Mayank called Tara. She was avoiding his calls since he had invited her for the first time for group study. The phone rang for 30 seconds, but she didn't pick the call.
"She won't come." Lakshya said.
In the name of group study, Mayank had planned something else. Mayank's home was the best place to do fun activities since his parents weren't living there.
"Let's call some other girls. We would play truth and dare. You know what I mean." Mayank displayed a cruel smile.
"Perfect!" Lakshya lit a cigarette.
"I should call Rashmi. She's really into you." Mayank grinned.
***
Nilesh agreed to kiss Tara since he didn't want to look amateur when she asked whether she could kiss him.
Tara leaned towards him and closed her eyes.
"Wait! Do you really want to kiss me?"
Tara opened her eyes. She looked at the horizon and said, "I don't know."
"Well, I asked you that because I don't want to ruin what we have. You get me beers and cigarettes for me, and I don't want to end this by kissing you."
Tara laughed and forgot about Lakshya in that moment.
***
"Why Tara and you aren't together?" Mayank asked.
Lakshya was quiet; he was swimming in the ocean of emotions as Mayank was getting married that day. However, Mayank was calm as though he had been born for that marriage.
Looking at Tara strolling with a man in the lawn, he asked another question, "Doesn't it make you feel sad?"
Now, Lakshya looked at Tara. Sipping his whiskey, he said, "To be honest, sometimes, I feel like I have missed the opportunity to make my life perfect, but, I guess, some stories shouldn't exist no matter how perfect they are in your mind."
Mayank had nothing to say since anything said about Tara and Lakshya was going to drag the conversation to a gloomy end and anything else said other than them would be belittling that conversation.
Lakshya enjoyed awkward silences, but, at that moment, he couldn't bear the silence and said, "You know?"
"What?" Mayank acknowledged promptly.
"I do look like her dead grandmother." Both laughed.
***
"I'm sorry, Rashmi. You're an amazing girl, but I can't. I just can't."
YOU ARE READING
Namesake
Short StoryThis is a usual tale of a bunch of young teens who become adults and go through the phases of life called adolescent where these teens make lots of mistakes and adulthood where they mostly regret and reminiscence those mistakes. Undoubtedly, their m...
