I Found You

6.

Vikram entered his room, removing his waistcoat and tossing it carelessly onto the couch beside him, followed by his Kurta and vest next.

As he slipped into a pair of comfortable grey sweatpants, Vikram settled himself on the edge of his bed. Leaning forward, he rested his elbows on his thighs, his face concealed within his hands.

A deep sigh escaped his lips as he gently rubbed his tired face, his mind replaying the image of her in his mother's saree.

Vikram was utterly surprised, amazed, and shocked when he noticed her wearing his mother's saree. It was something he hadn't expected at all.

The warmth in her eyes when she took his hand in hers didn't go unnoticed. It was a moment that left him speechless, a memory that would forever be etched in his heart.

She holds the same innocence, his mother was embodied with.

His attention was immediately captured by the sound of a notification, prompting him to reach for his phone. Stretching lazily on the bed, he grabbed his phone from its resting place near the pillow.

Unlocking the screen, his finger tapped on the WhatsApp icon, revealing Adhira's chat at the top of his inbox. His eyes quickly scanned the message that read, "Reached?"

Vikram's finger hovered over the keyboard, ready to type a reply. But before he could, his gaze fell on her profile picture. In the picture- a radiant smile adorned her face as she looked at her brother. While Advait had his arm wrapped around her shoulder.

There sight of her smiling in the picture, automatically brought a small smile on his own face.

Instead of typing a message, his finger tapped on the call icon, positioned on the left side of the screen. With the phone pressed to his ear, he strolled towards the balcony, the cool breeze caressing his face.

The anticipation of hearing Adhira's voice filled him with excitement, and the call was picked up in just two rings as if she was waiting for his call.

She was. She sat there, leaning against the bedpost, her eyes fixed on the screen. The message she had sent had been marked with a blue tick, indicating that it had been read. But there was no reply yet.

She anxiously waited for him to respond, her anticipation growing with each passing moment. And then, just as the tension was building, the phone in her hand began to ring, causing her to sit up straight in surprise.

"Hello" Adhira perched on the edge of her bed, with her legs dangling.

"Soyi nahi abhi tak?" Vikram asked, his left hand tucked in his sweat's pocket.

{Haven't slept yet?}

"Nahi, bas-

{No, just}

"Aapke khayaalon mein khoyi hui thi."

{Was lost in your thoughts}

Vikram heard Aditi's voice accompanied by the sound of her laughing, soon followed by a sudden 'ouch' as Adhira slammed her face with the pillow, hard to be precise.

"Sorry about that, Aditi was talking to someone on her phone," Adhira excused, her gaze fixed on her best friend who once again crawled up next to her, placing herself near the phone.

"We are having a sleepover." She explained.

"Oh, that's nice," Vikram responded, unsure of what else to say. Deep down he wanted to keep the conversation going, hear her voice, but quite didn't know what to talk about.