Love Started With A 'Boo' | ✓

Episode 8

𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘩, 2017
𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘬𝘢

People are sometimes mystified infinitely in the promptitude of a moment that they have to take the help from the people they never even wanted to converse with. I was in one such moment, taking the help from the same man with whom I had a little bickering and childish dispute a while ago.

Seizing the hand of that hippo in mine, I let out the statements I hadn't even contemplated of saying to him ever, "I am betrothed to him and he's my love, my life and my would-be husband. Do you get it? Or, should we kiss baby to prove it to him that we are a couple?".

Throning a donkey, when needed, was what I was doing with the pupil just out of some LLB offering university aka Divyaant-the lost hippo of Kaziranga who was now roaming freely in the City Beautiful, Chandigarh, I tittered leisurely but in the spur of a moment maintained my composure in front of that Pushpinder, the so-called fiance of mine who was forced on me long ago by none other than his late grandmother's undeniable and inexorable love for me.

"What? Preet? But we were destined to be married, this is your another prank, isn't it?" that lemur started nearing me with his face already resembling Tide's superwhite advertisement. Before the lawyer beside me would've started his speech of Vakil Giri, I pricked him with the safety pin that was attached in one of the bangles I had worn today, no one speaks when Pritika wants to say something, I distracted him trenchantly and dropped his hand. He was now mourning over the little blood that was seeping off his wrist where I had pricked him. Two drops of blood and he had called me an overacting actress? I snickered.

Advancing closer to that Alcoholinder, whose mouth was still reeking of alcohol, I expectorated, "Look, brother, we were kids when your grandmother wanted us to be married and I was a pubescent teenager too to not see that what kind of person you were, so even I had not retaliated back then. And my parents too had forgotten about that as you were nothing but a spoilt brat which you still are and no parents would ever want to give their daughter to a man like you. We were never engaged, so remember that. And also, Divyaant is my fiance now. Right, my Babushona?".

I nipped on Divyaant's back with my right hand and he had to nod his head at my command, I beamed at my small triumph and Alcoholinder was flabbergasted would be just an understatement. His face was currently worth promulgating in one of the posters of some Circus shows, funny and intriguing.

"I will not leave you, remember that. You were mine and will always be," he left scrambling agilely when I took out the Punjabi Jooti that I had bought from Amritsar, my maternal hometown. "Stupid, mad, fool, donkey, ape..." I would've recapitulated but I heard the euphonious laughing sound of some person. Who was it? I turned around promptly and noticed that the angry hippo was laughing arduously throwing his head back.

He could laugh too?

Won't he age up while laughing?

Won't his teeth break?

Won't his ego be wounded?

I was deliberating over all this with a goofy smile on my face. He looked cute though with that laugh and smile adorned on his face, as who wouldn't look adorable while smiling, even an ape looks super charming, I corrected myself and kept looking at him till his laughter died down. "I didn't know you were this gallant, but what was that prick for?" he moved closer to me, staring at me with a way he hadn't ever done before.

This time there was an amusement, a playful look inside his optical globes, unlike the usual angry and annoyed speculations that he had put a copyright on for possessing them 24/7. I tittered and squared my shoulders, giving my 'Gallant' appearance more effects and visuals. "I pricked you so that you won't open your mouth and tell that Alcoholinder about the truth about our relationship. Thank you so much for co-operating". I knew I was wrong to use someone for my good but Pushpinder was one person I didn't want to come across with.