aleesha

‘Aleesha…Aleesha… Your dad just called up to say that the first list of colleges

is out,’ Aleesha’s mom screamed from the kitchen.

Aleesha was addicted to her BlackBerry Messenger and was busy chatting with her

friends in her bedroom.

‘Aleesha… Keep your phone aside. Your BBM is not going to help you secure

admission anywhere. You need a degree in BMM, not BBM. Stop that right away and

check the list on the website,’she continued screaming.

Realizing her mom was not going stop till she succeeds in stopping her, she kept her

phone aside. She looked irritated at having been asked to stop chatting since she was

expecting a confirmation message from one of her friends for a late night house party.

She turned on the monitor and logged on to the website. Simultaneously, she also opened

a separate tab for Facebook.

Born and brought up in Kolkata, Aleesha was the only child of her parents. They

were Thakurs, and her parents saw to it that she was thoroughly pampered. She was

extremely beautiful, so much so that no one could ever get tired of looking at her. She

was as picturesque as a sunset on the ocean shore. Her eyes twinkled and glittered, her

lips were luscious and glossy, and they had the power to mesmerize anyone. Her smile

was enough to lighten up the whole of Kolkata. She was like a hot summer’s day which

could make one sweat. She was not a fashion freak, but knew how to carry herself

gracefully. The dimples on her cheeks could give any Miss World tough competition. Not

only did she possess looks to die for, she also had equally sharp brains which made her

an instant hit wherever she went. She was one of the toppers of her college and had

aimed to do her graduation from the dream city—Mumbai.

It was decision day for her. She entered her application number and closed her eyes

for a minute, praying for the best.

Nielsen College, Mumbai

Aleesha shouted in happiness so loudly that her mother came running from the

kitchen.

‘Yay mom, I made it,’shouted Aleesha jumping on her bed.

Her mom gave her a tight hug and went to share the news with her father over the

phone. After a long discussion with her parents, it was decided that Aleesha would soon

fly to Mumbai and take up admission in Nielsen College. Aleesha’s dream was finally

coming true and they decided to call for a short family get-together as a success and

farewell party for Aleesha.Relatives and friends gathered at their house the following evening for mocktails

and dinner. Aleesha wanted the party to get over soon because she had to join her friends

for another party. Aleesha’s dad was busy chatting with his friend Mr Kapoor about

accommodation options for his daughter when Mr Kapoor suggested Aleesha could stay

with his own daughter who was working in Mumbai.

‘Don’t worry. They say good people and opportunities meet when they are supposed

to. As you know, my daughter Tamanna is also working in Mumbai. It just so happens

that even Tamanna is looking for someone to share the apartment with. So Aleesha can

stay with her, if you agree. I assure you, it will be a safe and secure home for Aleesha,’

Mr Kapoor suggested.

Without giving it a second thought, Aleesha’s parents agreed to let their daughter stay

with Tamanna. They believed that staying with Tamanna would be the best possible

option for Aleesha since they had known the Kapoors for almost a decade. Aleesha

herself had wanted to stay alone so she could enjoy her freedom and the city nightlife.

She had no option but to concede to her parent’s wishes. Also, she was in a hurry to

leave for the late night house party. An argument there and then would have been a waste

of time, which she wanted to avoid.

After all the after dinner formalities were over, Aleesha took their permission to go

out with her friends and left with the promise that she will be back for yet another boring

family bonding over drinks. She had been waiting for the late night party all evening. It

was going to be the last time she was going to meet her best buddies before setting off

for Mumbai. After the party, she bid a final goodbye to them, and soon it was time to

head for Mumbai.

‘Dad, I have just landed in Mumbai. Tamanna is waiting at the arrivals gate. I will

call you back once I am settled,’ Aleesha spoke on the phone while bringing down her

luggage from the conveyor belt.

After collecting her luggage, she headed eagerly towards the arrivals gate. She was

searching for Tamanna when suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulders.

‘Tamanna Kapoor.’

‘Hey. I’ve been looking for you. What’s up?’ Aleesha asked with a broad smile on

her face.

‘Let’s leave. The car is waiting. I have to get back to office,’ Tamanna said in a rush,

choosing to ignore Aleesha’s pleasantries. Her cold behaviour made Aleesha feel

awkward, but she recollected what her dad had told her, ‘Tamanna is an independent girl

and doesn’t like too much interference in her personal life, though she is very active

socially.’

They walked towards the car together. Within a few minutes, the car was cruising on

Mumbai’s roads.Aleesha was trying to soak in the city. She poked her head out of the car and let the

breeze run through her hair. She closed her eyes as she felt the air on her face. The car

halted abruptly at a red light and broke her spell. Tamanna instructed the driver to put on

the AC. Aleesha glanced sideways at Tamanna to find her busily working on her laptop.

She told Aleesha that she had come to pick her up during office hours and being one of

the managers in the office, she had to be on her toes, at least during office hours.

Aleesha wanted to stop the car near the seaside and watch the sunset, but she knew

Tamanna was getting late. They finally reached Tamanna’s Churchgate apartment. It had

two bedrooms, which made Aleesha sigh in relief since that meant she didn’t have to

share her bedroom with Tamanna.

‘Aleesha, you can settle down. I have to leave for office. I will return around 8 pm in

the evening. If you want something to eat, then there are some snacks in the fridge, or you

can even place an order at the nearby snacks corner. Their menu card is kept on the

dining table. Chal bye, I am leaving. Take care.’

Aleesha listened to all the instructions and nodded in agreement.

Lying on the bed, she could not believe that she was finally in Mumbai. She had a

quick nap and then called up her parents. After unpacking, she couldn’t resist her urge to

update a status on Facebook and connect with her friends back home whom she was

missing already. She also updated her BBM status.

She dropped a message in the group chat.

I am extremely happy and super excited to be in the city of dreams. But feels like I

have left a part of me in Kolkata. I miss baba, maa, and all you guys. Before this day, I

never thought that a few hours of separation could hurt so much. Miss you all. Suddenly I

find myself thinking about my childhood and the time when I was learning to ride a

bicycle. I fell and bruised myself several times but never gave up. You all used to tease

me a lot and would make me cry until I stopped. Now I remember all the fun we had

during Durga Puja. You all stood by me for so many years which made me strong from

within. Here, there is no one yet but yes, if I get my prince charming here, I will surely

let you know. Bye everyone. Miss me and if possible, go and see baba and maa. Love

you all. Muaahhhhhh

It had been a week since her arrival, but with each passing day, Aleesha kept

feeling more and more homesick. She still had couple of days before her college to start

and all the admission formalities to be completed. It was Saturday evening and she had

convinced Tamanna, who was still not very friendly, to take her for an outing.

Surprisingly, Tamanna had agreed, which made Aleesha super excited as she was going

to witness Mumbai’s nightlife for the first time. She looked in the mirror and thought of

what to wear to the outing. She decided to wear a knee–length black one–piece dress

with wooden bangles and minimal make up—a little lipgloss and black eyeliner.

On their way, Aleesha asked Tamanna, ‘Tamanna di, you must be used to nightlife of

Mumbai by now, right?’ Aleesha was trying to be not so personal in her questions for she

knew by now that Tamanna was a bit reserved.

‘Call me Tammy. And yes, I’ve been in Mumbai for a long time now. But from the

last couple of years, if you exclude a few discos and food joints, everything shuts down

before 2 am,’ Tamanna smiled.

It was perhaps the first time Tamanna had let her guard down in front of Aleesha. Her

informality made Aleesha smile. She had made it clear to Aleesha from the first day

itself that she was the reserved sorts and didn’t like anyone interfering in her personal

life too much. So the reply from Tamanna came as a pleasant surprise to Aleesha.

Both of them had a ball during the outing, and spent some good time together at

Malabar Hills. They then went to ‘The Pizzeria’ at Nariman Point for dinner. After

dinner, Aleesha insisted they go for drinks at a nearby discotheque. Tamanna thought

about it and decided to take Aleesha to the happening ‘Thrive’ disc in Colaba.

It was Saturday night and the disc was as crowded as the Virar local train. It was full

of college students who came in to party late at night, already piss drunk. Those who say

there is a certain age limit for drinking will find their perceptions tested once they enter

this place. Thrive has an absolutely wannabe-ish crowd consisting mostly of students

trying to get a roof to hide from their parents. A first-time visitor to the place will

question if girls ever wear jeans or salwar kameez since all one could see was girls in

mini-skirts and hot pants.

When Aleesha and Tamanna entered the disc, the scene was no different. It was a

typical Thrive weekend night. Smoke filled the air and the teenagers were grooving

madly to the latest songs being played by the DJ. Tamanna ordered a drink for Aleesha

and herself. Time flew, and soon both of them were three shots down.

Tamanna got a call from office and she excused herself and went outside, as it was

impossible to answer the call with such loud music playing in the background. Aleesha

was busy dancing and enjoying her drink when an unknown guy came up on the dance

floor and started grooving right next to her. She didn’t really mind his proximity to her

since she was enjoying herself too much to bother and was also under the influence of

alcohol.

‘Hi. My name is…’ shouted the boy, trying his best to tell her his name over the loud

music.

But Aleesha couldn’t hear a word of what he was saying. Plus, the song being played

was her favourite Honey Singh number.

‘Is this your first time here? I’m quite a regular here and I’ve never seen you before.’

‘Dude, this style of flirting and starting a conversation is so ancient. Don’t try it on

me,’ Aleesha retorted.

‘So you like modern, “Yo-type” guys? Then let me ask you directly—which drink

should I get you Miss… May I know your name please? I am…’ He was about to say his

name when Aleesha interrupted him.

For a moment, they both stared each other and didn’t spoke a word. He kept thinking

What Aleesha would say. He didn’t want to miss the chance of introducing himself to,

who he thought, was the most gorgeous girl present in the disc. Her black sequinned

dress was shining in the dim disco lights and her skin glowing like a star. Her eyes had

that sparkle which was enough to seduce anyone. He already was. He couldn’t even utter

his own name after Aleesha interrupted him. He just kept staring at her. His name was…

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