Match Made In Hotel | Ruturaj Gaikwad ✓

Unusual Forecast

5th May, 2019.

Forecast : Sunny and humid. Likely to be cloudy towards the end of the day.

I am whistling as I enter the elevator. Ever since Appa has decided to give Rutu a chance, I've been overtly happy. Even Sara and Divya noticed me grinning today and asked if my smile had anything to do with the team returning tonight. And for the first time I decided to give them an honest answer by nodding.

They say that distance makes the heart grow fonder but distance does all sorts of other things too. It makes you yearn, overthink and imagine all sorts of reunions. One month. Only my heart knows how overwhelming this one month has been. I can't wait to be around Rutu and hear his voice again.

As if on cue, my phone vibrates. It's Anmol, Sai's lovely girlfriend who has now become an integral part of my life. She has sent me a picture.

Our babies with baby Rio. 🐼 I'm going to miss them! 😔 Take care of them, okay???

A wide smile covers a large area of my face. This girl!

The boys are coming home for the first qualifier against Mumbai Indians. Anmol would now be able to meet Sai only after the final. Which meant another seven days, but this girl was as dramatic and all the more expressive than Sai.

Ayeee🤩🤩 Don't worry, Anmol, I'll be sure to kick Sai out of the hotel as soon as I can 😌

Yayyyy! Perfect 💥

I find myself giggling as the door of the elevator opens. I leave a message for Anmol -

I've got a meeting in 5, I'll catch you later. Until then take care, girl. ✨

Okay, babe. See ya later. 🤗

I shake my head, looking at the CSK players and their families as my own family, for the first time. My little, yellovely family. With a positive frame of mind and lots of butterflies of anticipation in my stomach, I enter the conference room.

*****

I'm admiring the Chennai Skyline from my office when I hear someone knock. He's here? Already?

I move my hand to grab my phone, in order to check my appearance in it's camera but the excitement and the hungry need to see him after a month gets the better of me. Presentable or not, I can't wait to give him a hug.

Hence when I see Nandu entering, I try not to look evidently disappointed.

"Hi! What a surprise!" I exclaim. A little too cheerily to make up for any residual trace of irritation on my face.

"Yep! Decided to surprise you with a visit today." He says with an equally enthusiastic tone.

"Nice, nice. Have a seat." Hearing this, his face becomes serious.

"Ah no actually Kriti, I wanted to tell you something."

"Oh. Okay. Go ahead, I'm listening." I get up from my chair and walk until I'm ahead of my desk, so that I can take it's support while facing Nandu.

"I never expected to meet you again. Well given the circumstances and decisions made in our last meeting, I thought we would move on with life never knowing what the other was upto."

I nod sincerely. I had believed the same. The initial years of distance were the toughest. I kept reviewing and reprimanding myself for not following my heart. Perhaps that one incident had made me become a person who'd always encourage everyone to listen to their heart. Especially when it comes to choosing partners.

I meet his eyes again as he continues,

"I didn't know if I would see you again but did I want to? Definitely yes. There were so many moments when I would find myself wondering where you were and what you were doing and I often wondered if you had found someone...."

I find myself empathising with him here because I had thought about him on a lot of instances too. God had given me the strength to keep moving ahead and brought Rutu in my life. I hope God had given Nandu the strength to go though it too.

"When I saw you again after so many years, I knew that a lot had changed. But the one thing that remained unchanged were my feelings for you."

Goodness. A wave of déjà vu hits me as Nandu's words from 2009 come back to me, loud and clear.

"Kritika Pillai, I never paid attention to the tender matters of heart, hated the word romance and all the mushy things, before. But now, I find myself wanting to do everything in the world with you. I love you. And as your favourite movie quote goes, I love you, truly, madly, deeply."

Involuntary tears gather in my eyes as I see him kneel down once again. Oh Nandish.

My heart goes out to him as he reveals his right hand that has a rose in it. God, why are you making me do this, again?

"Kriti, can we -"

"I can't Nandish. I'm sorry. I love Rutu and we're together. But I'm terribly sorry Nandu. I had no idea that you felt this way or else I'd have made myself clear a long time back."

I watch his face crumple. Why does it have to be so? Why are the matters of the heart so messy? Why does affection have to overlap? I shall never know how but Nandu is brave enough to manage a smile a smile as he says,

"Old habits die hard, don't they? You had made me sit go on my knees and stay in that position for a long time even then. God, Kriti, if I ever have to get a knee surgery done in my life, I'm going to take the money from you."

This. This thing about Nandu was what had attracted me to him, in the first place. Even today, a large chuckle escapes my mouth at his carefree attempt to crack a joke.

And at the exact moment when we are laughing, Rutu opens the door to find Nandish on his knee with a rose in his right hand. And as his ecstacy changes to hurt, my whole world comes to a standstill.