Free Part-Time Devdaas... by Rugved Mondkar Page A

your plan for tonight?”
    “We are going to this party at Yeoor hills.” I said. “I wasn’t planning on taking anyone, so I’m still a stag.”
    “Well now you are not… I’m coming with you,” she commanded. “But I have to be back by one, max.”
    “You will, I promise. Be ready by nine, I’ll pick you up.”
    “OK, bye. And hey, thank you again,” she hung up.

    Yeoor hills was a part of a national park which the people of our city used as a makeshift hill station. So having any party there was illegal. But as I said, in our country, no one cares, hence everything can be managed. The money provided by our parents wasn’t ever enough to pay for our vices, so managing events and arranging parties were the easiest ways of making a quick buck. Raghu and a common friend of ours had arranged this party. Good music, good food, lots of girls, lots of booze – back then, it was the definition of a kickass party. But that day, none of it mattered. All I cared about was that the girl I loved was with me, smiling her heart out and dancing freely. She was happy. I began the new year smiling, dancing, and laughing with my friends and Hrida beside me.
    Fifteen minutes after twelve, we left the party to keep up with Hrida’s deadline. Riding down through the dark forest roads, I heard three wows and two oohs  from her before I was finally asked to stop. She squeaked with joy and ran to the peepal tree which had hundreds of fireflies flying around it. It looked like it was decorated with white rice bulb string lights used during Diwali . I switched off the headlight and there was total darkness around us. The only source of light was fireflies shining on the tree. Hrida stood there mesmerized. In a few minutes, she returned and swiftly hopped onto the bike.
    There was this happy silence for a while till we rode down the hill. 
    “I had fun today,” she said looking at me in the mirror. I could clearly see the love in her eyes as she smiled. 
    “Me too,” I smiled back, there was again a moment of silence with both of us looking at each other.
    “Didn’t it scare you back there in the dark?” I asked as I hit the highway.
    “No, besides why would I be scared when you were with me?” she winked at me.
    “Do you really have to go home right now?” I asked trying to push my luck.
    “I’ve promised mom so she’ll be waiting. I haven’t been out for so long before,” she said. “But we still have ten minutes.”
    “I love you.” I said. She just blushed. “And I’m sorry for saying those mean things.”
    “Did you seriously think that this through-the-mirror-apology of yours will be accepted?” she said with a raised eyebrow.
    “Okay, what do you want me do?” I stopped the bike a hundred metres away from her building gate.
    “Scratch your head a little and get back to me with something creative,” she said and got off the bike.
    “I really thought I had lost you,” I confessed.
    “Don’t worry, you never will,” she said patting my head like a dog. “Can I leave, please?”
    “Please stay for a while!” I said pouting.
    “I don’t want to go, but it’s past one.” I knew she really meant it when she said that.
    “Fine.” I said as she extended her hand towards me. Not knowing whether to kiss it, squeeze it or pull her close to me, I held it for a few seconds before she left. I stood there and watched her go. She turned back a couple of times before disappearing into the gate.

    The smile, the glint in her eyes, the spring in her walk, the blush on her face – all of it was for me… because of me. Finally, for the first time in my life, the girl I was in love with loved me back. It had been just over two months that I had met this girl and I barely knew anything about her. She was yet to confess her love for me. I had no idea what I was going to do with my life but I decided that I was going to marry her. I lay down in my bed with thoughts of Hrida whirling in my mind. I went