Let me tell you about Rehan...

I had a funny dream last night.

I was at a party in one of my more cynical phases, when Rehan turned up.

For the uninitiated Rehan's one of those guys you don't talk about. Like a third nipple. Always there but not really something you want to discuss over tea.

He was looking good (okay, he was looking incredibly gorgeous; i am trying hard to forget that about him so bear with such understatements) and he came up to me with a smile dancing on his lips. "You were lovely in the movie,", he said (!)(for the record, i am not a movie star). I smiled wryly and said, "You were lovely on stage". He's not a movie star either. Or any kind of stage performer. It was just one of those dream roles, I guess. And we started talking about something or the other - I forget what. Someone called out to him, someone decidedly female and skimpily clad though I couldn't see who it was. It was just one of those skimpily clad voices. And he said he'd be right back. As he said that and walked away, I smiled to myself thinking those were the exact words with which we'd parted two months ago. I'd hung around a while then but had finally left disappointed. This time I knew better than to wait. Was just smiling at myself sardonically wondering why we lied to each other, when I felt his hand on my waist. I looked up and saw him standing close to me, very close. He was smiling curiously and he leaned in and whispered in my ears, "I came back the last time."

I wasn't laughing when I woke up.