Once Upon A Mr. Goody Two Shoes

Chapter 34

I was numb when my fingers dabbed randomly on my phone screen, texting Dhruv to meet me somewhere, anywhere. There was an important issue to discuss. I was surprised I could get anything coherent in there at all. But the mind has the working of its own. The phone pinged back immediately with Dhruv's reply, inviting me over to Gaiety, the book cafe, where he currently was. I picked myself from where I was sitting on the stony steps of Surajkund lake, watching the clouds play innumerable tricks in the sky, and dragged my feet to reach Dhruv. It was imperative that the job was done today; any delay would only play on my conscience, and for the life of me, I couldn't bear another burden upon my heart.

It took almost an hour to reach the cafe. As I entered the doors of the cafe, my mind was resolved about what had to be said. I hadn't rehearsed the words, but I felt much clearer in my mind than I had over the last few weeks. I ran my eyes over the jam-packed cafe, trying to locate a mop of straight black hair, when my eyes fell upon his lanky figure, sitting on a table near the glass window, sipping his mug of coffee leisurely. I would stand by my earlier statement - he would make the perfect husband to some exceptionally lucky girl. But that lucky girl wasn't me by any means. I drew in a breath and strode towards the table he occupied, intent on saying my piece as concisely and coherently as possible.

Pushing everything else aside, I managed to flash him a small smile. "Hey," I whispered in greeting and sat down when he motioned to the chair across him. I placed my bag against the window and stared at the rim of his cup, unable to meet his eyes. He, on the other hand, was staring at me with a sharp, steady gaze. As I was about to open my mouth to say my piece, Dhruv beat me to it, a light smirk playing on his lips.

"Toh kiske liye hume chod rahi hai aap?( So for whom are you leaving me?)" He asked, his tone light and airy. I was stumped for the second time that day. How did he know?

"I...I'm so, so very sorry," I let out, lips wobbling as tears pooled in my eyes.

"Hey, don't you sit here crying, or else people might think I'm some toxic bully of sorts making you cry with my heartless, cruel words," he said jokingly, but I wasn't in the state to appreciate humour. I bit my lip and nodded, to which he let out a loud sight.

"Not in the mood for a light dose of humor?" I shook my head in negative. "How... how do you know I am here to...?" I couldn't finish the sentence, confusion clouding my senses.

He took a sip of his coffee. Cafe Mocha, I noted. "Well, for one I have never seen someone turn so pale, hurt and angry upon hearing that they are getting married. I am a keen observer," he chuckled ruefully and popped a pistachio biscuit in his mouth. We sat in silence for a minute, before he spoke again. "You love that guy, don't you?" He asked softly, his eyes kind.

I looked up at him dumbly. "The guy who had come to deliver the file? There was no file to be delivered, was it? He's the guy, right? Abeer?" His name brought back so many memories; I shut my eyes to get rid of the pain. Nonetheless, I nodded like a stupid child.

He let out a weary sigh. "You shouldn't have hid it from me, Aashi. I didn't expect that from you," he said quietly, running a finger along the rim of his coffee cup. My heart, which I thought could bear no more, clenched with guilt.

"I know. I shouldn't have kept you in the dark. But the last time I told a guy to reject me because I have a boyfriend, his mother told mine, and... and it was bad. I didn't even have one back then; it was simply a tact to put off that guy. But the drama that entailed it... it scared me. And I wasn't ready to make that mistake again. Plus, the parents were..."

"Too much into this match. I get it, I faced that at my home as well," he chuckled, making me wonder about the situation at his house. "I get it, Aashi, I really do. Its just, I don't know, I think I was quite nice to you. I put up with everything well, we did have a wonderful time in Hauz Khas. I thought we had formed a bit of a camaraderie since that outing. It simply... confused me when I deduced the truth."