Those enchanted four and half years

Chapter 29

For the next nearly 15 days, neither Amey nor me contacted each other. I felt like calling him or going to meet him. But his behaviour had really taken me by surprise, and I was upset.

Was there a mean, selfish, rude, male chauvinist behind the mask of cuteness and gentleness?

I spent days looking out of the window in our room, thinking about him. Sufee, Nayana, Sneha, Savita, Arun, Vivek, all constantly tried to cheer me up, to lighten my mood. Arun kept up his efforts to make me study, make me forget Amey's behavior. I kept having the recurring dream, the dream in which the fog cleared and revealed the real beauty. And one part of my mind knew what the dream meant...

One Sunday morning, I heard a guest call for me. I ran down the steps, half expecting, half not expecting Amey. I saw Amey waiting for me in the lobby.
"Hey," he said as I reached near him.

"Hi," I said dryly, swallowing a lump of anger, the anger I had managed to keep under wraps so far.

"I am sorry Ruta," he apologized.

"Don't you think it's a bit late to be sorry now?" I asked sarcastically.

"Look Ruta, I was really upset that day. I wanted you to meet Shirish, my cousin from the US. You could have squeezed some time..."

"So you are clearly still not sorry. It's all about you, right? Did you ever think what it did to me? In what mental state I was then? How I faced my next two papers? You have any idea?" I said, agitated.

"Okay, okay, calm down...I know I was rude and I am really sorry for that. Now leave that anger and give me the usual, cute, sweet smile of yours," he said flatteringly. I looked down. My anger had not yet settled.

"Why have you come here now?" I asked. I almost felt detached as if to ask with pure clinical interest.

"To take you out," he said. Somehow, the same smile wasn't so appealing any more.

"Where?" I asked.

"Surprise," he said.

I kept staring at the floor.

"Come on Ruta. Don't spoil everything over a minor issue. Go, get ready, I am waiting outside."

Minor issue, I thought as I went upstairs. I did not pay much attention to what I wore or how I was looking that day, unlike usual.

"You are looking pretty," Amey complimented as I came downstairs.

"Thanks," I said and smiled. I had cooled down somewhat by now. Amey took me to 'Bachelors' on Swami road. Bachelors was famous for its sandwiches and juices. We ordered two Chinese cheese sandwiches.

"You didn't ask me why I wanted you to meet Shirish," Amey said, taking a huge bite of his sandwich.

"Why?" I asked. I must confess I was not 100% with Amey. I was answering him absent mindedly. But my mind was wandering somewhere else. Where?

"Shirish is of the same age as me. We have literally grown up together and we are the best of friends. We share everything with each other and hide nothing from each other. That's why."

"Hmmm?" I asked. The sandwich was tasty. The cheese just melted in my mouth.

Out of the blue, Amey took out a red rose from his pocket, stood up, went down on one knee and took my hand in his.

"Will you marry me?" he asked.

I was taken by surprise. Only surprise. No happiness, no excitement. The moment I had been waiting for and yearning forfor four and a half years had finally arrived. But I was not happy! As if my life was still filled with the fog...