Chapter 5

THIRTY SIX HOURS BEFORE THE PARTY

It was morning and she was getting ready for her internship workplace, when she got the call that she wished never to get from. Seeing the caller ID, she let out a sigh and gradually accepted it.

"Hello, Imlie! How are you?" It was her husband that showed the biggest form of neglect to her in her life.

"Hello, Babu-saheb!" She replied without any hint of emotion in her voice.

"Can we meet please. I know you're angry and you have every right to be. But please let me hear out for once. I have my own reasons too. Please trust me." His voice was pleading.

Imlie couldn't hold herself anymore and started chuckling in silence. This man could never change!

"Please, Imlie. I-"

She cut him in between after controlling her silent laughter, "Your reasons never end."

"Pardon?" He was certainly confused of her sudden change of voice.

"I'm busy, Babu-saheb. I'm hanging up."

"Imli-" She cut the call even before he could end his sentence.

She let out another sigh before mumbling to herself, "Morning shows the day..."

°°°°°°°

It was midday when she made another call. This time it was that person who didn't expect to get a call from her.

"Hello!" Her voice was filled with repulsion and perplexity.

Imlie didn't care about it at all and processed to say whatever she had to say, "Can we meet today? This meet up will be beneficial to you. I can guarantee you."

That person didn't say anything, knowing Imlie wasn't also a fan of meeting her too.

"Okay. I'm sending you the destination. You m-"

"There is no need. I have an interview to take. We can meet near the place, if you don't mind," Imlie responded.

That person let out a sigh before continuing,"It better be not your another scam!"

"It won't," Imlie smirked in victory.

°°°°°°°°

"Say now." Malini Chaturvedi spoke up first after she and Imlie reached the restaurant near Imlie's current assigned workplace.

Imlie settled down in her chair, before responding to impatient half sister of hers,"I want to file divorce against Babu-saheb."

It was silence between them for a moment before Malini spoke up again.

"You better be not joking!" Malini was excited in anticipation and skepticism.

"I'm not," Imlie's voice was calm.

"Why now? What are you scamming now?" She was holding herself in this public place.

"Because I realised something, recently," Imlie responded.

"What realisation?"

"Will you believe me if I say?"

"Let's give it a try."

"Okay. I realised that I was never happy in my relationship with Aditya babu. It was forced upon me and I was helpless. Yet dared to fall for someone who was always someone else's. I was stupid to think, that I would be happy if I had stayed by his side till the end. But, I was wrong. That's why I want to correct my mistake and bringing those real lovers together. I don't want to be an obstacle  between Babu-saheb and you anymore. My Matarani won't support me too."

Malini was silent, trying to figure out this sudden change of mind in Imlie; Imlie was sipping water from the glass while observing Malini in silence.

"Do you want me to trust in your bullshit?"

"No, I don't. However, you want Aditya's divorce, right?"

Malini was soundless again. Her face couldn't deny Imlie's deduction.

"So, what do you want me to do?"

"I just want you to help me to get a signature on the divorce papers and ofcourse please prepare one. You're knowledge in it and I can't trust any other person with it. I don't want any alimony as well. So, process will be simple, I suppose."

"How am I suppose to convince Aditya?"

"Just tell him the truth, like you always do," Imlie grinned, meaningfully.

Malini was unable to refuse her accusations this time too.

°°°°°°°

"I'll call you after getting the work done." Malini said before Imlie about to part away from her.

"I trust you. Goodbye!" She replied turning her back towards her.

She smirked in her victory for the second time today before she noticed her boss, Aryan Singh Rathore, sitting in the car, looking at her direction. Controlling her emotions, she came towards the car and hopped in it.

"How was the assignment?" Her boss asked, starting the engine, looking at the front.

"Good, sir. I finished the interview and the report is almost completed. I can send it by tomorrow morning," she smoothly flashed her professional smile at him before handing him the file he asked for.

A moment of quietness stayed between them. She turned her face at the window, gazing outside.

"Where are you staying in this town?" It was a surprise when Aryan initiated another conversation with her, which was no less than outside of professional circumstances.

"Right now hostel," she replied without further information.

She didn't like showing her personal life to others. It had put her in tight spots many times in the past.

"There is a time limit of staying in working women's hostel. Afterwards what did you think of?" However, he didn't stop asking questions.

"I'm looking for rental houses," she replied without looking back at him for once.

She really didn't like the way this conversation was heading to.

"I have a room for rent. I can offer you that if you have no issue with it," he stated and she didn't say anything for the moment.

She didn't show any emotion of disturbance on her face; however her heart began pounding. Nevertheless, her mind was focused to get the hell out from this situation.

"I'll think about it, sir. Thank you for the offer," she forced a smile before the car reached the doorstep of Bhasker Times.

Their journey together had ended for that day.

°°°°°°°°

"How shameless she is!" Those people began taking behind her back, just the moment she came out for dinner at dinning hall.

She was sitting on her usual place, away from her roommate, who was giving her a sympathetic look. Contrary to it, other girls were giving her  nasty looks, before nitpicking her every existence. Imlie was habituated getting such hospitality from others. However, her patience was running out. She fed up being the villainess. Whereas, she was the victim to begin with. Moreover, knowing how everything would go beforehand, she couldn't help but think about the insecurities she had surroundings her residential place. At this rate, the authority wouldn't bother before kicking her out from the hostel. The cost of rental houses near her institution and working place was out of her reach. At the time like this she couldn't stop but remember his words.

"I have a room for rent. I can offer you that if you have no issue with it."

Should I consider it?

She thought.

"But I don't want to be mingled with him time and again." She whispered under the breath, before throwing a piece of Roti inside her mouth.

°°°°°°°°°

In the end, when the presentation ended with a good note, she knocked the door the highest authority of Bhasker Times.

"Come in," he quickly responded.

Imlie came inside; Aryan turned his face at her with questioning eyes.

"Is your deal of rental house still up?" She asked.

Hearing her out, his eyes lit up,"Yes."

"From when can I begin my stay?"

"From this moment," he grinned.

She exchanged a tight mannered smile even though her heart was shaking inside.

**************

"She's so pretty, Aru! From where did you get her?" Mom was overjoyed seeing Imlie interacting with the girls around her.

She was tactfully handling the cackle of hyenas.

"From my office, maa. She's the new intern working in my new office," I replied while watching Imlie's every move from the balcony side of our hall next to mom; Imlie was at downstairs with others.

"So sweet!" Mom grinned from eye to eye.

Those women started talking with each other, when didi called Imlie to the food table. They sat on the chairs while talking. A waiter served two plates of noodles to both of them. I was enchanted to see them initiating conversations one after other, until I witnessed Imlie eating noodles using chopsticks, flawlessly.

Something hit my mind that began growing my discomfort once again.

°°°°°°°°°

Three days passed since she came into our house. I let her rent the same room that she stayed when she came for the first time before too. But unlike the past, our house stayed as calm as before her arrival. That might be raising my skepticism even more.

"How did she learn to use it? Wasn't I the one who supposed to teach her for the first time?" I murmured while walking in my room from one side to another.

For past a few days, I was reading all the time travel books, fictions and what not. In everything they emphasised 'butterfly effect' quite frequently. Coming back in the past is the biggest effect itself. Therefore, changing small incidents was comparatively a regular issue.

I myself changed a lot. And it should be affecting others too in one way or another.

"Then why can't I..." I tapped my forehead a couple of time before I noticed Imlie in our backyard garden, sitting on the bench as usual.

It passed dinner time and Imlie came everyday in the garden since her arrival. I usually watched her from afar from my window, first floor. However, I wanted to be there with her tonight.

Walking on the narrow path of the garden, I was glancing at Imlie. She was gazing at the crystal clear starry sky; her deep, brown eyes were lost in wonder. She had a mature side that I was unaware of. Although the childlike innocence was too sparkling in them from time to time.

"Found any shooting star?" I asked with a smile; she jolted in surprise; nevertheless, did reply with a composed grin.

"Not yet."

I sat down at the opposite side of the bench while staring at the sky with her.

It was a comfortable silence. Crickets were singing altogether. The voices of night birds were heard from afar alongside.

"Do you believe in wish fulfilment folklore of shooting stars?" It was her voice that broke the tranquillity.

"Not in the past, but now," I stated glancing at her.

"And you?" I was curious.

"Not anymore. Facts are far believable, and reliable," She replied still staring.

I gaped at her, eerily. There was something in her voice that freed butterflies in my stomach.

"Why not?" I continued, holding an unknown anticipation.

"Because, I have to complete tasks before the ultimatum," there was a long pause after her statement; her eyes were still gazing those nature's diamonds.

"Good night, sir!" She got up from the bench after greeting me for the last time for today.

I sat still, unmoved, gazed at her figure disappearing from my sight. That familiar uneasiness returned in my chest. I bit my lip drowning in the bizarre emotion.

"No! I still don't have any proof. Let's not jump into conclusions." I murmured staying within my rationality.

°°°°°°°°°°°

"Today's morning breaking news in locality. Famous reporter and journalist, Aditya Kumar Tripathi announced his marriage with his long-term her girlfriend, Malini Chaturvedi in next month. We Bhasker Times congratulate him and his family in this joyous moment."

I was awestruck watching the morning news from my office cabin, after getting call from my assistant. I looked at Imlie, who was also glaring at the Television screen alike everyone in the office. Her eyes were focused, lips were curled upwards, face showed no sign of hazardous emotions. On the opposite, there was a sign of momentary satisfaction in them.

I felt my heart racing unhealthily. That gut feeling, intuition was knocking the door, violently. That unpleasantness filled the void in my chest as well.

What are you keeping in the dark, Imlie? Are you perhaps...

***********

[If you guys don't understand it, '36 hours before the party' in the beginning of the chapter means, the chapter starts with the events prior to 36 hours before the ending incident of chapter 4.]