TIED (ON HOLD)

Chapter 5: Late night plans

Chapter 5

Late Night Plans (psst... very drunken plans)

Ahilyaa cut the cake with tears in her eyes, moved by the love she was receiving. Sharad hadn't left her side, and wiped his eyes every few minutes and her co-workers said beautiful parting words. She felt like she was leaving a family behind.

Her eyes searched for the guy who stood somewhere behind the crowd, eyes set on her. But it didn't feel right. He didn't smile like he had earlier when she called him Mr. Fancy Pants.

"I think your best friend needs you." she whispered to Sharad.

He gave her a thoughtful look, "I think he needs someone else."

"Boss, you know I can't give him what he wants. I'm leaving in the morning."

"What about tonight? Right here, right now? What's wrong with that?"

"But-

"The truth is you're scared, Ahilyaa. You're scared he will hold the power to stop you."

She shook her head and scoffed, "Don't be ridiculous. I'm not scared of a stupid date. I just know we're not compatible in any way."

"Then why not prove that to him?"

The challenge was clear in his voice, but it also made sense. She could prove to Aayush that they were a mismatched pair that would get nowhere. One evening of drunken chemistry didn't mean anything. They could end the evening with happy goodbyes and nothing more.

"But how can I go on a date when we're here?" she hissed.

Sharad gave her a devious grin, "Leave that to me."

***

Aayush swirled the amber liquid in his glass, and smiled to himself. No amount of alcohol was helping him. He knew he was making it worse, but was beyond caring at that point. He was far too gone. The chatter was still alive, but he had stopped listening long time back.

"I'm so stupid." he laughed to himself, still embarrassed that he had asked her on a date out of the blue. She hadn't been able to hide the shock or pity as she tried to let him down gently. She said she was leaving town the next morning for a long, infinite vacation, but he wasn't a fool. He knew she would have rejected him even if she wasn't leaving.

The young bartender gave him a small smile and placed a bottle of water in front of him.

"May be we should stick to that now." He said.

Aayush laughed louder, "You're right. I've had enough." He said rolling his eyes. "Enough of everything actually. Do you think I should just leave?" he cocked his head and looked at the younger guy expectantly.

He smiled back, "Not if you're driving."

Aayush smiled wide, his heart swelling to realize that a stranger cared. "Damn, I wish I had a brother like you. You know kid... I have thought about this a lot. Maybe I wouldn't be this fucked up if I had siblings."

The boy's eyes widened a fraction, but his smile was intact, "Siblings are annoying as hell, but yeah, I guess you need them." He smiled, wiping off the glasses, getting ready to close the bar.

"Growing up alone sucks, man but I guess you get used to it." he shrugged, chugging down the remaining whisky and handed back the empty glass. "Sorry, I was holding you up. You should get going."

He was about to turn when he felt someone move behind him. His muscles tensed, and he held his breath.

"Hey, they've heated the dinner again. Let's go." she said softly, and touched his arm.