A Web of Love and Deceit

You&I

Shivada sat frozen, her heart racing as the realization hit her like a tidal wave. It felt as though the earth's rotation had come to a screeching halt—or perhaps it was her brain that had short-circuited. Her laptop, the vessel of countless hours of hard work, had suddenly crashed while she was putting the final touches on her mini project, due tomorrow morning.

Frantic, she let out a desperate scream, causing her parents to rush into her room, hearts pounding, fearing the worst. "Is there a thief in here?" her father called out, glancing around the room.

When Shivada finally managed to articulate her distress, "My laptop stopped working!" relief washed over her parents like a cool breeze, but it was short-lived.

"I need another laptop now, Amma!" Shivada insisted, her voice rising with panic. "I need to present this to the class tomorrow! I'll make it again through the night!"

Jayaram exchanged a worried glance with Maya, his husband, and sighed heavily. "I can't give you my laptop, dear. It has a lot of client details and cases; since I am a judge now," he explained, regret clouding her expression.

"And my laptop is in the office," Maya added, her tone laced with helplessness.

Shivada felt as if the universe was conspiring against her, its cruel hand snatching away her hard work at the last moment. She buried her face in her hands, frustration mounting. How could everything go wrong all at once? She felt utterly defeated, as if the world had turned its back on her in her moment of need.

Without wasting a moment, Shivada called her anchor: Aadhi.

He quickly drove over to her home, clutching his personal laptop tightly. As Shivada heard the familiar sound of his bike horn, she dashed to the door and flung it open.

"Aadhi, my work is gone!" she exclaimed, her voice trembling with anxiety.

"What happened? Is your laptop completely dead?" Aadhi asked, concern etched across his face.

"I don't know, Aadhi! It's not turning on. I pressed the switch, but nothing happened!" Her words tumbled out in a frantic rush.

"Okay, take my laptop for now and start working. I'll check your laptop," Aadhi instructed, his voice steady and reassuring.

"Is this a company laptop, Aadhi? Will you need it tomorrow?" Shivada inquired, worry creeping into her tone.

"No, this is my personal one," he replied, dismissing her concern with a wave of his hand.

Just then, Maya appeared, her smile brightening the room. "Aadhi, you're here! How are you?"

"Yes, Aunty," he replied warmly. 

"Do you need anything?"

"Not now, Aunty, I'm full," Aadhi said, already focused on Shivada's computer as she hurriedly began her work on his laptop.

" I think the problem is with the screen," he said, examining her laptop closely. "Did you save any of your work in the cloud?"

"Yaaa, half of my work," Shivada replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "The other half, I thought I'd save it once I completed everything."

"It's okay," Aadhi reassured her, sensing her distress. "I'll call my friend. He works in the laptop section and might be able to help."

"Shivada, take my phone and dial Christy," he instructed, handing her the device.

She scrolled through his contacts, her heart racing as she searched for the name. Two contacts with the same name appeared on the screen, causing her a moment of hesitation. "Is this the one?" she asked, pointing to the first entry.