Love's Strange Ways *COMPLETED*

Chapter 20

The next day morning, Vishal arrived at the gate in front of the apartment building an hour before he had to get to office. He felt nervous as he was going to meet Darling for the first time today.

As he looked up at the tall building, Vishal wondered how he would know in which storey Darling was staying. After a moment of thought, Vishal dialled her number in his mobile phone as he entered the apartment and took the stairs.

The sound of a mobile phone ringing nearby became closer as he climbed up the stairs to the fourth floor. Could Darling be there?

When he arrived at the landing on the fourth floor, he found someone waiting at the lift. Someone familiar.

Swati...? She appeared upset and the mobile phone in her hand was ringing. Is she Darling? She froze upon noticing Vishal.

Vishal ended the call in his mobile. After a long moment or two, the phone in Swati's hand too stopped ringing. She must be Darling....

"Darling? Is it you? I'm so sorry, Darling. All these days, you were so near and yet..." Vishal trailed off as he approached Swati with outstretched arms.

Swati seemed numb in shock for a moment. As Vishal neared her, she stepped back, saying, "Hey, hey, stop! I'm not your darling!"

Vishal stepped back and watched her, a bit puzzled. Perhaps the phone call she got was a coincidence.... "Sorry." Vishal turned away for a moment before turning back to face Swati. "Does Shreya live in this apartment?"

"I don't know," answered Swati in one breath, before entering the lift as it had just arrived at that floor.

As the doors of the lift closed and the lift started to descend, Vishal dialled Darling's number again and continued his climb to the next floor above.

As he reached the landing at the fifth floor, he heard the sound of a mobile phone ringing inside the first apartment. He ended the call in his mobile again. The ringing of the mobile inside that apartment stopped instantly. Darling must be here....

Vishal smiled as he rubbed his palms against each other nervously and straightened his tie before ringing the doorbell. He waited for a minute but no one opened the door. He was about to ring the bell again when he noticed that the door to that apartment was slightly ajar. Vishal opened the door and stepped into the apartment. What he saw was the neatly kept living room. There seemed to be no one around.

As Vishal was still standing at the door, the mobile in his hand sprang to life with an incoming call. Vishal checked the screen and frowned a bit. Darling was calling.

He smiled before answering the call. "Hello, Darling?" Vishal paused, unsure of what to speak to her over the phone.

"Yea, how may I help you?" Her voice was toneless.

"Darling, I've come to your apartment. I want to meet you. Where are you?"

"I'm not home now. Tell me whatever you want to say now, over the phone."

"But Darling..." Vishal paused. I had heard the sound of a mobile phone ringing in this apartment. Darling should be here.

Vishal noticed that the doors to two of the rooms in that apartment were closed. Could Darling be inside one of these rooms? Shall I check if she's there in any of these rooms? His mind threw questions at him but Vishal hesitated. Whether Darling is inside any of these bedrooms or not, I am here to win back her love. If she doesn't want to show up in front of me yet, then I'll wait for her to be ready to show up before me.