Sara

It was in 3rd year of engineering that I first met Koshy. He was a freshman and I remember being amused as I took my first look at him. Typical nerdy guy with well oiled hair, thick glasses and a very demure look. Most of my guys were rubbing their hands in glee when they first laid eyes on him. He was the dream 'junior' that we would all love to rag.

And he got it from everyone- left, right and centre. They were all very rough on him. And the idiot took it all without a word. One day as I was sitting in the hostel balcony and I found Manoj dragging him towards me.

"Arjun, give this guy some gyaan man. He's such a loser in life. Fucking I'm fed up trying to put to paisa worth of sense in him."

I laughed and said- "leave him with me for some time."

Manoj agreed and dropped him off with me. But, not before giving him a knock on the head.

"He's gone?"- I enquired.

"Yes"- replied Koshy.

"Good. Sit down."

"No. It's okay."

"Sit down"- I said firmly.

He sat down. I took out my packet of cigarettes and offered him one.

"No sir, I don't smoke."

"Well, if you want to then you can go ahead."

"No sir. I don't want to."

"No prob. Only you'll have to tell me why."

"Sir..."

"Yes, go on."

"No, sir."

"Arrey bugger, don't worry. I'm cool. Go ahead, tell me."

"Sir... my mother told me only bad people smoke."

I laughed my head out when I heard that.

"Why are you laughing Sir?"

"Koshy my boy, you're an original."

"Sorry sir, I didn't get you."

"Okay. Let's put it this way. My dad smokes. My grandpa used to smoke. So according to your logic they are bad people?"- I enquired accusingly.

"No sir... sorry sir... no sir. I didn't mean that sir. Sorry sir!"

I laughed again.

"What about your dad, does he smoke?"

"My dad passed away ten years ago sir."

I was a little taken aback when I heard this. "I'm sorry"- I said.

"It's okay sir. You didn't know. It happened long ago."

"So at home?"

"It's just my mother and my younger sister sir. My mother's been taking care of us all these years. I want to finish my degree and get a good job to reduce her burden a little bit. She's been working very hard for us."

I nodded approvingly. We shook hands and I told him- "All the best!"

That was our first meeting. We used to meet quite often. He figured that I was the only senior who wouldn't go after him and so he was a little less guarded around me. We talked a lot. He opened up a lot. He was a nice simple guy. Maybe too simple. I was getting a bit annoyed with him taking all the ragging and all from everyone and I told him so.

"Let it be sir. I can manage."

"Bull shit. I see what they are doing to you. It's high time you draw the line."

"No sir. I can't do anything. Let it be."

"Listen buddy. Let me tell you this one time. But let it get straight in to your head and let it stay there. You have to stand-up for yourself. I might be able to stop those guys but I'm not going to do it. It's up to you to do it. You need to find your balls. I may or may not be there the next time. But you will always be there. You need to stand up."

"But how?"

"You figure."

Manoj came to my room a few days later. "You know that laddoo Koshy."

"Ya"

"Son of a bitch's found balls man. God alone knows from where."

I smiled at this and enquired what had happened.

"Bastard man. Couple of us cornered him and asked him to strip. Bugger smiled and said sure thing but that he'd only do it in front of the ARC."

ARC was the anti-ragging committee of our college. If a case came up before the ARC it meant a sure suspension.

Koshy came to my room later in the day.

"Arjun sir." "Ah... Mr. Koshy who's finally found his balls."

He smiled at that.

"Thank you sir." "For what?"

"No one has ever spoken to me like you did that day. Made me realize things. Thank you."

At that instant it hit me. Koshy's quirky behavior was because he didn't have a strong male influence in his life. He was mainly a mama's boy, and understandably so. But, it had made him soft. He needed someone to show him what being a man was really about. And, I'd done just that.

We became even closer after that. He had his first drink with me. He was an intelligent conversationalist and we would discuss everything from philosophy, to religion, to politics, to sex. I even made him reveal his crush.

"Deepa"- he said after much persuasion.

A small part of me broke hearing that. Deepa was his class mate and unfortunately was the girl I also had a crush on at the time. Anyway I decided that if he wanted her then I had to step back being the friend and all.

And I used to help him in his relationship with her. SOB became so good that in his 2nd year she proposed him! And the first person he told it to was me. Honestly I didn't know whether to be happy or sad. But, at that moment I decided to be happy for him and I was.

I had moved to my final year. I needed to do a project. I really wanted to do it in DoST as they were working on some real cool projects. Problem was I didn't have any contact to help me out.

I told my problem to Koshy. He said he could arrange it. I was astounded. "How?"- I enquired.

"Simple. My Mom works there."

And so I went to the DoST to meet Koshy's mom.

It was a huge complex and Koshy's mom sat in the admin. I went there and that's when I first realized that I hadn't asked for her name. It was going to be tough to ask for Koshy's mom in that huge complex. These were the days when mobiles were still a novelty and neither Koshy nor myself had one. So there was no way I could call and ask.

I went in to the main building and went straight to the receptionist. She was a middle-aged lady.

"Arjun?"- she enquired.

"Yes"- I replied. She gave me her hand and I shook it.

"My name is Teena. Sara told me to expect you. Sara sits in that room in the 4th cubicle on the right. You can go right in."

"Thanks"- I said. I'd caught on to Koshy's mom's name.

I was not sure what I expected. But I had not expected what I found. Koshy's mom was sitting in front of her computer punching data in. She looked way younger than I thought she would. Her hair was black with a few streaks of gray in it. She was dressed in jeans and a full-sleeves shirt which she had rolled up. This woman looked very mod, very pretty and very sexy. I caught a gulp in my throat.

"Mrs Sara?"

"Arjun?"

"Yes."

"Finally I get to the meet 'the Arjun'. The one my boy can't stop talking about. Nice to meet you."

"Thank you."

She got me a chair and I sat down. She explained the formalities to me. I was absent-mindedly taking notes. I couldn't get the woman in front of me out of my head.

On my journey back to the hostel I remember feeling very guilty. This was after all my friend's mom. And she was doing be a big favour. It was not right to be thinking this way. I focused my mind and pushed out all sexy thoughts of Sara.

Each time I met Sara though it was an effort to focus. I had to meet her a few more times in the months that followed in order to get all the approvals. Finally it came through and I got a 45 day internship in the DoST. I was thrilled.

My internship started in the second week of Novemeber and would go on till just before Christmas. On the first day I dropped by Sara's cubicle on a courtesy call. My work-area was on the other end of the complex and there was no real way that we were going to meet.

It was my first Friday at DoST. I was on the floor in the work-shop getting hands-on experience like I'd always dreamed. One of the supervisors called out to me and said I had a visitor waiting for me near the main entrance.

It was Sara. She enquired about how things were going. She gave me her desk number and asked me to get in touch with her in case I required anything. She also asked me to come home on Saturday for lunch with her family. I agreed.

It was a good lunch. I was having home-cooked food after a long time and I couldn't help myself. I excused myself constantly for my pig-like behavior while gorging on the food. Sara, Koshy and Rebecca laughed and asked me to continue. And so I did.

I did run in to her once or twice. One day it was near the canteen. She was sitting with Teena. She called out to me and bought me a coffee and a plate of samosas. Teena had to leave and it was the first time I was with Sara, alone and having coffee in the canteen. It sort of felt romantic but I tried to control that.

We started chatting. She asked me about college and my plans. It was a pleasant conversation. I had to head back to the floor quickly so I called off and headed out to the workshop.

It was the second week of December. I had just got back to the room. Manoj immediately dropped by and said that Koshy had called him up and had asked me to call him back urgently.

I called Koshy. Koshy's class was going on a tour for a week. I couldn't figure out what Koshy wanted so I said that's nice and waited for him to open up.

Then came the blow- "Dude I wanted to ask you."

"Ask me what?"

"Should I buy condoms?"

Sonovabitch! Deepa would be on the tour too. Gosh I felt a pang of jealousy but I quickly got hold of it.

"It's better to be safe than to be sorry."

"Thanks man. That's what I thought too."

"Ya. But, frankly speaking. I don't think it's going to be that easy to get away and do whatever you have in mind."

"Don't worry about that. I have it all planned."

"Good. Be careful."

"Thanks man. You take care. How's the internship going? Miss having you around in college."

"It's going great. I'm loving it. Met your mom a couple of days back. She bought me coffee and samosas."

"We like doing charity."

"Fuck off"

He laughed, we said good-bye and cut the call.

I wanted to catch a new movie that had come out. So I booked tickets with Manoj for Friday night. I kept his phone with me so that we could keep in touch and work out plans later in the evening.

In the evening that son of a bitch called and ditched me. What's more he told me he was off to Pondicherry with his girl for a couple of days. He asked me to hold calls from his folks in the interim. Nice. Just nice. Everyone in the world was getting laid and I was stuck.

I sat in the canteen gulping my coffee slowly. There wasn't much work to do. Everyone was already in the Christmas mood.

"Hi"- came a voice from behind me.

I looked behind and it was Sara.

I stood up. She laughed and put me down.

"Sit down, sit down. You give me too much respect."

"That's okay Aunty. I'd be upset with myself if I found you saying the opposite."

She looked at me coolly.

"Honestly Arjun, do I look that old?"

It was then I noticed that it was the first time I'd called her 'aunty'. But I called all my friend's mom's 'aunty'. So it just came out naturally.

"No. You look way younger than you should be. But I call all friend's mother's aunty. So it just came out."

"Do me a favour. Cut it out okay. I get called aunt or aunty by a lot of kids. But, coming from you it makes me feel really old."

I laughed and nodded my agreement.

"And you are not just friends with my son. You are friends with me also- okay?"-and she offered me her hand.

"Okay"- I said and shook it.

"Good. Now, first part you will call me Sara. Just Sara. Clear?"

"Sure."

"And since we are friends you will tell me what's bothering you."

"Nothing's bothering me."

"Come on. I've seen you enough times to know that you are sulking on that coffee."

I nodded. And I told her about my movie plans and how I'd been ditched and that since Manoj wouldn't be there I'd be all alone in the hostel for the weekend and that I didn't really look forward to it.

"You still have those tickets?"

"Yes. I need to go cancel them. I'm not in a mood to watch that movie."

"Really? I thought I'd join you."

I was surprised. It was the 6 pm show. It'd get over only by 9. I told her so.

"That won't be a problem. The kids are not at home. Koshy's gone for his class tour and Rebecca is having xmas hols and has gone to my parent's place in Trivandrum."

I agreed but it felt slightly odd. We caught a bus to the theater. We'd walked in and I was about to enter the hall when she stopped me.

"What's the hurry mister?"-she said and pulled me by my arm to the pop-corn counter.

"There is no movie-date complete without pop-corn"- she said and winked.

Gosh. She'd said it. Yes, it felt like a date. It was a date. It was odd. I must have looked lost because I felt it.

So we bought pop corn and moved in to our seats. I didn't know if I should place by arm on the rest which we shared. I folded my hands and sat glued to the screen. I didn't know what people who saw us would be thinking.

But Sara didn't mind. She was enjoying herself. She kept munching on the pop corn and making comments on the trailers. It was like watching a movie with a school kid or a college kid. She must be having fun I thought to myself.

About fifteen minutes in to the movie my worst fears were realized. There was a really hot smooch scene between the lead actors. I kept my eyes looking straight and didn't dare to look at my side throughout that entire scene. And it was one bloody long smooch. It had me completely embarrassed.

We stepped out at the interval. She told me that my ears were red and laughed. I didn't know what to say or do. She guided me again towards the food counters. We bought one more large pop-corn and two large cokes with extra ice. She told me the extra ice was for my ears.

It was a great movie. Sara also enjoyed it. It was taken in the Quentin Tarantino style. I was not sure if Sara had watched any Tarantino movies so I briefly explained about Tarantino and his movie style.

She cut me off and asked-

"So where are you taking your date for dinner?"

I was embarrassed again for two reasons. One I couldn't see this as a normal date and it tripped me. Two I didn't have any money. I tried to sound neutral when I suggested a place nearby. It was kind of cheap. It wasn't exactly the sort of place I'd have liked to take her. But on a tight budget I thought I could just about manage the 'ac family room'.

We entered the restaurant and I was surprised when she chose a place outside itself (not ac). We ordered noodles and chilly chicken. I was famished and wolfed my food. She told me that she enjoyed watching me eat. I smiled at that.

We sat talking for a long time. It was past 11. We got up and out of the restaurant when the skies opened up. It rained like it was going to flood for Noah. It was crazy. We waited by the restaurant for a few minutes.

"You know what, it's getting late. Let's quickly catch an auto."

Saying that she just jumped in to the pouring rain. I had to follow after her. She stopped an auto and jumped in. I jumped in after her. We were both soaking wet. She started laughing.

"God! I haven't felt that good in years!"

We were dripping wet. Our clothes were hugging our bodies real tight. I think you get what I'm trying to say.

As we reached near her house I looked at her and said-

"Thanks for the wonderful night."

She looked at me and said- "Thank you my gentleman for a wonderful time. But I'm not going to allow you to go on dripping wet like that. You need to come inside and change."

We went in to her home. It was the second time I was there so I knew my way around. She had turned on the boiler and asked me to have a shower to wash off the rain. She kept a change of clothes on the bed and gave me a towel and left.

When I got naked was when I realized I was excited. But, I knew what I had to do. I washed up and changed in to Koshy's clothes. It felt good to be dry.

She was ready in her night-gown and with a towel on her head. She looked absolutely sexy. And I could feel a hard-on. I hoped the bulge didn't show. She'd made some coffee and offered me a cup. I took it.

"It's getting late. I better make a move."- I said.

She nodded and took out an umbrella and gave it to me.

"Do you have enough money?"-she enquired.

I nodded my head. I didn't but I couldn't embarrass myself.

"I know I allowed you to pay for everything today. I know you are the chivalrous type and you couldn't have enjoyed yourself if you hadn't done that. But, don't let it ruin you. If you need money just tell me. Don't worry."

"I have enough. I can manage."

"How will you go back?"

I will take a rick to the station and from there a train back to college.

"You are going back to college? At this hour?"

"Yes. The hostel."

"And in this rain?"

"Don't worry. I will manage."

"Manage my foot. You forget everything else. You spend the night here. In Koshy's room. You can leave in the morning. There's absolutely no problem."

"No Sara. I don't want to impose on you. It's not a problem. I can manage. I have also."

"I know you can. But, I will feel better if you were not taking the risk. That's all. Okay?"

She really knew how to handle a guy's ego. I nodded my agreement.

I went in to Koshy's room and climbed in to bed. It was absolutely fantastic weather. It was cold and the rain and thunder made the night alive. A naughty part of my head was telling me that there was this absolutely sexy woman in just the next room in a very sexy night gown. I had half a mind to take a peep. But, it wasn't right and I quashed the thought out of my brain.

I couldn't sleep. It must have been the coffee I decided. I looked around and there was a novel on the table. I took it and began reading.

Suddenly I noticed a sound from the living room. It was the TV. I looked at the clock. It was 2AM. Clearly Sara was a lark. I wondered if it would be okay to go join her in the living room. One part of me was against it. It told me not to try and make moves on my friend's mom. The other part of me was like- you are not making any move or anything. She's already told you that she considers you a friend. So what harm if you ask her if you want to watch TV together? The second part of me won.

I opened the door and walked in to the living room. She looked in my direction and said-

"I'm sorry. Was the TV too loud? Did it wake you?"

"No. I actually wasn't getting sleep and was getting bored inside. Is it okay if I join you for some TV for some time."

"Oh sure. Come."

She was watching some old boring hindi movie. She looked gorgeous. The wet hair now hung loosely on her shoulders. I knew if I kept looking at her I would go mad so I focused completely on the TV.

"This movie is too boring na."

I looked at her. She had that devilish smile on her face which I'd grown fond of.

I nodded.

"I really liked today's movie."

"I liked it too."

"Especially the kiss scene."-she said and laughed.

I was embarrassed. She came and sat next to me. Played with my hair and said-"that was so cute. You trying not to look at me when it was going on."

Then she mocked me by taking my glasses and putting them on and looking straight on at the TV. It was funny I couldn't help but laughing. We both laughed. I was a little restrained in the beginning but then I felt comfortable and threw everything in to the laugh.

And then she kissed me. It was a soft little kiss. But a kiss. And, for a moment I was shocked. I looked at her.

She took off the glasses. Pulled her hair back and said-

"Arjun, are we friends?"

I looked at her. I was too stunned.

She repeated her question. I nodded my head in the affirmative.

"Good"- she said.

Next thing I know she climbed on my lap and was kissing me full-on. She was digging inside my mouth with her tongue. I couldn't hold back the passion and I gave it everything I had. We were lip wrestling there. I'd kissed before but this was nothing like I'd experienced. We broke off for a bit and I felt my lips burning.