Makir's Universe

Aarav - 2

Aarav loved watching and playing cricket. As every Indian youth dreams of playing cricket in the big leagues, he aspired to become a renowned cricketer. But for most people, that dream would simply remain a dream. Aarav often imagined how people would talk about him as the greatest batsman of all time. He was thrilled with the idea of seeing his name in the news.

"A man from Hyderabad was attacked by his driver!" He never thought this news would make the headlines, with his silly face revealed to the public. Neighbors always asked him if he was alright. His company offered him a week of paid leave. His friends visited him with fruits and flowers. Braphat said that the government sector would provide more than a month for recovery. He wanted to punch him, but he loved fruit.

It has been a couple of days since the attack. His doctor said that the inner tissue of his ears has been damaged, resulting in permanent hearing loss. However, they do not understand how the tissues have healed. He can hear more clearly than ever before. He received a call from Police Officer Mustafa, informing him that his driver, Sammaiah, had been found dead in the Narapally Reserve Forest.

Aarav's mental condition has not improved. He has trouble sleeping at night and experiences excessive sweating. He often has nightmares about his driver licking his face and then shooting him in the chin.

He received calls from his high school friends inquiring about what had happened, rather than how he was doing. On the fourth day after the accident, Manhore showed up, saying, "Let's have a drink."

He remembered the notebook where his friends had written the cheesiest line: "We are here for you; we will be your ears forever." He was extremely grateful that he had regained his ability to hear.

He was at Manhore's house. Manhore lived with his twin brother, but his brother wasn't home. Sridhar and Karun joined them. They were all college classmates, and they talked about how their professor was the worst. After some time, Aarav stood on the balcony, eleventh floor, which was quite high.

"How are you feeling, buddy?" Sridhar asked, holding a bottle of beer in his hand.

"I'm feeling good." He replied.

Sridhar appeared significantly older than his true age of 24. He grew a beard, and he looked 40.

"You didn't talk much today. You need to move on from what happened that day. I know it is not easy to live a normal life after someone tries to kill you, but you have been through it." Sridhar looked concerned.

"I am over it. I'm totally fine." Aarav said.

"Are you still angry at- " Aarav interrupted him.

"No, I was never angry at Manhore. And I no longer have feelings for Sravya." Sridhar was the only person who knew that Aarav had a crush on Sravya. Sridhar simply nodded.

"You know, he lies to me every time. He says he doesn't engage in physical intimacy with Sravya. He knows that I had a crush on her. He feels guilty. I have to tell him that he shouldn't feel guilty."

 Aarav snatched the bottle from Sridhar's hand, took a large gulp, and exclaimed, "Let's go inside." On that night, Aarav slept peacefully without having a nightmare about his driver licking him.

Sunday was a day for cricket. India was playing against South Africa. It was Aarav's favorite game format. T20. He watched the match with his father, who was a devoted fan of Virat Kohli. He still loved seeing Virat as the coach of the Indian team. He would blame the players if they lost the match and give credit to Virat as a coach if they won.

After the disappointing defeat, his father expressed his sadness over Virat being assigned to coach and train such a losing team.

Aarav received a text from Beena, a girl he met on an online dating site. She had ignored him when he asked for explicit photos.

"Do you want to meet?" The text was short, but it had a significant impact on Aarav, who smiled after a long time. She sent him the address, and he left. It surprised him how five words with a question mark could make him feel so horny. He already had a condom; he bought it when he thought Beena would agree to using it. However, after asking for her nude photos, he got blocked.

He thought, "Now is my time!"

Inside his mind, he thought it would be dangerous to go out so late. However, he remembered the reason India lost the match that night: it was because the Indian players did not take calculated risks. He did not want to lose and blame someone, like his father. He was determined to be the player who takes risks and reaps rewards; he desired to win the "Man of the Match" award.

He never shaved his pubes but he thought, "It's not about the performance, it's the victory that matters!"

He arrived at her home. It took him more than fifteen minutes to get there. It was an apartment on the fifth floor. When he reached to ring the doorbell, his hands felt sweaty and were shaking. He had never felt this way before. There was not a single red blood cell flowing through his brain; all the blood was flowing down there, where it would make a difference. 

It was the best night of his life. Beena was beautiful. Beena was an angel. Beena was a goddess. She looked at him and said, "You came quite early."

"Yeah, it was a short ride from my house." He said it without realizing what she meant.

She laughed. They were now lying next to each other, naked. Aarav wanted to explore further, both sexually and emotionally. He wondered if this was just a one-night stand or something more long-term.

"Don't you have any questions about why I texted you after ignoring you?" She asked.

He glanced at her chest and nodded.

"I broke up with my boyfriend."

Aarav reached out and touched her chest, whispering, "Oh, that's unfortunate."

"He was cheating on me."

Aarav was aroused again and touching his genitals. "He's a piece of shit," he replied.

They did cardio all night.

The next day, Aarav woke up early, around 6 a.m. Usually, he would ride his bicycle to the temple. Beena was asleep. He wanted to write a note before leaving, just like in the movies he had watched, but he couldn't find a pen or a notepad. He wanted to make her breakfast before he left, but when he entered the kitchen, there were no eggs, no idli, and no dosa batter. There was no rice! He was disappointed. He had to leave because it was getting late for work. Unlike government jobs, his company does not allow employees to take more than a week of leave.

When he reached home, he found the door open and entered. He found his mother and father lying in the hallway.

His father's clothes were torn. Her mother still had a knife lodged in her throat, and blood was present. The TV was still on, displaying highlights from yesterday's match. His father had multiple stab wounds near his chest.

It happened after he had left the house. Someone was still stalking him with the intention of killing his entire family. He saw a person walking out of his room. He wore a red suit with black trousers, and he was barefoot. He was a tall man.

He wasn't Indian.

"Oh, hey there. Sorry, I slept in your room, man." The man said this while wearing his sunglasses. Aarav stood there, observing the man, contemplating how he could confront him.

"Just call the police. We don't have time. We have to go to Mumbai," the man said in a deep voice.