*Ding.*
The sound of my phone snapped me out of my thoughts. I glanced at the screen, already bracing myself for the flood of work emails, but instead, it was a text from Aarohi.
Aarohi: "Hey! Are you free tonight? Yatharth and I are having a small thing at our place—thought we could hang out, chill, maybe even get a bit drunk. You in?"
I stared at the message for a minute. The logical part of my brain screamed that I should skip it—focus on work, get ahead on some designs, maybe finish up a few client meetings. But the other part of me—the one that was clearly still reeling from whatever last night was—well, she wanted to say yes.
Me:"Yeah, sure. Count me in."
As soon as I hit send, I regretted it. Great. Now I was going to have to spend another night in close proximity to Amartya. Not that it was a bad thing, exactly. Just...complicated.
Later that evening I got ready, wore a black slut dress, sleek and simple and literally spent an hour deciding to bun my hair up or leave them be. After so much of thought I went with a high pony tail.
While I was driving to there place I can't help but think how I'll react after meeting Amartya again, it's not like we've did something last night that would count up to a sin but yet again we spend almost the night together as if we were some close friends. Maybe he wouldn't react same level of friendly as yesterday, maybe that was just a one day spark. My whole ride went in such thoughts.
I showed up at Aarohi and Yatharth's place, fashionably late—because if you're going to overthink your life choices, you might as well look good while doing it.
As soon as I stepped through the door, the familiar sound of music and chatter filled the air. Aarohi was at the kitchen island, mixing drinks like a pro, while Yatharth hovered over her shoulder, teasing her about something. They were the perfect example of "almost-engaged bliss," and it was honestly nauseating.
"There she is!" Aarohi beamed as she handed me a drink. "I was starting to think you ditched us."
"Please," I said, raising the glass. "I'm not that lucky."
Yatharth laughed, leaning against the counter. "Still the queen of sarcasm, I see."
I just shrugged. "Some things never change."
The door creaked open again, and I didn't need to turn around to know who it was. Amartya walked in, looking a little more alive than he did last night, but still wearing that "too cool for this" attitude. He glanced around, catching sight of me, and raised an eyebrow. "You again?"
"Don't flatter yourself," I shot back, even though the way he looked at me sent an annoying flutter through my chest. "I'm here for the free drinks."
"Yeah, yeah," he said, grabbing a beer from the fridge. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Maya."
I rolled my eyes and made my way to the couch, trying to play it cool. But it was hard to ignore the fact that every time Amartya spoke, my ears were automatically tuned to him—like some ridiculous, involuntary reflex.
And the worst part? I couldn't even be mad about it. Not really.
In all that crowd of 15 to 20 people I found myself around Amartya all the time even i I'm not beside him, my eyes won't rest without looking at him. It was like my soul forgot how to be at peace without being around him and it hasn't been much but just a night since I met him after so long.
After a night of laughter and questionable decisions, I found myself in the kitchen, trying to piece together the remnants of last night's fun. Amartya and I had managed to drift off into our own little corner of the party, where our banter had been the highlight of the evening.
"Okay, Maya," Amartya said, popping up next to me with a mischievous grin. "Time for you to admit you're a terrible dancer. I saw you busting moves like you were in a washing machine."
"Excuse me," I shot back, playfully nudging him. "I was just getting into the groove. And you, Mr. Cool, were practically glued to the floor."
"Touché," he said, laughing. "But if you're looking for a dance partner, you might need to find someone with less rhythm than me."
I raised an eyebrow. "Oh, is that a challenge?"
"Absolutely," he said, grinning. "Let's see what you've got."
Before I could protest, he grabbed my hand and dragged me back into the living room, where a group of people was already dancing. Aarohi was in the middle of the floor, dancing like she was auditioning for a music video. The crowd cheered her on, and I couldn't help but laugh at her enthusiasm.
"Look at her go," I said to Amartya. "She's got some serious moves."
"Yeah, she does," he said, giving me a playful shove. "Now, let's see if you can keep up."
With that, Amartya pulled me into the middle of the dance floor, and we started to move to the beat. At first, I was self-conscious, trying to remember all the dance moves I'd seen in those Instagram tutorials. As it's been months since I've actually enjoyed dancing or anything. But soon enough, I found myself getting lost in the music, laughing and enjoying the moment.
"Not bad, Maya," Amartya said, twirling me around with a flourish. "You're not as hopeless as I thought."
"Well, aren't you charming," I said, rolling my eyes but smiling. "Maybe you're not so bad yourself."
We danced for a while, exchanging playful jabs and trying to outdo each other with ridiculous dance moves. The energy in the room was electric, and for a moment, I forgot all about my reservations. It was just us, the music, and the shared laughter.
Later on, Aarohi pulled everyone into a circle for a party game. "Alright, folks," she announced, "it's time for 'Truth or Dare!'"
The room erupted into cheers and groans, and I found myself sandwiched between Amartya and Aarohi. Amartya looked over at me with a smirk. "Ready for some fun?"
"Always," I said, returning his grin. "Just don't expect me to go easy on you."
"Fair enough," he said, chuckling.
The game began with a few tame dares—nothing too outrageous. But as the night progressed, the dares started to get more creative. Someone had to sing karaoke, another had to do an impromptu stand-up comedy routine. It was all in good fun, and everyone was laughing and cheering each other on.
When it was Amartya's turn, he ended up with a dare that had him doing a dramatic reading of a random page from a romance novel. His over-the-top performance had everyone in stitches.
"And now," he said with a flourish, "for my next trick, I shall reveal the true meaning of love!"
"Wow, you're really getting into character," I said, laughing.
"Hey, if you can't have fun with a random dare, then what's the point?" he replied, grinning.
Finally, it was my turn. The bottle landed on Amartya, and I had to give him a dare. My mind raced with possibilities.
"I dare you," I said, "to impersonate someone in this room. Extra points if you can make them laugh."
Amartya thought for a moment, then stood up and started mimicking Aarohi's enthusiastic dance moves from earlier. His exaggerated version of her routine had everyone laughing uncontrollably.
"You've got some serious moves, Maya," he said, catching his breath. "I hope you're ready for a rematch."
"Oh, I'm always ready," I said, smiling. "Bring it on."
As the night wound down, people began to head out, leaving behind a mess of empty glasses and leftover snacks. I found myself sitting on the couch, exhausted but happy. Amartya plopped down beside me, looking just as worn out.
"Not a bad night, huh?" he said, stretching out his legs.
"Definitely not," I agreed. "It was actually pretty great."
"You know," he said, glancing at me with a thoughtful expression, "I'm glad you came tonight. It was fun having someone to joke around with."
"I'm glad I came too," I said, smiling. "And I have to admit, you're not as unbearable as I thought."
"Why, thank you," he said with a mock bow. "That means a lot coming from you."
I chuckled at his sentence "It's my honour sir!"
We sat in comfortable silence for a moment, just enjoying each other's company. The night had been full of surprises, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation for what might come next.
As people started to say their goodbyes, I grabbed my coat and headed towards the door. Amartya followed me, his presence a comforting one.
"Thanks for the fun night," I said, as we stood by the door. "I had a blast."
"Anytime," he said with a smile. "See you around, Maya."
"Definitely," I replied, giving him a playful wink before heading out into the cool night air.
I walked to my car, feeling a mix of excitement and curiosity. The night had been a whirlwind, and while I wasn't sure where things were heading, I knew one thing for sure—I was not ready to feel the same as I felt the last time we met.
Just before I was about to pull my car from the parking slot, he passed by in his car giving me a soothing smile enough to melt my thoughts away.