Living In Oblivion

18

Divit rushed outside, his frustration boiling over. He cursed under his breath as he slipped on a sock that had flown onto the floor, banging his head against the wooden door. Shrieking in pain, he ignored it and marched outside, his mind filled with worries about his home being in flames. He called out for Avanti, his voice tinged with concern. "Avanti? Is everything okay? Did our house catch fire? Should I call for the fire extinguisher?"

Suppressing his true emotions, he approached her with a mix of relief and curiosity. Avanti's petite frame captivated his attention as she vigorously rinsed something, her black hair falling forward. Intrigued, he silently walked up to her, standing beside her and observing her with keen interest.

"What are you doing?" he asked in a mumble, trying to understand her focused actions.

"Ahh!" Avanti shrieked, startled and thoroughly creeped out. The pan she was washing slipped from her hand and clattered into the washbasin. The loose handle collided with the slab and flew up, hitting Divit on the forehead as she quickly shifted aside.

"Owww! Shit!" Divit jumped away, holding his head and stumbling as his little toe collided with a piece of furniture, causing his towel to fly off. Grimacing in pain, he bent down to tend to his injured finger, while rubbing his forehead with his other hand.

Avanti, too, cried out in pain, quickly washing her hands and trying to take a look at Divit's head as he kept moving away from her. "Sorry, Sir. Let me see it, please. I am really sorry. Very sorry, Sir. Let me take a look, please."

Refusing to let her see his forehead and considering her height disadvantage, Divit bent down to inspect his little finger. At first, she softly caressed it with the tip of her finger but then applied more pressure.

"Ahh... What are you doing? Stay away!" Divit protested.

"Sir, the pain will decrease if you apply pressure," Avanti explained.

"I know, but I don't need your help. Get up."

"Yes, Sir. Yes, Sir. Sorry, Sir," Avanti responded, lifting her head. She couldn't help but notice the sight of Divit's boxers, from which his member appeared quite large to her. She blinked, averting her gaze, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Sir, your towel," she mumbled awkwardly, as Divit groaned in horror, picking up the towel and hastily wrapping it around his waist. As he struggled to knot the towel tightly, it refused to cooperate. Frustrated, he gave up and held it tightly to himself instead.

An awkward silence hung in the air, and neither of them made an effort to break it for several minutes.

"What were you doing?" Divit finally questioned her through gritted teeth, his temper unusually high.

"Me?" Avanti blinked in confusion. "What were YOU doing, Sir?"

Scratching his cheek, Divit took a deep breath, trying to control himself from lashing out. He realized that she might not have fully understood the situation.

"What were you doing? What was that smell?" he asked again, this time with a calmer tone.

"What smell?" Avanti blinked, still perplexed. "Oh, that smell... that was nothing. The mustard seeds got overcooked, so I was just washing the pan again. But what were you doi—" Avanti stopped mid-sentence when she saw Divit walking back to his room and slamming the door shut.

Since morning, Divit did his best to avoid Avanti as much as possible.

He was generally a calm person, but this time he was on edge. He wasn't sure how he would confront her if they had to speak again that day. What frustrated him even more was that it wasn't entirely her fault. It was his own overthinking that had led to the situation. However, he couldn't help but feel annoyed by her excessive behavior in everything. He couldn't bear it anymore. He couldn't bear her presence in the office, in his house, and in his life.

She was a nuisance.

Playing with the paperweight on his desk, Divit stretched his legs and pushed his swivel chair, peeping into the adjacent cubicle where Naveen was engrossed in playing Spider Solitaire.

Clearing his throat, Divit struggled to find the right words. "Um, do you know anyone who is looking to share a flat or any good neighborhoods where one can rent?"

"As far as I know, you live in a 2 BHK, right? What happened? Did your landlord kick you out?" Naveen mumbled, his eyes fixed on the screen.

Divit cleared his throat again, feeling awkward and nervous. "No, I'm asking for a frie—acquaintance instead."

Naveen raised an eyebrow, turning his head to look at Divit, mimicking his words. "Frie—acquaintance? Who?"

Giving him a look, Divit shook his head and retreated to his cubicle. "You have a five of spades in the fourth row."

"Better than being a homeless queen of hearts, isn't it?"

Ignoring him, Divit's mind wandered back to thoughts of the peculiar girl rather than the scattered chaos of files on his desk.

___________________________________________

Avanti stared at the white box on her computer screen, bored and stressed. She bit her nails and looked around, finding only a few people in the office during the light hustle of lunchtime. Although she wasn't particularly hungry, she felt overwhelmed by the mounting struggles. She still hadn't found a way to pay for her sister's coaching, and other expenses weighed heavily on her mind.

With the upload nearing completion at 99%, Avanti stood up, waiting for the file to finish uploading before shutting down her computer. She walked out of her office, heading towards the nearest tea stall when her eyes fell on a familiar face.

The man shifted uncomfortably in his place as he noticed Avanti approaching. He was about to discard his cigarette when she stopped him.

"Kamlesh Ji, give it to me instead," Avanti smiled at the timid man, who lowered his head like a robot.

"How are you? All good?" Avanti greeted him warmly, taking the cigarette from his hand.

Kamlesh squirmed on his seat, uncomfortable with Avanti's cheerful demeanor. He nodded silently, his eyes darting around, unsure of how to respond.

____________________________

Divit fumbled with his thoughts as he waited for Mr. Bharadwaj to call him into his cabin. He didn't know how to approach the man and ask him to take the peculiar girl away from his flat. He knew it might seem mean, but he craved peace. However, what had Avanti truly done wrong? What was her fault?

The cabin doorbell rang, and Divit hesitantly walked inside.

"Divit, my boy, what brings you here?" Mr. Bharadwaj looked up, setting a file aside.

Divit took a seat and squirmed uncomfortably, unsure of how to begin.

"How is the project going? And how is Avanti doing? She isn't causing you any trouble, is she? She's such a sweet girl," Mr. Bharadwaj chuckled.

Divit swallowed hard.

"Um, sir, I came here to talk to you about her," he finally managed to say.

The old man blinked, his expression growing concerned. "Did she do something wrong?"

Divit could see the furrows forming on Mr. Bharadwaj's forehead. But he had to do this for his own peace of mind. Yet, what had she exactly done? What was her fault?

"Well..." Divit squirmed in his chair. "Sir, I prefer living alone. I'm not comfortable sharing my space. I don't think I—"

"Oh, I see," Mr. Bharadwaj interrupted, laughing. "Is she nagging you a lot?"

Divit tried to explain further, but he was cut off again.

"Don't worry, Divit. I'll talk to her. How's the project going?"

Sighing with relief, Divit replied, "Everything's going well. I'll email you the progress."

Mr. Bharadwaj nodded, returning his attention to the file.