Kavita

"The songs have already started, when are you two going to get ready!" Mother shouted from her bedroom. It was the Navratreers, the Garba dance took place at the humongous lawn of the banquet hall a few roads ahead. "Just a second!" shouted Gulika, my little sister. 

While we get ready let me give a little introduction about us. Gulika and I had annoyed a lot of shopkeepers, just to get our desired clothes and fittings. For me, a full sleeve, a black blouse with a golden lining, a beautiful matching lehenga, and a light-coloured dupatta. Gulika had chosen a blue backless blouse, with a light pink lehenga, printed with roses all around. With contrasting clothes, she had trouble choosing the right dupatta but ended up with a light-colored one with light blue patterns. We both wore matching sandal and stole the jewelry from Mother's closet, don't tell her, please. 

Just as Mother was going to call for us once again, we rushed from the room to the hall and moved to the event place. Don't tell anyone but I once did peek at my reflection from the mirror before going out. I blushed just seeing a beautiful girl in the reflection. She had her mother's almond eyes, rosy lips, and pear face, and long hair hanging with Pride and elegance. Gulika, with a darker complexion, looked like a maiden from Heaven, beautifully flaunting her figure. We were proud daughters! It takes hard effort to maintain a graceful figure, what do you guys know !. 

Where was I? Ya. We reached the humongous hall. Lit with lights all around, songs played loud, and all danced in circles with perfect sync. Or at least I thought they did, because as soon as I thought that I saw the people bumping into each other with wrong steps. I chucked seeing them dance so poorly, as a former leaned in Kathak and other dance forms It was ok for me to judge. Don't think of me as a bad person OK! I am a beautiful young lady with Pride in her beauty. So don't complain about my pride that others often misinterpret as arrogance.

Soon we too joined a circle. And danced in sync enjoying the shimmers of moonlight, fabric moving in air with the body just as it had read books on elegance. Hair moved along with the fabric in rhythm to the songs with blue butterfly pins in them. You know, dance was always a thing I did to ease off my heart's burden. Dancing while looking alluring made my confidence peek. And soon I was leading the group. I was in the moment, just living this beautiful moment. But my peace and joy were not long-lived. 

A boy had bumped into me, and I fell to the ground along with him. I was furious, my back was hurt. While Gulika helped me get up, I said "You guys really don't know how to dance na!. Why do you even come here then? To ruin others' mood, or are you the type of guy who roams around with creepy eyes!" I said dusting my lehenga and readjusting the waist chain in one breath. "Your tongue runs very fast," he said while adjusting his clothes. My anger shot up a thousand times "Instead of apologizing, you're saying 'My tongue runs fast!' How shameless can you be?!." I spit out. "O madam, I am sorry for bumping into you, but you don't get to call people creeps just for that, the problem is with you, not me" 

Within moments Gulika kidnapped me from the scene and took me to a corner. Lectured me, for my irresponsible behavior. "Chalo, let's go dance again," she said, but I refused as my mood was already ruined. She said, "come after you feel better, I am going now". 

I sat there for a while with a glass of water before I noticed that shameless boy. He was doing garba just fine, to be honest, very good. As if he was doing this for years. He also didn't look that bad in the black kurta. I shrugged off my thoughts and looked for my sister and mother in the large crowd. A few moments passed. The boy was heading towards me, I looked away. Turns out he was just there to quench his thirst. I kept an eye on him from the corner of my eyes. 'Batameez" I whispered to myself. "Who are you saying shameless to" I heard a voice that startled me. He had listened to my whisper. 

He sat down beside me on the chair. I moved my chair a little farther from him. "You know 'badtameez' doesn't sound descent from the mouth of beautiful girls," he said in a calm voice. I just gave him an obviously uninterested fake smile thinking how far down he went. Now he is flirting with me!.

Gosh, I am done with this man. "My name's Pranay and I am sorry for bumping into you, but there was a rock there due to which I tripped. I have apologized twice now, please forgive me madam" he said, in a sorry voice. 

I felt sorry for him too, and forgave him and said "My name is Kavita not 'madam' ". He chuckled and said "ok Kavita, you wanna dance? How long will you sit here?" He put out his hand to help me. I got up on my own saying "I have my own legs". "Whatever madam says," he said with a sigh. I stared at him with squinted sharp corner eyes. He kept pace with me towering over me, I think it was a difference of a couple Inches. I walked with my hands behind my back. A cold breeze was blowing, my bare waist felt cold and shivers went down my spine. I wondered how Gulika would be managing with her backless blouse. I think he noticed my shivers, that's why he moved from my right to my left, from where the wind was coming. I noticed a smile on my face but shook it off while putting hair behind my ears, the metal bangles ringed like a sweet scent of sunrise. 

I looked from the corner of my eyes, Pranay had blue cat eye specs, black shoes, white trousers, and a beautiful black kurta. He also had a hefty body, so it looked good on him. Not that bad. "How old are you Kavita?" He asked, unknown to the norms. "Rule one is to never ask a girl's age," I said, ordering him. 

Moments later I heard my mouth ask "How old are you?"  "21, in the second year of medicine, what are you into?" He replied. I said "2nd year medicine, from Pune".He was a year older than me, but it wasn't necessary for him to know that. 

We reached the circles and joined them. He was dancing professionally, it was prominent in his footwork. I wonder if he had taken dance classes. The way his body moved, with his kurta felt like the angelic glisten of moonlight. He was dancing, but my 6th sense felt his eyes on me, and suddenly this confident, prideful arrogant girl felt bashful about her appearance. I tried my hair in a neat braid and readjusted the blue butterfly clips to the plates. 

We 2 were doing Garba together, when the songs started and when it ended, I knew nothing. All I knew was that we were showing off our dance steps and skills. A small unannounced dance competition, just between us. Our eyes did most of the talking, midst the loud songs and large crowd. I wonder, how I would be looking in his eyes, did I mess up the mascara or the kajal?. Why am I becoming self-conscious now, just calm down Kavita!. Take a deep breath and get to enjoying dancing. 

An hour passed dancing with him. Feeling a little tired we again sat down on the sidelines, " You sure do know how to dance" I complimented him. 

"My mother used to teach Kathak at her house, I just watched from the sideline," He replied. I said "You dance pretty good for just watching from the sidelines"  "Not better than you" he replied and both of us chucked.  

Just then a devious plan struck my mind. I got up, removed one butterfly clip from the braids, and said "Don't move" and attached it to his hair.

I stepped a few steps back to get a good view, Pranay was looking very stupid, I covered my mouth with my hand and tried really hard to control a laugh. He took out his phone to see how looked, He gave me a look in disbelief, like really!. "You look good with the clip," I said while controlling my laugh. He removed the clip and handed it to me. Our fingertips touched they were cold, as the moon. 

 He started creating a poem. He took long breaks in between, I listened to it all, the silence and the poem.

It is Dandiya night,
I see songs in the air,
I taste the cold night,
I hear the dazzling clothes.
In rhythm dances the moonlight.
I write kavita when the soul,
Feels what can't be explained.

"So you're a poet along with a good dancer, impressive," I commented. It was late now, so I had to go home. I got up, told the situation to Pranay and said bye. "It was nice dancing with you Kavita," he said. I smiled and left to find Gulika and my mother. I noticed all that he wrote in the poem. 

Mother and Gulika were on the other side of the lawn. They asked where I was. I gave a half-true answer. Gulika looked at me with teasing eyes, I growled at her through my eyes. On the way home, Mother told different stories and gossip. But I don't remember anything, I guess my mind was busy elsewhere. We reached home and changed into comfortable clothes. Tired, I lay on my bed with Golikas phone. It was filled with her photos, occasionally Mother and I did appear in them but it was mostly filled with her. 

Golika said "I think you have started to like that guy", I growled at her, "Don't talk nonsense Gulika!". I shook off his thoughts and went to sleep. But it was not near. Thoughts rolled again and again. How stupid was I?! Who clips butterfly pins on strangers' hair? He is in 2nd year of medicine. I wonder in which state he is studying. The feeling of his touch lingered like poison. Lost in thought not even sleep knew when I started dreaming.

I was deep in sleep. But this was just the 1st day. What will happen in the coming days?