May be forever

F O U R

                   Vinny was up, again after another restless night, at the same time,  the first golden rays of morning sun peeked through curtains of the glass window of her room covering everything in shimmering golden waves.

Her bag still sat in the corner of the room, which she got from home immediately after the deal was made. Mr. Rao has asked her to stay away from her home for a day or two till he made the deal happen and she would be away from her dad's prying eyes.

         So here she was, at their farm house away from city. Except the care takers and occasional visits from her brother, the house stayed empty for years.  There were a lot of memories of her childhood tucked away in the corners of the house, that was close to her heart. Memories of a happy time that she thought would last forever.

        Vinny sighed as she got out of the bed and made her way to the washroom. Varun  has dropped her there last night after Mr.Rao has called him. Her bhai wasn't fully aware of their plans, he had a confused face all the while they rode in silence together and she doesn't want him to know the details either not yet at least.

So it was all up to Mr. Rao to deal. Since they were friends, Vinny hoped that they will work it out and sooner or later she has to face him.

  It has been such a difficult day for her, that she chose to keep the bag ready if she has to get away again from the mess, that her life has became and surprisingly it came handy, but the reason was totally new.

She looked at her own pale bony face with dark circles under her eyes. The girl looking back from the mirror barely recognisable to herself. How she came to this? A wave of sadness made its way to her eyes as she splashed some cold water on her face,  thinking about everything happened in last few days. There was a lot of things to process and she wasn't sure everything was going to be alright soon, as Mr. Rao has said.

               She replayed their conversation over and over while she engaged herself in morning chores and still wasn't sure what made her to trust him.
His words were marginally empathetic, and he had confirmed that he meant business nothing else and he didn't show any kind of emotions towards her.
Vinny would not have said yes to such a ridiculous proposal to such a man if she was in her right mind either.

But something about the whole scenario of their situation made sense deep inside her, that she was ready to make the deal or maybe that warm brown eyes was showing a deep understanding and warmth towards her, that he eluded in his words and expressions.

Vinny wasn't sure did she imagine the way those warm eyes lingered over her, not in a creepy way , but that was what made her trust him, more than his words.
       The sun was up and bright when she settled herself with a cup of hot coffee Infront of her laptop.
There was a message on her phone,  from Mr. Rao to check the newspaper today when she came back from washroom.
She nibbled on her hot butter dosa, which her housekeeping people brought to her bedroom. Perks of being the daughter of Reddy household. She shook her head in acknowledgement,   as her laptop took its time to turn on.
        
           Vinny scanned the online news and there it was. The follow up for the news from yesterday. It was more detailed now, with a picture of Avinesh and Vinny from the Cafe.
The news was full of speculation about their upcoming marriage and her dad's deteriorating health and hinting about a possible collaboration with the companies which gives a financial aspect to the whole affair.
This much was expected. Mr. Rao has told her about how he is going to use her dad's game card on himself. It was cleverly written, which made the business world as well as the common people.. curious. And Vinny smiled a little how cleverly he was dealing with it. As she further read the article,  another picture caught her attention.

It was an old picture of Vihani and Avinesh smiling at eachother. 
Vinny remembered an NGO event held two years ago in Mangalore. It was a meet and greet the sponsors of a leading project of the NGO that she was volunteering then.

Vinny vaguely remembered the event, but this picture came across as a surprise. She had no recollection of taking it, she was standing next to him ,along with other volunteers.
She looked totally distracted in that picture and the  small bandage dressing on her forehead evoked an unwanted memory in her. A scream, and a stench and sickening smell of alcohol, and   and she felt a shiver running through her. She felt sick for a moment and she took deep breaths to calm herself. It's over... it's alright. She told herself over and over until her heartbeat went to normal.

   Vinny read further which left her baffled. It said that they met on that NGO event and were secretly dating eachother for the past two years.
Well... that's something very interesting and unexpected.  Vinny felt like she was reading about someone else and this sudden twist on the plan made her to reach for her phone and  couldn't help herself but calling Mr. Rao.

'Hello' he sounded busy doing something... maybe working out? Vinny thought herself as his slightly hoarse sound reached her.

'Mr. Rao? Where did you get that picture and what this new story of dating n all??' she jumped on the topic without hesitation.

'Oh... it's good morning Ms. Reddy' there was a subtle smile in his voice that said he was expecting her call and that irked her.

' Yeah Mr. Rao, it's morning...but I am not sure how good it is.' she bit her tongue,  how juvenile she sounded in that second and she listened his chuckle from the other end which riled her up a bit.

'About that picture, isn't it good. And you were looking pretty cute in that one.' he said thoroughly enjoying their banter.

Vinny rolled her eyes in response , then realized that he can't see her.

' Whatever!! Now tell me about this new drama ' she scanned the picture again and waited for his reply.

'Listen Ms. Reddy...
It seems like the stars are on our side.
This picture was there with the marketing team and I thought since we need to act on our plans quickly, why not use the picture. It gives a base for the sudden marriage and for the baby too.
And it is a positive development and Varun know about it. So don't worry'

He sounded calm again , even relaxed.
Vinny sighed thinking what the hell is going on with her life.

'Okay. You are very.... thoughtful Mr. Rao. Thanks for the background story, ' she said in a mocking manner as she drank her coffee.

' You are welcome and it's Avinesh for you from now on. Show some improvement...' he chortled.

What has gotten into him?? Vinny scratched her forehead in confusion.

'Yeah and it's Vihani for you from now on. It applies to you too'

'Deal' he sounded amused by her response.

Vinny cut the call annoyed by him.
She was totally confused about him now. Was he the same guy she met yesterday? She wondered as she studied him in the old picture.
He looked the same, handsome with a no nonsense vibe. But as she studied him a bit more, there was something more to that picture.

He looked happy , genuinely interested in her when she wasn't acknowledging his presence at all.
It was there in his eyes, imperceptible.
And that knowledge made an uneasy feeling in her heart.
There's more to him than meets the eye and she wasn't sure whether she liked it or not.