Both of them kept staring at each other with the latter's eyes twinkling precisely like a bright star.
He stepped back to create a distance between them, and Naina was thankful to him for considering her awkwardness and behaving like the gentleman he had always been.
"Main tumse baad me baat karti hoon." Naina informed her husband on the call in a meek tone, quickly placing her cell phone inside the Versace Sling Bag.
She nervously pushed a smile on her small lips while fiddling with the sleeve of her chocolate brown top, batting her winged eyelashes at him.
She wasn't genuinely expecting a sudden meeting with this man standing in front of her after years of no contact.
She could perceive a look of satisfaction and elation spreading on his face after bumping into her accidentally but loving the fantastic plan of God to make him see her Again.
"Hi, how are you?" Naina initiated the conversation in a gentle voice.
"Hello, I am good, tum kaisi ho?" He asked her in his usual warm tone, his soft eyes never leaving hers.
"I am good too." She smiled amiably at him, wondering why hadn't she seen him in Mumbai or anywhere she had gone for years.
Where was he living?
"Main last month hi India aaya hoon, I was in London...my sister gave birth to a baby girl on 1st August, hence I had to urgently fly back to India and meet my little angel." The man in his late twenties shared a piece of good news with the petite woman, unable to resist his grooving smile.
"Wow, kya baat hai, many many congratulations to you and your family, Abhinav." Naina couldn't stop beaming after knowing her long-lost friend became a Happy Mama.
And he simply bobbed his head, carefully sliding the box of cigarettes into the depth of his royal gray pants as he could see Her despondent eyes hovering over the harmful product name.
And he was well aware of her strong dislike towards such unhealthy chemicals.
"Aana milne, mere ghar par hi hai filhal meri sister." Abhinav tried to change the thick solemnity lingering in the air through his proposal, however he knew her answer.
"Sure." Naina gave a small smile.
"Waise, main bhi tumhe invite karna chahti hun humare naye Ghar ke mahurat ke liye. Tum mujhe apne number se text kar dena, I will send you the address, timing, and date." She added further, with a sweet smile, revealing her brushed teeth.
Abhinav was on cloud nine as he wasn't expecting her to invite him.
But his happiness didn't last long when his intense eyes caught the attention of something unordinary.
Noticing a thin layer of pure vermillion embellished in her hairline with a black beaded wedding chain rightfully hooked around her willowy neck. Abhinav reckoned one thing that the woman he silently and secretly admired all these years was booked for life now and he had no choice but to accept the bitter reality.
But with whom she got married?
Her lover Sameer?
Or someone else?
She had a love marriage or an arranged marriage?
And when?
He had no idea what was going on in her life and when she decided to tie the knot.
