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Chapter 6: Girls just wanna have fun
Unlike what he was expecting, the play was very dull. It hadn’t even been half an hour since It began and Puneet was already bored out of his brains! He was getting restless and just wanted to get out of there but for the sake of passing the evening he began to make a sincere effort to take interest in the plot. He kept nudging Pariva in case he didn’t understand the dialogues, which irritated her enormously. Finally, getting fed up with his constant interruptions she snapped at him and told him that if he wanted to leave he should and not spoil the play for her. Feeling trapped from all directions he could do nothing but sit there and torture himself for the next 2 ½ hours. Rucha, also feeling a bit bored from the play, saw his restlessness and found her companion in boredom.
“Hey Puneet……is it just me or is this play damn slow?” she whispered into his ear.
“Its not you…the play is in fact really very slow”
They both couldn’t suppress their chuckles on this match of opinion.
“Do you want to get out of here?” he asked wishing that she would accompany him while leaving.
“Yes, but can we just do that in the middle of the play?”
“I’m not sure but maybe we could bend a bit and try and sneak out without much notice” he suggested knowing fully how difficult it would be execute the same.
After a moments deliberation he was resolved on leaving no matter what and Rucha agreed to it as well. So they both quietly slipped out and made their way to the theatre lobby. Neither of their dates realized them sneaking out as they were fully engrossed in the play. On reaching the lobby, both congratulated each other on the successful escape and shared a quick laugh on it.
“C’mon yaar, lets go for a walk or something”. Rucha grabbed his arm and started dragging him to the exit. Puneet couldn’t help laughing to himself on how she hadn’t even asked but just assumed that he would want to go for a walk too which was strange because a walk was exactly what he wanted to have. He marveled at how well they had come to know and understand each other.
While leaving, Rucha’s blouse got caught in a sharp nail of a nearby table. Unaware of it, she continued walking and with that the lower part of her blouse was shiftly torn off from the side exposing a considerable portion of her waist. Overcome with embarrassment, she tried to hide it by folding her hands across her waist, tears swelling up in her eyes. Puneet felt guilty for being there and tried to console her as sweetly and patiently as he possibly could. He immediately took off his jacket and told her to put it on until they reached home. She quietly obeyed and felt grateful for having him at her side that moment. She was amazed at how comfortable he made her feel when she was getting overwhelmed with embarrassment. She just stared at him while he helped her put on his jacket. Her tears had dried and were now replaced with a look of admiration for her best friend. Seeing her in a daze he snapped his fingers in front of her eyes thanks to which she was out of her reverie.
As they strolled down the road not far from the theatre the temperature began to drop and gusts of cold winds started blowing in the air. They both walked silently until Rucha broke the ice and began a casual conversation. They both laughed, shared jokes, experiences, memories and thoughts as they walked. They were both having fun just being together. They didn’t need a fancy restaurant or special place to have a good time. They just needed each other. That was the best part about their friendship. Half an hour had passed and it felt like it was just minutes ago that they left the theatre. As the night grew colder, she put her hands in the jacket pockets for heat and her fingers came across to pieces of paper that were in it. When she took them out and examined them she saw that they were concert tickets for that night. Livened with excitement she stopped in her tracks.
“what happened?? Are you okay?” he asked not knowing what had gotten into her.
“You got concert tickets to Strings!! I can’t believe this! Why didn’t you go??”
“Oh that. Yeah, actually, I got them for Pariva but she couldn’t have cared less about it. I was going to throw them away…..i guess I forgot.” He said with a depressed and monotonous tone.
“We have to go!” she exclaimed.
“What! No way! It already started 2 hours ago. Its too late now.”
“No!! We can still catch the remaining 2 hours! C’mon Puneet, the play will end at the same time as the concert. Its perfect!! Besides, I LOVE Strings!! They are my favorite band!”
“Really? I never knew that” he said.
“Why am I not surprised” she said with a smile across her face. He remembered the time she quizzed him on Pariva’s favorite colour and couldn’t help smiling either.
“Now, lets go fast” she said and before either of them knew it they were at the concert ground ready to have a rocking good time!