Anaya paced impatiently outside the elevator, her heels clicking against the marble floor. She had been waiting for at least ten minutes now. "Kaha mar gaya yeh?" she muttered to herself. "Usse call karun?"
Just as she was about to dial his number, Azaan stepped out from his office, eyes glued to his phone, his thumb scrolling quickly as he typed something.
Anaya felt an unexpected twinge of frustration. Seriously?
"Azaan!" she called out, her voice angrier than she intended.
He looked up, surprised. "Anaya! Sorry, Kuch kaam wrap kar raha tha" he said, still not looking up from his phone. "By the way, tum niche lobby mein wait kar leti."
Anaya just rolled her eyes as they stepped into the elevator together.
"Phone mein ghuse kyu ho?" she asked, her voice more pointed than she planned.
"Baat kar raha hoon kisese" Azaan replied casually, still focused on his phone.
Anaya bit her lip, the frustration creeping in. She'd been waiting for him and his casual reply stung a little. "Kisse?" she asked, her tone sharp as she eyed his phone suspiciously.
Azaan's eyes flicked up briefly, still distracted. "Ek insaan se."
Anaya rolled her eyes and sarcastically replied "ohhh mujhe laga, kise janwar se baat kar rahe ho."
"Nahi, Aqsa se," Azaan said, completely unfazed, his attention back on his phone.
Anaya's chest tightened. She couldn't stop herself—her voice dipped into something sharper. "Kis liye?"
Azaan, still typing on his phone, now realizing there was an edge to her tone, looked at her, confused. "Tumhe kyu batao?"
She didn't answer right away. Instead, she crossed her arms, looking at him. "Kyu puch nahi sakhti?" Her voice wavered slightly, betraying the unease she didn't want to admit.
Azaan shrugged, still nonchalant. "Puch sakti ho, par main batana zaroori nahi samajhta."
The elevator doors opened to the downstairs lobby and Azaan stepped out, still focused on his phone. Anaya followed him, clearly not ready to let things go.
She shook her head, trying to hold back her irritation. "Mujhe bhi jaana nahi tha. I was just checking... kuch hua toh nahi?"
Azaan quickly pocketed his phone and dismissed her concern with a casual wave. "Nahi, woh thik hai."
The guard arrived with Azaan's car and handed him the keys. Azaan thanked him and got in, with Anaya following closely behind.
As the car sped off, Anaya stared out of the window, resting her head against the cool glass while Azaan listened to a boring English song that did nothing to lighten the mood.
Noticing her silence, Azaan glanced at her. "Tired ho gayi ho?"
Anaya didn't immediately respond, so he added, "Yeh bhook lagi hai?"
Anaya turned her head slightly to look at him. "Dono" she replied flatly.
Azaan smiled, amused. "Waisa, kitna baaz rahe hain?"
"10 bajne wale hain" she said, her voice quieter now.
Azaan raised an eyebrow, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Bahar khana kha le?"
Anaya's face lit up. "Not a bad idea! Chalo, bazar ke uss stop mein chalte hain!" she said, excitement creeping into her voice at the thought of street food.
