The Centre of the Universe

"Ek minute ruko."

And she stopped. Not for a minute, obviously, but for a few seconds, ten, maybe. I pulled out my imaginary DIY camera and clicked a picture of her.

"Ho gaya?" she asked, deadpan.
"Blur aayi hai," I said. She broke into a small, easing laugh.

It’s been two days in Bangalore. Cute city, but only if you have money. Thankfully, my father does (not me, obviously, lol).

Bangalore makes you question things you’ve never thought about before, like why the hell didn’t I learn Kannada? or Why is every second person launching a startup? or my personal favorite, why is being fair-skinned suddenly a turnoff here? 

She didn’t question any of these. She had only one: ‘Why are you really here? 

 "I don’t have any friends," I said. Not entirely true, I just needed a reason to be in the city where she was.

So the next morning, I was here. Diwali holiday meant a long weekend, and I took the first flight out. Cost me a fortune. But, as I said, my fortunate father.

When I reached her place, I saw her. I won’t get into how she looked and everything, but you know that moment when you catch the first glimpse of the sun breaking through the horizon? Yeah, she was better than that. Any day.

We roamed the city. She introduced me to her friends, who, of course, already knew why I was there. Friends have this magical ability to either make or break your reputation within five minutes of meeting you. I have a strong feeling mine was destroyed in two.

For two days, we wandered, and shopped. She got me a t-shirt. The vendor said 500, and she shot back with 200. I was shattered. If embarrassment could kill, I’d be in the afterlife already. I jumped in, desperate to save my dignity, "Bhaiya, 300 me done karte hain?"

As we walked away, she smirked. "200 mein ho jaata, thoda time deta toh."

And that’s when I realize, one of the most precious moments in a man’s life is seeing a woman bargain for him. First, it’s our moms. Then, our sisters And eventually… well, let’s just say, when the center of your universe unknowingly does it too.

It was our last day together. We hated some Anna Idli. No, not a typo. We actually hated Anna Idli. Just because you slap a white tika on a black face doesn’t mean you get to be called Anna (bit racist, but okay).

Later, we went to Cubbon Park. Bangalore’s weather? Not always vibey vibey. She was drenched in sweat, sitting behind me, tired. I was lying on the grass, looking up at the sky.

I lay on the grass while she sat behind me, seamlessly tired.

I looked at her. Her eyes were closed.I could’ve looked at her forever. But I didn’t.

Not because I didn’t want to, but because I can’t swim, and drowning in them wasn’t an option.

As we sat there, our phones died. So, we hitched into a nearby café to ask if they could charge them. But since neither of us spoke Kannada, we were promptly thrown out. She didn’t flinch, just walked to a phone shop, flashed her best help-me look, and got the guy to let us charge our phones.

While we waited, we wandered down the street. It was almost night. We weren’t really hungry after snacking all day. A street musician who was busking, started singing
"Tum hi socho zara, kyun na rokein tumhe, jaan jaati hai jab uth ke jaate ho tum…"

Taking the universal cue, I asked her:
"Can I know why?"
"Why what?" she said.
"Why… not me?" I asked, hesitantly.

She said a few things I already knew.  Because some questions aren’t meant for answers, they’re just a way to steal a little more time.

Our phones were charged. She booked a cab to our respective places. As we passed the same musician, he was now singing

"Waqt ki qaid mein zindagi hai magar, chand ghadiyan yahi hai jo azaad hain…"

I smiled at the absurd perfection of the moment.

My hotel arrived. I had promised myself, no filmy goodbyes. But

"Ek minute ruko."

We waved the final bye, with the necessary "Ghar pahunche toh text karna."
Both of us knew we wouldn’t.

She left. Without looking back.

Because that’s what you’re supposed to do.

But I did look back.

At the center of my universe.

The universe expands every day, every minute, every second. But its center? That stays. Intact. Constant.

I went back, packed, and boarded my flight. As I was going to switch my phone to airplane mode, I saw her text.

A photo.

Of me.

Lying in the park.

Eyes closed.