ADHURI KAHANI: A tale of an amnesic bond

20. WE NEED TO TALK

INAAYA'S POV

I twist the doorknob again to enter his cabin. He's called me so many times today, and it's not even lunchtime yet. I've been trying to avoid him, and it was working until a few weeks ago, but now it seems impossible. He calls me almost every hour, if not every half hour. Does he think I'm just sitting around doing nothing? I can't be this close to him all the time.

"You called me sir"

I walked towards his desk and stood across from him. He looked up from his computer screen, eyes meeting mine.

"Ohh yess, Miss Inaaya"

I waited for him to tell me why he called, but he remained silent, just staring at me as if lost in thought.

You wanted me to do something, sir," I said, urging him to speak.

"Ohh yeah!"

Did he call me just to ensure I was working and not elsewhere, without having any real task for me?

"Could you please get me a fruit tea?"

"Sure sir"

I turned around to leave, and just as I twisted the door knob to exit, his voice made me halt my action.

"Miss Inaaya"

"Yess sir" I answer after turning towards

His eyes met mine, filled with confusion, as if he was grappling with what to say. He seemed lost in thought, struggling to find the right words. It was unusual to see him like this, and it made me wonder what was going on. Was he unsure about something? What's wrong with him? This wasn't the composed and decisive Ishaan I was used to. His hesitation made me uneasy, and the silence stretched uncomfortably between us.

"Make it two"

"Sure sir" I nodded my head and went outside

I reached my cabin and tried calling the person who usually handles Ishaan's orders, but he wasn't picking up. After a few attempts, I decided to handle it myself. The restaurant was nearby, and I figured it would be quicker and cheaper to go there in person rather than ordering and paying extra for delivery. Plus, it would give me a brief break from the office. With a sigh, I grabbed my bag and headed out to get the order.

"Two fruit teas, please," I ordered as the person standing typed something into the screen in front of her.

"Which flavor, ma'am?"

"Berry burst," I replied.

Ishaan didn't mention any specific flavor, but I replied automatically, knowing his favorite. It's crazy how, even after seven years, I remember everything about him, while he doesn't even acknowledge me-or perhaps chooses not to.

When we were friends, he never made me feel unwanted. We had the best friendship, or so I thought. In reality, he was just acting, playing his part while hiding his true intentions. I can't imagine the things he might have said about me to his 'rich' friends. The thought pulls me into a familiar black hole of overthinking, but the girl behind the counter brings me back to reality.

"That will be 564. Your order no. 53"

53? It will be late. I almost groan.

"Thanks"

I thanked her and turned to find a seat. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a tall man in a white striped T-shirt and pants waiting for his turn to order. I walked past him, heading for a table, but his voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Inaaya?"

I turned around and looked at his face, my breath hitching as I examined him. It was Raaj, Ishaan's best friend.

Ishaan had rarely mentioned his parents, only noting that they were often away for work and that he had mostly grown up on his own. I never pressed for details, recognizing early on that he wasn't close with his parents and preferred not to discuss them. However, one person he did speak about frequently was Raaj, his childhood friend who had moved to the USA after class 10. Ishaan often reminisced about their time together, highlighting how close they had been-truly inseparable. They were chadi-buddies

I had spoken to Raaj once or twice via video call when Ishaan was chatting about old times. Seeing him here, in person, was unexpected.

"Raaj"

His face was a portrait of mixed emotions-shock and sadness clearly etched across it. The color seemed to drain from his complexion as he tried to muster a smile, though it fell short of reaching his eyes. It was a strained effort, as if he were forcing it to appear genuine. His gaze dropped from my face to the ID card hanging around my neck, and his eyes widened in disbelief. It was as if he couldn't reconcile what he was seeing with his expectations.

"Inaaya, how have you been?" he asked, his gaze now fixed on my face.

"I'm good, Raaj. What about you?"

"I'm good too."

His eyes again went to my identity card like he can't take his eyes off of it.

"Inaaya, you work at Epoch Insights?"

It came out more as a statement or a self-questioning remark. I was left confused, wondering why he was reacting this way. Was everything okay?

"Yesss" I said in confusion

"Which Department?", he questioned again in urgency

"I work as Ishaan's secratary", I answered my brows now knitted together in a V shape in confusion.

He looked at me, his eyes wide, as if concealing a multitude of thoughts behind that single expression of shock. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes to compose himself. His right hand lifted to pinch the bridge of his nose, and he squeezed his eyes shut once more, struggling to regain his composure.

"Fuck", he whispers

I stood there in front of him, utterly confused, waiting for some explanation of what was going on in his mind. One thing was clear-something was wrong. But what could it be?

"Inaaya do you have some time. I need to tell you something"

I glanced up at the screen displaying the order queue and noticed that there were still quite a few orders ahead of mine.

"Sure. Is everything okay?"

We made our way towards the one of the closest table and took a sit

"We need to talk"

"Okay." I replied sitting on chair

"I see you have already met Ishaan"

I chuckled to myself. So this is about Ishaan. It seems Raaj doesn't realize that I'm already aware Ishaan doesn't want to acknowledge our past friendship for reasons of his own. I don't need Raaj's sympathy, apology, or pity. The fact that everything was fake and one-sided is already embarrassing enough. I don't need any more of that.

"Yes, Raaj, I have met him and am aware of what he thinks about me. I know he doesn't want to acknowledge me."

He looked at me with wide eyes and swallowed hard. Before he could make me feel more uncomfortable, I decided to beat him to it. Raaj is Ishaan's childhood friend and likely knows how Ishaan spoke about me after moving to the USA. The last thing I want is to hear how poorly Ishaan talked about me or how he made fun of me in front of his wealthy friends.

"Inaaya, Ishaan doesn't recognize not because he doesn't want to but because he cannot."

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Here is the 20th chapter. I hope you guys liked it.

Next chapter is going to be an important chapter and an exciting chapter at least for me. For you guys its gonna be angst fill!

Show some love by voting and commenting. It motivates me a lot.

Chapter 21 will be released soon <3

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