As he neared the restaurant, he realized that he had not even thought about his strange experiences of the previous evening and that morning even once. He decided that was a good thing, as the prospect of meeting Mishti for dinner seemed a decidedly better way to spend the weekend than discovering that he was turning into some kind of freak.
He stepped into the restaurant, scanning the tables for Mishti. While he tried to project an attitude of casual nonchalance, he was sure Mishti would notice how nervous he was. His heart beating ever faster as he looked around the restaurant, Arnab finally caught a glimpse of Mishti.
Then he froze.
She was there all right, but with her were four other people-two women and two men. Mishti still had not seen him, so he took in the scene before him in silence. Mishti and her companions were all wearing expensive clothes of the sort that Arnab would occasionally stare at in malls but never really contemplate owning, and made Arnab's attempts at dressing up look woefully inadequate. His visions of a romantic dinner date already crushed, he thought about it for a second, and then quickly deposited the flowers in a nearby garbage can. By now Mishti had seen him and was waving him over. As he approached the table and awkwardly greeted everyone, he was introduced to her friends. He didn't catch all the names, but figured the chances of his meeting them socially again were pretty slim anyways. As he sat down, Mishti asked everyone to order drinks, and the women ordered cocktails, while the two men ordered beers. When it came to his turn, Arnab ordered a Coke.
'Don't you drink?' asked one of Mishti's friends, an attractive woman called Neha.
'No, actually I don't.'
The guys seemed to enjoy a chuckle at that, but Arnab was thrilled to see Mishti rise to his defence.
'I find it quite refreshing that someone isn't ashamed of saying they don't drink.'
One of the guys, a beefy man called Varun told Arnab he was an investment banker and asked him what he did. His answer was greeted with a look of disbelief.
'A librarian? Really? How do you and Mishti know each other?'
As he was fumbling for an answer, Mishti spoke up.
'He works with my Uncle. Jayantada said he's new in Delhi and doesn't have too many friends here, so I thought he might enjoy going out with us.'
Arnab nodded along and sipped his Coke in silence, but rebuked himself for having been such a fool. How could he have ever imagined that someone like Mishti could have been interested in him? She and her friends belonged to a totally different world, one in which he could never fit in. As he watched the five friends chat and laugh together, he also felt a bit angry. Yes, he was a nobody, and yes, he lived a very ordinary and boring life, but he certainly didn't need Mishti or anyone else to go out with him out of pity. He was happy just the way he was. Mishti's friends seemed to revel in talking about things that were totally alien to the world he belonged to. Varun told them about the huge bonus he had got that year and how he was looking forward to his holiday in Spain. Neha complained about how Delhi discos were just not up there when it came to music compared to what she had seen in Bangalore, while the second male companion, Vivek, talked about how he was being contacted by headhunters about new jobs that would give him a huge jump in salary. Mishti seemed so at ease with them, blending in so seamlessly into their world that Arnab felt truly alone and isolated. What could he possibly talk about that would interest them? Would they really want to know about the missing book he had tracked down, or would his dreams of getting an ordinary government job really impress them? They were the same age as him, but the more they talked about their lifestyles, the more Arnab felt that they had nothing in common, and the more he found himself feeling just how insignificant and boring his life was compared to theirs.
The rest of the evening passed with him being largely a mute spectator to the proceedings or mumbling monosyllabic replies when pushed to make conversation. At about eleven o'clock, everyone decided to call it a night, and as Arnab walked to the door, Mishti caught up with him.
'Arnab, you were really quiet tonight. Is everything okay?'
Arnab replied truthfully, 'I guess I just felt a bit out of place. Your friends are all so articulate, all so qualified, all doing such big jobs…'
Before he could complete, Mishti had put her hand on his arm.
'Oh God, Arnab. Don't ever feel that. You don't need to be anyone else to fit in. Yes, you're so unlike them-you don't drink to fit in, you don't always brag about your designation and salary, you don't always talk about work, but that's what makes you special. That's what makes you Arnab.'
There was such genuine warmth in her voice that Arnab felt almost guilty about how he had felt about her. Still, a part of him was angry at not having been called alone. He realized it was a silly feeling, as he had no basis for expecting such a thing, but then he figured he was only human, and wanting more than one had, or even deserved, was not a capital crime, was it?
Mishti realized that he was still feeling a bit miffed, and she said,
'Arnab, I'm sorry; I had no idea you would feel this way. Look, lemme make it up to you. How about a cup of coffee? Just you and me, no friends, no need to make polite conversation with them.'
Arnab was tempted, but reminded himself of what she had said about calling him because he didn't have friends, and refused the offer, saying he needed to be at work early. Mishti asked him if she could drop him anywhere, as she had driven down in Jayantada's car, but Arnab said that he would be fine. As they were about to part ways, Mishti said,
'Arnab, it was great meeting you. I'll be going back to Bangalore tomorrow, but I do travel to Delhi on work, and I hope we meet again.'
As Arnab walked to the bus stop, he realized he had behaved in a really childish and immature way, but he figured even he was sometimes entitled to having an ego, wasn't he?
***
The next morning when Arnab reached the college he was surprised to find no sign of Jayantada, who had a habit of getting to the library at least an hour before the rest of the college staff. Initially, Arnab had tried to get in earlier to keep pace with his boss, but decided over time to grab the extra hour's sleep every morning when he realized that Jayantada came in early out of habit and didn't really expect him to follow suit. When Jayantada still hadn't shown up by ten, Arnab began to get concerned and called him on his mobile. The phone seemed to ring forever before Jayantada answered, talking in a strangely muffled voice.
'Hello, Arnab?'
'Hi Jayantada. You hadn't come into work so just thought I'd check if everything's okay.'
'Arnab, I can't talk now. I'll call you in ten minutes.'
With that cryptic response, Jayantada hung up, leaving Arnab thoroughly mystified as to what was going on. When his phone rang after about fifteen minutes, Arnab grabbed it and answered after the first ring. It was Jayantada.
'Arnab, sorry, but when you had called the doctor had just come by.'