Akash

‘Now that’s what’s called a perfect strike!’ Akash exclaimed jumping in the air

as he took the lead in the game.

He needed to strike one more pin to win. Akash was a bowling expert in nine-pins.

He had won many times before this and was confident that it would be no different that

day.

Akash approached the lane taking a 15-pound bowling ball in his right hand.

Focussed entirely at the pins in front of him, he released the ball carefully. As the ball

touched the pins, he held his breath.

*Bang* All nine pins went down in one go!

He had won the game, which meant he had won two entry passes to a disc, and that

too on a Saturday night.

‘It’s time to check out some hot girls tonight at the disc. It’s going to be one happening

night, Aditya. Woohoo!’ Akash’s excitement was at its peak.

I was equally pepped up and pounced on him in excitement.

Akash was a Mumbaikar who lived for and with his family. He was working with the

RS group, a company located near Oshiwara in Jogeshwari. He had a charming

personality and his dimples would make the girls go crazy. His good sense of humour

and style always made him a favourite among his friends. Girls especially liked him for

he was a very good cook. He was very caring and possessive about his closed ones and

extremely polite in nature. Everyone wondered how a guy like him was single.

However, the truth was that after his break up six years ago, he had simply decided to

concentrate on his career. I was probably his only best friend and he shared everything

with me, including the girls whom he fantasized. Akash was a party freak and was all

geared up for that night after winning passes to Thrive.

‘Aditya, let’s go for a movie. We can go to the disc after 11 pm,’ Akash suggested and

I agreed.

I got into the driving seat of my car and headed towards Infinity Mall.

We were going to catch the 7.30 pm show of the movie Pyaar Ka Punchnaama.

Akash took the last row tickets and I followed him inside the theatre. The hall had

many vacant seats. Akash eyed the couple sitting in the corner row. The movie began and

the opening scene itself was so funny that we were rolling in our seats with laughter.

‘Akash, this guy Liquid is so much like you. The way he is cursing his manager is just

how you do it,’ I teased Akash and laughed loudly.

‘Fuck you, asshole. I don’t curse so much. That too right after drinking tea,’ said

Akash trying to defend himself.

As soon as we settled down in our seats, Akash noticed a young girl sitting cross-

legged in the front row. He said, ‘I wish I get a girl like her in real life. She is so hot.’

I punched him hard on his shoulders and said, ‘Shut up, you asshole.’

‘I was kidding yaar. Chuck it. Look at that couple in the corner there. It’s hardly been

twenty minutes since the movie started and they can’t get their hands off each other,’

Akash said laughing.

‘Lagta hai poora paisa wasool karenge,’ we screamed which made the couple more

conscious. Realizing they were being watched, they broke their intimate stance and

adjusted their clothes.

Everyone started making ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’sounds. Poor couple! It looked like they had

had enough of their Pyaar ka Punchnaama.

After the movie ended, we decided to eat maska bhurji paav at Khurshid, a famous

eatery in Vile Parle. We were regulars at that place during weekends. It was not exactly

a restaurant, but more like a roadside stall which was open from late nights until early

morning. We reached the place and as expected, it was buzzing with activity. The tables

were set out in the open and there was a sizeable crowd in line to place an order. We

decided to eat sitting on the bonnet of the car itself.

‘Salim bhai, do bhurji paav,’ ordered Akash and rested himself on the bonnet of the

car.

It was then that I saw a girl with very loud make-up standing at some distance away

from the road.

‘Look at her. These call girls spoil this place…’ I said.

‘Exactly. And don’t call her a call girl. The high society call girls don’t like to be

called ‘call girls’. They are Escorts.’ Akash was completely against the concept of

trading your body for money, though he knew very well that most call girls had a sad

story that pushed them into the flesh trade.

Within a flash, a Mercedes C-class halted in front of her. The man in the back seat

rolled down the window. After a little chat, she sat in the car and left. Eventually, I had

to suffer and listen to Akash’s long speech on ethics, decency, and morality.

‘I agree that all item girls in Bollywood are responsible for girls being treated as sex

objects, but aren’t these escorts equally responsible for it too? They portray themselves

as a sex symbol or a sex toy. You can pay and play with them. And they can roam freely

on the roads trying to catch your attention. Because of this, even a well-educated girl,

when roaming in shorts or skirts, is looked upon with scorn by our society. But girls

need to draw a line somewhere and can’t be so irresponsible. With freedom comes

responsibility. Why is gold kept in lockers? Why do we have wrappers on candies?

That’s because every precious thing should be treasured. But why should I waste my

time talking about this? As if things will change anytime soon. Forget it!’

Finally, we headed to Thrive, Colaba. It was a typical Thrive weekend night. Since

Akash had won free passes, we didn’t have to pay a single penny. The cover charges

were covered in the pass.

‘One flame shot please,’ he ordered at the bar counter. The bartender served it with

his usual smile. I told the waiter to get me the same drink as Akash.

He lit a cigarette and started tapping his feet to the music. The crowd was going

crazy dancing to the rock music being played by the DJ. Akash was losing control ofhimself due to the effect of alcohol. But he still ordered a pint of beer.

‘Drink it on the rocks. Finish it in a go,’ I teased Akash.

Akash took this challenge seriously and finished the entire pint in hardly a minute. He

somehow tried to balance himself by holding on to my hands.

‘Don’t challenge me. I can complete any task.’ Akash gave a wicked smile.

‘As if you are a Roadie. If so, do you see that girl in the little black dress? I suppose

she is alone and drunk too. Go ask her name and talk to her for five minutes,’ I again

challenged Akash. This time, it was serious.

Akash couldn’t see her clearly due to the vast distance between them but he could tell

she was extremely beautiful and capable of hitting him hard if he misbehaved with her.

‘Are you crazy? Just look at her. She is one of the prettiest girls I have ever laid eyes

on and am sure everyone in this disc is also checking her out. Man! Just look at her. Isn’t

she perfect? I can’t do this. I can’t go up to her and talk. I want my body in one piece

when I leave this place. If something happens, neither you nor she will save me.

Moreover, I don’t have any more paid holidays left,’ Akash went on and on until I

interrupted him.

‘Loser!’ I said trying to end the long conversation in just one word.

Akash couldn’t take it sitting down now. He took the challenge seriously and started

walking towards the girl.

Though his nervousness escalated with each passing second, he approached her

nevertheless. She was looking even more sexy up-close. He started dancing beside her.

She was too busy dancing to bother about his close proximity to her. Looking at it as the

right opportunity, he tried to break the ice. He was now grooving along with her. She

didn’t oppose, maybe because she was just as drunk as him.

‘Hi. My name is Akash,’ he said in a low tone. She missed hearing it due to the loud

music being played.

He started flirting with her by asking her for a drink.

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

what the girl would say. He didn’t want to miss a chance to introduce himself to the most

gorgeous girl in the disc. Her black dress was shining in the dim disco lights and her

skin was glowing.

‘Only if you pay for my drink…which means I get to save on my pocket money. But

don’t try it on me, mister,’she said and they both started laughing.

‘I’m Akash,’ he said bringing his hand forward for a formal introduction.

‘Aleesha Thakur.’

Akash was mesmerized by her voice and the way she talked. He was lost in her eyes,

which seduced him to an extent that if he had been one more pint down, he would have

kissed her right there. Somehow, he controlled himself. Her touch was enough to floor

him. I was watching the entire act from a corner, which by now had transformed from an

act into an attempt to know her better.

‘You don’t seem to be a Mumbaikar. Where are you from?’ Akash enquired.

‘I am from Kolkata. I am here for my graduation. I just took admission in Mumbai fora BMM course,’she added further.

‘So you are staying here alone?’ He wanted to know more about her. All the while, he

kept staring at her. He had clicked and framed an HD quality picture of her in his mind.

‘No. I am staying here with my family friend Tamanna. Tamanna Kapoor. She is

working in Galaxy house in Mumbai as a manager,’ Aleesha said finishing off her drink.

In just a few minutes, they exchanged their BBM pins. She had completely taken over

Akash’s mind by then. Akash didn’t want to leave the place but had to. Though he had

won the challenge, he had lost something to Aleesha. He couldn’t figure out the reason

behind the anxiety he had at that time. Was it love at first sight? Akash kept smiling and I

didn’t miss a chance to tease him. Before moving out of the disc, Akash turned back and

his eyes searched for Aleesha but the place was too crowded to spot her. We soon left

the place. What a night it had turned out to be.

After returning home, still half-drunk, he messaged Aleesha on BBM. Before she

could reply, he fell on the bed with a thud and was soon fast asleep.

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