For over a decade, Vidhi has secretly crushed on Arnav, a feeling she never expressed during their childhood in Bangalore. Now, moving to London for higher education, she finds herself closer to him, and her feelings intensify.
Will Vidhi's long-hel...
The ambiance is calm and beautiful, with romantic settings, but the breathtaking view right in front of me overshadows everything else around.
“Arnav, did you sleep yesterday?” she asks as our food arrives.
“No, I had work,” I lie. I haven’t been able to sleep properly due to insomnia since my mom’s death, and it has worsened since I came to India.
“You should take care of your health as well,” she says with a concerned face, and I nod in response.
Even though I had dinner at the office, I wanted to treat her when she said she hadn’t had dinner. I also wanted to spend some time with her.
“Cupcake,” I call her gently.
“Why do you call me ‘cupcake’? You always used to call me ‘little one,’” she says, raising her head while eating.
“I like to call you both, but ‘cupcake’ fits you perfectly because you’re short and sweet,” I smile.
“I am not short; I am 5’7”,” she says with an angry face catching only on the word 'short' and not 'sweet'.
She looks adorable when she’s angry.
“Little one, you’re still shorter than me. I am 6’1”,I say teasingly.
“Whatever. What were you saying?” she brings back the conversation.
“Why were you working so late?” I ask seriously, having seen her working late. My heart sinks seeing her so stressed and tired.
“Hmm, because I had a lot of work today,” she says, looking down.
“No intern should have that much work. Tell me what’s going on,” I demand.
“It’s your company, so you should know.”
“Since it’s my company, I know no intern should have so much work. So tell me what’s going on,” I ask firmly.
She sighs, giving up her reasoning. “Okay, people at work think I got this job through influence, and they seem to dislike me for it. As a result, they’re piling on extra documents and reports for me to handle.” She finishes, and I can feel my temper rising. How can they torture and stress her out? She could have gotten a job anywhere else through her talent.
“But please don’t say anything to them. I understand their perspective as well. I am new here, so I have to adjust—”
I cut her off. “You will be working in my office from now on.”
“What? I can’t do that. Their gossip will be true then.”
“I don’t care. I am your boss, so you have to listen to me,” I say sternly. I hate talking to her this way, but she is being stubborn.
“Okay, I will,” she says softly.
To calm the atmosphere between us, I say, “You look good in white, pink, red, and black outfits,” and she truly does look heavenly in those colors—I remember all our encounters.
“Thank you, but those are the only colors you’ve seen me in,” she chuckles, blushing slightly.
She looks so cute when she blushes.
“That’s true. I am sure you look beautiful in all the other colors as well.” I want to say that she makes everything pretty and beautiful.
“Okay, Arnav, stop it,” she says in a demure tone.
She is the cutest. I just smile looking at her.
~•~
V I D H I
After having dinner, we went for a walk near a park and sat on a bench.
“Arnav, how was your life in London? Did you miss home?” I ask.
He becomes silent. I knew it would be hard as he was young and had just lost Radhika aunty, his mom, when moving there.
“I am sorry; you don’t have to answer that,” I say, seeing him become a little dull.
“No, it’s fine. I don’t feel anything now,” he says. I can read his eyes, and he is lying. He is still in pain. Those eyes, when he was small and locked himself in a room, are still filled with the same pain and something more.
He continues, “It was obviously tough initially, but it also moulded me into the person I am now. Staying away from everyone wasn’t bad at all. It’s what I actually needed, but—”
“But?” I ask, curious.
“I missed you,” he says after a few seconds, tilting his head.
My heart skips a beat as I hear him say he missed me. Then why didn’t he reply to my letters?
“Arna—” I was about to ask when he gets a call and steps aside to talk.
After the call, he says, “Vidhi, I need to go now. I have some work. Let’s leave.”
~•~
“It was a wonderful night. Thank you,” I say when the car stops near my home, removing my seatbelt.
“If you want to thank me, answer this: Did you just pull that act at the Satyanarayana pooja only because you were mad at me?” he asks with a poker face. I grip the seatbelt tightly.
I am flustered as it was out of nowhere, and I look everywhere but his eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say confidently, masking my shyness.
“Little one, look at me while talking.” I lift my eyes to his.
He continues, “You know exactly what I’m talking about, or should I remind you?” He comes closer, and my heart starts racing with his intense gaze.
“I need to go now. Bye, I’m late,” I say, opening the car door and running to my room.
What I did that day was a bold move, but he deserved it. He was literally messing with my mind then, but did I do it just because I was mad at him? Maybe not. I blush thinking of that day.
~~~~•••~~~~
AUTHOR
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Vidhi's outfit-check:
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Arnav's outfit-check:
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