His expectations of coming to Aditi’s home in Bangalore were simple.
He would walk up to the front door and ring the bell. Hopefully, she would answer and he’d get to see her before having to meet her family. Knowing that she might be angry, he was fully prepared to use Nanamma as an excuse for having shown up without notice. Maybe he’d even be able to steal a few minutes with her in private to apologise and think of the next steps.
What was before him would afford him no space to think much less the privacy he had hoped for. People were teeming around the modest home, the front yard filled with tittering ladies in pretty sarees, men laughing raucously with friends and young childrenrunning about, playing games no one knew the names of. Near the outer edge where they stood was a group of people singing old songs, nearly three adults holding the same mic as they bellowed out the lyrics with no effort made to match tone or rhythm.
In one word, it was chaos.
“She’s not picking up her phone,” Vihaan informed him. They’d all tried to call her in turns, hoping she’d come find them.
“Quite the crowd,” Arjun muttered, declining the server who’d come to offer them refreshments.
“Is it the 20th?”
“Yeah.”
Rian grimaced.
“I forgot about the anniversary party. It’s her parent’s anniversary today.”
A hand landed on his arm, drawing his attention. He twisted his neck to see Kaya.
“Want to return to the hotel and come back later?”
He almost agreed, but that’s when he caught sight of Aditi.
A cloud of gauzy silver-grey material, the colour of his eyes, covered her upper body and curved over her like fluffy frosting on a cupcake. Her hair was slicked up in a high ponytail, swishing about as she moved, drawing attention to her long neck and the sleek lines of her exposed shoulder. The hint of skin at her waist had him staring at her like a creep, wondering if he could glimpse her waist chain from this distance. The flaring white silk skirt seemed simple, and he almost questioned if someone else had picked her dress. How was it that his Aditi was wearing such plain clothes with no hint of bright colour?
As he thought this, the crowds moved and she walked across the lawn. That’s when he saw it.
The entire bottom of her skirt was covered in a profusion of multi-coloured floral prints, creeping up towards her thighs.
Till the end of his days, this would be the dress he would remember Aditi in. She looked like a woodland fairy who’d mistakenly entered the real world.
The desire to rush up to her and embrace her engulfed him like a gale, hitting him with unexpected force. He didn’t want to wait anymore. He didn’t care if the entire population of Bangalore was present, and then some. He needed to speak with Aditi, time and propriety be damned.
She had asked him not to embarrass her again in public. He’d broken his promise, though unknowingly, when she’d heard him with his mother. Maybe apologising in public would help his case. If it wiped that lost look from her face and brought the smile he loved back, then his embarrassment would be a price he was willing to pay multiple times over.
His eyes scanned the yard, finally alighting on the DJ table right near him, an idea striking him almost immediately.
“Wish me luck,” Rian muttered, squaring his shoulders as though he was about to head into battle.
“What are you going to do?” Kaya asked.
“Something I never thought I’d do again.” He marched up to the DJ and hailed him, leaning over to whisper his request. Seeing a new member join their ranks, especially one they didn’t recognize, the group of jolly singers quieted and graciously handed their microphone to him.
Nodding his thanks, he tapped on the head, wincing at the feedback that pealed through the sound system. The abrupt noise caused most of the conversation around him to simmer down, the crowd throwing an annoyed look in the general direction of the DJ. Aditi, however, remained in her own world, seated at her table and flicking imaginary kernels off the table cloth.
“Doc,” he called out, watching her head whip up in shock. Her mouth fell open when their eyes met, and his vision honed in on her. The music trickling through the speakers diffused in the air aroundthem. He took a deep breath in, letting everything in his periphery fade, focusing on her to keep his nerves from taking over.
“This one’s for you.” With that, he began to hum, leading into the lyrics of a song he hoped would convey what he wished to say. Her look of shock was constant, but as he hit each note in time to the beat, his voice grew stronger. Singing too, he realised, was like riding a bike. He may not have done it for a long time, but he hadn’t forgotten how.
He’d simply not had enough motivation to try again.
Cradling the bouquet of flowers he’d brought for her in one arm and the mic in the other, he strolled up to her, never letting his sights stray from her sitting figure.
She was so still, he wondered momentarily if she’d stopped breathing.
Aditi couldn’t glance away. She was certain she’d blink and this would turn out to be a mirage. How could it be anything else? How was it that Rian, looking indescribably gorgeous in that bottle-green cable knit sweater, the dark wash of his jeans complimenting his long legs, was here, at her house, SINGING FOR HER?