Flirting with friendship: The Parody of Love

Chapter 6: The Parody of Love

Most of Sakshi’s friends never believed that she could fall in love with someone like me. They were of the opinion that she was a very self-contained girl who loved to be alone, but Sakshi proved everyone wrong and got ready to spend her life with me. For a traditional girl like her, Sakshi was way too heretic for her kind. Being a South Indian typical Brahmin, she once tried whiskey and was in love with it. Though her eggetarian source didn’t have any value, she liked to keep her identity as a vegan.

“You guys suit each other.” Shrushti was telling Sakshi looking at Sakshi and my photograph, while they were having a drink together at Shrushti’s place. It is usually very rare that these two girls get time to be like this. Sakshi will be alone most of the times, but Shrushti has to find time from her careless boyfriend whom she loves blindly, and from her rich family who hardly cares what their daughter is up to.

“I know Shrushti. Abhi is very caring, just like my father.” Sakshi started her speech after 2 small pegs.

When Sakshi loses her senses, she starts talking about her father and how much she misses him. On the flipside, when I am drunk, I don’t speak a word. I like to be silent and savour the thin air that allows me to breathe. That night Sakshi and Shrushti were totally wasted and I’d to go to Shrushti’s place to bring Sakshi back as I didn’t receive any call or message from her. I rang the doorbell and Shrushti opened the door. Her hair was all messed up; she was wearing a white Jockey boxer and Spaghetti. Her eyes were all red and I didn’t know how many bottles this girl had emptied.

“Sathish. I knew you’d come for me.” She hugged me not even looking at my face.

“Shrushti. I am Abhinav.” I retrieved and unlocked her tight hold from my waist. “Where is Sakshi?” I asked.

“Who Sakshi? I was all alone.” Shrushti was scaring me with her drunken behaviour. I threw her on the floor not caring whether she’d stand up again or not, and rushed in to search Sakshi.

There you are, lying on the floor, with TV still playing the repeat telecast of “India’s Dancing Stars”.

I wondered if she fell unconscious dancing. I inched towards her and mildly slapped on her face to check if she was still in her senses, or I had to weight-lift her all the way home.

“Sakshi? Wake up.” I said slowly. She suddenly woke up like a dead-man from the grave and kicked me in my balls. Sakshi had a mindblowing reflex and I had to experience it firsthand in such a dreadful way. Her shrieking voice made me deaf and I was lying on the floor beside her, almost unconscious; my hands on my privates. The place had turned into a slaughter house in a matter of minutes; Shrushti was lying half-dead in the hall, I was lying paralytic, deaf and dumb, and Sakshi was dead asleep. The time was 2:30 midnight. And the Dancing Stars were mindlessly playing “Ooh la la... Ooh la la... tu hai meri fantasy....”

As usual, the load shedding in the Bangalore area by BESCOM, was pathetic and power was cut after an hour and there was darkness all over. I was looking around not able to shout, not able to call out anyone. Even if I could move a few meters, I didn’t know where the candles were, nor did I have matches or lighter as I never smoked. There was no sound, no air, and no lights. I was feeling suffocated and I suddenly heard some roaring sound. I wondered if there was a dog in Shrushti’s house. I’d be double-dead if that dog sensed a strange scent of mine in the house. I tried to locate the source of the roaring sound. It wasn’t coming from the living room where I was lying, neither from kitchen, nor bedroom. I recollected all my strength and stood up on my trembling feet. I slowly moved towards the hall and it was Shrushti snoring.

This girl is truly impossible.

I moved away from Sakshi and tried to wake her up from a distance, this time more cautiously. I have to control her reflexes after marriage. I tried to motivate myself with some energetic, cheerful songs playing in the back of my head. I scanned around in the darkness with my bare hands and it touched something very soft, and it was vibrating like hell. For a moment, I had a very weird feeling about these girls. Is it really what I am thinking it is??? I trashed away that thought the moment that furry cat scratched my fingers. Luckily, I loved cats and I didn’t mind getting scratched by them. I grabbed the cat with both my hands and softly moved my hand over its head got myself familiarised with it. I slowly moved in the direction where Sakshi was lying. I threw the cat on her and Sakshi was up in no time. She’s dead allergic to cats and I finally succeeded to wake her up without being harmed myself.

“SHRUSHTI!!!!” Sakshi woke up screaming in the dark, finding nobody around.

No answer from anyone.

“SHRUSHTI!!!!” she screamed again.

“Be quiet. I am here.” I replied.

“ABHI!!!!!!!!” she screamed again. “Where are you?” she began to cry. I slowly moved towards her and offered my hand for her to hold. She scratched more ferociously than the cat, but I loved both. She pulled me close and hugged me tightly.

“Where did you come from?” Sakshi asked with a surprised voice.

“I killed Shrushti and broke in.” I said with a serious tone.

“WHAT????” Sakshi was perplexed.

“Just kidding sweetheart. She’s lying on the floor in the hall.” I consoled her again.

“Come, let’s go home.” I said.

“Shrushti is alone Abhi, I am sleeping here tonight.” Sakshi was back to her full senses after the cat attack.

“Okay. She’s asleep anyways. She won’t know if you are here or not.” I tried to convince her.

“But let’s put her on the bed atleast Abhi. If her parents see her on floor in the morning, they’ll throw her out of the house.” Sakshi showed her concern.

I too agreed and moved towards the hall to pull Shrushti up and put her back on her bed. I too was back to my normal strength and was inched swiftly near Shrushti.

“You go to her bedroom and clean up the mess.” I instructed Sakshi. Shrushti wasn’t that heavy as considered to Sakshi. Shrushti was fair, well-built, lean and slightly taller than me. Her vital stats were very appealing and I was carrying her in my arms. Sakshi was right in front of me as I was holding her nearly unconscious best friend like a servant, trying to dispose off a sack of junk.

“Throw her here.” Sakshi pointed at the neatly made bed.

“You should seriously reduce your weight.” I requested Sakshi while I was staring at the sensually toned body of Shrushti.

“Shrushti was an easy task.” I said, “I carried her from hall to bedroom.” I wiped a couple of sweat dots from my forehead.

“I’ll have to work hard to carry you.” I said with a panting voice.

“I’ll give up drinking from today.” Sakshi replied with a faint voice.

“Good. If not, I’d have given up on you.” I teased her.

The clock ticked 4:00 in the morning and I was sitting in Shrushti’s house talking with Sakshi about stuff we’d do, not do in future.

“Sakshi. Can I ask something?” I wrapped my arms around her.

“Yes. Tell me.” She leaned on my chest, making herself comfortable.

“This girl, Shrushti... She’s so damn sexy.” I started my usual flirtatious stuff. The streetlights shed its faded beam through the window on the bed where she was being thrown mercilessly by me. Her sleeping posture was intimidating and I was getting playful with Sakshi.

“What do you feel about Shrushti?” Sakshi asked me seriously. “Do you have to flirt with every living female on earth?” she sounded concerned about me.

“Sakshi. I am an honest voyeur.” I confessed. “I report what I do.” It wasn’t that she didn’t know about my behaviour. She also was aware that I knew the fine line between love and lust. That was why she was beside me trusting that I’d only hug her and not do anything else.

We just sat silently on the couch that morning. I was quietly watching Shrushti, admiring her curves and ignoring her alarming snores. There was Sakshi on my left, who rested herself royally onto me, listening to my heartbeats and I had Sandhya “The cat” on my right, which had its paws stuck on my shirt and stertored creakingly. This is the worst night of my life with two girls together in one room, yet I am doing NOTHING.

            The morning alarm rang at 6:00 and nobody got up. The power was back and I turned off the TV and the lights. I woke up Sakshi and took her home, leaving a note for Shrushti behind.

Abhi and I left at 6:30. Call me when you wake up.

Love

Sakshi