"Sorry! I just intruded on your date, right?"
"Swara!!! It's not...", Sita peeked to check if Prakash was listening and said, "not a date."
"Okay, deny... Like until you can!", she chuckled.
"It's his phone. I'm hanging up."
"Have fun, baby!!!"
It was crowded. It must be since it was a weekend and it was their first time coming to the cinema together. So, here's how we ended up coming for a movie. As the question session got on really hot, we talked about our favourite movies. He proposed why not watch a movie together when we were at it.
"I suggest you this action movie. Romance is just a waste of time.", he blurted.
"You! You've never dated, right?"
"My opinion on movies doesn't have to do with my love life.", he shrugged.
" Ahh, so let's do this.", I proposed an idea. "Let's watch a movie that you suggest today. And the next time we watch, it would be my turn."
We were watching an action movie with lots of bloodshed. I couldn't tell if I had been watching a movie or peeking at scenes through my finger gaps while covering my face. I never thought I would not be able to watch an action movie. What worried me most was Prakash, he might pull my legs saying how much of a scaredy-cat I was.
When it was time for intermission, I really didn't wanna look at him. But the deed was already done, I looked at him, relaxing and he glanced at me for me to look at those gold colour lamps reflecting in his eyes lighting his own kind of stars shining so effortlessly. I couldn't see anything else, he didn't try to look away. What was that mood? Was he thinking about me too? Was that something good about me? I felt like I had swallowed thousands of fireworks, my heart was exploding with colourful little sparkles. I wanted to ask him if he wanted to play questions. I so much wanted to ask him what he was thinking and so many more things. But I dared not to ask a thing. I was scared, scared of being answered. I was scared to hear something that would hurt me. So we stayed there in silence until the movie ended.
"I knew it was his brother. How could he betray his brother like that? Screw people like him.", it was just as expected from someone who was at the edge of his seat all the time in movies.
" I am tired!", I yawned.
"It is much better than that rom-com stuff."
The diner adjacent to the cinemas was crowded. We decided to take a peek at what was going on in there. 'Love in Starry Nights' by Ashmit Swaminathan, was what the poster said.
"Ashmit?"
"You know this guy?"
"Well, I bumped into him when Swara took me to the cafe. He's a poet."
We could barely listen to what Ashmit was reciting.
"When I'm scared of nights, I took refuge in the darkness.
Crawling at the bosom of a creeping nightmare.
Is this dusk welcoming me into his arms consoling me or delving me deeper into him?
Although I agonize over this pain, it makes me worried.
I worried if you deal with this pain too...", Ashmit continued. Prakash wanted to go back home since he was tired.
"He was good. We could have listened to more of him.", I whined.
"What's so good about love? Lemme be honest, I never dated and I don't think I would ever fall in love."
"Hmm..mmm!"
"'Hmm...mmm'? What is your take on love?"
"Do you know what's my favourite movie?", he shook his head. "My all-time favourite is 'Tangled'. I know it sounds childlike. That's how fantasised love is. If I ever fall in love, I will fall as if it were a daydream, too unreal to fight for. Even if I confess out of curiosity, I will never break down for not working out. And that person will always be my favourite go-to 'feel so good poem', that I read every now and then. Not so favourite enough to memorise but feel the same excitement, the same kinda electricity passing through my body every time I read it."
"What a fairytale!"
"A fairytale in a beautiful poem.", I corrected him. He was so oblivious.
"So who is that guy like a beautiful poem?", he asked me so obliviously, not knowing that he was the answer to that question.
"Should I answer?", I questioned.
" Someone, I know?"
"Yes!"