Her Not So Fairytale

21. Another Step

"You don't have to have it all figured out to move forward... Just take the next step."

"I never took you to be a romantic." Adhvik remarked glancing down towards the paperback in my hand. He took the chair across me in the room.

His presence inintially startled me but I shrugged in response to his comment.

"I am not, usually. But at times I need to believe in unconditional love and happily ever-afters." My voice was solemn and eyes were stuck to the book in my hand. But I was not reading anything.

"Alright!" I took a quick glance at his features. If my words affected him, he didn't show it. But I could say he understood what I wanted to convey to him.

I closed the book and kept it on table. With a loud sigh I leaned forward and rested my forehead above it.

"I was thinking about something." I mumbled, my face downwards.

"Hm?" I could hear his concern.

"I was thinking whether I should call my dad?" I spoke in haste.

"Sorry?"

I gathered the courage to sit straight and face him before I speak again. "I was thinking to call my dad."

"Do you want to?" His tone was assessing.

"Huh?" This was not the response I imagined.

"Do you want to talk to him, Sria? Is that what you want?" His concerned eyes and persuasive voice stopped me from lying.

"I don't know." I admitted looking down at the table. "I am just tired. I don't want more regrets in life."

"Ok. I think then you should. Life is too short to be miserable. And I can see that this is making you miserable."

I looked up at him. His gaze was intense and I knew he was seeing me for who I am. For the first time since I left the security of my parent's home, I wondered what someone was seeing in me. I wondered what he was trying to decipher with his serious brown eyes so focused on me, his attention never wavering. I could not bring myself to break our eye-contact. I swallowed nervously when I realized how serious this connection, between us, was turning out to be.

However, it was he who looked away first.

"I guess I should." I mumbled.

He fumbled with his phone for a while before standing up to leave the room.

"Adhvik!" I called out. He stopped walking at my voice. I could see him stiffening and I wondered whether he was thinking that I would bring up the elephant in the room.

As if I have the guts to do so, I thought self-deprecatingly

"See you on Sunday?" My words came out as question even though I didn't intend it to be.

He nodded without turning back before leaving the room.

I leaned back in my chair and let out a long breathe. It eased my worries to see that he was as rattled with this as me.

Maybe we will figure it out along the way!

Pushing Adhvik to the back corner of my mind I thought about my dad. I would have to call him tonight, when I have the courage. There was a high chance for me to back out if I delayed it.

It was Friday and I knew his family would be home. I would even get to talk with my brother.

It wasn't like I knew nothing about them. I made it a point to check on both of my families from time to time but from distance. Just like how they kept in touch with Adi's family to know about my whereabouts. None of us made any direct contact until that midnight call from Kunal. It would just hurt too much.