Those enchanted four and half years

Chapter 13

One day, Amey took me out for dinner. We went to a Chinese restaurant.

"I don't like Chinese food much." I said as we got seated. "The Ajinomoto gives me migraine".

"You will love the Chinese here. It's the best," Amey said. Amey looked great in a turquoise shirt. I could feel eyes of all girls around roving frequently towards him. Amey ordered Hakka noodles and veg. Manchurian (without ajinomoto)

"What food do you like?" he asked me.

"I love south Indian food - idli, dosa, medu wada. I love chaat- bhel, panipuri. I love pizza, burger," I said.

"In short, you love all junk food."

"Yes...that's exactly what my mom says," I said. We both smiled," What about you?" I asked.

"I love sea food, Chinese, continental dishes."
I made a face. "You eat non-veg?"

"I just love it!"

"I am a pure vegetarian,."

"Oh!" he exclaimed.

Our food arrived. I tasted both dishes. They were okay.

"What are your hobbies?" Amey asked.

"I love painting, I love writing," I said.

"Writing? What do you write?" Amey asked.

"Poems, stories."

"That's commendable."

"Thanks, I also like reading."

"Reading what?"

"Novels, classics."

"English?"

"English, Marathi, both," I replied. "What about you?"

"I am more of an outdoor person, less literary. I love to play cricket, I love football. I love travelling."

"Travelling?"

"Yes, it's my favourite hobby. I love to explore new places. Do you know I have been to Jammu and Kashmir all by myself after 12th?" Amey said.

"Wow!" I exclaimed.

"Actually I aspired to be an anchor for travel shows on TV, you know, the ones they show on Nat-Geo and Discovery? That way, I could have travelled to a lot many places".

"Then why didn't you become one?" I asked.

"It's not easy. Anyways destiny always has other plans for us. What was your dream profession?"

"I wanted to be an astronomer. I wanted to travel to Mars to see if life really existed there."

"See, we had totally different dreams...and still we both ended up in medical college," Amey said with a smile.

"True," I said.

We are two totally different personalities, I thought as I lay in bed that night. Our food preferences, food habits, passions, dreams were totally opposite, like two ends of a spectrum. That is why they say opposites attract, I thought. God knows if we really had anything in common at all.

Arun had a good laugh the next day when I told him about my 'opposites attract' theory. "Anyways, Neha didi has given me free dinner couple passes for dining in 'Maharashtracha Abhimaan,' the Marathi restaurant on Sambhaji Raje road. Would you accompany me? That way, you will also get to ride on my bike," Arun offered.