See You Later

Chapter 28 (The past)

Seven years ago

The story of how Maahi located her favourite photography book is an interesting one.

She had a good feeling she would find the book that day. She didn't know why. As she walked up to the store, she felt like she heard someone calling her name. She turned around and spotted no one. She shrugged and kept on walking. It was a tiny street, the one leading up to the bookstore.

"Mehraaa!"

She turned around and found Aarush waving from across the street. It was a dull day with gloomy clouds hovering around. But suddenly, she felt bright warmth streaming all around her.

He looked sideways on both sides and crossed the street to reach her.

"Where are you off to?"

"The bookstore."

He brightened further upon hearing that. He asked, "Do you mind if I join?"

"Were you headed that way?"

"No, but I've never been able to walk this street without visiting the bookstore. I was trying very hard not to this time. But then I ran into you. It must be fated."

She smiled at him and gestured for him to join her.

As they walked, they crossed a watch store and Aarush's pace slowed. She stopped to allow him to look at whatever he was looking at more leisurely. Slowly, he stopped too and looked at the watch in the display window. All his actions seemed subconscious after this. As though he wasn't really thinking about what he was doing but just doing them. He raised a hand and placed it on the glass to observe the watch. Maahi watched him as he tilted his head and whispered in a state of awe, "Wow..."

She looked at the watch and noted that it was in fact, beautiful. Navy-blue with gold, it looked like it was made in another era with intricate detailing and an ornate font for the numbering. She couldn't blame Aarush for his reaction.

She asked, "Do you want to go inside and look at it more closely?"

He blinked and looked at her, almost forgetting where he was. He then slowly looked back at the watch and said, "No. No, no. I...I recently bought a watch. I shouldn't. Oh God." He then reached out, held her arm and pulled her away from the display, back on their way to the bookstore.

They didn't find the book she was looking for. She hid her disappointment well enough. Or so she thought. A few days later, she was sitting in class in her usual place at the back of the class when she found the very same book slide into her vision on her desk. She blinked and grabbed the book in her hands, as though if she didn't, the book would disappear. She looked up and saw Aarush smiling at her. After a few moments of getting used to it, she asked, "What...how?"

He looked at her as though the answer was obvious.

"You looked so sad that day. So, I asked my aunt who is a photographer. She asked around and got a copy."

He patted the book and looked at her. Maahi didn't know what to say around Aarush quite often. Today, she felt even more at a loss for words. So, she bent down her head, opened the book and felt the smooth pages in her hands. The smell of fresh, new pages wafted towards her nose. The pictures on some of the soft pages called out to her. Her eyes felt a little watery. Why did he always do this? Why was he always so relentlessly thoughtful? She blinked back the moisture and looked up to meet his eyes.

"Thank you, Iyer. This means more than you know."

He smiled his usual smile and said, "Can't have the best photographer yearning for a book for too long now, can we?"

With that, he turned around and walked towards his seat.

Tsk.

A few days later, she found herself at the watch store, staring at his watch in the window. The store manager came up to her and asked, "Hi there! May I help you?"

She nodded and pointed at the blue watch and said, "Yes please. Could I see this watch?"

The store manager took the watch from the display and set it on the counter for Maahi to see. She reached out and took the watch in her hands. It felt as luxurious as it looked. She looked up and asked, "Um...how much?"

"You're in luck actually. We're doing a store-wide sale. That one's on sale too."

The price, to be fair, was actually not bad for a watch this good. But it was still a little out of her budget. She bit her lip and wondered what to do. She asked, "May I ask you for a favour? Could you keep this watch aside for a day?"

A little later in the day, her begrudging footsteps found her on a doorstep. Prateek opened the door and spotted her. He shouted with a huge grin on his face, "OHOHOHO! Maaaahiiii!"

She tried to remember why she was doing this and bit out the words, "I'll do it. Your party."

She never thought she'd be the reason for Prateek's joy. She frowned even thinking about it. But she needed the money. So, she said, "But only for 2 hours. And I need the money today."

"Today? Kyu?"

"Tujhe party ke photos chahiye ya mera reason?"

He made a face and said, "Haan, haan theek hai."