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She called at eleven-forty. Late as usual. But I don’t mind that. In fact, I sort of like these habits that accompany a typical cute girl. Coming late. Taking hours to dress up, irritating you and getting irritated at small-small things. Yes, sometimes when mood is not receptive, these things do get on to you, but mostly you smile inwardly and marvel at the uniqueness and beauty of a girl. Charms unlimited!

It is so lovely to talk into the night with her. We lose all sense of time and surroundings, and become completely lost in each other when, suddenly one of us glances at the watch – it’s been rather long, it’s been two hour’s! A trifle if you take into account the other long twenty two hours of the day, but absurdly long when you realize it is an STD call. It is so difficult to hang up. We have so much to talk about and it seems we have just begun, when the demand watch proves us wrong. How lovely things pass so quickly and boring things seem eternal, will always remain a puzzle.

So she told me as promised, in detail, about why she was not coming. There was her cousin’s marriage and that, too, in Chennai. These coincidences kill you. You wonder if it is a game going on. How, of all the zillion places, can her brother choose a girl in Chennai? And just as we were discussing our eventful life, getting sentimental, I told her again, that it is fine, if that’s the game, then we have to play it. I’d come to Chennai. She replied lovingly and crying, “But how will you come?”

“Don’t worry, I have many options. I told you about my Industrial tour in December. I can fake it at home and come to Chennai. Then we also have our Inter-IIT meet scheduled at IIT Madras this year. I can try my luck there. Or I can apply for training in some company in Chennai. Or maybe, I can come with my friends. You see, ma’am, for your genius lover there are options unlimited. No worries.”
“Please don’t lie at your home. If you are caught, there’ll be more problems. Right now, only my parents know. What if your parents come to know as well?”
“See, that’s a risk that we’ll have to take. And, God willing, it’ll all be fine.”
“But, better if you don’t have to lie. I don’t see how you can come!” She said, worried.

The more thought of going to Chennai and meeting her had dispelled every bit of droopiness in me. I was already looking forward to my adventure. My tone was now brimming with exuberance and filmi spirit. I told her as Mr. Shah Rukh Khan, himself, would tell his heroine: “Shreya, you want to meet me or not?”
“Of course, I do. But how will you come? If is so risky. What if something happens?”
I repeated, “You want to meet me or not? Say yes or no and nothing else.”
“Yes.”
“Then, stop crying and stop worrying. I will come, darling. And besides, what is life if it is normal and boring? It must have some adventure, otherwise all thrill and enjoyment will be lost,” I said philosophically, “And you know how much I love movies and things that happen in them, so it’ll be fun. And, if we pull this through, won’t we have nice things to tell our grandchildren?” “Yes...” she said in a low voice.
“So, when God is giving us such a good chance to lice a movie, why should we despair?” ”But, how much more filmi can it get?”
“Don’t know that, I hope it is normal sometimes too, but yes, right now it is a perfect script for a masala movie.”
“You’ll come this far, Tejas, just for me?”
Anything for you, ma’am, anything!”

And we went on talking into the night. About cute things, silly things, telling each other the love that we had for each other and how much we missed each other, over a million times. And never once did it sounds stale; each time we felt the same joy hearing it, our souls so lost in each other’s. tough times, however unwelcome they might be, how much we may curse them, do one god for sure; they bring us closer. They remind us all how much we need each other and that we are incomplete without each other. They test our love and it is so beautiful to sail together, hand in hand, enduring storms, and in this effort if we may perish too, our love will live on forever.