Falling Softly

INVITATION

Kavya's POV

"No! You know it was Aaryan's birthday, and the next day I had to go to the office early," I explained to my mom over the phone. I balanced the phone on my shoulder while my hands were busy packing the lunch box.

"It takes two minutes to call," she complained. I had forgotten to call her the past two days. A lot had happened, and I had very little time for myself. However, I couldn't make that an excuse. My mom had made it clear when my marriage got confirmed that I had to call her every day.

"Anyways, how is the new job going? If it's too stressful, you don't have to do it," she showed concern. I always wanted to work and earn. Well, it wasn't the best time for me to quit the job either, as we were already running tight on finances.

"No, it's fine. I'm liking it," I replied, just as Aaryan's phone rang in the bathroom, interrupting our conversation.

"Aaryan..." I called out, heading towards the bedroom while still on the phone. He wasn't there, and I could hear the shower running.

"Okay, Maa, I'll call you back, alright?" I ended the call and knocked on the bathroom door. The shower stopped, and the door opened slightly, revealing Aaryan's wet forehead.

"Yes?" he asked. I stared at him for a few seconds, momentarily forgetting why I was there. Then the phone rang again, snapping me back to reality.

"The phone," I told him.

"Can you please pick it up?" he asked before closing the door.

"Wait." I picked up the phone and saw it was Natasha calling. Was she the same person he mentioned the other day? I walked back to the kitchen as I answered the call.

"Hello," I said.

"Oh, hi! You must be Kavya," she replied with a wonderful voice.

"Yes, is everything alright?" I wasn't ready for any bad news regarding the work they were doing.

"No, everything is fine. I'll call later, nothing urgent," she said. Her voice was direct and solid. I guessed she was the lawyer; her voice gave that away.

"Okay," I said, a bit surprised. Why couldn't she tell me about it? But fine, I was getting late anyway. Just as I was about to end the call, I heard her voice again.

"Wait... So when are you getting free today?" she continued. "We should meet. Aaryan has mentioned you a lot of times, I can't wait to meet you," she said.

I was hoping to meet her as well; it was about time.

"Around six," I said.

"Okay, I'll pick you up. Send me your office location."

"Okay, sure."

"Bye."

"Bye."

When I ended the call and looked up, I saw Aaryan drying his hair. He only had a towel wrapped around his waist. This wasn't new, but I hadn't noticed him like this before. Butterflies tingled in my belly as he looked up. I quickly looked away.

"Who was it?" he asked as he got close to me.

"Natasha, we are meeting in the evening," I said with excitement.

"Okay, we will go after you come back, or you will join directly at her office?" he asked.

I was a bit confused.

"Wait, no, only Natasha and I are meeting. She will pick me up from the office."

"Oh, okay. Good thing you guys are getting along. Just be careful, okay?" he said with a bit of concern, which surprised me and made my brows furrow.

"What do you mean?" I asked immediately.

"You know... I mean... She can be a bit direct. Just wanted to give you a heads up," he said, raising his hands in the air while shaking his head.

"Okay, listen," I said as he was about to head to the bedroom. "I'm heading out. Lunch is on the stove. Heat it before eating. And don't forget to turn off the heater..." I trailed off, my eyes lingering on his half-naked form. I just smiled and turned towards the door, shaking my head.

"Okay, bye," I heard him reply as I grabbed my tiffin box.

The day flew by quickly. I was excited about the evening, especially after his comment about her being direct. It made me even more curious. When evening came, I finished my work a bit early and logged out. I called her and waited near the office building. She arrived in her car, and I got in. She greeted me with a hug, her strong aura enveloping me.

"So good to see you. You look amazing," I said with enthusiasm, a smile spreading across my face. "Finally, I was waiting to meet you. You look a bit tired," she paused, "want to grab a coffee on the way?" she asked.

I'm not used to receiving compliments since moving to this new city, so I wasn't surprised.

We grabbed the coffee and headed to the mall. Hey, I know we're on a tight budget right now, but a dress or two wouldn't hurt, would it? I pulled out a bunch of outfits and ended up buying one. We shared laughs and moments, spending an hour just talking. It felt good, like old times with my best friend. Natasha is straightforward, no BS, and I love that about her. Confidence radiates from her like no one can match her.

At the end of the day, she dropped me off at home. "Thank you, I had a great evening. Want to come over for dinner?" I asked as I stepped out of the car.

"No, darling, another time. I already got 20 missed calls from Nishit," she laughed, showing me her phone. "Bye," she nodded.

I waved as she started the car. Suddenly, she stopped in a second. Gesturing for me to come closer, I leaned in the window.

"I totally forgot, my dad's company is organizing an event on a cruise this weekend. Why don't you and Aaryan join us?" she suggested, looking at me. "Like a double date," she giggled.

"Like a double date," I repeated, unsure how to respond, the smile fading from my face.

"Hey, everything alright?" she asked, sounding concerned.

"Yeah, I'll talk to Aaryan about it."

"Okay, take care," she said before driving off.

Thank you friends, for reading this chapter. Add star, it encourages me to write more.