The Wedding

"Oh my God!"

"What? What is it?"

The girl grabbed onto her friend's wrist and her eyes went round. She forced them both to a stop and pulled out a magazine from her backpack and flashed it in front of her friend's face.

"Yeah. Buddhadev Sen Gupta...So? Why are you getting excited about a magazine you bought ten minutes back?"

She turned him to face the other side and pointed, "Because he's sitting right there in front of us!"

I sighed. The beard and all black outfit were clearly not a good enough cover-up. I adjusted to sit more comfortably on the sofa in the hotel lobby.

The teenagers neared me with a polite hesitation and the girl mumbled, "Excuse me, sir?"

I looked up and said, "Hi..."

She broke into an even bigger grin and gushed, "Oh my God! I knew it was you! This is the best day ever! I am so excited! I love you! I mean...uh...I love you as...a fan!" She turned red in the face and her friend took over for her.

"What my friend is trying to say is she would love a photo with you. If you don't mind."

I nodded and raised myself from the sofa and said, "Of course." I looked at the girl and flashed a grin to say, "Thank you. You're very sweet!"

The girl looked as though she wanted to hug me. She restrained herself and pushed the phone into her friend's hands. She then hesitantly looked up at me and asked, "Um...would you mind signing this magazine for me?"

I accepted the magazine and saw a happier version of myself staring back at me. This guy seemed to have it all as he posed with a big rather famous smile, holding up the shiny gold medal dangling around his neck. The words "Buddhadev: Swimming towards Glory" were emblazoned in bright yellow across his bare toned chest.

I took the pen from her hand and scrawled my sign and then added a heart as an afterthought. I didn't think the girl could smile any wider. But she did. I handed back the magazine, smiled and walked away. Just then, another girl spotted me and squealed. This was going to be a long night...

It was still dawn when I stepped out of the cab and walked towards the entry gate of the Delhi airport. The early morning February air was pleasantly cold.

I was travelling to Bengaluru to attend a college friend's wedding. It had been four years since we graduated from the same college. This wedding was also going to be a reunion of our batchmates. But what I didn't know was that the reunion would begin much ahead of time; right in the queue in front of the airline counter.

I was almost sure it was she. Same height! Same long hair! Same complexion! Curiosity had my eyes glued to her. And then about 60-odd seconds later, when she turned, she proved me right. My ex-girlfriend stood two places ahead of me in that queue. We had never met after the college farewell.

I stopped staring hurriedly and took a few steps back. I stepped onto a foot and turned around to apologize. The guy looked at me with irritation and pain and then I saw his features visibly change as recognition hit.

"Oh my God! Darling, look who it is! It's Buddhadev Sen Gupta!"

I could almost see her turning her head and trying to see what was going on. Without thinking twice, I moved out of the line and held the shoulders of a person right in front of me. I lowered my tall frame and hid behind her.

My ex looked around for a few seconds and then turned around with a suspicious look on her face. I breathed a sigh of relief and straightened myself. The person in front of me turned around and looked at me with a strange look. I looked down and felt a swooping sensation in my navel.

She was dressed in a red lehenga with dull gold work. She had on a thick gold necklace and big earrings. Her make-up was immaculately applied. She had the traditional Punjabi red bangles with the gold stuff hanging from them. There was no doubt left in my mind. She was a bride. The most beautiful bride I had ever seen. But what was she doing in an airport?

She took a deep breath and walked towards the check-in line. I followed her. My ex had left the line by now. The bride was headed to Bangalore too. Things were definitely looking up.

Bangalore

I was supposed to call my manager to get a cab for me to the hotel. But with a dead phone, I found a prepaid cab to be my only option. As I got into my cab and looked around, I saw the beautifully lined eyes looking at me. I balked and asked the driver, "Bhaiyya, is this a shared cab?"

He just nodded and started driving. I looked at her again and sighed. If only, she could smile. I was sure she had a beautiful smile. But there was so much pain in those eyes.

A few minutes later, I heard a strong voice, "Is that beard real?"

I raised my head in surprise and said, "Of course it is! Why would you ask that?"

"Well...you're Dev Sen Gupta, aren't you?"

Very few people called me that. Just people I trusted. I was known as Buddhadev all over the world. I replied, "So...you're a bride."

She ducked her head and looked at her feet. She then looked up and said, "Can we not talk about that?"

I surveyed her slowly and answered, "Only if you promise not to talk about who I am."

She gave a small smile. I was right. Even that was enough to make her look prettier.

"Deal. I promise to protect you from all the billboards your face is plastered on."

I laughed. She clearly had a sense of humour. I replied, "And I'll promise you to save you from uncomfortable conversations."

She asked, "And how do you intend to do that?"

I replied simply, "By not beginning one. If you start one on your own, I am not to blame."

She pursed her lips as though she was trying to stop a smile. She pulled up her phone and typed something. I saw my face pop up on her screen. She sat and scrolled to read all about me.

I said wryly, "I thought you wouldn't talk about my life."

"I'm not talking. I'm reading."

I looked at her curiously and said, "Okay, if you had to make a page about yourself. What would the first five lines read?"

"What makes you think I'm going to give five lines about my personal life to a random stranger?"

"You're a random stranger but you seem to know things about me."

She said, "You're a world renowned, award winning swimmer. It comes with the territory."

"I just want to swim."

She adjusted herself to face me and said slowly, "Priya Singh M.D. PhD, is an Indian surgical resident working in a private hospital in New Delhi. She is well known for her work in general surgery but has a long way to go. She has little to no free time thanks to her work and is in the running for the Resident of the Year award."

My eyes widened as I said, "Now I've got a complex."

She laughed and waved a hand at me to dismiss my compliment and sat back.

She picked up her phone and clicked on something else. She actually started giggling at that. I looked at her with a frown. She asked laughingly, "You like to dance, don't you?"

"I'm sorry?"

She pointed the phone's screen in my direction and I saw a GIF of me moving my shoulders in a dance move, my eyes shut in total happiness in the water. I remembered this actually happening. They were playing a really catchy song and I couldn't resist.

I shook my head holding back a smile and said, "This is what I mean. You can pick out snippets from my life but I don't know anything about you."

She played with the embroidery on her skirt and said, "Why would you want to know anything about me? Trust me, there is nothing this interesting about me."

I said mockingly, "What? No dancing GIF?"

She giggled and shook her head. I liked her laugh. It came out of nowhere and it was really infectious. Her eyes though still held something back. She looked down at her phone again.

"Hey!"

"What?"

"You've got three tattoos!"

I was very close to plucking that phone from her hand and throwing it out the window. But watching little bits of information about me light up her face was reason enough to sit still.

Before I could say anything else, she took a sharp intake of breath and asked, "You dated that supermodel? The really tall one?"

I rolled my eyes and said, "This is really weird."

"What is?"

I pointed at her phone and said, "This. You're sitting and googling me in front of me."

She threw her hands up in the air and said, "Well how often do you get to ask the source about all the gossip?"

I opened my mouth to argue and then realized that she was right. Not that I was ever curious about people and the gossip posted online.

She wiggled her eyebrows playfully and said, "You're changing the topic though. Did you date her?"

I shot her a wry look and said, "No. I didn't."

"So who did you date?"

"You realize you're being particularly nosy, don't you?"

She shrugged her shoulders and said, "Eh. How often do I get to share a cab with Buddhadev Sen Gupta? I'll behave as I want."

"Ah you shy girl, you!"

She giggled and said, "Shyness doesn't really match my mood today."

"And what does match your mood today?"

"I'm feeling rather rebellious, thank you for asking!"

I laughed and asked, "I'll answer if you answer."

She pursed her lips as though contemplating the deal. She then nodded and said, "Fine. After you."

"I was hiding from my ex-girlfriend at the airport. Behind you."

She widened her eyes and asked, "The supermodel?"

"You're really dense! I just said I didn't date her. This is a girl I dated in college."

She frowned and asked, "But why were you hiding from her?"

I shrugged and said, "She liked Buddhadev more than Dev."

"You mean the hot, world-class swimmer?"

I let out a snort at that and said, "I haven't met anyone who would say that to my face."

"It's about time someone did. Although, I'll be honest."

"What do you mean?"

"I like Dev more."

I smiled and gestured for her to answer.

After a while, she said, "He did not like Dr. Priya with her never-ending work hours. Sadly, I cannot separate my career from me."

"He shouldn't expect you to either."

She smiled sadly at me and said, "In the end, he didn't. He just found someone else and didn't tell me."

I asked, "When was this...end?"

"Today. I didn't marry him in case you were wondering."

I sat in silence for a few moments. Then I picked up her phone and clicked on a link and showed it to her.

She threw her head back and laughed.

"Dude brown hair? Why would you do that to yourself?!"

Before I could say anything, the cab turned into a petrol pump. We got out to stretch our limbs a bit.

A few moments later, she asked suddenly, "What's the one thing you want to do but haven't been able to so far?"

I looked at her and asked confusedly, "What?"

"Don't think. Just answer the question."

"Swim without pressure."

She smiled and touched my arm lightly. I felt my stomach react to it. I shook my head and asked hurriedly, "What about you?"

She replied, "Finish a meal. I never seem to do it..."

I laughed and asked, "What's your favourite restaurant?"

She looked at me gleefully and said, "Oooo there's this great place in Delhi. It's called Mac's Kitchen. It's got a waiting list the size of the Great Wall of China though."

I grinned and said, "Tell you what, go to this restaurant whenever you want and say you have a reservation under my name. Talk to the manager. It'll be done."

She looked at me with a look of utter adoration. I was oddly mesmerized.

I gave a half-smile and shook my head. Then to keep up with the unofficial game, I asked her, "What's your favourite place to be?"

She let out a full smile and said, "I'm headed there. Wanna join?"

I was a little lost in that smile. I wouldn't be able to say no to that even if I wanted to. And that's how I ended up in her college on the amphitheatre steps in the cold almost morning air. The journey to the college was filled with inane topics of conversation, dancing around our lives but never intruding. It didn't feel like an intrusion with her. It was a refreshing feeling.

She stretched her legs and stared at her skirt. I had taken off my jacket and was leaning on the upper step.

She said, "This is my happy place. That's why I flew all the way here just to be here after... well... that."

I nodded simply. She asked, "What's your happy place?"

I tried to think of one. I closed my eyes and tried to think back. The time I swam for myself was long past. That was when I felt really happy. At ease. The fame never really suited me. I liked having a private life and that was the biggest price I had to pay. For today, my happy place was her happy place. There was no one except her here and it felt...right.

I kept quiet and she looked at the empty space in front of her. We sat in companionable silence.

A few hours later when I was getting out of the cab at the wedding venue and splitting ways with her, I felt odd. As though the purpose of the trip was not this wedding anymore.

I looked at her and asked, "Will you be okay?"

She gave a half nod-half shake of her head and shrugged. I took a deep breath, pulled her into a hug and pulled back quickly. For the first time, she looked teary. With a watery smile, she said, "Watch out for those billboards, Mr. Sen Gupta."

3 Months Later

"Hi!"

"Hello miss! Welcome to Mac's Kitchen!"

"I called ahead, remember? I have a reservation here under the name Buddhadev Sen Gupta."

The manager smiled, gestured for her to follow him and said, "He's waiting for you, Ms. Priya." //

Author’s Note

I had entered a competition a few months back. I had to write a story with this theme in the content.

I didn't win the contest but I know I've won if this story managed to make even one person smile. So I'm putting it up on Blogspot.