Finding Love

6

Avinash Nanda was laying on his bed, his face pressed flat against his pillow. The flop of hair on his head fell all over his forehead messily. He had his eyes closed and was breathing deeply. But he wasn't actually sleeping. It was 6 in the morning and he was trying very dearly to cling onto the sleep that he had lost ten minutes ago. He knew he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. But he still tried with all his might. It was a heavenly feeling to surrender yourself to that blissfully inviting feeling of your bed, the warm comforter and your eyes urging you to shut them so that you can happily, happily sleep.

But seemed like fate wasn't on his side. Not today, not any day. Every morning he woke up to the sound of his grandmother playing these bollywood songs turned bhakti songs on high volume.

Avinash got his grandma a sound system last year for her birthday  because she was totally gushing about this awesome music player at one of her laughing club friend's place. She spoke about how it would have been totally cool had that music system been at her home, for a whole week. She also reminded him that it was her birthday next week repeatedly. After her endless dropping of clues which turned lesser and lesser subtle each time, Avinash caught onto the hint that he had to get her one for her birthday. His nani could be totally persuasive if she wanted something.

He did get her one and the half toothed, but full blown smile that she gave him when he unwrapped the present warmed his heart, bringing tears to his eyes. She was all that mattered.

But what followed shouldn't have followed.

Every morning from that day he woke up to these ear drum destroying  sounds of Bollywood type bhakti songs.

Today's chartbuster was a 'Sai' song in the 'Suraj Hua Maddham' style.

Avinash opened his eyes and shook his head at his cruel fate. He banged his head into his pillow, tired of being subjected to this 'Bigg Boss' treatment of waking up to songs.

But when he reminiscensed nani's content smile he would totally be okay with it. He could do anything for her to be happy.

Avinash looked at the clock on his side table. It read 6:30 in red, bold, ugly numbers. He still lay on the bed not finding the motivation to move his lazy ass out of the bed when his phone pinged.

Avinash sprung up from his bed, laziness all forgotten, a goofy smile playing on his lips, to reach his phone on the bed side table.

Murthy must have messaged him.

It has been a back and forth battle of sending funny memes between them since the day Ananya boasted about her phone being full of 'super cool memes'. They were having lunch squabbling idly when Ananya had made this boisterous claim. Since irking her was his job, Avinash dutifully countered. And it was then that it was decided they would each send the other a meme every morning and the one sending the less funnier one would buy the other their lunch.

Lately, Avinash Nanda was getting way too used to the 'irritating presence' of Ananya Murthy. She was omnipresent. At work, at break, on the phone after coming home, and in his thoughts all the other times. He hated admitting it but Ananya Murthy was special. That day things messed up badly, he knew she was reading about him. But she didn't question him. Or judge him. Her eyes held only concern for him and it warmed his heart to see that. He admired every facet of hers. He wouldn't admit this to her either. That would be his last day on the planet.

So far Ananya had been squashing him splendidly in their meme war. And he was completely okay with it.

He opened his phone in anticipation only to read something which totally wiped the smile off his face.