View If he had been with me flipbook.
To my favourite coincidence Maybe we were never meant to be lovers, strangers, friends, or even exes… just two souls who brushed against each other in the grand design of life. So close, yet forever apart like January and December.
10:40 Falling in love always feels like the first time. It’s always the first time.
A Letter to the reader Is janam toh mil gaya agle janam dikh mat jana. A line both of us never meant. If there are seven lifetimes , I wish you would find me in each one of them. I am writing this book to preserve each and every moment that made us feel like a whole,even if it was just for a while. Perhaps the most beautiful stories are the ones nobody planned. Somewhere between these pages,you’ll understand a little more of what I could never say.
CONTENT 1. The First Date 2. The Field 3. The Moments 4. Everything in Between 5. The Call 6. The Birthday 7. Somewhere,Someday
Chapter 1 The First Date 14 September , 4:30pm. It was almost raining when you came. I was stuck in a mess I unexpectedly created that day. My fingers kept dialing your number, even though my brain didn't remember your number but my heart did. And there were you , on the bike wearing a helmet, your purple shirt soaked in the rain. “Ek patli si ladki khadi hai” You exclaimed as I ran towards your bike , covering myself with the little hands even if it was useless. I sat behind you and my first thought was “Did I get the wrong guy?” Cause u were lean as compared to your tinder profile haha. I wonder what your first impression of me was after meeting. Were you happy? Were you confused? Were you surprised or was it like meeting your old friend? There we were. At the optical centre. Both soaked in the rain ,
running to get a spot so we could adjust ourselves. Haha to be honest , I was worried about my looks all the time. I was in a hurry to get my specs cause you know how insecure I was about my eyes. And guess what? For the rest of the date you called my eyes "hypnotising” and “nashili”. We had our little convo in front of the shop although I don't remember much of it. Went on with our date and where did we go? Vijay Nagar. Madhuram. Scheme 78. Remember how we both looked so stupid entering the restaurant? I remember we were standing near the entrance, water dripping from our clothes and hair. To be honest at that moment I felt like those two young teenage friends in old romcom movies , roaming around the city with no sense of the future. There were well dressed individuals , giving us weird looks and we were standing there laughing like fools. Entering the restaurant , after making ourselves comfortable , we ordered dosa and coffee. And how can i forget our first very short bakchodi wala vlog where we were blabbering absolute bullshit without giving a shit about our
surroundings. For the first time in my life I was this carefree with someone. I felt like “okay, with this man , I don't have to pretend anymore.” “It feels like I am meeting an old friend,” You remarked. And it all made sense. Then came the 10:40. Haha I still wonder how out of all the people in this world , I met with someone ON TINDER with the exact same birth time. Although i didnt like the dosa nor the coffee at all , I enjoyed your company. I enjoyed your yapping. The first time I felt butterflies was when I tried the coffee and it was bitter so you added some sugar and removed the foam to make sure I tried it. If you watched our vlog , you could see my reaction when you said “ab try karo” It was around 6pm when we went to TI cause you wanted to go to the photobooth and stupidly we were roaming around , trying to find the booth when it was right above us. Sitting in the food court , blabbering. Going to the photobooth , and the photos turning out as if u are being held hostage Hahah. We went to Mr.DIY, we purchased that cute bluish butterfly clutcher that will always be my favourite. Alongside
you purchased these beautiful little black and pink earrings with those white beads and golden ones. To be honest when I tried them on, they didn't suit me at all, still they would always be on the top in my jewellery box. That elevator scene still makes me red like a tomato whenever I think about it. When a man came beside me and you noticed it so you pulled me towards you good lord. Cherry on top was the stairs. Checking your strength was just an excuse , the real purpose was to be in your arms hahah also i had been thinking about the kiss quite for awhile wink. And then we were on our way to find something to eat. Remember we ate those absolute shits momo? Yeah I remember as well. Fried rice was good tho. SARTHAK , I think, was the first and last time we had enough money . Enough so we don't fight over who’s gonna pay. You called me not soon after reaching home. Did your entire family get to know about me???? Likeeeeeeee whattttttttt??? I was kinda shy there idk whyyyy. Just so you know I will always have the photo taken on our first date and i hope you do as well.
Chapter 2 The Field “Chup chap class attend kar, coaching ke bahar se pick karuga” There we were again. After a long time , that day I attended all the lectures just because you said that you would pick me up after the classes. Remember how I got lost when you said just walk straight? Hahah NVM , we went back to the hostel , i quickly changed my outfit cause i hated that orange kurti. Ate maggi secretly before coming downstairs hehe. Where did we hang out again? Yes, right!! We went on a hunt for a local dhabba. Did we find one? NO. Did we have dinner? YES. and on top of that how can i forget the field huh? MR.SARTHAK PRAJAPATI. You took me to an unknown field just because I ‘accidently’ touched your sensitive part hehe…. We never found the spot we were looking for at that road that you knew about still it became
one of those moments i cannot forget. You were so eager while I was laughing my lungs out. I did cause a lot of trouble to you Mr.Sarthak didn't I? When you picked me up in your arms and snuggled in my chest. LORD. I still blush thinking about that moment. And to be honest on that day i knew that this person was going to cause some serious trouble to me haha and guess what? You did. What haven't I done with you Sarthak? Remember our secret in the super corridor? UGHHH SO EMBARRASSING. Imagine if you lost your glasses there? I felt so guilty at that moment because somewhere I felt it was my fault that I insisted. But seeee God ji didnt let me look down on myself hahah.
Chapter 3 The Moments “The moment was so beautiful, we forgot to capture it.” Remember when we planned to dress up well? Me wearing a red kurti , you with your light blue shirt and ofcourse i can never forget your watch that you got complimented for, with that beautiful ganesh ji ki chain. We first went to pick up your costume where u consumed most of our time huh i am still kinda angry about that haha. We had finally had that meme wali malai chaap hehe and dude let me tell you IT WAS NOT WORTH 300RS. Remember when we went to Dmart , roaming here and there even though we barely had any money hehe?? And how that lady at zudio threw us out just cause we were having ice cream?? Ugh, it was fun though. Not having anywhere to go while still enjoying each and every moment just because you are with the person that you like being with? There you were again haha i think i have been to chappan with you
more times than i have explored indore combined. Remember when we were having brownie and I said “meri sugar cut hai” and lmao I ended up eating half of it. You know sarthak , with you I have eaten the most. Because I only eat properly when someone is feeding me. With you I always felt as whole. Being with you feels like there is someone behind me who will always catch me even if I fall no matter what. “Pata nahi teri patli kamar pe kaise dil aagya mera” UGH i have heard you say this alot of times,although i might give you a disgusted look,i still kinda like it muhehehe. “Your moles look very nice.” I know darling. “When I touch your waist it means I want to hug you. Why don't you understand, idiot?” Trust me baby. I did. How we both were literally crying on the bike when you told me you were getting engaged. UGH SARTHAK YOU BITCH. I still have that bottle that we bought from the Dmart and I think after several years when life puts us in front of each other , i will smash that bottle on your head and say “How long have you kept me waiting?”
Chapter 4 Everything in between Here comes the part where i dont even know how you convinced me to be closer to you. I still remember when we were just roaming around,and didn't have anywhere to go. How those people were staring at me at the petrol pump. I was being all uncomfortable while you said “sundar lag rhi hai isliye hi dekh rhe hai” I kinda blushed. Nobody has ever loved me this openly. You are clear and loud about me. You never felt ashamed to hold my hand in public or compliment me even once. That’s what I like about you, Sarthak. The thing which I like the most about you is how resilient you are. You could be going through one of the toughest times of your life and still crack jokes. But I know baby , you are also a child burdened with responsibilities. There
might have been times where you must have sat alone and thought “What am I even doing with my life” Just know that we all have been there. I am here. You are one of the best people I have met in my entire life and I hope more people could be like you. Determined. Patient. Kind. Anyways. Tell me one thing. HOW DID YOU CONVINCE ME TO GO WITH YOU??? Remember our first time when we both were laughing our ass off? Yup, that's chemistry. It was not awkward at all. All the times we have been together , it was a lot of fun. Not like those serious , structured ones. But idk what is wrong with us dude in the end we always fought by the end of it.. Not angry tho. Just curious. Did the priest tell you about this as well? Haha I will miss eating parathas from your hand , you taking of me like a baby, those morning where i woke specifically just to meet you , waiting for your calls in the hope of you saying “Taiyar hoja niche khada hu” And out of all these I will miss you saying “Saamne khadi ho phele mere” and randomly complimenting me “sundar toh hai tu”
Chapter 5 The Call How can I ever forget the drunk calls? The first time I called you was when I was drunk in the afternoon. I could barely stand up or properly talk. I was uttering absolute bullshit. How my eyeliner got wasted , how I lost my clips and most importantly “meri wajah se pareshan ho gaye aap” cause you already had a fever when you picked me up. I swear when I saw you I thought you would be so angry at me. Even though you were, you didn't shout at me. Thank you for that. I guess it was the first time I cried in front of you? And apologised for ruining your shirt. You took care of me like a baby and I appreciate that. I just remember how comfortable I was dialing your number whenever I felt like something was going wrong. Because in the back of my mind I had a person who said “If anything goes wrong, just call me and I will be there.”
Chapter 6 The Birthday Here comes a banger. 22 October. I had dreams of celebrating my birthday in a cute long dress with cute heels expecting you to give me a cute little surprise ,cutting the cake together. Ugh nvm. Can't blame you. A few days back you nearly gave me a heart attack but i still survived so thank you and also Mr.Prajapati you did ghost a day before my birthday. I know I know you were hospitalized but that was before I knew. I had a lot of emotions bottled up and when you said “Aaj ke baad kabhi nahi miluga” all my abandonment fear came over. I never wanted to lose you and I felt so bad to make you come to me in the middle of night at literally 3am in this freezing cold. I was so scared when I walked up to you because I knew you were hurt. There we were standing on the dark road , addressing things which are going to get us nowhere. It felt like a movie scene where the main leads are parting ways but still
wanting to be in each other's arms. “You are a dream i never want to wake up from” The way we cried in each other's arms indicates that there was something between us which was untold yet pure. Even though we never confessed properly , we both knew what it was. You were right. “Mat karr lala mat kar” I know you didn't like it when i went on my knees to make you stay but you know Sarthak , i can do every single thing for the people that I love and for those who I know are pure by heart no matter how much ego i have . Me running towards you only to ask about the gainer. It was never about the gainer Sarthak. The gainer was the last thing keeping me attached to you so that I could have an excuse to talk to you. The birthday was the worst. God knows what thoughts I had. How much I cried for you. You will never know. But at the end of the day I convinced myself that this is coming to an end. Even though my mind accepted that, I know my heart never will. And I will always have the soft corner for you that I have today. 2 years , 5 years , 10 years. You were my first experience of everything.
Chapter 7 Somewhere , Someday I wonder sometimes what our story would have looked like if life had been a little kinder. I wonder about the simple things. All those little things that people take for granted when they know they get to see each other tomorrow. Funny, isn't it? We met through tinder. Two profiles among thousands, two strangers who swiped in the same direction. Here I am, writing an entire chapter about that stranger. Sometimes I think about that coincidence. Two people born exactly at 10:40 in the morning, living lives , completely unaware that the other existed. And then a little swipe brought them into the same story. You were a stranger once. A stranger I wouldn't have recognised in a crowd and somehow, you became someone whose smallest details I want to remember. I hope when you come across the title of this book someday , you remember the little us who started it all. I hope somewhere in the future,
our paths will cross again.When we're both a little older and have become the people we once spoke about becoming. When we've built our careers, achieved the things we once only talked about. And I wonder what that meeting would feel like. Would we recognise each other immediately? Would we laugh about how everything started? Would we sit across from each other and talk about all the years and everything life has taught us in between? I wonder if we'd still have that same vibe. If the conversations would come naturally and so does the bakchodi. If we would look at each other and realise that, despite everything that happened in between, some connections are rather difficult to explain. I hope you become everything you've ever wanted to be. I hope life takes you to beautiful places and gives you reasons to be proud of yourself. And I hope the same for me. And if our stories happen to meet again, I hope we get to smile at the absurdity of it all. Maybe this time, we get to find out what could happen. If I
could go back to that first swipe, knowing everything I know now, I think I'd still want to read this story. “If there is somewhere, someday for us, I hope we meet there as two people who finally get to see what happens when nothing stands in the way.”
One last thing. If you ever read these pages again, I hope you remember us kindly. Not for what we couldn't become, but for the little story we got to have. Somewhere, someday.