A MATCH…a romance/Raakhee Suryaprakash

A MATCH
AT THE
BATCH OF THE MILLENNIUM REUNION
by Raakhee Suryaprakash

“Rose, it’s been a decade! I’m organising this reunion, you shouldn’t punish all your
classmates just because Nik was a jerk. We want to see you … I want to see you.” Rose
Rutledge tried to tune out Sushmita’s nagging as turquoise eyes conveyed her frustration
to Ryan who stood next to her on the balcony of her apartment in London’s elite
Kensington Palace Gardens. Sushmita’s nagging on the phone was loud enough to be
heard by her agent and friend but he stayed suspiciously expressionless as Sushmita
continued despite Rose’s silence.

“You can spare the time from writing bestsellers to party with Prince William but you
don’t have time to spend one weekend with your best friend …no time for one day with
the your batch of the millennium? Where is the fairness in that babe?”

“Sush, it’s the Christmas weekend how can you except me to spend it with friends instead
of family?” This statement prompted a pat reply which revealed that the entire set-up was
staged.

“Don’t bluff girl, Ryan already told me your parents will be in Johannesburg doing
whatever diplomats do over holidays! You were planning to be alone this Christmas. Isn’t
it better to spend it in Goa with me?” As Rose pushed her red-highlighted brown locks
from her eloquent eyes to glare at Ryan, he pulled the mobile from her ear saying, “Okay
Sushmita, the game is up, I’ll handle it from here” before cutting the call.

“Rose, considering you owe the success of your first book to your Indian friends and fans
I think it’s unfair that in a decade you are yet to return there for a book signing. It’s time
to get some closure, gal.”

Rose, already a prisoner to her memories, replied softly “You don’t know what you’re
talking about Ryan Mackenzie.”
***
Modern Higher Secondary, Goa, 15 March 2000
As the deejay dimmed the lights and the strains of Richard Marx and Donna Lewis’ “At
the Beginning with You” started, a hand tapped Rose’s shoulder, “May I have this dance
Cinders.” Rose dressed as Cinderella turned to smile into the grey eyes of her Prince
Charming.
“Anytime Nik, anytime.”

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As she savoured her first dance with Nik in the two years she had known him, Rose
silently mused on what other surprises this Fancy Dress Batch of the Millennium
Farewell would yield. Little did she guess then the repercussions.

Deep attraction kept Nik and Rose silent as they danced to the poignant song from
Anastasia but not for long, someone cut in on them. Kiran Sood, Nik’s family friend,
stood like a rock barring their progress, “Rose, stop hogging time with the only guy in
our class who can dance, run along and dance with someone from your Commerce batch.
Leave our Science hero to us.” When Rose tried to pull out of Nik’s arms, he whispered
into her ear “Meet me near the canteen in five minutes Rose, I need to talk to you.” And
then turned a frown at Kiran’s rudeness.

As Rose walked away to join Sushmita, Kiran commented caustically, “I know you are
trying to be hip and environmentally friendly by carpooling with her Nik, but it’s taking it
too far if you hang out with her on our last day in school too.”

“She’s also my friend, Kiran.”

“Some friend she is, she is jealous of your popularity and intelligence and comments to
all and sundry that you’ll amount to nothing once you finish school, you’re just another
rich brat with no social consciousness and no commitment,” Nik tried to locate Rose as
his face darkened on hearing Kiran’s cutting words but couldn’t find her. Kiran
meanwhile snagged a passing classmate and pinched a warning as she instructed, “Ask
anyone and they’ll tell you, tell him Alex what Rose told you about him.” To which Alex
stammered to his classmate “S-she’s telling the truth man, Rose is bad news.”

***
After waiting in vain for half an hour near the unlit canteen and the fighting her mild
phobia of the dark for the chance of a private tête-à-tête with the man of her dream, Rose
dejectedly walked back to the school auditorium only to see Nik and Kiran necking just
outside. Heartbroken, Rose rushed to the car park only to remember that she had come in
Nik’s car. Turning, she runs out of the school gate and jumps into the first rickshaw to
pass by. Rose didn’t see Nik’s eyes following her and he in turn couldn’t fathom the
person who caused his unhappiness wasn’t the one running away but was the one
smirking in his arms.

***
Modern Higher Secondary, Boxing Day, 2009

“Before we start the dancing I would like to thank all of you for coming and making this
Batch of the Millennium Reunion a memorable event … and you guys ain’t seen nothin’
yet!” Sushmita as the emcee for the evening was having the time of her life even as Rose
allowed her words to wash over without listening as she tried in vain to avoid looking at
Nik, sorry now Dr. Nik, who was sitting at a table opposite her glaring, a persistent
nemesis.

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She nearly missed Sushmita’s mercilessness.

“And now, it’s my pleasure to announce the result of the Batch of the Millennium’s ‘Most
changed’ vote … no surprises here friends, I call on stage the author of the 17 bestselling
Adventures of the Intrepid Rhiannon Rice books including Gone from Goa and
Transylvanian Tryst—Rose Rutledge. I also call on stage our one man army for social
change in India’s Northeast …our very own Dr. Nikhil Vaid … lately of the Northeast
Rural Health Service Scheme. I call upon our classmate and now principal of Modern
Higher Secondary, Alex Thomas to present the sashes to our overachievers. Come on up
guys … don’t be shy.”

Helpless in the face of the applause, Rose joined Sushmita, Nik, and Alex on stage and
suffered through the awarding of “Most changed” sashes. But the torture was not over as
Sushmita continued, “I request our ‘Most changed’ couple to lead the first dance of the
evening.”

As they danced together only for the second time in their lives, Nik broke the silence,
which for both had too much residual sexual tension despite their star-crossed past, “How
have you been Rose, I hear you are living it up in London nowadays, how come you
never returned to Goa?”

Turquoise eyes widened in pain and confusion at the unexpectedly confrontational track
taken by Nik, “I had nothing to return to, and I had Christ’s College and a future in
Cambridge to keep me busy, why would I return?”

“I find it ironic that you spent our school days together commenting on my frivolity but
now you’ve become the original party gal.”

“What are you talking about Nik?”

Accusingly Nik continued as though Rose hadn’t spoken, “Even in the wilds of Assam I
hear that a London party is not considered a success unless you grace it with your
presence. All this after calling me a conscienceless rich brat behind my back. I thought
we were friends, now I see nothing but a hypocrite.” Voicing the decade-old bitterness
Nik turned to abandon her on the dance floor but, angered almost beyond coherency,
Rose clutched his arm.

“W-what the hell do you mean?”

As the music stopped, signalling the end of the dance, his voice echoed in the auditorium.

“I’m talking about your hypocrisy, ask any one.”

“I have never said anything as stupid as that, and however much you deserve to be called
conscienceless because of what you did the last time we were here I never said anything,
I just put everything behind me and moved back home.” Her voice broke with
remembered emotions, “I should never have returned.”

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“That’s where you are wrong Rose, and we were all sick of seeing two people who were
made for each other kept apart for so long because of the words of a malicious bitch,”
interjected Principal Alex.
“Kiran didn’t have the guts to show up today but let me tell you, Nik, what she told you
that day was a lie. She blackmailed me into convincing you because she knew I was
dating Faiza, now my wife, without our parents’ knowledge. She threatened to go to
Faiza’s parents at a time when we weren’t equipped to face the consequences of our
budding romance. I’m so sorry. I have been waiting a decade to apologize to you both.”

Both Rose and Nik are shocked speechless and Sushmita immediately puts in her two
cents worth.
“Oh, and Nik, Rose is not an ordinary party girl, she parties with a purpose to raise funds
for innumerable charities across the globe. And you know the really ironic thing Nik, she
became a party animal to prove a point to you and Kiran. Kiran had told her that you’d
never see her as anything but a nervous nerd. And you, you developed your crusading
tendencies to disprove Kiran’s lies about Rose’s opinion of you. And after all these years,
despite being soul mates in all our eyes, you’ve stayed away from each other because of
this misunderstanding! What a waste!”

Turning to Rose, Nik almost pleaded “I never said anything like that Rose, I have always
admired you, I love you, even while I believed Kiran’s lies I could never forget you or my
feelings for you. Please believe me.”

This desperate declaration from a proud man thawed Rose’s long-frozen heart and much
to the delight of all their matchmaking classmates she threw herself into Nik’s surprised
arms, curled her fingers in his dark curls as she had dreamed for over a decade, and
shared their long-delayed first kiss to the sound of applause from everyone at that
memorable Batch of the Millennium Reunion.

***
Assam, India, Boxing Day 2010

As Nik watched the sunrise over the Brahmaputra, he felt Rose’s arms go around his
waist. “Happy Anniversary, darling … You left bed early but you’re still here. How come
you aren’t downstairs at the medical centre? Hasn’t Dr. Goel opened shop yet?”

Nik turned to kiss his wife and breathed on her lips, “Same to you Sweetheart. I was
waiting for you.” After thoroughly kissing and rumpling his wife he hugged her hard and
said, “Congrats! Ryan called, Arrived in Assam has been nominated the Book of the Year
by your publisher. They’ll be donating half a million pounds to the Health for Assam
programme.”

“Wow, darling, what a lovely thing to hear first thing today, what with the proceeds from
the sales of Lucky in London, the generous donations of our classmates, and your Dad
sponsoring of building equipment and material, our target for the year has been achieved,

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we’ll be able to build and staff ten medical centres without any problems. This is just
perfect.”

Nik takes Rose’s hand and slips an eternity ring over her princess-cut diamond
engagement ring. As her beautiful eyes widened, Nik laughed, “A perk of having a rich
husband with an active conscience sweetheart, I love you beyond forever … thanks for
making my life complete Rose.”

Eyes twinkling with mischief and with her happiness at her secret Rose scattered kisses
across Nik’s face saying between them “O-o-oh…good news and a gift, and I have given
you nothing yet.” She pulls back and looked into her husband’s beautiful grey eyes and
gives him the best gift in the world, “Well, I love you more … and I have good new to
share too, I got it confirmed with Dr. Goel. This time next near we’ll be three not two.”

Speechless with joy, Nik hugged her tight with a single tear, a testimony to a heart
overflowing joy, shining in the corner of his eye.

And there along the lush banks of the Brahmaputra they lived happily ever after.
***********