Last days

Chapter 5

 "Hey! Let's meet tomorrow." I dropped a text to Ananya last night. She was online, the message got blue ticks. I sat there for 30 minutes; no reply. I went to sleep, with my slightly wounded feelings.

I am at the 'Sleepy Panda Cafe' in Bandra. It's our fixed meet-up point. It's also her favourite place.

"All the best bro! You can do it! If 300 men can stop the Persian army. It's only a confession to one girl." Krish had texted. I assumed he re-watched the movie 300 last night for the 300th time. I replied "Haha! Thanks."

Maybe it is easier to stop the Persian army, I thought. I ordered an iced coffee. She replied to my message last night at 1:30 AM. "Yeah, sure!"

We usually meet at 11 and have lunch together. So I or she never mention the time of meeting up. I almost want to call this meet-up, a date.

It's 10:50, she should be coming. I anticipate her entrance, constantly looking at the door. I look at every slim girl with curly brown hair and fair skin entering and half-accept to be her.

At 11:30, I get her message. "Hey! Sorry, Rish! Not possible today. :(" I should be feeling rage and exasperated for being ditched, but fuck me cause that 'sorry' of hers takes care of everything.

I called Krish, "Hey! Hey! Hey!" he said.

"Hey man!"

"So what happened? Why are you calling me so early?"

"She is not coming, she said she can't today."

"What a bitch!"

"Don't say that!"

"Oh! What a bitch! And I am saying it to you this time."

"Shut up! And just come at the sleepy panda"
"Alright!"

***

Krish and I had lunch together, a club sandwich and masala tea. "What do you wanna do?" he asked as he chewed his bite.

"I don't know, I am thinking to go early and do some Math, Sister Angela will kill me if I drop any more scores."

"Well, we still have the afternoon to kill."

"Let's go bowling!"

"Oh yeah! It's been a while since I beat you at bowling." He said in his cocky way.

"What are you talking about? Don't you remember your defeat last time?" I said.

"I don't!" he grinned.

We went to Robin's Alley. It's one of the less crowded bowling arenas in Bandra. It has a retro feeling to it; we used often come here with friends a few years ago.

Krish bowls first, he misses a strike by three. But he gets the spare.

I almost forgot how to bowl, I let the feeling of holding it and the weight sink in. I release the ball but something distracts me, and I miss the strike by two, I hit the spare also. I thought I heard Ananya's voice. I look around for her. But no, she's not here.

Krish tells me I am dreaming. We continue with our game. I am in the lead. We keep hitting strikes till the 8th game. People around us look at us in amazement. "Look, people! The first and second best bowling player in Mumbai!" Krish shouts as he hits strike.

"Thank you, second-best player!" I said as take the ball. It's the last bout, If I miss here. He will keep reminding me till we play again.

My approach was smooth, and my muscles were in sync. The release couldn't be better. It was a strike the moment it left my fingers. I won! "HELL YEAH!" I shouted looking at Krish.

"Alright! Alright!" he said, "let's go home"

I looked at myself in the mirror, I had trimmed my beard this morning, I wanted to look perfect when I meet her.

Just as I open the door, I see her. It couldn't be anyone else. And I couldn't be mistaken. Dark brown hair, curls at the end. And more than anything else tattoo under her thumb is "Ana". She was hugging a guy! I felt my stomach twisting. They started kissing. My heart was screaming pain, and my eyes were about to flood. She didn't notice me. I quickly left the scene of my murder.

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