As I mentioned in the last chapter, I once saw a charming boy who completely captured my mind.
In the middle of November, I went to a wedding with my family. It was a close relative's wedding and could truly be considered a big, fat Indian wedding because of the grand arrangements and the hype around it. My two elder sisters and I were well dressed and looking quite pretty. We were enjoying the food and the event, happy in our unnoticed existence, since my mother and grandmother were busy talking to their relatives and didn't pay much attention to us—which was actually nice. In a crowd of around a hundred people, who would notice us anyway?
Suddenly, a woman came to our table and began greeting the older ladies in my family joyfully. At first, we couldn't recognize her, but then I remembered—she was the mother of that charming boy. Her presence gave me hope that I might see him again, and secretly, I was very happy. She was friendly and sincere by nature. My sisters and I greeted her politely, and she responded warmly.
During the conversation, she asked for a group photo. As an unofficial camerawoman of my family, I clicked many pictures of her with the women in my family. She then asked my sisters and me to join the group photo, but I politely refused. I reasoned that if I joined the photo, who would take it? A selfie wouldn't capture everyone properly.
Suddenly, I heard a voice beside me say, "I'll click the photos." I turned around, and my heart skipped a beat—it became completely unrhythmic for a moment. The charming boy was standing right next to me. Even though I had expected to see him after noticing his mother, I was still surprised for no reason. He repeated that he would take the picture, but I was so zoned out that I barely registered his words. Then his mother called out loudly, "Come here, he'll click the photos now." I stepped forward without saying a word, even though I wasn't interested in being in the photo.
My sisters and I didn't really want to join the picture, and he noticed. He asked, "Aren't you comfortable?" I just smiled foolishly, and he seemed to understand. He was sensible and looked very cute in a beige kurta, with a natural charm on his face.
He asked his mother if she wanted anything, and she said no. Then she asked my sisters and me if we wanted something. I refused, but my elder sister asked for kulfi, which was being served in the men's section, as there were separate sections for men and women. Suddenly, everyone—including my sisters, mother, aunt, grandmother, and even his mother—started asking him to bring kulfi. He said it would be inappropriate to carry too many kulfis at once and asked if someone could come with him. Without thinking, I said yes (stupid me).
He went toward the men's section, and I followed him from a short distance. First, he brought three kulfis and handed them to me, then went back and returned with three more. As we stood there, he asked, "Are you waiting for me?" I replied, "What nonsense!" Unfortunately, he was right. Then he said, "Fortunately, you aren't dumb." I exclaimed, "What?!" He explained that he hadn't heard a single word from me earlier, so he thought I might be dumb.
Then he asked my name, and we started talking. Together, we brought the kulfis back to our families. When we returned, they teased us, asking, "Were you two having a conversation?" I pretended to act innocent, but he honestly said yes. I thought he might deny it, but he didn't.
Later, I opened Snapchat and started taking pictures. I deliberately captured him in one snap and sent it to my sister. When I secretly tried to take another picture of him, he caught me and said, "Aren't you the one who said you were camera-shy?" I didn't respond.
Soon after, he received a call and went back to the men's section. He never returned. I kept hoping and praying that he would come back, but he didn't.
After the wedding, we returned home. While talking normally with my sisters, I admitted that he looked good. They asked me his name, but I was speechless because I had forgotten to ask. I immediately started regretting it and felt like banging my head against the wall.
I tried to talk to my mother about him, but I felt too embarrassed to discuss any boy with her, so I never asked properly and eventually let it go.
But deep down, I was filled with regret and kept hoping that I would meet him once again.....