That's The Way We Met Part 4

'Just read it, please,' Mohit replied.

She read the message out aloud: It's lucky to love someone, It's your fortune to love the one who loves you, But it's a miracle to love a person who can't love anyone except you Seeing the play's tragic end, I decided to propose to you. I do not want to suffer like Aditya nor keep my feelings to myself. I want to do this before it's too late. I love you Sonam, ever since our double date with Aditya and Riya. If you love me too, just hold my hand and kiss me on my cheek.

Mohit was walking straight without looking sideways-too afraid to look at Sonam in the eye. Sonam didn't react for some time, which made Mohit all the more anxious. I could tell that he was probably rethinking his decision because he had spoken about his feelings in front of all of us. Sonam was walking ahead of him without giving any sort of reaction to the message. Before he could say anything, Sonam held his hand and planted a kiss on his cheek. Mohit was astounded for a moment. He looked above and closed his eyes. Her reaction had left him speechless.

He then opened his eyes and kissed Sonam, this time on her lips. Sonam did not resist-their wild kiss kept them so engrossed that they even failed to notice us standing beside them.

'Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would meet someone in Mumbai and fall in love with her instantly. I had left this decision to my parents since I have faith in their choice. But I will have to rethink my decision now, since I have fallen head over heels in love with you, Sonam. I love you with all my heart and now I know you too do,' said Mohit and kissed her hand.

'And never did I think that I'll fall in love with someone right after a casual first date! I never wanted to be in another relations.h.i.+p after my first one turned out to be a disaster. I don't know but there is something so special about you that I just can't help myself but be drawn to you. I love you too, Mohit,' said Sonam smiling.

Once they broke the long embrace, Riya went and hugged Sonam while I gave Mohit a pat on his back.

'Now all four of us can hang out together,' said Riya with excitement. We did not want to disturb them just yet, wanting to give their relations.h.i.+p some time to develop.

When Mohit reached office the next day, I had already logged in and was taking my regular calls. I told him to meet me during lunch break. The day had been hectic with back-to-back client calls for non-stop four hours. I did not have even a minute to spare. After my session got over, I took my first break and met Mohit. He looked visibly upset.

'What happened? Did you pick up a fight with Sonam?' I enquired.

'No. But you know, I officially proposed to her yesterday. She had accepted it, right? But later at night, she gave me a call saying this will not work out as she loves someone else,' Mohit replied.

'What the f.u.c.k! You had told me she was single and has moved on. Even Riya told me so. How is this possible?' I replied, stunned by what I was hearing. All along, I had been under the impression that Sonam loved him too. I had heard him say so many times and so had Riya. How could we have been so wrong about this?

Mohit just stood there with a glum expression.

I continued speaking, 'What did she say? Did she tell you she doesn't love you? Oh whatever, Mohit! Don't be upset. You are a smart guy and are financially stable, you can get any girl you want. Look at our new HR manager. Now that girl is hot! By the looks of her, I can tell you she will be wild in bed.'

'Aadi stop it, yaar. I am not in a mood to joke,' said Mohit in a sad tone.

'Hey, I'm serious. Why don't you give it a shot? Just turn around and look at her, will you?' I said pointing towards the girl who was handing out access cards to new employees.

'Forget it. It's useless trying to fool you-you end up taking everything so seriously, yaar. I was joking. All's good between Sonam and me,' said Mohit.

'You b.a.s.t.a.r.d! I will kill you. I really thought you were serious about it. So you've made a big fool out of me, haan?' I said.

Both of us looked at each other and burst out laughing.

'Okay, first things first. Go change your relations.h.i.+p status from "single" to "committed" on Facebook. Finally, you mustered the courage to propose and waah beta, you even kissed her! Too fast, too close. Carry on. Sonam is a nice girl and I must say, you both look great together,' I told him.

Mohit smiled and thanked me for all the support. I was happy that I played a small part in setting up two people who seemed just right for each other. Maybe I should open up a marriage bureau, I thought to myself.

Once home, I called Riya and told her that Mohit and Sonam were officially in a relations.h.i.+p now. She was elated and told me she had known this from the first day of their date. We both were extremely happy and excited for them.

Sonam was a beautiful, young lady and Mohit a handsome, intelligent man with. They both looked perfect with each other. It made me think about how blessed I was to have Riya in my life.

Love comes through eyes, as they help me see you, Riya. Love comes through ears, as they help me hear your soft voice. Love comes through hands, as your touch sends s.h.i.+vers down my spine. Love comes through dreams, as I dream about the life you have imparted me. Love comes through smiles, as I fall for you every time you smile. Love comes through our tight embrace, making me feel secure in your arms. Love comes through the heart, as my heart skips a beat whenever I see you and love comes through me. Love comes through you, Riya, and through Sonam and Mohit. So this is what true love is all about.

Later in the day, when all four of us met outside our favourite hangout place, Mohit and Sonam decided to visit a temple and asked us if we wanted to join them. We instantly agreed and suggested we go to the famous Siddhivinayak temple situated in Dadar.

'I've heard that it is not considered a good omen for unmarried couples to visit the temple. What I mean to say is that couples should only visit that temple post marriage. Otherwise it is said to ruin their relations.h.i.+p,' said Mohit cautiously.

'Yes I have heard that too. Lord Ganesh curses those couples who visit him before marriage,' Sonam added.

Riya and I looked at each other, recalling the day we had taken the seven holy promises in secret a few months back without telling anyone.

'If you ask me, I personally don't believe in it. We had visited this very temple a few years back and look, we are still together. It's all rubbish if you ask me. Don't believe in all these things,' I said.

'I hope so. Fine, let's all go to the temple,' said Sonam. Mohit still looked a bit doubtful about the whole thing.

'Look, if you don't go to the temple, does it give you any sort of guarantee that your future life will be smooth with Sonam? No one can predict these things. Why do we believe in things which are not practical? Things are bound to happen even if you try to stop them. You can't control everything in life,' I said trying to explain things to Mohit.

He finally gave in and we decided to visit the temple together. We went to our respective homes for a quick change of clothes. Since we were going to a religious place, traditional wear was what seemed like the practical choice. I was the first one to get dressed and picked up everyone in my car after which we headed off to Dadar.

Riya looked like a perfect wife in her traditional salwar kameez. I had hardly seen her in a traditional clothes since the nature of her job demanded she wear western wear. I personally always liked her more in traditional oufits, with minimal makeup on. Sonam and Mohit sat on the backseat, this time much closer to each other, with Sonam resting her head comfortably on his shoulders. We teased them along the journey. We loved the way they blushed during our leg-pulling session.

As Riya got of the car near the temple premises, she threw a quick glance at me. Inside her head, I knew she was thinking the same thing that had kept my mind occupied all through morning.

'Those were such innocent days, right?' I said trying to harp back on the old days.

'Yes. They were. I will always cherish the seven promises that we took in this temple,' said Riya affectionately. She pulled my cheeks and smiled.

I held Riya's hand and all four of us went inside the temple. It was Mohit and Sonam's first visit and they thanked us for bringing them there. We took the blessings of Lord Ganesh. I looked at Riya when we were praying. She had closed her eyes and with her hands clasped, she was muttering a silent prayer. I wanted to officially marry her at that moment itself. I looked at Mohit who was busy tickling Sonam while she was trying to pray. The pundit told them to behave. I closed my eyes and made a silent prayer to G.o.d: Oh, G.o.d. You have given me everything. You gave me Riya back in my life. I don't expect anything more from you. I just pray to you to let Mohit and Sonam live happily ever after and not face the pain of separation like we did before. Thank you for whatever you have given me in life.

Once back in the car, Mohit asked us, 'Be serious now, guys. When are you planning to get married?'

Riya avoided answering the question and instead cleverly directed it towards me.

'Why don't you answer that, love?' she said.

'We will, Mohit. However, we still have to talk to our parents about this. Besides, I have already told you before that we are still too young for marriage. And I know that Riya has some goals that she wants to achieve before finally taking the plunge. So to answer your question, as of now we are not thinking about marriage. But who knows what the future holds?' I said, trying to explain the complicated dynamics of our relations.h.i.+p as best as I could.

'But jaan, does marriage really matter? I am proud to be your partner,' said Riya resting her head on my shoulders.

'Now let me ask you the same question. When is the D-day?" said Riya putting them in a spot again.

Mohit and Sonam remained quiet for a while.

'Sonam, I think you must rethink your decision to be with Mohit because he may turn out to be gay. Mohit, why don't you marry that Bandra guy who was chasing you the other day on the beach? He clearly seemed very interested in you. Plus, section 377 of the IPC now makes it legal,' I winked. Digging up old demons of the person asking you difficult questions is the best trick to shut them up.

'I will kill you one of these days, Aditya. If not me, either Riya or Sonam will. That's for sure,' said Mohit and we all broke into laughter.

Over time, we started enjoying each other's company. Even though Mohit was my team leader, he behaved more like an elder brother. Though we had become friends only recently, it strangely felt like I had known him since a long time. Since my other close friend Sameer was too preoccupied in preparing for his civil service exams, I didn't disturb him too much. I had found a nice friend in Mohit, and Riya was always with me for support. I believed Sonam was the perfect choice for Mohit. I wished all four of us would get married soon. I wished for a perfect ending to both our love stories.

Double Delight.

'Organizations spend the majority of their resources on finding external candidates and training them. However, the most cost effective and practical thing is to hire someone from within. Our company is doing the same. We have internal job postings (IJP) this week,' our manager told us during the weekly meeting.

I had applied for the IJP long back. For an IJP, managers from different branches would conduct an a.s.sessment followed by an interview with the senior-level management.

After the s.h.i.+ft, I called up Riya and said excitedly, 'Jaan, we have IJP's in our office and I have applied for it. If I get through, then my salary will be approximately 30k per month.'

'That's great news. I too have IJP's in my department next week. I hope I get through. Mom will be happy if I get an increment. My gross salary will be around 40k.'

'Excellent. It means both of us will make about 70k per month. That's not a bad figure. I am so happy for you. I know you will make it,' I said positively.

I wanted to get through for Riya's sake. She knew how hard I had worked for the past few years and prayed for me to clear my IJP.

A week later, the day of the a.s.sessment arrived.

I logged onto my system and saw that a test awaited me.

The questions were not difficult as they were process related which was my area of expertise. I had worked in the same process for months now and knew about it in and out. The given time limit was ninety minutes, but I finished the a.s.sessment in eighty minutes flat. Since I had time on hand, I rechecked all my options. An aggregate of 95 percent was required to clear the a.s.sessment. I submitted the answers and waited for the auto evaluation.

Employee Id: 094837 has cleared the a.s.sessment with 96 percent.

I was overjoyed even though I knew the outcome would be such. I called Riya and told her about the result. She couldn't stop congratulating me. I knew that the most difficult hurdle to cross was the interview. Nevertheless, I had moved one step closer to my dream.

One hour later, my interview began.

'h.e.l.lo Aditya, How are you doing today?' asked one interviewer as soon as I took my seat in the conference room.

'Very well, sir; how are you?'

'I am good. So Aditya, how long have you been working for SGS?'

'It's been more than six months, sir. I have been working very hard to increase my net satisfaction score and I am proud of the fact that I was able to achieve most of the targets a.s.signed to me,' I told him proudly.

'It's good to hear how devoted you are towards work. I hope your score will become even better with time. Your team leader has some really good things to say about you. He tells me that you have been consistently performing well ever since you joined the company,' said the interviewer.

I made a mental note to thank Mohit for putting in a good word for me.

'Thank you, sir. I will serve SGS with all my heart and vouch to improve with each pa.s.sing day,' I promised.

He asked me several other questions and after an hour long interview, he thanked me for coming and I took his leave. I had no idea about how my interview had gone. Did I seem too nervous? What if they don't like me? A million unanswered questions were running through my head.

We were told that the results of the interview would be declared that day itself. This added to my nervousness. But in my heart, I could see myself securing the IJP. The figure of thirty thousand rupees loomed large over my eyes.

I called up Riya in the meantime. I told her how my interview had gone and she could tell how nervous I was. I told her that I wanted to secure the IJP for her, to make her happy. I wanted to see a smile on her face and happiness in her eyes.

'Don't worry, Aadi. I am always with you. Just close your eyes and think of me standing in front of you, holding you tight and making you feel like nothing can go wrong in your life. I know you will clear your IJP. Just chill,' she said and hung up.

I sat on the chair with my fingers crossed. The HR team appeared shortly to announce the results. Mohit was on the ground floor, supervising calls. I so wished he was by my side in this hour of difficulty. The HR manager started reading out names from the list. I jumped when my name was announced. I wanted to hug the girl and shout like a madman. I went hurriedly to the ground floor and told Mohit that I had cleared the interview. He gave me a high five and seemed genuinely happy for me.

Aditya.

Senior Management Expert (SME).

My new designation sounded like music to the ears! I was thrilled. I called up Riya immediately and gave her the good news. I could feel she was on the verge of tears, as she knew the importance of appraisals and how difficult it was to secure an IJP. Now that I had made it through, she told me about her growing fears about the interview next week. I gave her a pep talk and told her not to worry too much. She hung up after congratulating me again for the millionth time that evening.

One week later, we were going through the same ordeal, but this time with Riya at the receiving end. Since work got over early that day, Mohit and I had gone to her office to boost her morale. Sonam had joined us too. Both Mohit and I were smoking while waiting for her interview to get over. Mohit told me I looked more nervous for Riya's interview than I did during my own. Earlier at the office, I had called her roughly ten times in an hour to know the updates. Now in her office, the incessant wait was getting too much for me to bear. Riya had been inside the interview cabin for more than an hour. I desperately wanted to know how things were proceeding, praying she'd make it through. It was not because I wanted her to earn more than me but because I knew how her family could do with a bit more money.

After an hour, Riya called me up to tell me that her a.s.sessment had gone well but she won't be able to come down to meet us as the HR person had asked her to wait for the results.

I continued smoking out of nervousness. Sonam shouted at me for my incessant smoking, scolding me as if I was a criminal. However, I ignored her. This is not the right time to tell me not to smoke, I wanted to say. Riya called me after five minutes.

'Aadi, I cleared the a.s.sessment with a 98 percent score,' said Riya over the phone.

I couldn't control my happiness and hugged both Mohit and Sonam. I was elated with the news. I knew that there is no stopping to Riya now and that she would definitely clear her interview too. Mohit and Sonam chatted while I went and bought some chips and cold drinks for us.

'What do you think, will Riya clear her interview?' I asked Sonam while handing her the soft drink she had asked me to get for.

'I have no doubts about it. Plus, she has loads of experience, which is more than enough for the post of a team leader. Her performance too has been excellent over the past few months. There is no reason why she shouldn't be promoted,' replied Sonam.

Hearing this, I calmed down a little. There was no way they would not promote her. She called me up after about twenty minutes saying her interview was over and that it had gone very well. She told me that the results would be out within an hour. Sonam went upstairs to give her company. Mohit told me to wait with him for a few minutes.

As soon as Sonam headed upstairs, Mohit took out a cigarette and started smoking. Since Sonam did not like people who smoked, Mohit would do it on the sly.

'Have you been smoking since college or did work pressure get to you and you ended up smoking on the job?' I asked Mohit.

'I started smoking during the first year of college. Everyone else seemed to be doing it, so I too gave it a try. It became a habit ever since. But I wouldn't call myself a heavy smoker. Just one or two smokes a day is sufficient for me. I know what hazardous effect it can have on my body and I don't want that to happen since my family's responsibility lies on my head,' said Mohit.

I could see the sense in his argument. But even though I agreed with what he had to say, I knew I could not implement it in my own life. Smoking had become a staple for me.

'Sounds interesting. So will you quit smoking after marrying Sonam?' I asked.

'Yes. I will. She knows I smoke, but I have promised her that I will quit smoking after marriage.'

Just then, Mohit's cell phone beeped. It was a message from Sonam. He read it out aloud.

Riya has cleared the interview. We have been trying to call you guys, but your phone is unreachable. Why don't both of you join us upstairs?

Mohit and I ran to the first floor. Riya was standing in the lobby with Sonam. I gave her a tight hug and lifted her off her feet. When I finally put her down, she leaned towards me and gave me a kiss on my forehead. I wanted to scream and tell her how much I loved her. It was difficult for me to control my emotions. I knew this appraisal meant a lot to Riya and her family.

True love is a sacred flame that burns eternally. Today's hug was so special that it can't be expressed in words. I held her tightly for a long time. I wiped her tears and hugged her again.

Waqt har cheez dikhaata hai.