[Mukhra]

LOVE, LIFE, AND FRIENDSHIP: CHAPTER 5
“Look who I caught just in time.”
Sabika turned around to see that it was Sameer.
“Oh hey. Did Rohit change your clock too so that you would be early? Class hasn’t started yet,” she said. Sameer smiled, and shook his head.
“No…I was just hoping to catch you. I have to ask you something,” he said.
“Sure, tell me. What is it?” Sabika asked.
“Well turn around first….and close your eyes too,” Sameer said. Sabika did as she was told. She heard some rustling coming from behind her. It sounded a lot like crinkly paper.
“Ok. You can turn around now. Oh yeah, and open you eyes too,” Sameer said. Sabika turned around and opened her eyes. She only saw Sameer. Then, he produced a bouquet of roses from behind.
“They…they’re beautiful. But why’d you get these for me?” Sabika asked. The roses were indeed beautiful. Every rose had a soft, velvety touch. The color of red could not have been any purer. The stems didn’t have a single thorn on them. The roses were, what people would call, perfect.
“Well, you said you loved roses…so I thought I’d get you some,” Sameer said sheepishly.
“Th-Thanks. I really appreciate this,” Sabika stammered out. She looked at him, and he gazed at her with intent hazel brown eyes.
“Will you…will you go to the Sadie’s dance with me?” Sameer asked. The Sadie’s dance was the first dance Boston University had every year. It was a formal occasion, almost like a prom but not really. Sameer looked down into Sabika’s eyes. All Sabika could think was how beautiful his eyes were. The way his hair fell into his eyes was absolutely amazing.
“I…I would love to go with you,” Sabika said. Sameer smiled his charming smile. Then he picked her up, and took her into the main classroom. He set Sabika down next to Rohit and Diya, and then sat down himself. Rohit just stared, while Diya smiled with a knowing look in her eyes.
****
The next two weeks were spent finding perfect dresses for the Sadie’s. Duya and Sabika had spent all their spare time in different designer stores, looking for something that would be a good dress. Rohit would sometimes help look, but Sabika told Sameer he wasn’t allowed to see her dress until she wore it on the night of the dance.
One designer store, in particular, only sold gowns. Rohit and Sabika went to look for Sabika’s dress there. There was a huge variety of beautiful dresses. There was a dark maroon one that went all the way down to Sabika’s feet. It was lovely, and fitted her perfectly. When she came out of the dressing room wearing the dress, she showed it to Rohit. Rohit did not like it much, and looked for another dress. He selected a blue gown. It was beautiful as well, and Sabika wondered why she hadn’t seen that one before. The dress was made of a blue gauzy material, with rhinestones on the inside so that the outside was just a shimmering wonder. The top was strapless, and was a regular silk blue. It was beautiful. This time, when Sabika wore the blue dress, Rohit just stared.
“You should buy that dress. It’s perfect for you,” he said quietly. Sabika took the dress to the counter and paid for it.
“Let’s go. I am tired of shopping,” she said. Rohit took the bag that held the dress and put it in the backseat of the car.
“Mr. Rohit, what are you going to wear?” Sabika asked him. Rohit looked at her and then averted his eyes back to the road.
“I’ll just wear one of my suits. Or you could help me look for a better suit. But I see no point in it. My jaan is going with someone else, tho mera wahan kya kaam,” he said. Sabika reached over and planted a kiss on Rohit’s cheek. Rohit smiled.
“I’ll help you look for a suit, but I think you should wear the green suit. You look so cute in it. That kiss was to make you feel better. You haven’t been acting like yourself these days,” Sabika remarked.
“Sorry yaar. I just have a lot of work to do, so I haven’t had time to tease you,” Rohit said, tugging on Sabika’s hair. She smiled.
“Concentrate on your driving,” Sabika said.
****
On the evening of the dance, Sabika locked herself in the bathroom early. She wanted to have everything be perfect. She did her makeup, and put on her dress. All the while, Diya had been pounding on the door, pleading for Sabika to get out quicker. The knocking had ceased after a while. Diya had gone to one of her other friends’ room to change. Sabika took the rollers out of her hair, and lo and behold, her hair was curly and beautiful, just the way she had wanted it.
“Are you almost done in there? It’s Rohit. I need you to help me iron my shirt,” Rohit said, knocking on the door. Sabika opened the door.
“How do I look?” she asked Rohit.
“Beautiful. Now iron my shirt for me please,” Rohit said, not paying attention to how Sabika looked. Sabika took the shirt from him, and ironed it. Rohit put it on, and then put his forest green jacket on.
“Is Sameer ready yet?” Sabika asked, anxiously looking out the door.
“No. Last time I checked, he was in the shower,” Rohit said, looking into Sabika’s mirror and fixing his coat.
“Well, I’m ready. All the girls will only have eyes for me tonight, you just see,” Rohit said. He did look very cute, but then, to Sabika, Rohit had always been cute because of his personality.
Ten minutes later, Sameer arrived.