To Love Or Not To Love| A FEATURED STORY

Epilogue - Ajay

A/N

Epilogue is in first person POV, and this is Ajay's.

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I gave a cursory glance at all the people around when I heard someone call me. I noticed a raised hand of a known face smiling at me from a corner table.

Though my heart accelerated at a staccato rhythm, my mind went blank. It had been four years since that smile captured my heart, three years since I saw her in person and two years since I spoke to her.

I blinked to digest the fact that Anya Rao was indeed here and calling me in a very annoying manner. I never disliked my surname more than now.

I took a moment to study her. She was the same but sophisticated in a classy business outfit with subtle makeup. The only stand out feature was her lipstick —a neutral lipstick.

In the past, she always had blood-red lips as a sign of assertion? Courage? Defiance? I don't know. I often wished she would drop that shade which left perpetual colour on my lips following a heavy make-out session. Make-out session? I chastised myself at my line of thought.

I watched her some more as I moved towards her. I couldn't help but wonder if this new lip colour was for a significant someone in her life, someone with shared interests from her budding NGO. Was she dating? Was she engaged to marry?

I knew she wasn't married, news of that kind would've certainly travelled around. I sounded like a sloppy lovesick puppy. Long-buried memories of our years together and apart flashed through my mind.

"It's still the same," were her first words.

My heart cartwheeled when I heard her voice, and before my brain deceived me in generating full sentences or even monosyllables, I diverted my mind to her words and asked, "What's the same?"

"Women swooning in your vicinity and your lack of interest in them," she spoke in amusement.

"Am I affecting you as well?" I asked, silencing both of us.

"I'm just kidding," I awkwardly ended as I sat down. But some part of my mind longed for her reply, even a witty one at that. There was a time when she never let such questions drift away. Her sharp responses and my comebacks would lengthen the same conversation for hours together with each of us laughing our hearts out.

"Blue suit seems to suit you," she quipped, eliminating the uncomfortable silence.

I shook my head, "Still using very poor puns, I see. Thank you for the subtle compliment though. How are you, Anya?" I asked.

"I'm fine, and what about you?"

It was annoying that she was not yet saying my name.

"Good," I said and tried to hold her gaze, but she kept darting it towards her coffee. Aha! Coffee! I guess no one can beat the Kaapi.

"You look more than fine. Very urbane," I observed.

"I guess a lot of exposure to C-Class executives does that," she replied coolly. Personal observations were never a problem between us, and I was glad it was quite the same.

"So I take it, the NGO is a success?" I enquired. I knew it was beyond mere success. I followed her career very closely and was proud of her.

"You could say that," she brushed it aside in her usual fashion, making light of things that concerned her, "What are you up to?"

I shrugged, "Nothing much to report from my side. It's still the same." Except that Satya started a small startup, and I got his place at the bank. Dilip got sacked for his unacceptable behaviour. But everything else, including my Friday evening ritual, was the same.