Reborn to love

They Met Without Meeting

Part 5

Sameer was having fun with his friends on his important day. The boys had early morning fun with cake and celebrations and had lingered in the house and in his room till he got dressed. Since it was his special day, he took his time showering and choosing the right outfit.

Munna Pandit turned his wardrobe upside down in removing and checking each shirt and T-shirt on Sameer and discarding everything on the bed. Finally, after everything was lying in a heap, Pandit exclaimed disappointed, "kya yaar Sameer. Itne saare kapdon mein se ek bhi nahi hai jo special ho aajke special din ke liye!"

Sameer gave his cutest smile as it seemed to worry his friend that it was world's major concern right now that there was no decent outfit for his friend on his special day.

Sameer turned to the remaining stuff still left on the hangers, mostly those that he either disliked or just had never gotten around wearing yet. He decided to just pick one as most of them hand never been used. But on a whim, he closed his eyes and focused for a second. Instantly, he felt himself surrounded with an unknowing warmth and he could breathe in that rare lavender fragrance that always enchanted and soothed him. Though the image was always out of reach, he could associate it with a girl's happy face that formed a hazy image in his brain. He focused for a moment longer and with closed eyes, his hands out of their own volition reached the clothes. The fingers caressed the side of each and after 2-3, they just stopped and lingered on a garment. He opened his eyes and saw that it was a midnight blue polo neck cashmere (I had to have them twinning on their bday, 😉). He removed it from the hangar and remembered that he had bought it from his trip to Switzerland with Nanu a year ago but later had second thoughts and had never worn it. It just lay hanging in a corner for over a year now. Even the label was yet intact. He couldn't understand, how he picked it out today and felt compelled to wear it that too out of choice.

May be that constant presence in his brain these days was taking control of his life. Was it so? No one controlled Sameer Maheshwari as he always felt he was like the wind as his name suggested. But these days, he found himself doing things and taking decisions that normally Sameer wouldn't and the irony was that he didn't mind nor regretted. He happily gave in to whatever that presence made him do. It was like that since he was child though he hardly understood that before. In his teenage years, he had come to realise that there was always a force or a guiding light whenever he was in trouble or in despair. Something always pulled him out of it. Only in the last 3-4 years, since he had turned 18, he had come to realize that it was not something but rather someone. He had felt more and more drawn to her and could feel her presence in him at al times. Since the last few days, he had felt a very strong connection and while he had no idea who she was and even if she really existed, he couldn't shake it off that this morning, she had responded to his call, albeit in a very subtle and confused manner.

"Arre Sammer, kya soch raha hai bhai? Jaldi taiyyar ho! Aaj toh teenon bhai milke pure Ahmedabad mein dhamachaukadi machayenge!" Declared Munna.

"Aur kya! Aaj bhai ka birthday hai. Bahut mazaa aayega!" Pandit simply rolled on the bed over the heap in excitement.

Sameer broke out of his pleasant and mysterious reverie and smiled at their antics. Only these two monkeys and Nanu were enough to fill up his world, but lately he felt a piece of him missing and would get restless if the presence in his mind was completely vanished or he couldn't feel it.  He had to do something about it and soon find out. May be Nanu knew. He made a mental note to talk to him as Nanu always dropped some hints and clues that there were things Sameer would need to know when he grew up. May be after turning 21 today, his Nanu might construe him as a grown up and would answer all his questions.

Pandit's boisterous laugh again pulled Sameer out from his monolog to self and grabbed some essentials and rushed to the bathroom to get dressed.

A short while later, before the boys headed out, Sameer went to see his Nanu to let him know that he would be back only in the evening. Nanu couldn't control his emotions seeing his chotu sa Sameer looking all handsome dressed to kill in a blue polo teamed with a white sports jacket and jeans and his favourite black boots. As much as he hadn't completely approved of Vishakha's choice of a life partner, the man had certainly imparted his handsome looks to his child.