Will I See You Again?

Fade In

Relief washed over Rubina when Rahul pulled up in front of her building. She wanted to get inside and end the entire evening before she said something foolish.

"Can I come up?" Rahul asked and looked at her, waiting for her to answer.

Of course he would ask that. Why wouldn't he? He most probably wanted to make sure that she didn't fall on her face on the way to her apartment.

Every fibre of Rubina's being wanted to say no.

"Yeah sure. Of course you can."

Rubina stepped out of the car before he could change his mind. She would prove to it everyone that Rahul had no special hold over her. Not at all.

So what if she walked a little too quickly up the sidewalk to get to the elevator? It could just be contributed to her tiredness, definitely not the excitement bubbling within her heart.

In the elevator, as Rahul stood quietly in one corner, Rubina began to search for her keys in her purse. When the elevator door finally opened on her floor, they stepped out and walked up to her door.

After opening her apartment door, she walked in first. Leaning against the nearby wall, she succeeded in struggling out of her shoes.

"You can leave yours on if you want" Rubina told him and gestured for Rahul to come inside.

Without looking back Rubina walked down the hall and headed straight to her kitchen. "You want a drink?"

"No, I'm good." Rahul replied as he followed behind, then stood outside the kitchen threshold. "You sure you're alright?"

"Rahul." Rubina tried to keep the annoyance out of her voice. Not ready to hurt him... again with her words.

"I'm just worried. That's all." He said, in that same gentle tone that he's been using this entire evening.

And the sad thing was, this adorable, stupid man in front of her did look worried, so it was impossible for Rubina to be angry with him.

Once upon a time, she had wasted a great deal of time doing just that, but not anymore. Especially when he looked at her like that, like... she meant something to him.

Rubina needed a diversion.

"Shouldn't you be going back to your fiancé?"

"Girl's night," Rahul reminded her, patiently.

"Right." Standing in her kitchen with Rahul hadn't been on Rubina's list of things to do that day. Their current positions almost felt like deja vu.
Rubina's hands began to sweat a little so she wiped them on her dress, absentmindedly.

"She's beautiful." Rubina told him.

"Who? Oh her? Yeah! She's a wonderful woman."

God must really hate Rubina. "You look really happy together."

"Rubina, you don't..." Rahul frowned.

"I'm not being mean or anything." Rubina added in a small voice.

"Stop it. We don't need to talk about her. She is not..."

"Well I do!" Rubina yelled before Rahul could finish the sentence. They could hear the sound of her voice echoing around the apartment.

The silence that followed it, was nerve-wrecking.
All Rubina could hear was the sound of her own blood rushing in her ears.

Unable to handle it anymore, she turned her back to him. Then reached up to one shelf for a glass and poured water in it. "You want some water?"