Not Likely

Things that Shouldn't Happen, Happen

Dhriti

One week later

"D, I need your opinion on the launch of the-"

"The event calendar is done, let me know when you want to-"

"Are we or are we not going all out post the soft launch of the pro-"

"We also need your approval on the ad spend- I know you said Maya cut everything but is there a way we can do-"

"I don't say this normally", I began, raising a hand to stop the infernal din of all my team members. "But I don't follow any of this, so you have to be slow."

All the screens in front of me sighed at almost the same time. As we were right on the cusp of the holiday season, the days were all muddling together into meetings, deadlines, KPIs and words that make you want to roll your eyes. I was currently in the hot midst of a heated FMCG team meeting and as it was the end of the day, my brain was swimming with too many numbers, details and excitement to be all serious.

What's with the excitement, you may ask.

It's Halloween!

Let me hasten to explain. Halloween is the one holiday I adore. Something about costumes and the spooky night and of course, the candies does it for me. Back in SF, I used to throw some sick parties for Halloween where we had a good balance between wholesome and adult with a mixture of costumes and alcohol that never stopped pouring.

This was the one true holiday I liked since I was a child and sometimes, I get more excited about this than about other normal things; like birthdays.

Sure, I was born that day, big whoop but dressing up as Dracula and putting on some dope fangs? That shit slaps.

When I was as usual complaining about Mumbai's inability to give me what I want, Prashant had mentioned that one of the clubs nearby was doing a proper Halloween party. Even though he dryly stated that it would 'pale in comparison to the insanity I was used to', it was enough for me to wrangle my team, Maya, Krish and his team for a spirited night out.

I was here to dress up and get spooky!

And Halloween honestly, could not have come at a better time for me. The last week has been insane; since the horrifying realization I had had at Dhruv's place, I didn't know what to do with it myself. I was compartmentalizing the crap out of it but there's not much you can do when the said person you are actively trying to avoid is sharing the workspace with you.

And it wasn't even like he was being nice to me.

All of a sudden it was like things were back to how they were 5 months ago because he was being such a major jerk! He kept posing all questions to Jai when it comes to my team and even sent me an official reprimand when I disagreed with him.

Needless to say, I was angered. Enraged. Incensed.

Except for this time, it bloody hurt! It didn't hurt my ego much because I know I was the best, but this time it hurt a different part of me; like my heart. It was disgusting but every time those cold hazel eyes looked at me with barely concealed enmity, a part of me wanted to sulkily ask him what he fuck was up.

So it is time to don a costume and eat some candies!

I had spent a lot of time convincing Krish to come because apparently, 26-year-old men shouldn't do costumes. After telling him that costumes are evergreen and he can dress up as whatever he wants and even choose how I get to go, he had complied with a devious glint in his eyes.