Ranjish | 𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒓𝒂𝒋

IX. "mujhse dosti karogi?"

isha :

We were having the pre - fest meeting.
Two weeks had passed and there had been no news of 'he-who-I-refuse-to-name'.

"Ma'am, this year's fest is definitely going to be the best.", said one of the younger professors as I nodded with a smile.

I did not know why I still cared about him.
Mr. Badtameez, I mean.
He just left the wedding that day despite cracking that "you should love me" joke, and now I'm feeling guilty?
How is this even fair?

And why do I even care?
Bhaad mein jaye.

I sighed as my fatigued mind clogged up.

"I think we should continue this meeting later. It's already past five.", Someone said as I immediately looked up.
"Absolutely. We can do this tomorrow.", I said as everyone rose soon after and left.

I sat in the board room alone.

Bhonsale Institute of Excellency was all I had from the Bhonsale's after Shantanu and Ishaan's demise.
I had been elected by the trustee board despite my husband's elder brother's disapproval.
He continued to dislike me, and often showed his face to belittle me and my position.
As for his wife, Akka Saheb, she bluntly hated me. The woman was the cause of almost all misery in my life. From forcing me to leave home because she wouldn't let me work, to making my son believe she was his mother - the woman could go to absolutely any extent.

After Savi left, now married to Rajat, the apartment was extremely lonely.
Hence, I stayed here at college, sometimes in the library or just sitting somewhere in the park in my own silence.

I missed that annoying man who I had hated at first sight, I realised.
In those few days, he had managed to turn around my rather monotonous life.
Be it his taunts, or emotional outbursts or the silent sobs in his singing - he was, in the most subtle way, entertaining.
Savi had been right, with his annoying antics, he made me feel.
Feel emotions that had gradually become dormant over the years.
The anger, the annoyance, the urge to shut him up with a clever response.
I missed him in my boring life.

I picked up my phone.
I opened my Instagram.
Yes, I had become tech savvy now. And that also meant, like all stupid youngsters, I had tried to search for Vanraj's Instagram handle.
Fun fact - it exists.

I sighed in annoyance as I opened it.
I hadn't followed him, neither had I liked anything.
Couldn't let that menace know I cared to stalk him.

His ID was the most boring he could have, simply vanrajshah.
His profile picture was a rather good looking photograph of him, clean shaven, without his spectacles, flexing his side profile wearing a white shirt, and his peach colour suit held by him as it hung behind.
His bio was definitely written by his PA.

Tycoon & Trailblazer
Founder & CEO of Shah Realtors Businessman of the Year - '22, '23, '24.

I sighed.
Ishu, do better please.

Nevertheless I scrolled down to his highlights.
Three highlights were present.

Business
Family
Music

Indeed, Vanraj Shah was a music enthusiast.
From what I understood, in his loneliness he took a corner in his apartment and sang, and then uploaded it in between the posts about business and a few family photographs.