancing.. He was losing himself.. He din’t know in which world he was..
“Kabhi chup chup rahe kabhi gaaya ye kare
Bin pooche tere tariffein sunaya ye karen
Hai koi haqeeqat tu ya koi fasana hai
Kuch jaane agar toh itna ki yeh tera deewana hai
Re mann mera..
Maane na mann mera.. ”
Swirling around, fighting for d maggi.. Getting lost in her eyes.. Holding her in his arms.. Teasing her.. Admiring her.. His thoughts were owned by Twinkle only..
“Tujhko jo dekhe yeh mujhko leke
Bas tere peeche peeche bhaage
Tera junoon hai tu hi sukoon hai
Tujhse hi bandhein dil ke dhaage”
And just for a fleeting moment, a tiny wisp of time that hung in the air like fireflies in summer skies, he found himself thinking about her, imagining her.. N he got to know that he was in love.. In love wid her.. In love wid her eyes.. In love wid her endless babbles..
Kunj jumped n clutched a pillow.. Looked at his Guitar.. Strummed it.. Only his soul knows, how he craved to sing, to play Guitar..
“Auni pauni teri harqaton pe khulke hansta hua
Aadhi tedhi teri aahaton pe aahein bharta hua
Pehle to sensible sa yeh mera deewana dil tha
Kya isko ho gaya, naa jaane kya hua
Sochta hoon raat bhar
Kyun hua hai dil duffer
Bin bataaye iss kadar
Kyun hua hai dil duffer”
[Song: Dil duffer from gori tere pyaar mein]
Kunj was singing madly on d peak of his voice… He wanted to jump.. He wanted to dance.. He wanted to shout to d world, he was in love.. His body was swaying here n there, his fingers playing crazily on d strings of d Guitar..
**********
On d other hand, Twinkle’s life was taking a turn by d entry of Kunj.. She wud spend her days wid him n nyts wid his thoughts lingering over her mind..
Twinkle took out her easel.. Be it her don’t-mess-wid-me mood or her I-feel-top-of-the-world, her paintings wud be d frst one knowing about it..
Twinkle plugged in her headphones as usual n her paint brush, dipping in her palette n humming along wid d song she was swirling his paintbrush sometimes moving it smooth n sometyms taking sharp turns..
“Ho Aaj Kal Tanha Main Kahan Hoon
Saath Chalta Koi
Uski Hame Aadat Hone Ki
Aadat Ho Gayi
Woh Jo Mila Hai Jab Se
Uski Sauhbat Ho Gayi
Ek Zara Masoom Se Ke
Dil Ki Aafat Ho Gayi
Sun Le Zara
Sun Le Zara
Dil Ne Kaha
Itna Bas Mujhe Pataa Hai
I Am In Love
I Am In Love
Tu Hi Bataa Jaane
Kya Mujhe Hua Hai”
[Song: I m in love from Once upon a time in Mumbai]
Hmm.. Hmmm… Aaa.. H… Twinkle hummed..
When she completed her painting she realised dat she painted Kunj’s portrait.. She was blushing, thinking about dat he was constantly on her mind even wen she was painting..
She was taken out from her thoughts by ringing of her fone..
“Hello.. ” Twinkle answered..
“Hey.. Is dis Twinkle..??? ” question was raised from d other side..
“Yes.. May I know whom m talking to..?? ” Twinkle asked..
“Heyy.. Twinkle.. Congratulations! Dis is RJ Yuvraj .. U r d winner of d contest n as decided u r going to meet RJ Sidhant tomorrow.. ” Answer came..
“Whhaat…tt.. ” Twinkle stuttered..
“Yes.. Girl… Ur answers were really impressing.. So I’d tell u d rest tomoro.. Gud nyt.. ” Yuvraj said..
“Yup.. Thnks.. Gud nyt.. ” Twinkle answered n hand d fone..
“Now.. What does my destiny wants..??? How wud I..?? I mean..?? Sid.. I m mad about him for d last two years n Kunj.. I m thinking abt him only.. Gosshhh… Y does it all has to happen at dis moment.. ” Twinkle grimaced…
************