Ink and Kohl - Part I

There’s one body, there’s one soul

But they don’t belong together.

It has one mind, and a beating heart

But neither of them cares for another.

“What are you writing?” Rehaan looked up from his diary at Giya and sighed. No matter how many times he refused to answer that question, she just wouldn’t give up asking.

“Nothing.” He tucked the pen into the journal and closed it.

Giya gave him a suspicious look and sat in front of him. “You know you can tell me anything, right?” She placed two coffee cups on the table and gestured him to take one.

Rehaan took one cup and lifted it to his lips. “Thanks.”

Giya kept looking at him with narrow eyes. “Will you ever tell me what you keep writing in your precious journal?”

 “Sure. One day.” He nodded with a sweet smile and then added, “I like your scarf.”

Years and years of practice! Rehaan never showed his journals to anyone. Ever. As far as anyone knew him, he didn’t even have any journal to hide one, except Giya. Somehow she knew. She always knew everything. Well, almost  everything. And that’s something he was not comfortable with. So whenever she started asking about his journal, which is his own secret world he would simply distract her. And what better topic to distract a woman other than her outfit? In Rehaan’s defense, it always worked. 

Giya’s eyes brightened at his comment. “Thank you. I like it too.”

“Of course you liked it. It was what Revati advised on her blog the other day.” Both of them turned to look at Gina who had a smirk on her face. “And guess what? It’s exactly like mine.” She pointed to the scarf wrapped around her own neck.

Rehaan looked at both the girls and chuckled for he knew what was coming next. The twin sisters were trouble. He knew that better than anyone.

Giya glared at Gina who sat beside her. “Couldn’t you have worn that scarf some other day?”

Gina laughed and blew her a kiss. “You could have done the same sweetheart.”

“But it was my idea to buy that scarf!” Giya complained.

“That’s because I didn’t get the time to read Saturday’s article, Giya,” Gina said in a mocking tone.

“But…”

“Shush! Save it for some other time.” Gina winked at Rehaan and lifted Giya’s coffee cup but before she could take a sip from it Giya snatched it back from her.

Rehaan, who was barely suppressing his laughter, started chuckling at them. “I don’t get it. Why does it even matter, Giya? You guys look alike.”

“Exactly,” Gina chimed in. “Don’t worry, pouty lips. I’ll tell everyone I’m Giya. That way it would be only you wearing the scarf.”

Rehaan snickered and shut his mouth when Giya started shooting daggers at them. “It was me, who read the article first. I…”

“Oh don’t start again,” Gina cut her off with a wave of her hand. “Lots of people read Ink and Kohl. You wouldn’t have been the only person to grab those outfits that Revati suggests and wears them the very next day.”

“Hey, chill both of you, okay?” Rehaan interrupted in between. He knew if he wouldn’t stop their bickering, it would go only worse. “It’s just a scarf. I don’t get your fascination with this blog, seriously.”

“Oh just shut up.” Both the girls snapped at the same time. Rehaan smiled inwardly at their reaction.

“Talk about obsession.” He muttered under his breath.

“Don’t you dare belittle Revati. She writes the best fashion blog.” Giya defended. “Yeah, I love her poems too. Ask any girl who reads Ink and Kohl.” Gina agreed with her sister.

Rehaan tried to control his mirth. Of all the people he knew, Gina is the least likely person who would understand the real emotions behind a poem. Giya, on the other hand, would quickly grasp it and he dreaded the day she would find his journals.

It wasn’t like he didn’t trust her with his secrets. It was just that he wasn’t ready to share them. At least, not yet, and more likely he would never be.

“Fine.” He raised his hands in defeat. “I won’t say anymore. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to go.” He lifted his journal and slid it into his bag. He looked up and surely Giya was looking at him like a hawk.

“Oh wait, Rehaan,” Gina squeaked and handed him a paper. “The list came out today. Congratulations, you’ve got the role of Draupadi.”

Rehaan’s smile widened when he looked at his name on the list. He wanted to play that role badly. And when their teachers announced that only boys are to be doing the acting part and girls would handle the other jobs, he didn’t hesitate to audition for this character.

“I don’t get it,” Giya frowned at him. “I am the director of this play; I could have easily let you play as Arjun.”

Rehaan stood up and smiled at her. “In this age where almost every other man is a Duryodhana, where would you get a guy who would play Draupadi with all his heart, Giya? Where will you find a guy who would embrace the character like I would do?”

Giya grinned and said, “Rehearsals start tomorrow, Draupadi.” Rehaan gave her a salute with twinkling eyes and walked away while her eyes followed him.

“Stop looking at him like that,” Gina teased her. “He is cute, but if he gets some muscles on that body, he would look hot.”

Giya rolled her eyes and Gina started chattering about how she would have loved to play Draupadi in the act. She was talking about how nice it must feel to have so many guys crazy for you. Giya kept looking at the place where Rehaan was sitting and thought that for her only one guy would have sufficed.

***

Rehaan entered his parents’ bedroom with caution and walked across the room to the full-length mirror fitted into the wall. He looked at the vanity beside it and stared at his mother’s paraphernalia. His eyes fell on a lipstick tube which was looking new. He looked behind him at the door and when he was sure no one was there, he lifted that tube.

His mother walked into the room just as he was about to apply her new lipstick.

She was startled. He was startled.

“What are you doing with my lipstick? It’s new… I haven’t used it so far. Couldn’t you have waited?”

He smiled and handed it back to her. “I forgot to tell you… I am playing Draupadi in our college production… rehearsals start this evening.”

His mother hesitated to speak but before she could open her mouth, a strong male voice spoke behind her.

“Huh. What a shame! My son playing a woman’s character.” Rehaan looked at his father who was looking at him in disdain. He quickly looked down at his feet.

“First couldn’t even choose a proper career and now couldn’t even play a man’s role. Could you ruin my name anymore? Bring more shame to my name?” His father snarled at him but Rehaan didn’t dare lift his head or utter even a single word.

This wasn’t the first time when Rehaan had to suffer his father’s wrath. In the family of doctors, Rehaan was the only person who wanted to pursue a degree in arts. Time and again his father had shown his distaste for him. Earlier he used to argue back. But when one day his father lifted his hand on him, Rehaan decided not to fuel his anger anymore.

“Leave him, Prakash,” Rehaan’s mother stopped his father from talking anymore. “We have a meeting. Let’s hurry.”  

Always the mediator, Rehaan thought. His father collected few files from his table and left the room, all the while muttering curses at him. His mother gave him a strange look before she followed his father. He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the slam of the front door behind them.

...To be Continued