See You Later

Chapter 44

The present: At the Mehras'

Blink. Blink. Why did the ceiling look so unfamiliar?

Aarush turned his head around to make more sense of where he was when he spotted a photo frame.

Ah.

It was of Maahi and Abhinay laughing. He propped himself up on an elbow to look at the picture more closely. She looked so different there. There was something so open and uninhibited about her there. He tried to think if she had ever seemed like that around him. Closing his eyes, he sifted through memories of her through college and now.

Nope. She always seemed like she had a wall up around him.

In frustration, he sat up and remembered snippets from last night. She looked so beautiful heading out for her date. He was so...

He decided he needed coffee. Only that could ease this feeling.

A bit.

But he sat on the sofa without moving and surveyed the house. Everything about it felt like home to him. From the members of the family to the way the house was built. Even the little suitcase corner called out to him. For some reason, the little corner made him remember the starkly contrasting way he felt around Leela's parents. While they were always nice to him, they could never wrap their minds around what he wanted to do career-wise and the unpredictable nature of the path. It had inevitably led to their break-up after all.

He blinked and returned to his surroundings.

Maahi's home.

A little while later, he made a cup of coffee and walked over to the balcony. They were on the third floor. Not much of a view apart from the little lane alongside the little shops next door. He then spotted a wagging tail. He brightened and saw a dog running towards something. No, wait, someone.

Maahi.

There it was again! The expression from the photo. She was laughing so openly as the dog jumped on her in excitement. She had a bowl of food in her hand. She set it down and the dog pounced on that next.

He bent down his head and covered his eyes for a minute, absorbing the image in his mind. Not that he'd be able to forget it any time soon. Maahi laughing and petting a street doggo.

He turned around and walked back inside. Absently, he made his way to the breakfast bar and sat there on a high stool. He must have been lost in thought when Maahi walked in because she needed to pat his shoulder lightly to catch his attention.

He looked at her and she looked at him curiously. He was in trouble, wasn't he?

"Are you even listening to me, Iyer?"

He shook his head lightly.

She mock-frowned and asked, "What is this? Making yourself at home in my home, befriending my Dadaji, drinking my coffee, and then not even paying attention to me? What am I even keeping you around for?"

What was he doing really? He wanted to...be around her. Even in this odd state of sadness, he didn't feel like leaving. He just smiled weakly.

She looked at him closely for a bit. Then she asked, "Did you at least make some coffee for me?"

He pointed at the stove wordlessly. She walked over and poured the contents of the vessel into a mug and brought it to the table. She hopped up on the stool next to him and took a sip. Then she made a face, closing her eyes.

Oh boy, there it was again. The uninhibited look.

Blinking her eyes open, she looked at him and said, "This is good. I shall keep you around after all."