Lot Like Love: A Bengal Romance ✔

Chapter 5

All of us sit outside of the pandal including the friends, sisters and brothers of Bratati.

"So, why don't we all do some activities?" Sneha suggests, Bratati's best friend, a very thin girl with a sleeveless blouse and white saree. Apparently, after we enter and meet the bride again, she introduces us to her friends and brothers-sisters. And then, we all decide that we need to eat some snacks at the stall the bride's family has arranged for everyone.

Sneha suggests us fuchka and chaat* then ice cream. We simply cooperate and Amit has been eagerly waiting for this opportunity. They become very friendly with Trayi, however. Then Sneha, Priya and Trayi drag along Agni who has been busy avoiding the gossip crews (of both sides of bride's and groom's) and selfie crews (who are eagerly waiting to put a photo with her and brag about it).

"What kind of activity?" Asks Amit, giving her his best charming grin of the last year as it is same as the year and before it and so on. He never changes.

"Like..." Sneha takes a few moments finding something interesting to offer us then adds, "Antakhsari*?"

"I'm in!" Amit says even if he never sings, sometimes plays guitar but he can't sing if someone doesn't want to be deaf, that is.

"I'm...in...?" Priya says a bit turning red and it isn't still clear if she has agreed or questioned however, Sneha doesn't even paid attention. Priya looks down at her lap as if it's a interesting thing while nibbling with the end of her kameez* and cannot even look at us.

"I'm really bad at singing!" Dev admits.

"Do whatever you want, I'm with you," Jatin answers.

"C'mon! It'll be fun." Sneha exclaims encouraging everyone to join.

"Okay! But we will take Aditya in our boys group," Amit says.

"But you guys are like eight against four!" Trayi says with a frown. "Adi vaiya will be with us!" and this spikes Agni as she casts me a glance.

"What? No!" Barun interjects, "he'll be with us."

"It doesn't matter. I'm in!" Everyone's eyes fell on Agni as her igniting gaze makes the air around us a little challenging and I say, "Game on! I'm in!"

No one could beat me in anything that involves songs and singing. It's my hobby after all.

***

It seems Agni has a long list of songs in her head that will not be running out anytime soon. However, I have millions of songs as well. The first ten-twenty songs had been from new movies that everyone seems to know of and they have participated but now, it is only me and Agni.

'Aa dekhe zara, kisme kitna hai dum, jaamke rakhna kadam, mere sathiya'¹ I finish as adrenaline coarse through me and Agni's face lights up with amusement then she takes the microphone from me and starts with 'A'. (Let's see, who has got guts, my friend)

'Aaj ki raat... Koi aane ko hai, re baba, Aaj ki raat.'² By now each one of the guests who has came to see the couple of tonight's occasion, now has gathered around us as audiences while we both sing and compete with each other. They are simply enjoying the songs like us.(Tonight,someone will be coming, tonight)

After so many songs, we both come to know how much we love old songs especially if its R. D. and S. D. Burman's, Salil Choudhary's and Laxmikant Pyarelal's and other old songs.

A few songs later Agni finishes her last song at 'Bh' and I start with it another song, 'Bheegi bheegi raato mai, mithi mithi baaton me'³. (In the

The audience applause and some of them throw us 'Wah Wahs' and I notice Agni taps her feet as I continue.

Then the song ends with 'H'.