Three Mistakes of My Life by Chetan Bhagat

initiative. I felt something warm on my lips and realised that we have come too
dose, or maybe too far.
We kissed again. The mosquitoes on our respective heads re-joined.
I'd love to say I saw stars and heard sweet, music during my first kiss. But the
dominating background sounds were (a) Vidya's mom's pressure cooker whistle
from downstairs in the kitchen, (b) the campaign sounds from the autos of
various parties for the upcoming elections and (c) the constant buzz of the
mozzies. But when you are in the middle of a kiss, sound and sight get muted I
checked once to see if the other terraces were empty. Then I closed my eyes.
'Vidya, what are we doing,' I said, not letting her go. I couldn't stop. Probability,
algebra, trigonometry and calculus - the passion held back in all those classes
came blazing out.
'It's fine, it's fine,' she kept reassuring me and kissing me.
We broke away from each other because even passionate people need oxygen.
She looked at me with a big grin.
I packed my pens and books. No maths tonight.
'Why aren't you making eye contact?' She remarked, mischief in her voice.
I kept silent.
'You are older than me and a hundred times better than me in maths. But, in
some ways, I am way more mature than you.' 'Oh, yeah?' I challenged weakly,
collecting the textbooks. She pulled my chin up.
'I am turning eighteen. I can do whatever I want,' she said. The loudspeaker of
a campaign auto continued in the background. 'I can vote in that election,' she
continued, 'I can have a bank account, I can marry, I can...'
'Study. You can also try to get into a good college,' I interrupted
her.
She laughed. We stood up and walked over to the watertank on the terrace. We
leaned against the tank and saw the sunset. We talked about everything other
than maths. I told her about the academy, the dinner with Fred, the blue
Australian sky and the loamy water on Bondi beach.
She listened in excitement. She said she wished she could have a home on the
beach and how she would colour the walls inside pink and yellow. It is amazing
how specific girls can get about hypothetical scenarios. 'Want coffee?' she said.
'You'll have to go down?' I said as I held her hand on instinct. A voice in me
still protested, but now that voice had no volume.
'No, I have a secret stash under the water tank. Come,' she said and pulled at
my hand.
The five feet cubical cement water tank was raised from the ground on
reinforced concrete pillars. Between the tank and the ground, there was a gap of
four feet We could sit on the ground under the tank.
'This is my favourite place since I was a kid,' she said. I bent on my knees and'
slid inside, following her. She pulled out a picnic basket. It had a thermos flask,
red plastic cups and Marie biscuits.
'Welcome to Vidya's rooftop cafe" sir,' she said and passed me a cup.
I looked at her. She is too beautiful to study maths. Maths is for losers like me.
I took a sip. My lips still felt the sensation of her lips. I rested on my elbow but
the concrete surface hurt.
'I'll get cushions next time,' she said. 'It's fine,' I said.