Choices

Memories

11.45p.m.

The numerals in the digital clock glowed in the dark room. The moon's illumination consumed the darkness whenever the gentle night breeze pushed the sea-blue themed curtains away during their never-ending game of chase. The custom made bizarre album of photographs which was labelled 'MEMORIES' was perked up on my lap. I was awake marvelling the memories I created along my 26 years of life.

The night lamp casted a heavenly glow to the photograph in which I was currently entranced.

The banner reading 'Happy Birthday' was enough to describe why the people in the photo were so escastic. I looked at the red dressed girl in the middle whose radiant smile and glowing eyes were enough to highlighten her as the birthday girl. Every face among the group of youngsters in the photo was adorned by a hearty laugh except for the boy at the right most end of the group.
I carresed the image of that dark haired tall guy clad in a black shirt. His eyes were gazing the red dressed girl with such love that clearly portrayed that she ment the world to him. His face was lit with an adorning smile as if he was subconsciously mesmerized by an enchanting piece of art.

12.00a.m.

The clock beeped indicating me that the red dressed girl is old by yet another year now.

"Happy birthday"

I wished myself.

Closing my eyes I willed sleep to embrace me only to be startled by the shrill music from my mobile.

"What on earth was I thinking while seting this ringtone"  I mused to my younger self in the photograph.

My heart started galloping at the possibility of Aarav calling to wish me.

"Happy birthday Chipmunk"

My happiness at hearing his baritone voice was so immense it overpowered my disappointment that it wasn't my Aarav's call.

How will I not be happy when I am hearing his voice after whole two years. At that reminder my eyes wandered to his face in the same photo. Standing next to me, he was lighting the candles on my birthday cake displaying his pearl white teeth to the camera.

While Aarav was my knight in shining armour, he was my protective guardian Angel.

He was the goof in my gang, the annoying know-it-all, the only person who could decode my silence and also the best friend who vanished without as much as a word during the most important phase of my life.

"Chipmunk... Are you there?"

His voice interrupted my trance.

"Abhi"

I breathed into the receiver as a lone tear rolled down my cheek.

"Aww!!! Is this my Chipmunk who threatened to end my life with a remote control getting emotional on hearing my voice? Let me check if I dialled a wrong number"  he delivered the same snort-laugh that always annoyed me.

"No need. You can be sure that I'm the same chipmunk as I'm  currently planning to chop your body into pieces and feed it to the beast you call as your dog"

"Yeah! Glad to hear your voice too darling" he resorted to being his characteristic sarcastic self which managed to raise my temper further, as always.

"You moron!! What were you thinking when you left? Did you even think about the consequences? Who am I kidding!! The great Abhimanyu never ponders over such silly things... You self conceited jerk!! Mom was crying for a week because of unannounced disappearance which you very casually labelled as 'Abroad Internship'."  I rambled venting out my frustration and he knew better than to interrupt.

"Are you done Chipmunk?"  The fact that he was finding this funny turned my annoyance and frustration into tears.

"Chipmunk?? Chipmunk... Are you crying?" I could easily detect his increasing panic by his tone.

"Please Chipmunk... Don't cry on our special day" My gaze shifted back to my twenty-second birthday photo at his reminder.

"Why?" I whispered

"Please don't ask me this question now" His tone turned a bit harsh which was very new to me.

"Dont ask!! You go MIA on me for two years and I shouldn't  question you about it? You did not call me even once. How dare you Mr.Abhimanyu Arjun" my tone reached a higher octave. I wasn't a person to take his idiocy.

"Please darling... I know what I did was completely unacceptable..." his sentence was interrupted by my fuming self.

"Is... is completely unacceptable" I muttered.  "Okay okay!! Is still unacceptable. But I had my reasons and I do not wish to relive them by reciting it. Please darling forgive me this once"

His sad tone made me drop the issue temporarily. Both ends of the line became silent which was eventually broke by him.

"Okay Chipmunk!! Enough of this drama... Update me about the happenings in the pathetic excuse of your life now" I cracked up at this which was reciprocated by him. "So how is our gang? How is your job and first tell me about your annoying Romeo? "

His last question left me numb. What will I tell him?

I gazed at the guy's image which was still being caressed by me subconsciously.

Aarav... My Husband

Aarav Nandha

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