Unexpected Encounters

From Campus to Forever ~ 12

He looks down and his eyes widen in shock as Pooja's name flashes across his screen.

"I u-um", Nandini hands his phone back to him as she straightens up. He looked at her face which had suddenly gone impassive and he immediately knew she recognized Pooja's name.

He hesitantly picks up wondering what his ex had to say to him now after all these years.

"Hello?" he greets her, his tone polite but lacking its usual warmth.

He glances at Nandini who keeps her face carefully blank as she stares at her fidgeting hands like it held all the answers in the world. He knew her too well now—the faint stiffness in her shoulders and her deliberate stillness gave her away.

"Raghav, long time. Thought I'd check-in. How are you doing? Are you free to meet up?", Pooja's voice was warm and all too familiar.

Raghav's jaw tightened before he responded, "Yes perfect. I'll text you the details later today."

As he hung up, the silence in the room felt heavier. Nandini didn't look at him, but the stiffness in her posture was still present.

Raghav leans a little closer before softly murmuring, "Yenna paren," but she doesn't respond, her gaze fixed stubbornly downward.

[Look at me!]

He frowned leaning forward and gently tilting her chin up to meet his eyes. "Chellama," he said softly, the endearment making her heart skip despite herself. "It's not what you think."

"It's fine you don't owe me an explanation", she replied, her voice steady but lacking its usual warmth.

"Nee yenaku yaaru di?", Raghav questions, looking into her eyes.

[Tell me, who do you think you are to me?]

Nandini gulped before attempting to answer which came out as a question, "I-I u-mm, we were set up for marriage...?"

Raghav's eyes darkened, and he straightened up. "And that's all this is for you?" he asked, his voice quieter now, but the hurt was unmistakable in his tone.

Her heart sank at his expression, but she steeled herself, her voice soft. "What else would it be, Raghav? This is an arranged marriage."

Nandini's breath hitched at his words, her eyes darting to his as she tried to make sense of the sudden shift in his tone.

His jaw tightened further, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. "Right," he said bitterly, stepping back. "That's all this is to you. A deal brokered by our families. You think I'd be sitting here, trying to convince you, calling you 'chellama,' if this didn't mean something to me"

"I didn't mean it like that," she said quickly, standing up. "But you have to admit, it's what it started as—"

"But that's not what it is anymore. At least not for me," he interrupted, his voice rising slightly. "And clearly, not for you either. You think I don't see the way you look at me, Nandini?"

She opened her mouth to respond, but he cut her off, his voice sharp now. "Forget it. Maybe I'm just fooling myself."

He turned abruptly, grabbing his phone from the table. Nandini reached out instinctively, her fingers brushing his arm. "Raghav, wait—"

Before she could say another word, he strode out of her office, his footsteps echoing in the silence he left behind.

Nandini sighed, running a hand through her hair as she glanced around her now-empty office. The tension from her conversation with Raghav lingered, heavy and unsettling. Shaking her head, she packed up her laptop and a few files into her bag.