Love Game-Part IV

Prologue
Part I
Part II
Part III

Six months passed away and I was still with Rashmi.That was the longest I have ever been with a woman. One dawn after a night of love-making,I dragged myself out of bed with a look of dismay on my face.
Rashmi urged me on:"Come,R, my flatmates will be back soon. You don't want anyone to find you here."

I gave a deep sigh, as if to say that the night has not been nearly long enough and that it is an agony to leave. Once up, I did not instantly pull on my trousers. Instead I came close to her and whispered whatever was left unsaid during the night.Even when I was dressed,I still lingered, vaguely pretending to be fastening my belt.
Finally,the two of us stood together by the side door while I told her how I dread the coming day, which will keep us apart; then I slipped away. Rashmi watched me go, and I knew that this moment of parting will remain among her most charming memories. Indeed, a woman's attachment to a man depends largely on the elegance of his leave-taking. When he jumps out of bed, scurries about the room, tightly fastens his trouser , rolls up the sleeves of shirt, stuffs his belongings into his pockets and then flees even without a proper kiss on her cheek—one really begins to hate him.

Each one of my moves was a calculated step planned way ahead.


I hit the gym soon after.As I was leaving,a girl caught my eye. Curly tresses,honey-like complexion and an intelligent gleam in her eyes. She was smiling as the trainer explained to her the usage of the various gym equipment. I couldn't help but stare at her. I had to approach her.I just had to.

"Hi,someone seems to be still in pretty good shape so many years after college," I beamed at her.

"What?" She turned towards me and immediately a look of surprise registered on her cherubic face."Woaah,R????? Is that you??How have you been?Gossh!!!It's been so long!!"

"But finally we met.Guess the world is a small place after all," my voice rang with an enthusiasm, which perhaps in a long time, wasn't the least bit manufactured or synthetic.

Here she was.Shalini.My college crush. One I spent restless nights fantasizing about. Throughout the four years of college. The perfect victim has some quality that inspires strong emotions in you, making your wooing maneuvers seem more natural and dynamic. The perfect victim allows for the perfect chase.

Finally,my perfect victim was here.

To hook up with Shalini,my method was simple:study her, go along with her moods, find out what was missing in her life,and provide it.I had to pretend to be well-bred, polite, and generous. We went on long drives together and discussed literature.A serious and high-minded girl, she came to depend on our friendship; here was a man she could talk to for hours.There was just one obstacle.She was seeing someone else.Adarsh. Nice guy. Totally devoted to Shalini. Too bad for him.He  fell in love with the same gal I had the eye for.

One day I pretended to be  upset and excited: I confessed that I was in love with her. She was going on a date with Adarsh that night, and this was not what she wanted to hear. She told me I should take a drive to calm down.Later that evening she received news: I had met with a bike accident. Feeling responsible for my accident, she rushed to me, found me in bed, and fell into my arms, unable to control herself. We two became lovers that night.


Of course,none of this was easy.All this while,I had to focus intensely on Shalini, fathom what she is missing, what she is disappointed by. People will often reveal this in subtle ways: through gesture, tone of voice, a look in the eye. By seeming to be what they lack, you will fit their ideal.To create this effect requires patience and attention to detail. Most people are so wrapped up in their own desires, so impatient, they are incapable of investing so much effort. But to me that is only a source of infinite opportunity.I just had to be an oasis in the desert of the self-absorbed; few can resist the temptation of following a person who manages to pull that off.I stayed awake at nights Googling the literature and topics she was interested in.I finished half of the books she mentioned she had found enjoyable.I kept at the whole thing.Until she had fallen under my spell.After that, just a little ruse or calculation was needed to seal the romance.A contrived bike accident was my last move.


I had never worked so hard on a seduction before. But then again,Shalini was different. She evoked in me the feelings which I could call the closest to love.I loved her from the first year of college. And holy shit,I was in love with her all over again!!!!!

Throughout all this,Rashmi kept bugging me with emails,sms-es and phone calls.She even resorted to threatening me.She was one pissed off bitch. I wondered why she couldn't just get the message. I kept ignoring her mercilessly like an insensitive brute. But she just wouldn't stop. Rashmi was from a broken family. Her parents separated when she was only seven. Her mom could never devote much time to her. There was an enormous void in her life, which craved to be filled with affection and endearment. She longed to fill herself with me.But I was busy making other plans.I just wished she would move on and forget the hell about me. Shalini and me was all that occupied my thoughts those days.

One day,I received a sms from her.
"I want you to know
That it doesn't matter
Where we take this road
But someone's gotta go
And I want you to know
You couldn't have loved me better
But I want you to move on
So I'm already gone"

Kelly Clarkson.Already Gone. That was her favorite song. She played it many a time on her guitar. I breathed a sigh of relief. Finally,she had just decided to let go and move ahead with her life.I couldn't help feeling a tinge of guilt about the way I was treating her. I wished her a happy journey ahead through a text message and left it at that.

Two hours later I got a call from Akshay.He was the guy at whose birthday party I met Rashmi.

"R?" His voice sounded a bit shaky. I wondered what was the matter.

"Hey bro,what's up?You sound a bit off.Is everything ok?" I said into the phone.

"R,Rash..Rashmi...she.. is no more...S.she..jumped off the roof of her building."

The phone fell out of my grasp.

To be continued.....