Namesake - A Short Story

Chapter One

Having talked to some of the group members that were mostly infamous boys and girls at school, Tara curiously looked at a new face standing at a distance and trying to be low-key.

“Who’s he?” whilst staring, she asked Mayank.

“He’s my friend from 10th B.”

All of a sudden, the new face turned towards her. She was slightly taken aback by a tiny smile across his face. Flaunting his cute dimples, he looked nonchalant. Mayank gestured to him to join them.

“You have a name?” She asked the boy; her curiosity was an icebreaker.

“Lakshya”

Pondering for a while, she said, “You don’t seem like a Lakshya.”

“What do you mean?”

“You shouldn’t be a Lakshya. You should be a Sahil.”

“What?” Lakshya couldn’t understand the sudden imposition of a random name to him.

He further said, “It’s just a name. You needn’t be rigid about it.”

Hardly giving any attention to his words, she added, “Besides that, you look like my dead grandmother.”

“What the hell! I’m a boy.”

“You’re a Sahil and my dead grandmother. You’re both.”

“I’m a boy. How can I be your dead grandmother?”

“Likewise, you can’t be a Lakshya since you give vibes like a Sahil.”

Lakshya realized that it was hard to argue with her over a silly name. Helplessly, he looked at Mayank in a hope that he would intervene.

“We’d better go now.” Mayank said, trying to save the situation from turning more awkward.

Mayank patted everyone’s shoulder in the group to tell them that it was time to leave.

Tara with some girls was left behind. She started talking to them whilst looking at the boys leaving from the corner of her eye.

The awkward moment wasn’t enough to say that it would turn into a classic love story at that moment, but something happened to her. She was sporadically looking at Lakshya leaving with brats. She found him out of place as though he were a moment of peace in pandemonium.

Chapter Two

A month had been passed since the result of the 10th board examination was declared. In spite of not studying the whole year, Mayank was able to get decent marks in each subject.

“Why did you take science stream?” Mayank had asked Lakshya that question at least a hundred times. He thought that Lakshya would take humanities like he did.

“Science opens the gate to the world of logic, thereby letting humankind see the importance of reasons behind phenomena,” Lakshya said.

“Do you want to be Sadhguru 2.0?”

“Nah! I’m happy being myself.”

“I don’t understand why Tara left school.” Mayank said.

“Don’t worry about her - her father is loaded. Wasn’t it obvious that she would study in a prestigious and highly-expensive school?” There was anger in Lakshya’s tone and the rhetoric question was clearly a sign of anger that Mayank couldn’t understand. Mayank hadn’t seen Lakshya being mad at someone ever.

Was it Tara? She had left them without saying goodbye. Everyone thought that Tara would be with them in the next session except Lakshya, because there was something that only Lakshya and Tara knew. He knew that Tara would betray them as always.

Watching the principal of the school patrolling at a distance in the corridors, Lakshya and Mayank vanished within a few seconds.

***

Lakshya had completed his schooling, and he was looking forward to taking admission in a good college; whereas, Mayank was preparing himself for some government jobs. He knew that he would not succeed and eventually end up doing property dealing like his father. It had been more than a year since both met each other.

***

Lakshya was getting ready for the fresher’s party at college. It was a dream-come-true moment for him. He was excited since he was going to see sari-clad girls in sleeveless and backless blouse. He made certain that he smelt good before leaving his house.

Accelerating his 390 Duke through streets, he reached college. Being determined to talk to girls, he entered college premises and made some phone calls to his new friends. He was acting busy whilst checking out girls through his jet black wayfarers. He started wandering and left no corners of the college. Smiling at every girl, he looked dapper.

After welcoming freshmen, seniors started the programme. Everyone was seated. Lakshya was sitting near a corner of the large auditorium. An emcee announced the first dance performance. The auditorium was filled with voices screaming; Lakshya couldn’t hear the announcement properly.

The next moment, he saw Tara on the stage. Gyrating to “Beedi Jaliye Le”, she was looking breathtaking. Lakshya couldn’t believe his eyes; he rubbed his eyes.

Chapter Three

“Isn’t she hot?” Mayank asked.

“Who? Tara? I don’t know.” Lakshya replied. “Anyway, why did she say that I looked like a Sahil?”

“I don’t know, but you do look like her dead grandmother.” Mayank Laughed.

Lakshya said that Mayank looked like Tara’s dead grandmother’s wrinkled SOMETHING that was her body part. Let’s assume that Mayank looked her wrinkled SANDWICH.

***

Tara had been waiting in the school library. She had told Lakshya that she wanted to talk to him.

“Hi!” Lakshya greeted and sat opposite her.

He looked around and saw no one was sitting near them. He complimented her selection of the place to talk. There was a sturdy table between them.

“Where’s your book?” Tara asked, still looking at her book that she was pretending to read.

“We are here to talk. Why do we need a book?” Like always, Lakshya was acting nonchalantly; whereas, Tara was hyper-vigilant, watching her surroundings intermittently. She had never been in the school library.

“Do you want to talk or not?”Lakshya grew impatient.

“Okay! Let’s talk.” She looked him in the eyes and asked, “Why did you text me that you like me?”

“That was clearly a joke. How many times do I need to tell you that it was a joke? Besides that, you already have a boyfriend.”

“Redhya! He is not my boyfriend. He’s with me because I don’t want to be troubled by desperate boys at school every now and then.”

“Wow! Aren’t you a mystery?”

“What’s thrill without mystery?” She smiled devilishly.

***

Tara was tense; she wasn’t afraid of the board examination. She had a fear that Lakshya would become a Sahil. Waiting on Lakshya, she kept on calling him.

“Why are you late?” She blurted when he finally arrived. His smiling face was her weakness, and she couldn’t display her anger when he playfully started poking his fingers into her stomach.

“Relax! I was with Mayank. I had to lie to him to come here. He wanted me to stay at his house.”

“Tell me what this is.” she showed her phone. He’d texted her that they should meet each other after the board examination.

“Baby, we need to focus on our studies. Plus, my parents won’t allow me to go outside unnecessarily.”

“Lakshya, please don’t become a Sahil.” She said and hugged him.

Chapter Four

“Where are you?” Tara asked. She was on a phone call with Lakshya.

“I’m at Mayank’s house.”

“Huh? Now, you don’t focus on your studies, and how did your parents allow you to go out?”

“Baby, we’re doing group study. Mayank needed to clear some doubts.”

In a sudden anger, she disconnected the call.

“Whom were you talking to?” Mayank asked while passing a beer bottle.

“That was my mother.”

***

“Don’t you feel weird that you have to be my fake boyfriend?”

Tara and her so-called boyfriend, Nilesh, were on the roof of Tara’s house. She’d made him sneak into her house since she was feeling low because of Lakshya’s behaviour nowadays. She wanted to talk about it with someone, but she couldn’t talk to anyone, for it was her idea to keep her relationship with Lakshya a secret.

“It’s somewhat weird, but you pay for my cigarettes and beers, so I don’t mind.”

Being lost in her own thoughts, she said nothing. Probably, Lakshya was on her mind.

“Are you all right?”

She nodded her head. “I really loved Sahil. We were inseparable. He ignored me and took me for granted. I didn’t mean to cheat on him. I’m sorry Sahil.”

“What are you saying?”

“Nothing. Can I kiss you?”

“Uh! Okay!”

***

Tara finally decided to call Mayank. She couldn’t avoid him forever. Gathering some courage, she called him.

“Mayank, I have been involved in so many things lately. I’m sorry that I missed your calls.”

“Bro! You totally missed last night’s group study session. We had ultimate fun. You know, Lakshya was going completely crazy. He and Rashmi did something. I don’t know what exactly they did, but they were in the room the whole night.”

“Wow! Lucky bastard he is.” Tara smiled.

***

“Hello! Lakshya!”

“Hi Baby!”

“I kissed Nilesh.”

“Haha! What?”

“I’m serious, Lakshya. I thought that I should tell you.”

Phone disconnected.

Chapter Five

Mayank called Tara. She was avoiding his calls since he had invited her for the first time for group study. The phone rang for 30 seconds, but she didn’t pick the call.

“She won’t come.” Lakshya said.

In the name of group study, Mayank had planned something else. Mayank’s home was the best place to do fun activities since his parents weren’t living there.

“Let’s call some other girls. We would play truth and dare. You know what I mean.” Mayank displayed a cruel smile.

“Perfect!” Lakshya lit a cigarette.

“I should call Rashmi. She’s really into you.” Mayank grinned.

***

Nilesh agreed to kiss Tara since he didn’t want to look amateur when she asked whether she could kiss him.

Tara leaned towards him and closed her eyes.

“Wait! Do you really want to kiss me?”

Tara opened her eyes. She looked at the horizon and said, “I don’t know.”

“Well, I asked you that because I don’t want to ruin what we have. You get me beers and cigarettes for me, and I don’t want to end this by kissing you.”

Tara laughed and forgot about Lakshya in that moment.

***

“Why aren't Tara and you together?” Mayank asked.

Lakshya was quiet; he was swimming in the ocean of emotions as Mayank was getting married that day. However, Mayank was calm as though he had been born for that marriage.

Looking at Tara strolling with a man in the lawn, he asked another question, “Doesn’t it make you feel sad?”

Now, Lakshya looked at Tara. Sipping his whiskey, he said, “To be honest, sometimes, I feel like I have missed the opportunity to make my life perfect, but, I guess, some stories shouldn’t exist no matter how perfect they are in your mind.”

Mayank had nothing to say since anything said about Tara and Lakshya was going to drag the conversation to a gloomy end and anything else said other than them would be belittling that conversation.

Lakshya enjoyed awkward silences, but, at that moment, he couldn’t bear the silence and said, “You know?”

“What?” Mayank acknowledged promptly.

“I do look like her dead grandmother.” Both laughed.

***

“I’m sorry, Rashmi. You’re an amazing girl, but I can’t. I just can’t.”