Will You Write With Me

21

Netflix, books, food, and sleep were my only leisure for the next 40 days. Books kept me active, Netflix made me chill out, food made me feel alive, and sleep gave me rebirth for every six hours. First season of the Netflix series based on my novel was released and I was into it completely for a week. It was good as it was my story. The only drop back was that the series was in Hindi. Darshit called me and told me that he enjoyed the series. He was in Bangkok that time for his honeymoon. On the 40th day after my return from Mumbai, Navya texted me. I had expected her to text me before that day, as she told me that she would return from US in a month. She was 10 days late.
Wonderful story and beautifully picturized. Your screenplay is intense. Overall, I just loved it. I am coming home the next week. We will discuss about our next book soon. Take care😊
‘Next week! Will discuss soon!’, I thought. I could not wait any longer. But I had to, I had no other options. After two weeks, I eagerly waited for her text. But I received nothing.
A week after that two weeks, Navya called me.
“When are you going to come to Kolkata?”, she asked me after all the formal talks. 
“For what?”, I said.
“To write our next book. I am not comfortable to work with someone through mail and other stuffs. It will be better if we work together in person”, she said. I remained mum as I could not find any counter statement to her words.
“Come on Advik. It will take hardly three months to complete a book”, she said.
“Okay, I will be there tomorrow then”, I said. She was gobsmacked after hearing that.
“Tomorrow!”, she uttered in shock. Then she continued after a pause, “Next week?”.
“Okay”, I agreed.
                                       ~
I had informed earlier about my arrival to Navya. She told me that she would pick me up. But I knew that she would be late. I didn’t inform Meera about my arrival to Kolkata. I wanted to keep that as a surprise for her. I reached Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International airport around 10 in the morning. But Navya was not there to pick me up. I called her few times and she didn’t pick up. But I waited for another 15minutes. And she arrived there in a cab, waved at me in joy. I waved my hands back in smile. We hugged gently.
“When did you reached?”, she asked me while going in the cab. I gave her a scorn look of mine. She giggled as she knew that I was mad about her late arrival.
“Driver, The Oberoi Grand”, I said.
“What? No. You are going to stay with me”, she said. I looked at her in utter shock, but she didn’t react much to my reaction.
“No thanks. I can manage”, I said and tried to resist her offer.
“No. You cannot stay three months in that place. It’s too costly. Even though you are rich, you cannot waste money like that. I have a home, and it’s pretty much big enough to carry two grownups”, she said.
‘You know what, get your bags here. You can stay here. 40 dollars! No, no, no… the couch is nice, you can stay here’ – Vaaranam Aayiram movie scene flashed before my eyes. I used to tease that scene badly, “Which girl would allow a boy to stay with her for months when she was alone?”. But GVM’s magic was true in my story. I could not resist her kind and lovely offer. We reached her cute little home.
“I don’t have many luxurious facilities. Is that okay for you?”, she asked me in concern.
“Oh yes. No problem”, I said with my convincing smile. 
She told me that her father bought this house for her. After completing her schooling in Mumbai, she came to Kolkata for her college studies with her grandma. After her demise, she was all alone there. She had so many pictures and so many books. Around 500 books were arranged in her bookshelf. Her home had two master bedrooms, so she offered me one.
“We don’t have to rush. We will take rest today, then tomorrow we will discuss about our story”, she said. 
We talked about a lot of things that day. She told me about her mother, her father, her grandma, her friends, her passion, her dreams, etc. But she didn’t utter a word about her past relationship, and I didn’t ask about that either. But she was happy, truly happy. And that was all I wanted, her happiness.