‘Vampire’ Venkatakrishnan

 I can't dance

Hmm... Well, I could always make you.

I'm not scared of you.

Well you really shouldn't have said that........

“Stella, do you mind talking with us. If you are going to watch this stupid movie for the 356^th time, you could have very well stayed in your hostel”, Roshni was yelling on top of her voice.

Stella was unperturbed and turned towards Roshni with a giggle and replied, “Ok Dear, I will switch it off. I will see it in my hostel. I am all yours”.

“Don’t you ever get bored of this movie?  Is this the first part“, Durga joined the conversation.

“Vampires are so cute dear. Just look at Edward’s eyes, his skin and his complexion. He is probably the smartest person alive”, Stella replied with a smile.

“He is cute alright, but in the movie he is a Vampire”, Roshni retorted.

“That’s the whole point dear. He is cute because he is a Vampire. Vampires are so very adorable”, Stella.

“Yuck, they are blood sucking monsters”, Roshni.

“But the Cullens don’t have human blood and moreover they are cute”, Stella persisted.

“Ok dear, cool down. But are these vampires for real?” Durga has always been the doubting Thomas in the bunch.

“I wish they are. They are so very cute and charming”, Stella.

“Go and marry a vampire”, Roshni got into her sarcastic best.

“I wish I could”

“Jesus Christ!!! Are you serious Stella?”

“I am damn serious. Marrying a Vampire is my goal, for the time being, I can date one”, Stella replied with a chuckle.

“You are sick. Cut the crap, when are you vacating the hostel and joining us”

“I believe the hostel is more comfortable dear. When I have plans to vacate, I will surely let you know” Stella was noncommittal as always.

“It is your wish madam. I believe it will be fun, if you stay with me and Durga” Roshni was not impressed.

“That’s Ok dear. It is getting late, I will leave now”

“Have dinner and leave Snowy”

“Thanks. But, I have yesterday’s leftover. I need to finish them”

Stella left the house and took the lonely walk back to her hostel. It was a 5 minute walk and all along the way, she was thinking of Bella and Edward from Twilight.

                                    ****************************

“Girls, I have breaking news. Guess who is back in town”, Roshni was talking on the top of her voice.

Stella joined them with her Mayo sandwich and was detached from the other girls as usual. The other girls were trying to guess the person but failed.

“Let me give a clue. He is 6 foot 2 inches tall, fair and handsome”, Roshni looked at the other girls and continued. “He was the winner of Mr. Indian Technologies for 3 consecutive years and is back in India after 2 years”

“You girls are dumb. Krish is back in town. He waved at me near the elevator” Roshni could not stop her enthusiasm and was all smiles.

Krish, originally named Mylapore Venkatakrishnan Seshadri was the smartest person in the company. He was a model and took great care of his looks. He was the dream-boy for most of the girls in the company. He was a Casanova and the darling of the masses. He was back from London and the girls who joined the company before 2 years were going gaga over his return.

There was commotion near their table when Krish walked up to meet Roshni.  Two girls were giggling and were signaling to Roshni to introduce them. Durga was ogling at Krish and the other girls were talking to him. Stella returned after placing her plates and saw Krish’s back from a distance. She had an unassuming look and walked towards the table. Roshni, who was smiling from ear to ear, looked at Stella and gestured to come quickly.

“Krish, this is our new friend, we call her Snow White but she prefers Stella”, she giggled.

“Hi Stella, Krish”, he said with a coarse voice and shook her hands. He looked deep into her eyes and smiled. Stella smiled back and looked away. Over the next 5 minutes, Stella looked at Krish secretly every now and then, but never uttered a word.

God, he is so damn cute, she thought but never told it out.

Krish was having a great time with the girls and the girls enjoyed every bit of the conversation.

“Girls, I am really running out of time. I want to go to the claims desk. Can someone help me?”

“I will take you Mr.Handsome”, Roshni replied and got up from her desk.

“I had a wonderful time girls, See you sometime later, Bye”, Krish left the table but turned back abruptly. He looked at Stella into her eyes, smiled and wore his Ray-Ban and left the place.

Stella was feeling nice, something about Krish was impressive. He was smart, witty and sparkly. She had never seen a guy like Krish and was looking forward to befriend him.

                                    ****************************

As days passed on, Krish got friendly with the girls and started to accompany them after having his breakfast at his desk. He would spend the time listening to all the gossips. Stella would look at him but would always limit her conversations. The girls would tease Stella and her love for Vampires but Krish would silently listen. Stella firmly believed there was a secret chemistry building between her and Krish. But, she would always ignore Krish and talk with the other girls. Krish was doing the same thing. He would not talk with Stella but the girls sitting beside her. He would secretly look at Stella and see if she was laughing for his jokes.

It was a Friday evening, when it all began.  Roshni was walking between Krish and Stella as they were planning to leave the office. Roshni was in her light blue jean with a red t-shirt. Stella was wearing a black Anarkali with prints all over it. Krish was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt. Stella was happy to see that both of them were in black. Stella got a call and continued to walk outside the office when she realized Roshni and Krish were not with her. She turned back and saw, Krish having an animated discussion with her. Stella was 100 meters away from them, when the unthinkable happened. A black color VW Polo was speeding towards Stella and was just a couple of meters away. She yelled at the top of her voice and closed her ears with her hands when someone pulled her by the waist. It took her a couple of minutes to get back to her senses and realize what had happened. Krish was behind her, holding her left hand with his left and had his right hand around her stomach. He had pulled her in the nick of time to save her life. He smiled and asked her to relax.

“We’ll get back to the Office and leave in 10 minutes”, he looked at her with a quizzical expression.

Stella was dumbstruck to react and listened to him and walked back to the office. What she could not understand was how Krish could cover 100 or 150 meters within seconds. He has miraculously appeared out of nowhere to save her life. She did not want to ask him and make a fool of herself but that question started to trouble her every now and then.

                                    ****************************

The company organized for a grand dinner at the Residency after a record breaking quarter. The senior officials were boozing and having fun. The younger lot was trying to reduce the company profits by having as much food as possible. Krish was sitting with the girls when he realized that Stella was missing. He looked around and found her near the lobby. He excused himself from the other girls and walked towards her.

“Hello Snow White”, he called into her ears.

“Hey… Why are you here? I thought you will be having the chicken legs and mutton kheema, but you are here? “

“I am fasting today. I will not have lunch and dinner on Fridays. What about you?”

“I am not well Krish; I get sick when I see so much food”

“We are pretty much similar”, he smiled at her and winked.

He gets a call from the VP and takes leave. Stella was surprised to see someone so religious. He must be a man of conviction to avoid food at such a big gathering she told herself.

Roshni came running towards Stella along with Durga. She was panting and took a couple of seconds to become normal and looked at Stella.

“Stella have you ever seen Krish have food?”

Stella was stunned by the question. Krish has always told them that he would have his breakfast at his desk and never had it with them. He goes home for lunch and today when they are out for dinner, he skips it. Stella was shocked but did not respond.

She was thinking about the Car incident and Krish’s eating habit or the lack of it. Something was missing here and she decided to solve this mystery.

                                    ****************************

Like all IT projects, Stella’s project was running out of time and money and she had to slog for long hours to complete her task. Her manager, a strict taskmaster was very particular about working long hours.

Stella was tired and bored to the core. The other members in the team were busy with their work while Stella had completed her initial task and was waiting for her teammates. She looked at her watch, 03:12.

She wanted to talk with someone to come out of this boredom. She had not met Roshni, Durga and Krish for the past 3 days. The long hours was taking a toll on her morale. She remembered something Krish had told her long back. “Your best friend is the one, who will pick your call at 2 am”. Let me try this on these girls. She called the girls and they did not pick her call. After a lot of hesitation, she decided to call Krish. She wanted to call him but was feeling uncomfortable for some strange reason. But, she decided to take the plunge and dialed his number. Even before the first ring was completed, he picked the call. Stella was surprised, happy and puzzled at one go. He gave a pep talk and shared some funny incidents which spurred her up. She was feeling blessed to find a friend like Krish but again these night calls increased her doubts. He works for 12 hours in the morning and is wide awake in the night. The night calls became a regular activity and Stella was looking forward for the night shift to call him. She was all by herself when she spoke with him. He was knowledgeable friend who was there for her always. She felt that she had found her perfect match. He was obviously not human and he isn’t accepting it.

Stella’s mind was full of questions. Her suspicion started to grow right from the Car incident. Over the past 6 months, she has never seen Krish eat or drink. He never sleeps and is always available. Her knowledge about Vampires tells that he is one. But, she doesn’t have the audacity to ask it straight on his face. But again, what is the need to ask, when she knows the answer?

                                    ****************************

Stella wants to tell it out but is scared of the outcome. She knows that he is also in love, but neither of them is ready to confess. Stella was confused as ever when her mobile rang. It was Krish.

“Hi Krish”

“Hey Snowy... I have good news and a bad news. Which one should I tell first?”

“You decide…” Stella knew what was coming.

“Ok. I will start with the bad news. I am travelling to the US in a week and will come back only after a year”

“That isn’t a bad thing. You always loved US. What is the good news?

“You sound very gloomy girl. The good news is that we are going out tonight. We are going to a wonderful place, which you will love. We are going alone and it is going to be legendary” he laughed like Barney.

“Hmmm. But, why are we going out suddenly?”

“There are certain things that I should tell you. I have been waiting for the right place and time.”

Stella was both happy and sad. She was happy because he has got the courage to tell it out and sad because he is going to leave her soon.

She called up the parlor and booked an appointment. She bunked office and picked her best outfit. She decided to wear black. The car incident was the one which incited this relationship and so, she wanted to wear the same color. She took her Avirate Black Pleated Fit & Flare Dress which fit her perfectly. It was slightly above her knees. She removed all her rings and wore a single black bracelet. She took her Steve Madden black wallet in her right hand. Her fair complexion and the black dress made her look absolutely stunning. She stood in front of the mirror and made every possible adjustment to make her look gorgeous.

At 7.00, black colored VW Polo, stopped in front of her hostel and Krish got out of the Car. He was wearing a black Armani suit and was looking equally impressive. She got into the car after exchanging pleasantries. The black color VW Polo was making her uncomfortable. He drove to Fisherman’s Cove and opened the door for her. He took her left hand in his right and directed her to the beach. She was stunned by the initial sight. There was a private table set near the beach and a bunch of musicians were playing the violin. They greeted her with a smile and were playing her favorite number. She was overwhelmed by the setup and leaned on his shoulder. He smiled at her and helped her with the chair. They sat very close to each other and she looked into his eyes. Those deep black eyes were full of love. He is the person of her dreams. He is now sitting right next to her and looking at her face with love.

He looked into her eyes and lifted her chin with his right hand. He took his face close to hers. She closed her eyes and moved towards him. He paused for a bit and said,

“I want to tell you something“

She whispered quietly, “Do you really want to tell it right now?” with her eyes still shut.

“Yes Honey that would make me feel nice”, he continued.

“Can we send the Orchestra then”, her eyes were still closed.

He gestured at them to leave and continued.

“I fell in love with you, when I saw you in the food court for the first time. You were stunningly beautiful but pretty hard to approach. I spent some time to learn about your likes and dislikes and Roshni told about your obsession towards twilight and vampires. I decided to take advantage of it and planned everything meticulously. The Car which was about to hit you was my friends car and I had purchased 2 black hooded sweatshirts in advance. I made a friend wear that and talk with Roshni when I moved near you and asked another friend to scare you with the Car. The party in Residency, the late night calls was all pre-planned. I just wanted to make you fall in love with me and stooped to such levels. I am not a Vampire but a mere mortal. I faked everything to make you love me, but my love is true. Forgive me, my dear. His tone was apologetic and his eyes were moist as he finished his confession.

He paused for a bit and looked at her face. Her eyes were still closed and he moved towards her. She opened her eyes, looked deep into his eyes and smiled gently. She took a deep breath and put her left hand around his shoulder and moved closer. She took her right hand and gently closed his eyes and lifted his chin. She moved closer and placed herself on his lap. Her face turned pale. Her eyes turned red and her teeth were protruding. She put her right hand on his hair and pulled it down. She placed her teeth on his neck and tasted his blood and said, “You are not a mere mortal anymore”.