When Amaya meets Atul

Meeting Neha 😅

It had been three days Atul and Amaya had not talked with each other. Atul was annoyed at Amaya who was neither replying to his messages picking up his calls. It was Friday and he had to meet Neha. Hurling profanities at his fate, Atul got out of his office and headed towards Rose Café, a small, cozy cafeteria located at Chanakyapuri.

Atul despised at the idea of meeting Neha Gupta, the daughter of his father's friend. From her bio-data, Atul had learnt that Neha was a government employee. Working with one of the leading banks, she had a decent profile which did not attracted Atul anymore. Though Neha was a gorgeous woman, Atul's heart craved for Amaya. Reminiscing their conversation, Atul realized he clicked well with Amaya. For the first time in his life, he was welcoming a rejection with open hands.

Amaya, on the other hand, was disappointed at herself for getting emotionally attached to a guy who was just an arranged marriage prospect. She regretted meeting Atul for a movie date last Sunday. She wanted to shriek out and cry. Occasional sniffles could be heard in her cabin as she typed furiously on her laptop. She was annoyed since morning and she had snapped at one of her subordinates too.

Neha was sitting at Rose Café waiting for Atul. Clad in a yellow sari, she was feeling overdressed. She had a high-level meeting that involved the finance minister in the afternoon so she had to abide by the formal dress code. She had planned to change her attire but when she realized that the clock had already struck five, she decided to wrap up this meeting soon.

Sitting in the cafeteria, she was chatting with Arjun, her sweet boyfriend who was trying to calm her down. She smiled reading his instructions in the text,

Don't be angry. Don't snap at him without any reason. We will talk after you reach home.

'Jerk', Neha muttered as she realized that she was waiting for Atul like a fool while that arrogant creature was nowhere to be found. Atul, as usual, was stuck in traffic. While the driving the car, he prayed, "God, please ensure she rejects me. I will visit the temple with my favorite ladoos for you".

As Atul was stuck at the red signal, Atul tried calling Amaya but his call was left unanswered. "Stupid", he muttered as he grinned as an idea popped into his mind. He decided to use his official number to talk with Amaya. The signal had turned green but he was busy smiling at Amaya's adorable reactions and thoughtful conversations. He came out of his reverie when the driver from the car behind him honked continuously gesturing him to clear the path. Getting embarrassed, he drove off.

Reaching the Rose Café, he was stunned to see Neha. No wonders, his resolve of getting rejected strengthened looking a pulchritudinous woman sitting before him with a scorn on her face.

Nervously, Atul greeted her only to receive a terrific response, "You could have simply denied if you didn't want to meet instead of keeping me waiting for you".

"Umm.. Yes... I mean, No...", Atul stammered. Though he had made up his mind to ensure that she rejects him because he felt that Amaya was the right one for him but hurting Neha's emotions was something he would not prefer to do.

"Okay, I understand you are also forced to meet me like I am", Neha jibed at him gesturing him to sit.

"Umm...", Atul tried to speak something but in reality, he lacked words. He wondered if he should accept or deny that he was forced to meet her.

Neha did not like him stuttering every now and then so she chose to keep quiet. As uncomfortable silence seeped in, Atul took a deep breath and spoke, "Neha, I was stuck in the traffic".

"If you could have informed me about this, I would have not come straight from my office", Neha complained subtly informing him that she had worn sari at work.