DES-Track

The windows iced with curtains of Des stare eye to eye into Malhar, who stares back with his jaw dropped already; the mountain backdrop and the flickering lights kept winking at Malhar, and he’d drown in guilt if he had not tried again.

Was Des hinting? Mixed signals? Oh, god knows. Malhar would try, though, despite the rejection last week from the same Des.

Malhar: Gorgeous is an understatement. Now, before you call me a creep, I just wanna let you know that with those thousands of flickering lights that keep winking at me throughout the night, I’m not at ease, girl. Admit that you fell for the beauty of this giant male-concrete minx; he works out, sings, cares, and I must say, the lights have blown his mind away!

Des: Oh boy! Sure enough, I won’t label you as a creep, but my Rajkumar, those flickering lights aren’t any beauty I left on my tracks- they are the power cuts I face every hour. Did you mistakenly assume they were winks? Oh-

Malhar (embarrassed and face flushed red): Ah, power cuts... Well, that’s a shocking revelation. But you know, even in the dark, you shine brighter than any light, Des.

Des (smirking): Flattery will get you nowhere, Malhar. Unless you can fix the water issues, too, a girl’s gotta have her showers, you know.

Malhar: For you, I'd become a plumber in a heartbeat. You deserve nothing but the finest, uninterrupted flow of water. A better idea is that you and I could shower together, hence? Again, our director talks about sustainability and stuff, and I really prioritise water conservation, so….

Des: I love the fact that you, honey, take risks without any shame. But dear, my mom suspects that I use excessive water, so she removed almost all the showerheads from my bathrooms; your dreams may come again another day!

Malhar (1% shame developed): Oh no, I have been crying so much that I can’t cry anymore! My heart is empty like the empty fittings for shower heads. Speaking of hearts, I’m heartbroken, my ‘cemented hoorie’ (sighs).

Des: Oh, just like my broken concrete walls? I can relate to my Batman.

Malhar: Oh, no showers then? But are you willing to be the chicken to my biriyani?

Des: Cheesy, but go on.

Malhar: I wish to explore every bit of you. From the top to the bottom, worshipping every floor there ever was to explore. I’m a bit clingy, girl!

Des (giggle-embedded speech): Dreaming is free, so keep dreaming, but I can assure you that won’t happen anytime soon because one of my lifts has been hospitalised for months and the other one remains so crowded and busy like Bangalore traffic that it’d go to ICU soon, my AI predictor says. Honey, you’d give up on day one itself!

Malhar: Is that the case? It’s like you are finding ways to reject this concrete version of Brad Pitt, which you’ll surely regret in no time. But I ain’t done yet, my pinkie marshmallow!

Des: What do you want now, mister?

Malhar: Oh, nothing, I was thinking, I know the business, and you know the chemistry- so maybe you and I could partner up?

Des: You have totally broken bad. Elaborate and stop beating around the bush.

Malhar: I have some good films in mind- and you have WiFi and Netflix for it. So a movie date it is?

Des: Oh, unfortunately, our WiFi issue is led by a team of experts, and the team of experts are yet to figure out their way- glitching WiFi and blocking OTT platforms. That would be ruinous, wouldn’t it? In fact, my ex left me because he couldn’t livestream his Bayern Munich Champions League games on Sony Liv because it was blocked. Don’t remind me of him, please!

Malhar: Oh, my bad. What about snacks at night? I sneak in, and we crunch some munchies?

Des (raising an eyebrow): If you suggest joining, you better bring snacks. We don't have a night canteen or vending machine, remember? So, down the drain.

Malhar (reevaluating his tactics): Oh well. No canteen? That’s a crime! For you, I’d set up a gourmet midnight buffet. Just say the word.

Des: And this male-minx deserves the best. What about the dust that keeps blowing in? It’s like living in a sandstorm. You’ll find someone better, trust me.

Malhar: I’d order the winds to behave. You deserve a dust-free environment, always.

Des: If only you could command the elements, Malhar. How many girls have you used that line on? And those dustbins are always knocked over by the wind—a total mess.

Malhar: I’d stand guard against the winds if it meant keeping your place spotless. A knight’s duty, after all. And for the second part, none. I saw- I fall- I fell- I have fallen. No coming back now.

Des (laughing): You talk big, but what about the poor cement? Walking on our pathways is like tiptoeing through a minefield. Dust, rats, packets- name it all. You don’t deserve this.

Malhar: I’d pave the paths with 24-carat gold for you, Des. Your steps should be on nothing but the best. Monsoons are coming, so what do you feel about a rain-date then?

Des: And the waterlogging? Our courtyard turns into a lake with the slightest rain.

Malhar: I’d build you a bridge to cross it or fix the drainage so you never have to.

Des: I have fallen for your ability to be a hybrid version of all the branches of engineering we have here. Is it for real, my dear?

Malhar: For you, Des, I’ll move mountains. Consider it done.

Des: You are pretty blinded. I keep giving mixed signals, and yet you keep coming back to me just like the random fire alarms that start screaming in the middle of the night in the 3rd wing.

Malhar: Imagine you and me laying on the terrace, counting stars and blinded by the lights. The warmth and silence will solve all the problems you discussed, my Angelina!

Des: Oh, that I’m pretty sure won’t. We accommodate a few psychopaths here, so the second we lay, you’ll hear firecrackers from the corridor that’ll scare the shit out of any guest that felt welcomed at first. It’s like Osama bin Laden never died, and this is a war zone, not our paradise.

Malhar (blushing): So you are a Zayn fan? I love how subtly you inject these hints in the conversations, exactly how I dream for a girl to be. Well, opposites attract, and I understand all of you. This one is for my personal Rihanna:

Malhar begins plucking his guitar strings and begins humming,

Des (Shocked, amazed, all of it): Wait. Do you sing-

Malhar (Proud): Yes, honey.

Des (More shocked, more amazed, all of it): And wait. Do you guitar-

Malhar (Prouder): Yes-er, honey.

Des: Actually, why are you making the effort to come all the way here? Maybe I’ll come to your place for the night?

Malhar claimed his first-ever Champions League trophy that night, and we bless everyone good night. After all, two strings are all it takes…