"Why do you work so late? ", people used to him almost everyday.
"Oh I love my job", Rishi used to reply with a smile. But deep inside he knew that the real reason was something different. He really had nothing else to do at home. Was alone in the new city he
had shifted to. He thought the new job, new city, new place, new people around would make him forget his past. But sometimes the past just keeps creeping up on you even if you dont want to. In the initial days, those thoughts of the past kept him awake most of the time. But then he had somehow succeeded in finding a way to help get rid of the insomnia he suffered from. And he was going to do just that this night as well.
"Oh I love my job", Rishi used to reply with a smile. But deep inside he knew that the real reason was something different. He really had nothing else to do at home. Was alone in the new city he
had shifted to. He thought the new job, new city, new place, new people around would make him forget his past. But sometimes the past just keeps creeping up on you even if you dont want to. In the initial days, those thoughts of the past kept him awake most of the time. But then he had somehow succeeded in finding a way to help get rid of the insomnia he suffered from. And he was going to do just that this night as well.
"SHOUT". the big neon light blinked in the distance. It was the name of the disc, much similar to disc in his hometown.The reason he visited was this was the only disc cum bar which was closest to his house. So no matter how drunk he got, he knew he would reach home safe. He entered, with the gaurd at the gate saluting him. "Salaam Sir", he said. Rishi nodded. Rishi was a regular here and always tipped the guard when he left. Hence the proactive respect came for him each time he visited here. Rishi entered the dark place, lit only by a few lights burning here and there just barely bright enough not to trip over anything. Music was playing loudly. Crowd jeering. 
There was a reason by the disc was named "SHOUT", People always seemed to be shouting at every single hit the DJ played. Even if they have heard that same song a million times before. The other reason was the music was so loud you literally had to SHOUT or scream at the person next to you. The guys and girls loved it, since it gave them a chance to get close enough to smell each other and probably steal a kiss in the dark.
Rishi headed to the bar section ignoring all the people who were dancing away like crazy.
There was a reason by the disc was named "SHOUT", People always seemed to be shouting at every single hit the DJ played. Even if they have heard that same song a million times before. The other reason was the music was so loud you literally had to SHOUT or scream at the person next to you. The guys and girls loved it, since it gave them a chance to get close enough to smell each other and probably steal a kiss in the dark.Rishi headed to the bar section ignoring all the people who were dancing away like crazy.
"The usual?", the bartender asked. "Yes please.", Rishi replied without a smile.
He checked his watch. It was 10:30pm. He scanned around the place. Girls in scantily clad dresses , Guys mostly wearing black. Dancing. Laughing. Jumping. Everyone seemed so happy. He observed the girls properly in his usual manner. Became dissapointed and turned to the drink in front. None of them had that same appeal he longed for. He looked at the glass in front of him. Scotch whiskey on the rocks. This was all he drank every single day here. He never counted the number of glasses. All he did was keep looking at the time. The moment the clock hit 11:30pm, he paid the bartender, got up from his seat and left. This one hour of time was when he would "try" to clear his mind blank. Try and think of nothing and just drink, one glass after another. It was like a game he played with his brain. Trying not to let it think about his past. Sometimes he won. Sometimes he lost. As they say, Sometimes the only way to get rid of an unpleasant feeling is to replace it with another unpleasant feeling. Then he would leave. Tip the gaurd. Get in his car. Drive home and sleep.
This was a daily routine and it really did help him get the good night sleep which everyone wants. As he sipped on this 10th refill, trying to win the game with his mind, he heard a voice.
He checked his watch. It was 10:30pm. He scanned around the place. Girls in scantily clad dresses , Guys mostly wearing black. Dancing. Laughing. Jumping. Everyone seemed so happy. He observed the girls properly in his usual manner. Became dissapointed and turned to the drink in front. None of them had that same appeal he longed for. He looked at the glass in front of him. Scotch whiskey on the rocks. This was all he drank every single day here. He never counted the number of glasses. All he did was keep looking at the time. The moment the clock hit 11:30pm, he paid the bartender, got up from his seat and left. This one hour of time was when he would "try" to clear his mind blank. Try and think of nothing and just drink, one glass after another. It was like a game he played with his brain. Trying not to let it think about his past. Sometimes he won. Sometimes he lost. As they say, Sometimes the only way to get rid of an unpleasant feeling is to replace it with another unpleasant feeling. Then he would leave. Tip the gaurd. Get in his car. Drive home and sleep.
This was a daily routine and it really did help him get the good night sleep which everyone wants. As he sipped on this 10th refill, trying to win the game with his mind, he heard a voice.
"Hey", the voice said. he turned to his right to see a girl sitting next to him.
"Hey to you too", he replied back just for formality not sounding interested. The girl smiled and moved a seat closer.
"I came here two weeks back and noticed you sitting here, drinking alone. I come here today and here you are again. Sitting here drinking alone", she smiled.
"Its a small world isnt it?", Rishi replied emotionless.
"Hi, my name is Ruby", she said coming closer to him whispering in his ears. Her hair smelt good. She smelt good. The scent was so familiar. He had smelt it before and he remembered on whom. But Rishi did not respond. Just kept looking at the blank space in front of him and sipped on his glass.
"Well that is a rude way to treat a girl approaching u?", Ruby replied.
Rishi was now getting irritated. Its been more than 3months since he is visiting this bar and no one cared to disturb him in his daily routine "game". And here was this girl sitting next to him. "WHAT do you want?", Rishi replied stressing on the word What.
"Just a conversation", Ruby replied.
"Well... i dont have anything to say. So please. Thank You. Go find someone else to talk to.", Rishi replied in a calm and composed manner.
"Fine", said Ruby walking away. "Is he gay?", she asked the bartender loudly just to get some reaction. Rishi heard it but remained emotionless as always. Once again he continued the game of fighting with his past.But somehow, now he was loosing the fight. Visions started flashing in front of him. Visions of Niharika. The girl he loved.
"Go away. I am not talking to you", Niharika said angrily.
"Shut Up. I saw you staring at her from top to bottom. What haan ? Raping her using your eyes? Go Get lost", Niharika replied.
"Hahaha...No baby. Sorry Sorry. Wont happen again. I love u only baby. Why dont you trust me? Even if i scan other girls, dosent mean I will run away with them? Atleast I am not scanning other boys na ?", Rishi replied with a wink."Nooooo. dont say that. Scan girls, its fine. Dont talk about being gay", Niharika replied with both of them laughing and holding hands again.
Rishi and Niharika were together for past 7 years now. They loved each other very much. Small fights like these were common. Rishi being a guy always had his eyes wandering when a nice hot chick passed by. But he knew deep inside none of them would love him like how Niharika did. And hence he was always loyal to her. Niharika too had many guy friends, which made Rishi jealous sometimes. They often fought about it, but always ended up being together within hours because they had become so inseparable. They could not stay without each other. They could not spend a single day without each other.
"You need a refill sir?", the bartender asked breaking Rishi out of his vision. His trance. "Huh....ya..yes.....please...thanks.", Rishi replied. The noisy sound of the disc and people shouting came back to him. Rishi checked his watch. It was 11:30pm. Time to leave. Rishi paid the bartender, tipped him too. Walked about. Today he didnt feel that good. He felt drunk. He was not able to walk properly. This never happend to him before. He walked out. Tipped the gaurd as always. Walked slowly to the parking lot, when a car sped towards him. THUD !!!. The car almost hit him head-on.
"SON OF A B*T#H", Rishi shouted falling on the ground. The car just turned around him and sped off as Rishi lay staring in the air. Everything around him was getting dark as he closed his eyes.
"No. Please dont go", Rishi said crying, holding Niharika's hands. They were standing on the railway platform.
"Promise me, you will come back as mine.", Rishi begged still holding her.
"Dont worry jaan, I will handle this. Everything will be fine.". Niharika replied getting on the train.
"I am sorry Rishi, but I cannot do anything now. Please try to understand the situation. I have to go", Niharika replied. Rishi remained quiet. Niharika looked at him and hugged him tightly. Rishi responded back by hugging even more tightly.
As Rishi was waving her goodbye. He felt a pain in the heart. Would this be the last time he would be ever seeing Niharika? Would this be the last time ever he would ever have hugged her? He thought to himself. "No" he thought. She said she will come back. She will be back.
Niharika had to leave town. Her parents had arranged her meeting with a guy. She had to see him for formality. She had planned to reject him anyway. But that was not meant to be. Once she reached her home, situations were different than she had expected. She was not allowed to call anyone. She was not told that this was not just a meeting but an engagement. Relatives had been invited from all over the state. It was a grand function. And she had no other
option but to go ahead with what her parents had planned. She could not spoil her parents name by doing something stupid. She had to surrender. Rishi was devastated when he came to know the news of Niharika's engagement. His worst fears had come true. He would be loosing her forever. He would be loosing her to the stupid rules and ethics of this society and this country where two people in love are not allowed to be together all on the basis of
caste, religion, region and society.
Rishi opened his eyes. He was lying in a room on the bed. He looked around. But this was not his house. "Oh you are awake", Ruby said handing him a glass of water.
Niharika had to leave town. Her parents had arranged her meeting with a guy. She had to see him for formality. She had planned to reject him anyway. But that was not meant to be. Once she reached her home, situations were different than she had expected. She was not allowed to call anyone. She was not told that this was not just a meeting but an engagement. Relatives had been invited from all over the state. It was a grand function. And she had no other
option but to go ahead with what her parents had planned. She could not spoil her parents name by doing something stupid. She had to surrender. Rishi was devastated when he came to know the news of Niharika's engagement. His worst fears had come true. He would be loosing her forever. He would be loosing her to the stupid rules and ethics of this society and this country where two people in love are not allowed to be together all on the basis of
caste, religion, region and society.
Rishi opened his eyes. He was lying in a room on the bed. He looked around. But this was not his house. "Oh you are awake", Ruby said handing him a glass of water.
"Youuuuuuuu???" , Rishi said holding his head which was hurting so much.
"Yes. Its me.", Ruby replied.
"Wha....what happened...?", Rishi enquired drinking the glass of water.
"Well, When i left the place with my friends, we saw you lying on the road in the parking lot. We tried waking you up, but you were unconscious. Then my friends helped be bring you to my place, since i told them i knew you. Dont worry. I did not touch you", she said winking.
Rishi checked his watch. It was 7am.
"Thanks. But i need to go.", Rishi replied."Thats it ? Thats all I get for helping you? Mann..You are something. Atleast you should offer me a dinner tonight with you." Ruby said smiling.
Rishi checked his watch. It was 7am.
"Thanks. But i need to go.", Rishi replied."Thats it ? Thats all I get for helping you? Mann..You are something. Atleast you should offer me a dinner tonight with you." Ruby said smiling.
Rishi started checking if all his things were there with him. He checked his wallet first for Niharika's pic which he still carried with him and then for the money. Everything was in place.
"Thanks but I never asked for your help. You should have left me there on the road.", he said heading to the door.
"Thanks but I never asked for your help. You should have left me there on the road.", he said heading to the door.
"How ungrateful can someone get.?", Ruby said smirking as Rishi opened the door.
"Btw, who is Niharika?", Ruby asked. Rishi stopped and turned back.
"What did you say?" , he asked.
"WHo is Niharika?", Ruby enquired again.
"How do you know Niharika?", Rishi asked getting suspicious.
"Well....you were talking in your sleep yesterday and must have mentioned her name atleast 12times.", Ruby answered. Rishi kept quiet.
Looked at her firmly and said, "No one". and slammed the door when he headed out.
The sun had come up and Rishi started walking towards the disc to get to his car and then home.
"I have no one here baby without you. I am all alone. You were everything to me. I really dont know what to do?" Rishi was crying on the phone.
The sun had come up and Rishi started walking towards the disc to get to his car and then home.
"I have no one here baby without you. I am all alone. You were everything to me. I really dont know what to do?" Rishi was crying on the phone.
"Please Rishi. Be practical. Its all over now. You need to move on and let me move on too. Dont worry you will have time to forget me and find some other girl. Think about me. I am here talking to you and within a few days I have to marry someone else.", Niharika replied.
"Please baby. Please dont do this. Please come back", Rishi begged.
"Sorry Rishi, Got to go now. Talk to you later", Niharika said dropping the call.
She had tears in her eyes. She knew what she had done to Rishi was wrong, but she was helpless. Rishi sat there crying still holding on to the phone. He knew Niharika's helplessness. But still he was begging.
Rishi got inside his car and headed home. He had to get ready and head to work. He thought of Ruby. He decided that next time when he meets her, he will buy her a drink or something for helping him. Then he tried to think about him and Ruby being together as a couple. Somehow it did not match. This happened with every other girl. But he knew that one day he had to choose someone, even though he didnt want to. It had been years now and yet Rishi was not able to move on. Each time he looked at another girl, his mind started comparing her with Niharika. The eyes, the hair, the smile, the laughter, the smell. Rishi's mind was so full of everything about Niharika that he was not able to allow anyone else to enter his life even after so many years. Initially he tried his best though, flirting with girls. Now he had all the freedom to scan them, talk to them unlike before, but each time he tried doing that, Niharikas thoughts came to him. Then he decided to stop it completely. He decided to isolate himself from the world and concentrate only on his work. He shifted base to a new city inorder to forget her, but memories are sometimes so tough to let go. He thought about his life. Where it was heading.
Rishi got inside his car and headed home. He had to get ready and head to work. He thought of Ruby. He decided that next time when he meets her, he will buy her a drink or something for helping him. Then he tried to think about him and Ruby being together as a couple. Somehow it did not match. This happened with every other girl. But he knew that one day he had to choose someone, even though he didnt want to. It had been years now and yet Rishi was not able to move on. Each time he looked at another girl, his mind started comparing her with Niharika. The eyes, the hair, the smile, the laughter, the smell. Rishi's mind was so full of everything about Niharika that he was not able to allow anyone else to enter his life even after so many years. Initially he tried his best though, flirting with girls. Now he had all the freedom to scan them, talk to them unlike before, but each time he tried doing that, Niharikas thoughts came to him. Then he decided to stop it completely. He decided to isolate himself from the world and concentrate only on his work. He shifted base to a new city inorder to forget her, but memories are sometimes so tough to let go. He thought about his life. Where it was heading.
Life is a bitch when the only person you can think of belongs to someone else. But then life is such.
"Good Morning Rishi", the receptionist smiled as he entered the office.
Rishi smiled back without replying and got to work.
Rishi smiled back without replying and got to work.
Yet another day at work.
And yet another night at the "SHOUT" was awaiting him.
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