Chapter 1

Suha Brar

It's October again. November is just a week away. It's gonna be our one-year anniversary soon but I'm not sure whether we are in a relationship or not. What do you call it now? Anything but a relationship, I guess. So, will we be celebrating our anniversary? I don't think so. I just hope he realizes he has left back his girlfriend who still loves him and wants him back like anything.

The moon is brightly shining in the clear sky with a few stars around it. The waves are mild and it's their sound which is giving me company tonight. It doesn't really feel like Marine Drive right now. I guess I am the one who's here at the wrong time. Silly me, it's past 1 a.m. Crazy people roam about at this hour. Crazy people like me.

There is a small tea stall at a very little distance. A kid is standing by it and writing something in a book. My stomach is very hungry but my tongue is a demanding fellow. It won't allow me to eat from a roadside stall.

I turn my gaze back to the sea. After a while, some lonesome time is all you need, and this place is giving me the needful. A car passes by and keeps on honking numerous times. I can hear the people in the car scream at the top of their voices. 'Definitely teenagers' I tell myself. Who else lives a carefree life as they do? Even I belong to the same category but not for a long time. I'll be turning 20 in 2 months' time.

I don't know what I will be doing with my life. Sigh. I wrap my legs in my arms and rest my chin on my knees and enter the trance mode.

Vihaan Kashyap

It feels so good to be finally done with that project. I never thought that this modeling or acting stuff would make me feel so tired. Next time before taking a cycle advertisement project I'm going to think three times about my hands and legs which have received so many injuries just to give a shot in which a guy falls down while riding his cycle. Lame, I know.

Nevertheless, I'm just glad to be back in Mumbai. Though I have lived here only for 4 years now it feels like forever. It's definitely a true thing when the locals say, 'Once you're in Mumbai, it makes you one of its own'. Plus Mumbai has given me my platform. It has given me a chance to showcase my talents. I obviously took away someone else's dreams, but life is a battle, someone has to win.

I feel worse for the guy who was selected by many rounds of auditions while I was picked up from the road while I was entertaining 2 adorable crying twins. I love kids. I was imitating Charlie Chaplin, he is one of my favorite personalities. The director was impressed by my acting skills as he happened to be there and offered me two projects: a small role in a fictional documentary and a mobile phone ad. From there, with more determination and hard work, Vihaan became the star Vihaan Kashyap.

After gaining success in my field many of my friends thought I would change. Well, I didn't but they certainly did. Our small hangout places turned to pubs and clubs. The coffee always came from Starbucks. The parties were thrown at 4-5 starred hotels. And wherever we went, media seemed to make an appearance. It can't be a coincidence every time. Hence I simply stopped hanging out with them. It was going to happen sooner or later.

I took a hot shower. It was already 2 a.m. I changed into shorts and a t-shirt and left my flat for a walk. I smiled at the watchman and he gave me a salute. "What are you up to now, Kashyap?" he asked with a smile.

"Just the usuals uncle. Going to the Marine Drive," I said and walked past him.

Marine Drive was just near to the place I live in. This long stretch is where I usually went after midnight to seek some peace of mind. Plus the director had picked me up from this place so it is very lucky for me.

I saw a girl sitting in my usual spot. She looks pretty. Well, something more than pretty. Adorable seemed like an understatement for the beauty that she beholds.

The wind is playing with her hair which sometimes moves over her face but she doesn't seem to care. She seems like she is lost somewhere. She wore a crochet cap and a loose t-shirt over Denim and converse. She looks like a mess to me. A beautiful mess. I wonder what a girl like her was doing here at such an odd hour.

"What's a lady like you doing here," I gave her a start. She stared at me in the eye. Her brown eyes looked confused.

"Nothing," she broke the contact and fixed her eyes back on the sea. "What do you mean by a 'lady like me'?"

"Beautiful," I said without even giving it a thought. "You sure, you're okay?" I say and sit at an arms distance. She looked at me and nodded. At this point, I'm only hoping that she isn't taken.

"I just wanted some alone time," she said. Her voice is as beautiful as she is.

Well, I am not leaving so I stick around. I turn to face the sea and do exactly what she is doing.

She noticed me copying her. Her forehead creased and her jaw nearly dropped. She narrows her eyes and playfully says, "stop doing that! I don't look that bad!" followed by a few giggles and a blush on her face. I let go of my legs and crossed them while facing her.

A smile is now hanging on her face. Man, I could die to see that smile!