Living In Oblivion

14

Staring at the dark clouds unclad of any stars, Avanti hugged her coat tighter around herself. The weather had turned too cold, reminiscent of her hometown Shimla. There was something about the wind there, a sense of freedom with a tinge of love.

Though the winds were cold, they held a homely warmth that soothed her inner fears with a sense of familiarity. However, the breeze in Gurugram lacked it. It was cold, unfamiliar, and distant, as if her fears traced back her will from the midst every time she tried to push them away.

Avanti restarted her phone, irritated by the lack of signals. What was wrong with this place? She wasn't even in the basement. Standing there alone in the open, she watched her colleagues leaving for their homes. Not a single person asked her why she was standing there all alone. It was as if nobody cared enough or maybe nobody cared at all.

She wasn't foolish enough to expect anyone to offer her a ride on her first day. They didn't even know her, so why would they? But when she saw some familiar faces leaving without any acknowledgment, she realized the truth sinking in deep—she was alone. In a new city with strangers hiding beneath some familiar facade, ready to pounce on anyone demanding success from life.

People weren't as warm as she had expected. Instead, they were cold, manipulative, and judgmental. Yes, not everyone was like that, but most of them were. Avanti realized that life might have felt a little suffocating under her mother's warmth and care, but it was always comforting. Now, outside the shelter her mother had provided, she could already feel the thorns tearing her skin apart as she walked on the field barefoot.

Her phone vibrated in her palm as she realized it had restarted again. Glancing at the fog dancing in the air, covering everything in white, she checked her internet signal to book herself an Uber when a honk caught her attention.

Absentmindedly, without looking up, she shifted to the side to let the car pass as she opened the app on her phone.

"Not jumping in front of cars today, huh?" As the window rolled down, Divit asked, poking his head out.

Avanti looked up almost instantly upon hearing his voice. She frowned as she remembered the whole day—how they had only talked about work, and when she tried to speak, she was shut down by her project mates and seniors who ignored her as if she didn't exist.

She felt bullied.

Anger surged within her, not only because of how she had allowed everyone to walk over her, treating her like a piece of trash waiting to be thrown in the dustbin.

"Damn," she murmured under her breath, shaking her head and sliding her phone into her coat pocket. She dug her face into her palms for a moment before walking up to his car and hopping in.

Without saying a word, Divit started the car, and Avanti leaned her head against the window, closing her eyes to calm her inner turmoil. But then she straightened and screamed, hitting the dashboard with her palms. "Damn, damn, damn! What did I do?"

Divit abruptly halted the car, and a chewing gum flew from the dashboard, hitting his nose. "Avan- Oww?"

She realized how she had reacted with her boss. So, plastering the fakest smile she could manage, she leaned down to pick up the chewing gum from his lap and grinned at him. "Damn, damn, damn, sir! What did I do, sir?"

Divit opened his mouth to speak, but the words refused to come out. He gulped and said, starting the car again, "Shut up."

Ignoring him, she tore the chewing gum wrapper, popped it into her mouth, and leaned against the window, watching the city rush past them. Were the people in such a hurry, or was it the world? She couldn't answer. She observed as the vendors pushed their stacks of vegetables outside the city's biggest showrooms.

She watched as the white fog captured the darkness of the evening, turning it a little grey. Grey—wasn't that exactly what life was? A mixture of little black with lots of white, yet people kept ignoring the white and focused only on the black, abandoning their hopes for a better life and ruining what little they had because of a few hurdles that life presented to make it fun.

A small smile touched Avanti's lips as determination shone in her eyes. She felt her confidence returning, which had evaporated throughout the day. She wasn't going to give up. She would hold her head up high and face her battles head-on. She wouldn't back down; instead, she would step forward, facing life's challenges with unwavering positivity.

"Divit Sir, can you please drop me off at the Huda market if it's on the way? If not, then just drop me off at the nearest taxi stand," she turned to look at him and asked.

Divit was well aware of her disappointment throughout the day. He could see it on her face, and being an observant person, he wasn't surprised. However, this caught him off guard."Why?" he blinked.

"Actually, I talked to a few people and searched for local markets here. Huda market is one of the best, so I thought maybe I could visit a few repair shops and see if I could get some work."

"Are you sure about this? After spending the whole day at the office, are you sure you can work more?" he asked, whispering huskily, unable to focus on the road anymore, but on her eyes.

"Not the whole day," she shook her head softly. "Half of the day is still mine," she winked at him, giggling softly.

Divit felt a rush of excitement as his heart skipped a beat. He watched her for a moment, then swallowed the knot that had formed in his throat unknowingly. "What about the shift changes?" he asked in a whisper.

"I'll try my best to work from home," she looked into his eyes and answered softly.

Without saying anything, Divit focused back on the road, clearing his thoughts, while Avanti waited for a few minutes for him to respond.

"So?" she raised her eyebrows.

Turning his head to look at her, he studied her for a moment before answering in a whisper, blurring all the lines on which she had built her heart. "I'll take you then."