Read with BonusRead with Bonus

Reserve my name!

Reserve my name!

He opened his eyes to the sweet laughter of a female, her eyes were closed and her mouth was wide open. She held her belly tight and laughed with all her might.

Her cheeks glowed, and his ears burned. Vansh saw her and shook his head, tired hard not to smile but ended up in one. She looked beautiful, and even with his eyes open he could say that yes, she was an angel.

“Shreya! Shreya!” she mimicked him and laughed harder. When he said, “okay, okay, I’m the most frightful person of the year, shut up now” with tears in her eyes, she finally sat down on the grassy ground.

“What now?” she asked of him, trying to calm down from the fit of laughter.

“Since you like water, and swim like a mermaid, why not meet the rest of your friends under water?” He said and offered a hand to her. She raised her hand to accept his, when he bent down and scooped her up in his arms.

With an ‘ooh’ she was in his arms, bridal style. Her hands wormed their way to his neck and looking straight at his gorgeous eyes, cried “Put me down! You can’t carry me”

“Pray tell: why exactly is it that I can’t carry you?” he smirked down at her.

“Because…because I’m heavy”

“Oh darling don’t lie! You are as light as a feather!” he scrunched his eyebrows and paused, then added “Actually, you are not that light but I think I will manage. All those gym hours and weight lifting practices can’t go in vain now, can it?”

Clenching her right fist, she hit his chest and said, “So I’m your weight lifting muse, eh? FYI my mom is a lawyer, so if want the real weight lifting practice, she can easily put you behind the bars.”

“Maybe next time. I’ve already paid for a year’s membership and that’s fucking expensive. Why do they ask that huge amount of money when I’m the one doing all the work? Idiots! They should be paying me.”

“What? You pay for the gym. In my case: they pay me” she said with a witty smirk on her face.

“Don’t lie. Why would they pay you?”

“Why wouldn’t they?”

“But why would they?”

“Guess, let’s see what you come up with”

“I got it. You act like the cat in Doraemon, who calls in customers with his hands. You just look pretty and beautiful and gorgeous like you always do, and dustbins like me come to the gym just to watch you. Am I right? Am I right?” he raised his brows excitedly, waiting for her answer.

“Why was doraemon the first thing in your head? Don’t tell me you still watch it”

“So what if I do? Cartoon shows are entertaining”

“They are, for a kid” she said and laughed.

“Do not make fun of doraemon, it is the only light in my dark life” he declared dramatically.

“It’s the first date and you don’t like me already? Am I already the darkness in your life? Why can’t I be your doraemon?”She said with a pout on her face.

“No, no I didn’t mean it like that. I was just..um..” he was stammering trying to find words when she broke the silence with her laugh.

“Gosh! You are so easily fooled” turning towards him she placed her hand on his strong chest.

“But before we move onto the real topic of this conversation, can you please put me down?”

“Sure, in a minute; you feel good in my arms” he said and bent down to kiss her little nose.

He carried her towards a small hut and tent, some 150 meters away.

She smiled through her lips and her eyes, wrapped her fingers in his hair – they felt thick but smooth like a fluffy pillow. As they reached the hut, he called out “Mickey” and a short, thin guy hollered back and ran towards them. He had bushy mustache, a little too big for his small reddish face but it went well with the country guy vibe he was sending to the universe.

Vansh put her down, and placed a warm, large hand on her lower back. Mickey and Vansh spoke in Kannada – a regional language – of which she couldn’t understand anything; because even after staying in Karnataka her whole life and studying Kannada from 1st to 10th standard, she simply couldn’t learn it.

As soon as the short guy said “hu ri” (which means yes sir), she turned towards Vansh and asked, “So what did you guys talk about?”

Vansh raised his right brow and gave her a look that had ‘umm….what?’ written in capital letters.

She then repeated the question in her made-up sign language, for some reason believing that the only reason he didn’t understand her question earlier is because he has gone deaf.

“I heard you the first time, but I don’t understand. How can you not know what we spoke about? I was loud enough to be audible to that huge rock behind you, the entire time.” he questioned.

“I don’t understand Kannada” she confessed.

“If you want to lie, let it at least be believable. You stay in Karnataka for many years, how can you not know Kannada?” he laughed.

“I’m not kidding, I really don’t speak Kannada”

“You serious?” he asked his brows high up on his forehead.

“Yes” she bit her lip and looked down.

“But.. but.. I thought you were born here, in Hubballi” he said confused.

“I am born and brought up here, and before you ask, yes, I studied Kannada in school too – and FYI I passed with A+ every time in this subject – but I don’t know how to speak, nor do I understand what it means.” She shrugged.

“This just goes to show how our school system is really not the basis to judge someone” he said and continued, “I’m having a hard time believing it, you swear you don’t know Kannada? Like for real?”

“Yes, yes and yes” she bobbed her head up and down and laughed.

“You still haven’t told me what you spoke about” she said.

“You haven’t told me why the gym pays you yet too” he pointed out.

“First you”

“Ladies first, baby” he winked and the skip her heart made was automatic. Not in the right state to form any witty answer, she said, “I’m an influencer, so they pay me to advertise their gym on my account. Now your turn”

“I am dating an influencer? Woah! And as to what we spoke about, a dramatic pause, we are here to experience the best of scuba diving today. Are you excited?”

“Are you for real? I can’t believe it! We are actually going to scuba dive! Yasss!” she exclaimed and spun around, she jumped and laughed and pumped her hands in the air”

“I have always wanted to go scuba diving, but I wanted to go there with some company and now I can! Yes! Yes! Yes! Thank you so much, Vansh” and she merrily danced again.

Her happiness was infectious and he smiled too, but when she took his name, he had to pause. This was the first he heard her say his name, and no one could ever utter his name just the same. Her voice caressed not just his name, but his very being and he was never going to allow anyone to speak his name again. It will be reserved just for her.

"From right this moment, Vansh is reserved just for her" he declared softly, so she couldn't hear it.

Previous Chapter
Next Chapter