Ishaan and Aditi: Part Two

Muses and Maggi

Her room was filled with the many sketches they kept doodling over the months. Except in a few classes where they would both be attentively listening, he would be doodling on the sheets she gave him. He would draw, and she would look at him- busy at his task. Correcting him wherever she felt necessary and approving it in the end only when she thought it was absolutely flawless. It was like they were sharing the same picture in their heads.

She would title his pictures and sometimes write a few lines on them.

There was one which resembled a skyscraper personified with a monstrous head on the top, emitting balls of fire. “The fire of ascent, may burn you out.”

There was one of a girl. Her face split into two- one side, hair falling on her closed eyes, dimpled smile, and softness in her face. The other side devilish, dark, her eyes sinister, sending a chill down your spine. “You know what it is. Or, do you?”

Some were photographs. They often inspired her to write poetry. There was a picture of a red brick wall in a barren territory with a creeper slowly emerging from the bottom right hand side. It was one of her favourite pictures.
“The hardest of them- bricks,
Often, help you withstand
And rise.
Again. And yet again.”

There was one of the sunset- not in the sky, but as a reflection on the waters. Then there was one of the cafeteria uncle, grinning. Then there were pictures of chess boards, chairs, feet, eyes, insects, cobblers, cooks, rain and just one of them both- sipping their coffees. It was captioned by her- “Coffee and great minds- always come together.”

All of these were strung on a thick white thread and stuck on the walls of her studio room. Most were black and white, some coloured and many sketched. He believed that the beauty of most photographs lay if they were taken in black and white but the transition was happening as he learnt more and more about the technique, editing, the different lenses and colour settings his interest shifted to colours- he found them beautiful, experimental and fascinating. Like a new world just opened up to him altogether.

She was sitting on the window sill and sipping her afternoon chai thinking about an image in her head. She wanted to paint it, but drawing and painting was definitely not her cup of tea. She thought of asking Ishaan to make it. He hadn’t painted in a long long time. The image was of a girl wearing a red low necked blouse, with long black hair covering a side of her face, her eyes open, big and striking. She had a yellow champa flower tucked behind her ear. She looked daring and promiscuous. Something about her her half smile made the image more enchanted. She wanted to call it Jyoti. Jyoti. Powerful and seductive.

Just then the doorbell rang. She opened it.

“I’m bloody hungry! I got samosas and maggi. Can you please make me big cup of coffee and your special spicy maggi? Please… If I stay alone in that dingy room with my camera, I will start clicking depressing photographs and go into ‘the darkness’.”

She took the packet from his hand and smiled. She was half relieved he came over and half excited that she now had someone to talk to.

“Remember, I texted you about me wanting you to make a painting for me? I was just thinking of that… I can almost think of a story when I drew the image in my head” she said, pouring the milk into the saucepan and starting the stove. 

“Chai will do? Coffee powder just got over this morning”.

“Chai would be fantastic actually!” he said looking out of the window. He quite liked her place. It made him feel at ease and at home. They would sit together and listen to music, watch movies, talk, study and have maggi. She specialized in this different kind of maggi. Her recipe was a secret. He absolutely craved for it almost every other day.

“Here. Take this” she handed him a cupful of milky tea which had a strong aroma of cardamom and a plate with samosas. She then plonked herself down on the opposite side of the sill with another cup. They sipped it quietly and she told him in bits of ‘Jyoti’ and details like the texture of her skin, the way she imagined the hair, the yellow of the flower and her smile. He just nodded and listened.

“Adi, I wanted to watch the movie Transformers tonight. You up for it? I have it with me.”

“I don’t have anything else to do anyway. Not like I want to watch something like Transformers, but I think I owe you for watching the dumbest chick flick with me” she winked.

They sat and spoke about their college and teachers for some time.

It was quarter to 8. She just made the maggi and served it on a plate garnished with some coriander and a fried egg on top. His face turned into a bundle of happiness on seeing the plate. He hugged her tight and took the plate from her hand. “I lou you so much for this!”

They ate and watched an episode of Big Bang Theory and before starting with the Transformers. Somewhere in the middle of the movie she just yawned and got up. She washed the dishes and wiped the kitchen top clean, brushed her teeth and came and sat down again. She was awake since 7 in the morning. She began to feel weary. After fifteen more minutes of the film her eyes began closing and her head just tilted towards his shoulder.

The winds were cool and the curtains were flying. Almost instinctively, he put his arm around her and nestled her head against him so that she wouldn’t strain her neck. Without knowing when, he rested his head against hers and his eyes began to close. He felt at peace.