The Cricketer's Jockey (#MyStoryIndia) (#MissionDesi)

Chapter 5.

Unedited Written from mobile chapter. Will add more later.

There was a sharp pang in my head when I opened my eyes. It subsided after a while and I brought back my focus to my surrounding. Someone was slapping me and calling my name. As I narrowed my eyes, I saw the source of that husky voice was coming from. Aniruddha.

"Bulbul? Bulbul? Damns it, say something."

"Huh?!? What happened?" That was all I could say.

"You fainted. Are you okay?" His eyes were intently looking at me, measuring my expression.

"Yes. I haven't eaten much all day. Might have fainted because of the empty appetite."

That's when I noticed that he was on his knees as I was resting in his arms and one of those muscular ones had just touched my face. If I had been in my teens, I would have fainted surely. But now-a-days, my work had made me come across these beautiful - handsome species a lot, so I didn't get affected much. It was like eatinng Biryani everyday and one day you are fed up of it.

I tilted my head a little, before moving away from him. He helped me to get up.

"Thanks."

"That's okay. Girls always fall for me. You just touched the ground and set new record." He mocked and then put his hand on my car, "Are you still driving?"

"I guess so. Why?"

"Where are you going?"

"Dadar?"

He nodded and fiddled his keys as he thought. After a while he looked up.

"I need to go there too. Drop me near the station."

I was confused for a minute. A while ago, he was concerned and now he was commanding. What happened to the fact that I had shouted on him?

"Sorry?"

"Well, there is a journalist here who has trying to contact me for a while. He wants an interview and is probably waiting near my car at the other end of parking lot. He won't leave me alone even though I have tried to get rid of him. So a friend of mine lives in Dadar too. Drop me off there."

"So that's why you helped me? To get away from the journalist?"

He shrugged and reached to get car-keys from the floor. He moved to the driver's side and hoped in casually like it was his car not mine, meanwhile completely ignoring my constant stares.

"Are you coming or not?" He inquired after rolling down the window.

"Actually I am driving. So get out before I change my mind and say please." I went to the driver side and stumped my feet.

Aniruddha gave me a bored look, but didn't move. Instead he started the car.

"Hey." I shouted as the car pulled off, "Stop the damn car!"

He did stop it at the entrance of parking lot, peeking out and smiling at me mischievously.

"Hop in."

I sulked the air and walked to the car. I couldn't believe that he just abandoned me from my own car.

"This is for insulting me at the Dome." His eyes rolled and the car pulled out to the road.

"One day I will make you helpless and that day you will wish that I haven't met you."

"We will see."

He grunted.

**************

"Namskar! Subh Sunday! Main hoon apka Sunday kal hamsafar, Shabd. So how is everyone's Sunday going on? Ab toh hardly hai ghante hai baaki chaar. Tu ab in ghanto koi jee le yaar...."

The voice of RJ Shabd filled the silent car with an eerie feeling. We haven't talked since his last "we will see" words and the whole car felt dead. He switched it on to kill the boredom.

Lights were still red and people were strolling around aimlessly, enjoying last hours of freedom before starting bloody Monday. Heat has cooled down and street food vendors were busy with customers. The food look delicious and my stomach shared same emotion. It grumbled a little. Aniruddha chuckled hearing the sound coming from my stomach.

"It's not funny. Okay? I am really hungry."

"Hmmmm."

"Do you know, I know this RJ Shabd. Good voice, strange guy. Reads women magazine all the time and sometimes parental books."

"Hmmm. Same station?"

"Yep. But he is senior. I have joined just a year ago. Have you ever visited? Energetic place with yankee south indian boss. I want to be part of their team for a long time..."

"Is that compulsory for an RJ to speak non stop?" He cut down me.

"No. Why?"

"Because I am not interested in your job profile."

"Is my talking bothering you?"

Instead of speaking, he nodded. His eyes were fixed on lights as they turned green from red. A smile spread on my face.

"Good. If it is bothering you, then I would love to do that. Now listen..."

He groaned but I ignored him and started talking, drifting the conversation from one subject to another. He didn't say anything but his face showed his pain. Finally, I was getting back to him. Bulbul khush hui. HA HA HA.

*********

With a screeching, my car halted in a dimly lit street, near Dadar railway station. Abiruddha turned off the engine and I was relieved to know that he was finally leaving. He made his hair messy and took off his blazer. We both came out of car and he tossed keys at me.

"Just a question. Why you dislike cricket?" He leaned on and asked.

"I just don't like sitting whole day in front of tv, waiting for someone to win. It is boring and less exciting. The ball is hardly visible and I don't understand the terms. It makes me sleepy."

"I don't agree with you. Cricket is my life and every ball excites me more than doing Bunjee Jumping. And the game is not boring but your brain is too slow to understand it."

"Whatever. Are you done giving pravachan babaji?" I shook my head and signalled him to move a little.

After getting into my car, I looked at him.

"Don't meet me again. Okay?"

"Like this one time is not enough to scare me." He raised a brow.

"My point exactly. I got hit by your ball. On our first meeting, I stayed hungry, fainted and have to share MY CAR with you. I don't want more accident in my life, because that 's what will happen the next time I will meet you."

"What kind of accident?" He asked playfully.

"It can be anything. Like riding an elephant?"

I stared into space for a while and when I shifted my gaze at Aniruddha, he just turned around without saying a single word and saluted me before crossing the road, dissolving into the crowd.