My Tom-Boy Girlfriend

#18 : Late Nights

Sasha's POV

🎶🎶
You and me
We used to be together
Everyday together
Always
I really feel
That I'm losing my best friend
I can't believe
This could be the end
🎶🎶

"Hey, where's Raghav?"
I asked Vicky while trying to see if the person I was waiting for, was standing behind him.

Alas! No luck.

        Vicky wore a grim look and pursed his lips in a tight line. "We might have to have lunch without him, Sasha. He's stuck in a conference call.... Won't be able to make it in time". He concluded with an apologetic expression, while pulling out his chair to sit down.

        "Oh! Again!", my energy levels drained down in an instant. I glanced at the empty chair, beside me, that I had saved for Raghav. The missing person on it, making the chair look incomplete and lonely, mirrored my emotions. It was the third time this week, that we couldn't have lunch together. Heaving a long sigh, I went back to my food. The food, everyone was praising and enjoying, felt so tasteless and hard to swallow for me.

It's ok Sasha, cheer up!
You can always visit him at his cubicle.

       "Here..... For you". I announced softly when I reached Raghav's desk. I placed the food parcel, I brought for him, on his desk. He was still on the damn conference call wearing the headphones with it's microphone placed near his mouth. He looked so professional and captivating but busy too.

Good thing I brought food, at this rate, his call would never end and the cafeteria would run out of stock.

        I briefly glanced at him, not wanting to interrupt his work, I exited his bay quietly. With the hope that atleast we would be able to spend sometime together in the evening coffee break, I tried concentrating on my tasks assigned for the day.

        Our mis-matched routine, continued for the next few days; it had totally clocked a week. No luncheons together, no coffee break meets; sadly culminated to almost zero minutes of spending time together. Even our phone calls and chats had boiled down to the typical — "Good Morning", "Good Night, Sweet dreams", "Did you eat?" and "Take care". It felt so robotic, so wooden; devoid of any emotions, feelings and warmth.

        I kept re-reading our prior chats, they were my only source of comfort at this point of time. However, as I scrolled down to our recent messages, they felt like emotionless stones reciding in our happy place. The building blocks of a wall, beginning to construct between us. The worst part was the construction felt to be on full swing, with no hindrance and no one to object. The dissented piece of construction felt like it was violating some law, atleast I had not given my permission for it.

I didn't like it,
I didn't want it.
I didn't ask for it,
Then why the hell is this wall here?
Why is there this distance between us?

        The forcee of attraction had pulled Raghav and me so close but as we reached a certain point, the forces of repulsion had the upper hand. The fight between the attraction and repulsive forces, didn't let us meet; maintaining a two arm's distance of separation.

          I had tried my best to build a bridge and walk over the separating distance; by giving him space, dropping of food or a warm cup of coffee. Tried to wade off the devils calling, stating —'He's taking you for granted'. Everything that I could think of, that would come out as being supportive, I did. But sometimes the bridge loses it's strength when the rough tides keep splashing hard on it.
Similarly I could sense my inner resolve chipping away slowly. It takes two to build or break a relationship. With only my efforts, our ship could survive from sinking, only for a short time.