A Song For Us

Chapter 31 - An Unexpected Turn

ANIRUDH

I was sleeping and didn’t want to open my eyes, but my right arm was hurting badly. I didn’t understand why it hurt so much until I opened my eyes and saw Anika sleeping beside me, her head on my arm. Despite the pain, it felt good. Watching Anika sleep so peacefully brought me so much joy. I would take bullets for her, endure anything just to have her close. I was simply watching her when her phone started ringing, waking her up. She sat up, and I did too. She noticed my discomfort and realized my right arm was in pain.

"Why didn’t you move your arm if it was hurting?" Anika asked. "I didn’t even realize I was sleeping on it."

I replied, "Because seeing you sleep on it brought me more joy than anything else. The pain is nothing compared to the pleasure of having you close. For you, I'd endure any discomfort just to feel you near me."

Anika blushed. Just then, she received a message notification. She checked her phone and told me that she had forgotten about a meeting with a very important businessman in two hours. His manager had sent a message to confirm the meeting.

"I’ll just cancel the meeting for today and reschedule it for tomorrow," Anika suggested.

"No, Anika," I said. "You should go to the meeting. It's a big opportunity for you."

"But Anirudh, I want to spend time with you today," she insisted.

"It's just for a little while. After the meeting, we'll be together. Don’t worry, no one can come between us now. Let’s go home. You can get your papers ready, and I'll drop you off at the meeting. Then I'll head to the office for a while and pick you up when you're done."

"Anirudh, your office and the meeting location are in opposite directions. It will take too long. I can go by myself, and you can head to the office," she said.

"Okay, I'll ask the driver to take you to the meeting," I suggested.

"Don’t worry, I’ll drive myself," Anika replied.

"Then take my other car," I said.

"Okay," she agreed.

We left for home with Anika’s mom and the others. Anika went to her room to change and get her papers, and I went to my room to change. After changing, I sat in the hall waiting for Anika. She came out of her room after a while.

"Bye, Anirudh. I’m leaving now, or I’ll be late. I’ll call you as soon as the meeting is over," she said.

"Okay, Anika, no problem. Bye, and drive safely. All the best," I said, hugging her before she drove off in the other car. I then took my car and headed to the office.

TWO HOURS LATER

Two hours had passed, and Anika’s meeting still wasn’t over. I was feeling uneasy and anxious, sitting in my office cabin.

"Is everything okay?" I wondered. "Why am I feeling so uneasy? I hope everything is alright."

Just then, my manager came in, noticing my distress. He asked what was wrong, and I told him how I felt. He suggested, "Sir, maybe you didn’t get enough sleep, which is why you're feeling this way."

"Maybe, but let’s drop it," I replied.

At that moment, my phone rang. It was Anika.

"Hi, Anirudh," she said.

"Hi, Anika. How was your meeting?" I asked.

"Anirudh, the meeting went really well, and the deal is finalized. That’s why it took a bit longer. I’m driving now with the phone on speaker. I’ll be there soon. How about we go out somewhere and have pastries?"

"Okay, come over. I’ll order pastries for you," I said.

"Hello, Anika? Hello?" I called out.

Suddenly, I heard her scream, "Aaaah!" followed by a loud crash, and then the call disconnected.

I tried calling her back, but her phone didn’t connect. I immediately left the office and headed towards the route she would take. It took me over 30 minutes to reach there.

When I arrived and got out of the car, I collapsed to the ground. The sight before me was horrifying. The car Anika was driving had been in a terrible accident and caught fire. There was another car involved too, and both cars were badly damaged. Police and ambulances were present, but I couldn’t see Anika anywhere. I rushed to the police and asked where the girl from the car was. They told me they had found one body, but it was completely burned due to the fire, making it unrecognizable. They asked me to identify the body to see if it was Anika.