The Idea Description:
Having grown up on a diet of SRK
movies, at 15, Aabha thought love was all about having romantic candle light
dinners and whispering sweet nothings. Falling in love in her class 10 best
friend, Arjun, she had a love affair that made her friends green with envy. But
now, at 25, when she is no longer a love-struck teenager and a long distance
relationship with Arjun leaves her with huge pangs of loneliness and makes her think
about love, marriage, life and beyond.
At an age where you step into a
world where a superstar among friends in college is a nobody in the real world
and everything you knew about yourself and life no longer holds true, an age
when you want a guy to be there holding you when you fall, Aabha finds herself
completely alone.
Another corporate world nobody,
Vikrant, Aabha’s colleague, can’t wait to get away from her lonely pangs and mushy
talks about her boyfriend. After a couple of late nights at work in office and
dropping home trips, the definition of love changes for Aabha. Is it candle
light dinners? A habit? An infatuation with a person you’ve just met because
you’re bored? Or is it friendship at a level where the line between love and
friendship diminishes?
Extract from the story:
After an exceptionally early, yet
tiring day, Vikrant and I decided to take a detour for a coffee at CCD Carter
Road, but the sea looked more inviting than coffee, so I dragged Vikrant along
with me for a stroll by the sea. It was quiet walk. Our hands touched a couple
of times and my heart ached for him to hold my hand.
I wanted someone to hold my hand.
It had been long since Arjun held my hand. There’s something about a guy
holding your hand which says that everything is alright in the world and even
if it isn’t, I’ll make it alright. I craved for human touch. I craved for
someone to talk to me, to listen to me, but Arjun was too busy. In complete
silence, we walked for 20 minutes. My mind wandered aimlessly about Arjun’s
memories. Vikrant was quiet too, maybe he was thinking of someone too.
It was the quietest evening I’ve
had in a long time, yet I felt I had the best conversations of my life.
Sometimes, a little solitude, someone to walk with and a vast ocean is all we
need.
We were silent in his car too
when he came to drop me home. As he braked in front of my building, I thanked
him for a wonderful evening. He came forward and smiled. I smiled and open the
door to step out.
“Aabha”, Vikrant called out. I
turned back to look at him and he came forward, confidently this time to kiss
me on my forehead and said “Whatever it is, it’ll be alright”.
And with that, my well controlled
flow of tears gave way and I hugged him.
Endnote: This is my entry for the HarperCollins–IndiBlogger Get Published contest, which is run with inputs fromYashodhara Lal and HarperCollins India.
