" Kalpita ji.... I can't do...a number of things.. Please try and....understand.. "

Shivaji spoke slowly with huge pauses in between.

The parents had gone to see off the guests, and Kalpita was having a great time frightening him with cold stares.

" Don't...look at me like...that.
Because.... I can't do certain things even if you....turn a monster and frighten...me. "

Kalpita suppressed a smile.

" Shut up!! 

You have to do every possible thing to break your boundary and communicate with more people.

For your job, for Dad.

Not for me, I know, even though I break all my boundaries for you. You won't. I know. I know. I don't complain. You're not me. "

She faked hopelessness. She knew this trick might work on the poor soul.

" It's not so.... Kalpita ji...

I want to....communicate....but something just....pulls me back.. "

" Nothing pulls you anywhere. It's all in your mind.
See, a few days back, you weren't even looking into my eyes, and now you're throwing tantrums. "

Shivaji chuckled at this.
Then brushed fingers through his stubble.

Kalpita noticed every little feature of his these days, and most of the time she caught herself off guard doing that, completely surprised. Had she ever noticed a boy so keenly in life? 

" Okay....so....what do I have to...do?
Face your...friends? "

" No. Go places. Places which might look or sound dangerous and terrible to you.
Like, a very crowded place.
A club, a theque or a pub. "

" Whaaaa----ttt?? 
You mean....bar???
No no... No.... No.... Nnn..oooo...
Please... Kalpita ji.....
Don't...do this to me..! " , his eyes widened almost on the verge of bursting.

" Not a bar!! Fool!! People dance and enjoy. Not everyone drinks.
Just, get out of the comfort zone.
Even sitting through a new experience will flourish you. "

Shivaji joined hands.

"I...really don't need...such experiences..
They'll be more....hurtful than flourishing..  "

Kalpita turned extremely serious.
" I have done scores of things for you.
From holding hand when you stumbled to fighting with people for you, to pulling you out of locked doors... 

Yesterday, I banned my only pub night in the week for you. "
Kalpita raised a bar of blackmail.

" For...me? " , Shivaji was astounded.

" Of course. I knew you would be home alone and panic stricken.

But look at you. You can't even do the littlest stuffs for me.
I missed my pub night yesterday. Tomorrow I'm free, I'll go again.

And even after I'm almost begging to you... which I've never done in life... but am doing now for my Dad's sake... to groom his only PA, you're failing me big time.

You won't join me.

*sigh*

Okay. "

Kalpita turned, praying within, that he stop her.

Shivaji hardly knew... how he would handle the forthcoming glitters and darknesses of city life.

Though he was sure, with Kalpita around, things might go alright, better than he believed.

Also, the girl had been a major support since day one, even actually improving things for him at the office,  with her mere eventful presence for sometime..

Thus, hurting her by remaining confined to his withdrawn self, wasn't right.

" Kalpita ji.... "

Kalpita stopped and did a happy dance within.

"Yes? "

" Mmmm...
Only....only for you..... I'll go for...just fifteen minutes..
Also....not with your friends... around.. "

" Pheww!! What friends? They won't come.

Alright!! That you agreed to take a small step ahead, is enough. "

Kalpita grinned, and almost hopped out of Shivaji's room.

He threw a glance upwards, at invisible god's.

Only they and Kalpita herself could save him from Kalpita's 'Mission Groom Shivaji'...

_______

" Your father is extremely unhappy with the idea. Down there, he's instructing Shivaji to shun alcohol even if you insist.

He's devasted actually. "
Suchandra sat crossing her legs.

Kalpita was applying her favourite lip color. She turned to her mom.

" And you? "

" Equally unhappy.

He doesn't have to visit a pub to be fluent with people, when he isn't comfortable.
You don't have to first make him panic stricken, and then be his saviour, just for the sake of it. "
Suchandra smiled.

The words hit Kalpita like a thunder.

Too bad, too hard.

She wasn't doing right with him.
An inner voice spoke.

But, Kalpita Chatterjee had a problem.
A huge problem of utter stubbornness.
And a huge detest towards being proven wrong.

" Opphho!! 

It's not about the pub!!
It's about... getting rid of a phobia. Of...crowded places. Of noise and buzz of the unknown.
He's having those, I'm sure. Otherwise who hides in rooms that way?
Who fumbles so much while speaking?
To be confident, one needs to face the world. "

" World isn't a pub.

Kolkata is not about a pub, or a theque.

Take him to Esplanade, there are oceans of people. Take him to a mall, there are millions.
Take him just anywhere there's a crowd. Walk on roads.

And as for yourself, if you wanna do much go back to the pub, take your dozens of friends along. Why him? Why always get on your father's nerves? "

" I just wanna help him.... "

" He doesn't need your help Kalpi!! Your father knows better as to what he expects from his PA, let him do it!! "

Kalpita's face turned pale. A cloud of sadness gripped her, and she didn't know the reason.

" Wait a minute.

Do you like him, more than your friends? " , Suchandra asked.

" Whaaat??? " , Kalpita's eyes almost popped out of the sockets.

" Just a very simple question.
Does it deserve.. such a huge reaction? "

" I.... I....am not doing it because I like him or stuff, what even a question was that? " , Kalpita's throat went unusually dry. She wasn't used to such dryness.

Suchandra stared for sometime.
" Fine. Do whatever you wish. You're anyway going to do that.

But return in two hours as you said. Don't give your Dad unwanted stress. He's a hypertensive and you're a doctor. He doesn't care about you because he believes you have already spoilt yourself. But he is worried about Shivaji. "

Kalpita stayed silent.

Suchandra walked out of the room. A smile however sparkled in her eyes.

Her daughter was trying hard to change Shivaji.

However, she might be changing herself in the process, and she wasn't even aware of that.

Her daughter was amazing, but had certain flaws. Suchandra's mother instincts could see them disappear, very soon. Like, real soon.

_____

" Do you know you look like a kid who's going for a vaccine shot? " , Kalpita said, staring at a very stiff Shivaji on the backseat of the car.

" Kalpita ji.... Please rethink...
I'm not....suitable for places as....
Plus your father....my boss...scolded me so...much. "

" Let him. He's always after me and what I like. "

" You might share....a love hate relationship with him....but whatever...he does for you....is for your good....and for mine too as...my boss, I believe... "

" Opph!! Don't blabber! Two hours.
Can't you forget Devendra Chatterjee for just two hours? "

" 15 minutes!!! Only!!!!
I'll leave.....you stay..... " , Shivaji gasped.

Kalpita laughed.

Shivaji was given a jacket that belonged to her Dad, and because her Dad was lean and tall, though not as much as him, it fit on him.

Plus, a pair of jeans that Kalpita had picked up from the mall inside their compound itself, this morning.

He looked ravishing. He must have been an eye candy back in his colony.

Kalpita thought, and mentally snapped herself. She unmindfully checked into the front camera of her phone.

She looked a diva, as always. She wore a pink crop top and pipe jeans. Kept it simple, and the best.

" Fine. Fifteen minutes. " , she blinked.

_____

The smells and noises made Shivaji so giddy that he wanted to randomly puke on everyone's face around.

Kalpita pulled him by the wrist, through the crowd of the pub, as if he were a kid.

He coughed.

" Kalpita ji.... "
She turned.

" This place....is not for me...  "

" Feels, for the very first time. I too felt the same. Long back.
Come, I'll show you a corner where the sobers sit. No one drinks. Just chat amongst themselves. "

She pulled him to one side of the pub.

" Haye Raam!!! " , Shivaji shot out of her grip and stood closing his eyes.

" What happened? "

" Uh... Uh... Kalpita ji...
People around are openly..... K... K... K.... " , he squeezed his face while trying to keep only one eye open.

" Kissing?
Lol. People come here to make out and have fun. Don't sound so paranoid. "

" I will leave....
Please!!! " , Shivaji almost cried.

" Shut up!!
Sit here. " , Kalpita pushed him on one of the seats.

He sat, almost devasted.

" Listen... I..." , Kalpita couldn't finish.

Someone grabbed her hand from the sides.

"Hey babe!! Why did you leave yesterday, just like that? A single more chance is what I asked for! "

Kalpita gritted her teeth.
The same nincompoop who followed her that night.

She looked at Shivaji, who wasn't paying attention, rather was staring at the ground and chanting something with a squeezed face.

Kalpita, suddenly had this utmost desire to show off. It struck like a lightning to her brains.

She wished, that, Shivaji watch, as to how casually she could kill the opposite gender with her swag, how she could break the dance floor, and set their hearts on fire. How, she was way smarter than him and most of the world, how her aura could pull masses.

" Shivaji, stay here.

I'll just get to the dance floor with him. "

" WHAAT? No no, don't.... leave... me!! " , he screamed.

" Arey!! I'm just there, you can even see me dance!! " , Kalpita chirped.

The man next to her, threw a glance at Shivaji, and almost pulled Kalpita along.

She walked away with him, but her eyes remained fixed on Shivaji who stared at her helplessly. She blinked and reassured.

Soon, Kalpita was shaking and breaking legs to party songs, close by to the nincompoop who held her by the waist. She was quite used to such intimacies with strangers, much dire intimacies...

But.....today....all of her attentions diverted off only... to the confused, innocent, ruffled, yet, unnervingly good looking man who sat helplessly, a distance apart, with his gaze fixed only on her, as if he couldn't lose her for a second.

She suddenly choked amongst the crowd of mindless individuals around her, pushed the man she was with, hard.

Shivaji felt terrible.

Kalpita ji looked so strange, so awkward, so alien.

He couldn't recognize her.

No, he didn't even know her. Who was she?

She looked breathtaking, yet, ugly.

Yes, the surroundings she was in, didn't suite her serene face. Why did no one tell her to stop what she was doing??

Shivaji suddenly found, as if the walls of the pub were closing upon him.

He felt breathless..

He shut his eyes tight..

He felt he would collapse anytime soon.

The noise in the pub, turned into moans and groans of people.... dying....
The blue lights engulfed him slowly, as did the waters...three months back...

Shivaji knew he would collapse any moment.

He was not seeing anything around.
He jumped off the seat.

" Hey handsome!! May I help you? "

With eyes blurring out, he could just see a lady, dressed as least as possible, holding his hand.

He vigorously began shaking his head and tried to pull himself out of her grip.

Immediately, the lady was pushed away by a strong pair of hands.

" Fuck off!!! He's mine. "

Kalpita Chatterjee appeared out of nowhere and almost shoed the woman away.

Shivaji here, however, was gasping for breath.

" Shivaji!!! Are you alright???
Shivaji!!!
Shit, he's having panic attacks.......

Shivaji.... Shiva............ "

Shivaji could only hear her voice before almost passing out.

Kalpita, strong enough, through years of martial arts and gym, pulled him out of the pub.

He wasn't exactly senseless, but devoid of abilities to handle himself.

Making him sit on a bench under the clear sky outside the pub, Kalpita called Ganesh.

" Shivaji, Shivaji!! " , she emptied a bottle of water from her handbag, on his face.

He got up with a jerk, breathing heavily.

Kalpita...just wanted to slap herself endlessly. And curse herself to death. She knelt down before Shivaji,
" Are you feeling better? " , she asked as affectionately as she could. In reality, she was on the verge of bursting into tears.

Shivaji nodded sideways. He was definitely not alright. He cupped his face.

" I'm sorry Shivaji, I'm so sorry, I'm so so so sorry!!!  I'll never bring you back to this horrific place.

In fact, I'll never return to this place ever, myself...

This was the worst night of my life.

Probably, your discomfort transmitted to me so much that I wished to run away, as fast as I could.

I hated the place as much as you did. Trust me.

Forgive me...

Please forgive me...

Dad was right, so was mom.
I'm so badly stubborn. So badly stubborn.

So badly....stubborn.. "

Kalpita kept murmuring as if to herself.

Shivaji, suddenly, screamed,

" Get up... Kalpita ji... Why are you kneeling down...before me?
I'm....alright....I'm fine... "

Kalpita kept staring at his rugged self though.

He wasn't alright. At all.

And the credit went to herself.

Her mind echoed,

" Grow up Kalpita!
Just grow up!!! "

She got up, and sat beside him on the bench.

Staring intently at him.

Way more intently than she had ever stared at anyone, in life.