Chapter 2

Hina

@hinz

Part 1: Page 1

Part 2:

Walking into the high end restaurant located in downtown New York, he was greeted by a known face at the reception.

"Good evening Mr. Kapadia, great to see you again" he cheered.

"good to be here Andy, I have a reservation for 8pm?" confirmed Anuj and skimmed through the dimly lit faces to find the one that shined the brightest. 

There she was, Anupama his estranged..." this way sir, your guest Mrs. Kapadia was here early and has been waiting for quite some time"

Quite some time it had been, seven years precisely since they had signed the marriage deed at the registrars office but that was it, their names were joined in matrimony but their lives had fallen out. 

Though they hadn't seen each other in many years, they remained in close contact through their pain...the hollow, nagging feeling of an abandoned relationship kept them connected.

Bracing himself for a meet he hadn't prepped for, Anuj reminded himself to put on the indifferent pretence he had rehearsed but found himself wavering as he walked to the table where she sat looking so elegant and beautiful, aged like fine wine. 

Another reunion full of apprehensions and hope against hope but with a role reversal cause unlike the previous one this was planned by her and he wondered what made her want to see him after all these years.

"Hi, sorry you had to wait" he said occupying the seat in front of her in a rush to avoid the hug or hand shake she might be anticipating.

"it's ok, I didn't have much to do anyway" she quipped as part of the pleasantries

"not been out sightseeing?" he asked dodging her striking gaze

"nahi, not much of a tourist" she replied thinking he must know he was the only sight she was here to see.

She wasn't surprised by his snub or the unlikely persona he had put on, infact she could relate to the awkwardness. After all, it was their mutual decision to stay away on good terms than to turn bitter living together, perhaps they wished to believe the saying that 'distance makes the heart grow fonder'

"shall we order?" he asked cutting the consuming silence that he was finding hard to cope with.

"yeah sure" she said pretending to browse the menu booklet cause dinner was only an excuse, she was here to spend time with him.

"what would you like Anu...pama?" he wasnt sure if he had retained the right to call her Anu.

"aap yahan ke regular hai, aap hi mere liye order kar diijiye?" she requested

"ummm, tumhein kya pasand aayega..let me see, sorry there's not much desi here " he apologised shortlisting a few options.

"desi hi kyu? mujhe apne restaurant ke continental dishes bhi kaafi pasand hai" reminding him of the restaurant they had once partnered for, she stressed on 'apne' to gain a sense of togetherness.

"oh haan, I heard the restaurant is doing great, well done...tumhe koi award bhi mila tha na recently? " he blurted unintentionally oversharing how he kept tabs on her.

"woh actually koi article padha tha top entrepreneurs ka toh..." he tried explaining hoping she would buy it. 

"haan, wo article toh uss badi news ka hissa tha jisme Kapadia empire aur tumhari success story chapi thi..." she retorted again reviving the fact that she was what she was now only because of him and he deserved all the accolades he didn't bother to acknowledge or care about.

Running the business was his way to keep busy and occupied, he had immersed himself in it so much that it was starting to take a toll on his health, making him look like a pensioner at the age of fifty. She was approaching her fiftieth soon and little did he know that she was here to celebrate it with him like he had promised all those years ago.

"ummm paan milkshake toh hai nahi, could I have a fruit cocktail please? " she joked in an attempt to break the sombre and uneasy vibe.

It was proving to be quite a task for him to ignore the subtle reminders and retorts and also the unintentional sense of humour she had picked up, perhaps from him. She was now more him than he was himself.

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There was an awkwardly satisfying silence that filled the air between the faint clinks of cutlery and the live band playing a piece on the saxophone. 

He had ran out of reasons for small talk and began fidgeting with his phone while they waited for their meal to be served. 

It hurt her to see how stubborn and apathetic their life had become and none but circumstances were to be blamed for the hurtful life they were now living, away from each other when all they ever wanted is the best for the other. 

Taking a deep breath in, she gathered strength to say "sorry to hear about Kaka"

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hello everyone, thats part 2 I never thought I'll get around to write but did manage somehow...Let me know what you think, I know you probably have a lot of questions and all I can say is you will like the layers to the story as they unfold....Please leave your feedback and I'll see you soon with the next part!

Thank you for all the love, always x