Ananya's p.o.v.
"Aaahhh!"
"Aaaahhhhhh! What happened?" I jumped on almost losing my heart at Neha's sudden yelling at top volume.
"Are you mad? Why are you yelling this loudly at this time? The whole building will wake up.?" I said sitting down on the bed.
"And what are you doing at this time? Do you even have any idea how it feels when it's midnight, everything is dark and you just opened your eyes and see someone roaming in front of you wearing a white dress, face covered with open hair flying in the air? You were just about to give me a heart attack, you ghosty?" She said while keeping a hand on her chest.
"I couldn't sleep."
"Why?" She asked me getting concerned.
I felt nervous. My throat went dry. I took a glass of water and gulped it. It's getting impossible for me to keep everything within me and think alone.
"Neha, I want to tell you something," I whispered.
She took my palms within hers.
"And for what you are waiting? I'm just beside you."
"I think it's late. We will talk tomorrow. Let's sleep."
"Yeah, I can see how much you were sleeping while roaming in the room like a ghost. Now tell. I'm not going to sleep until you speak."
"Ne. Neha, do you know where I spent yesterday night?"
"Shriya's house maybe."
"No. It's Arjun's."
"What!!!!" She burst out.
"Hey shhh, why are you shouting? Dadi will wake up."
"Ok, ok, I won't shout." She whispered while putting a finger on her mouth.
"But how? I mean what? You and Arjun were in the same house? Alone? Ananya youuuu? You never stayed in any boy's house at night in Kolkata even if others got agreed but not you. And here you are coming back spending a whole night that too alone with him. I must say this man knows magic. I have never seen you trust some man this much. You trust him so much. He must be special. It's crystal clear to me."
"Stop it. If you continue more I'm not going to say anything."
"Well, what you just said was already a huge shock for me. But what I said isn't it's true? You don't trust him?"
"I trust him but nothing is special, ok? But there is something more."
"What?"
"We..we.."
"What we..." She asked impatiently.
"I kissed him."
"Ok, I mean if you can stay at his house. Then you must give him a friendship kiss. Even you kissed Prattay also in college, you remember? And I still can't forget his facial expression the way he was blushing. You were saying like you had a lip kiss. Now get back to sleep. It's not a big deal. Don't overthink." She was about to get under her cover.
"It's a lip kiss. We kissed each other." I blurted.
She paused with a blank face. I saw her opening her mouth and taking a round shape. I got impatient getting no reply.
"Say something, na?"
"I'm speechless. I knew it. I knew it." Saying this she started laughing joyfully like I have just given her the news of her promotion.
"What?"
"He likes you. Anu, he likes you."
"Neha.." I stood up.
"Anu, I'm serious. Well, I had doubts but now I am sure. The way he cares for you, how admiringly he looks at you. I know at first I got suspicious about him but then I saw how much you affect him."
"You are talking rubbish."
"Really then tell me, Why he kissed you or you are going to say you forced him."
"It..it was mutual."
"That means I am right."
"Neha come on yaar. You also have kissed before."
"Yeah because I was in a relationship with them. I liked them. Same way.."
"No Neha it was nothing like that. There was just a moment of attraction. I was sad and he was trying to give me comfort. We turned emotionally weak and lost control over ourselves and it..it happened. Nothing more than that." I answered while playing with my fingers.
"Fine. But it's your point of view. Not his. So stop applying your thoughts on him too."
"So what? It doesn't matter at all if he thinks in another way." I blurted frustratingly.
I don't want to involve myself in anything close to that family.
"Anu, haven't you moved on yet?"
I turned to her.
"I'm asking about Rahul. Do you still love him?"
"I don't know. Actually, I don't believe in all this now. Love, marriage, commitment everything seems like an illusion to me. Anytime it can be brushed away. Anyway, let's go to sleep."
"Seriously, you can kiss him. You can spend a whole night with him only, You can get worried if he stops talking to you but still there is nothing between you." She said and lay down turning the other side.
I also let my body fall on the bed.
"Good night."
"Good night." Neha again got back to her sleeping world leaving me alone with my thoughts.
Life was not so peaceful at all. Still, days were passing while coping with all the complications, and difficulties and I started living alone burying all my emotions within me. And then that evening came like a storm just standing in front of me with my past. He came whom I only had seen in photographs till then.
I turned towards the half-opened window. The beautiful night, stars were smiling in the dark sky. Cool breezes were flying away in its direction leaving me here with all the complicated thoughts.
Unknowingly a droplet came flowing down. I closed my eyes.
*****
"Where is Anu? Hasn't she wake up yet? Oh no, she will get late to the office and will blame me?"
I heard Dadi blabbering in the living room to Neha. Everything is silent again. Suddenly I felt someone pulling my comforter. I looked up.
"Dadi, what are you doing?" I got up glaring at her.
"Look at the time. Already 7:45. Don't you have an office to go to?"
"No. Please let me sleep, now." I laid down again covering myself tip. I slightly opened my eyes to check if she was still there and found her standing beside me with both arms resting on her waist.
"What!"
"Tell me the truth, have they kicked you out of the company?" She asked narrowing her eyes.
"Dadi, see how you talk? I'm not feeling well so I will stay home."
"Not feeling well? Let me check." She started rubbing her palm over my forward.
"Dadi it's not fever. I'm having a little stomach pain." I lied
"What? Ok, take a rest. I will send medicine" She finally left giving me some relief. But I can't even lie down like this without any sleep. It's kinda boring. I rolled on the bed for some time and finally woke up.
I went to the dining table as I was starving.
"What's this Dadi? I can't eat this."
"Sorry, dear. You have to eat this only. No masala. You are having stomach pain, na?"
I just stood there controlling my frustration. Life has become so colorless. Even the food also. Well I'm already gulping down so many things with me, stomach pain is obvious. But as time passes everything is getting impossible.
We were eating silently.
"Dadi, let's get back to Kolkata." I blurted while continuing my eating but both Dadi and Neha got fixed in their position.
"Hein?"
"I wanna return to Kolkata."
"Good joke." Dadi continued her eating again.
"I am serious," I spoke up keeping my tone steady.
"I will leave this job and both of us will return to Kolkata. I will find another one there."
"We are not going anywhere at least not me." She got up and walked down to the kitchen.
I followed her.
"But what's the problem?"
"The problem is that I am not a vega bond. One day you want to come to Mumbai and again one day your mind turns to Kolkata. I can't."
"But Dadi Mumbai is not shooting me at all, the atmosphere here, see I am having stomach pain now."
"You are having stomach pain because of your horrible food habits. Don't blame Mumbai." She left the kitchen while I continued fighting with my mind.
"Neha"
"So you know you are sounding so abrupt."
She also left.
The whole day got over with me reading books, and attempting to sleep.
"Oh, God!" Dadi screamed out from her room.
Both I and Neha hurried towards her room. We found her sitting on her bed with her phone.
"Don't know whose boyfriend is calling me mistakenly assuming his girlfriend's number?"
"Boyfriend?" Me and Neha both blurted at the same time.
"See, 29 missed calls. I don't remember someone who can call me this impatiently."
I snatched it from her and checked.
"It's Arjun's number," I said casually while passing it to her and turned to leave.
Wait, why is he calling her?
"Dadi, tell us nothing is going on between you and Mr. Singhania," Neha asked her teasingly.
What! I glared at Neha.
"Neha stop it."
"Why? Are you being jealous?"
"Stop talking meaningless."
"She is not talking meaningless. What are you doing here? You should take a rest."
"Yeah, I think I should or else I will get more sick."
Both these lady has gone mad.
I rushed out of the room to my room. The first thing I checked is my phone.
It was switched off. I even forgot that I have a phone which needs to be charged. I plugged it in and switched it on.
12 missed calls! And then probably it failed to take more torture and went to sleep.
Wait what if there is something serious? Is he ok? Should I call once? Keeping aside my overthinking mind I called him. But it's came engaged. I cut the call. God! Please keep everyone safe.
After spending the whole day in bed except for lunch and a bath I walked out on my balcony. What even I am doing? One more day ended and a fresh one is going to come again. And I am clueless about what to do. I don't know what to say or how to say when I'm again going to face him. I'm 100% sure about getting scolded but other than that it will be so awkward to talk to him after that unexpected thing. I felt a little rage towards him, he just stole away my first kiss like that. But now I hoped he just forgets about that.
"Thinking about me?" A husky cold voice fanned my ears. I got startled at first but it wasn't quite difficult for me to know the owner of voice. Take the devil's name he will be just by you.
Shit! What the hell is he doing here, in my room, on my balcony? I turned immediately to discover him so close to mine. His eyes were diving with mine. I forgot to talk for a moment in that proximity.
"Let's go to the doctor." He said getting away from me.
"Doctor? What are you doing here?" I said while folding my hands.
"My company is suffering because of you. Mr. Mehra is not being able to do his work properly. So I must take you to the doctor. I can't compromise my work for your stomach pain."
"I don't have pain now."
"Then you are joining tomorrow."
"But before that, who let you in here? It's private property, right?"
"So you are using your private property to run away from me, not a good idea."
Run away! Why he is so straight?
"And for your information, I came here with the permission of the owner of this flat."
Dadi! Why?
"So? You didn't answer me."
"Why should I run away? I was not feeling well."
"Good for you. I thought you are planning to escape after what happened that night."
"That night? Nothing happened between us that night."
"When I said that it's between us?"
"You mean nothing happened?" I asked getting confused. So was that all my imagination?
"Don't you remember anything?"
"No"
"Well. I wouldn't mind doing that again to make you remember." He said coming close to me again.
"Ok, ok. I. I don't wanna know. I will join you tomorrow. You can go now."
"Hmm. Bye then. See you."
I tried to sneak out to see if he is gone or not but no he was sitting at our table with Cazz with lots of food served in front of him, he and Dadi were talking like a long-lost friend with Colgate types smile on their faces. For some reason, I stood there looking at them. I felt like an unknown door opened in the corner of my heart. I slowly stepped towards them.
"Anu" I jerked out of my lost phase.
"What he is doing still now?"
"Can't you see?"
"Yeah clearly. Why you didn't leave yet?" I snapped at him.
He totally ignored me continuing his eating. Stupid!
"How rude. He is my guest Anu. You are insulting my guest. By the way what you are doing here? You were not feeling well, na? Go to your room and take a rest."
"But Dadi.." But she sighed me to stop. I came back to my room but not before narrowing my eyes at him throwing fireballs.
The next day I joined the office. But to my surprise, he was not in the office. Later I got to know he won't come for three days as he would go to Delhi for some business. I felt relieved, but am I?
Third man's p.o.v.
It was Saturday afternoon. Ananya got a call from Vishal.
"Ananya can you come once to Arjun's place today with Neha, please?"
"What? No. "
"Please yaa.."
"But why?"
"There is something important. Please just one time. I can't tell you now. Please please please come."
"What Yaar? I'm not interested in any of your matters. So please leave me alone." Ananya cut the call.
"What's the matter, baby?" Neha entered my room. She told her everything.
"I think we should go for once."
"You too?"
"Look Anu if he is insisting that much then..." Her phone started ringing.
"One minute." She took the phone and went to the balcony.
Why why why? How much I try to go away from something I got stuck more.
But don't know why my mind was also pushing me to go. Strange!
"So what did you decide?"
"Ok. Let's go. But we shall come back early. Don't know what's so important that they need to discuss with me?"
Both of them got ready and got out. They took Ananya's scooty.
"What is so important that they need us to discuss? We never stay in any of their business." She asked impatiently.
"Maybe Arjun is going to propose to you."
"What?"
Neha put her palm on her lips realizing what she just said.
"Can you just come out from your dreamland for once and tell something relatable."
"It's not that unrelatable, ok? Accha leave it. But what if one day it becomes true, I mean suppose it happens?"
"In your dreams."
"Anu, can't you answer straight once? Or you had no answer to give? You are scared, aren't you?"
"Nothing like that will happen but..." She paused.
"But if happens then he has to understand, I will try to make him understand that I can't. Our ways are different, and he has understood my 'No'."
"But..."
"I said no. I don't love him. So it's better you also accept it. I can't be with him."
Seems like a heart is going to break today. But that's better at least if everything got cleared between both of them.
Neha mumbled in her mind.
They entered the main gate. There was some preparation going on. Vishal came to them hurriedly.
"Vishal, what's going on?"
"Will tell you later but before that come with me."
He took them to a corner and asked them to sit. They noticed Rahul, and Shriya also but all of them were so busy that they didn't even notice Ananya and Neha. Ananya was getting impatient.
"Wanna go there?"
"No, I'm fine here. If you want you can."
"Ok. I'm coming within 5 minutes."
After some time Neha came back with Vishal.
"Anu, let's go."
"Where?"
"Come, na." She dragged Ananya with her. They walked down to the backyard garden. But everything was dark there. Suddenly Ananya felt Neha is not holding her hand anymore. She looked back to discover no one with her. She got scared a little.
"Neha, Vishal." She started calling out their names in terror. Suddenly the garden lighted up making her startled.
She started checking her surrounding when Arjun came out in front of her in his black suit looking handsome as always. But today there was something more glowing up on his face. Ananya got confused.
"Arjun, what's all this?"
"An attempt to do something special for a very special person." He said still smiling lightly which was making him look more beautiful.
Arjun's words were sending shivers down her spine. She looked at him clueless.
Arjun came in front of her and got down on his knees with a white rose in his hand.
"Well, finally I think I have become enough daring to confess these. Though I never thought it will be so difficult for me earlier. As finally I'm courageous so I will go straight. Anu, I love you."
Ananya felt like a bomb had just blasted in front of her. She stood there blankly.
"Please tell me something. Your silence is killing me." He said in a serious tone. For the first time he did such things and inside he was nervous.
Ananya plastered her palms with each other. Words were not coming out of her throat.
"Ananya, will you give me a chance to stand together in every ups and downs in our life, please answer." He asked again with his demanding eyes looking into her.
"Yes," She blurted.