"Hello Mrs. Verma. How are you doing?"
"As good as I can," Nandini smiled weakly, "But there is a surprise for you. Nidhi was in a good mood, it seems. She baked some cookies last night. They are tasty. Try them." She passed an air-tight plastic container to him, which had the cookies.
"Wow! I didn't know she was an expert at baking."
"No expert. It is the first time she tried. But they have turned out quite well."
"You are right," Ashutosh said munching on one of the cookies, "Where is she?"
"Didn't she tell you? She has gone to the institute. Apparently there is a paper submission deadline. She wanted to consult some journals and books in the library."
"Oh!" Ashutosh was surprised. She had earlier decided to forgo the deadlines. Was it a sign of her feeling better that she was now trying to send the papers? Or a way of hiding her depression?
"It's good for her Ashutosh," Nandini said somberly, "The way she had been in last few days, barely holding herself together, I have died a thousand deaths before the real one comes. Since yesterday, she has been looking more cheerful. You had taken her out for breakfast?"
"Yeah. I happened to come early in the morning. So..."
"That was really nice of you. She needed a change of air. She doesn't have many friends here yet. Anji is the only one. But she is busy with her own life these days it seems."
"If you are fine with it, I... I could take her out more often. If it helps..."
"Please do," Nandini said eagerly, "She really looks up to you. You presence means a lot to her." Her eagerness did not skip Ashutosh' attention.
He nodded and spoke after few moments of silence, "Mrs. Verma. Please take rest. I will drop by the institute and meet Nidhi if she is there."
"Sure. Take care."
"You too. Bye"
--
Nidhi was sifting through old bound journals, when she was startled by someone keeping a rose in front of her. She looked up and her confusion increased when she saw Ashutosh standing there smiling.
"Sir?"
"Hi! You didn't tell me that you were planning to go ahead with the paper submissions after all."
"I just decided on an impulse this morning."
"This is for you," he pushed the rose further towards her.
It was a red rose. Nidhi looked alternately at the rose and at Ashutosh in confusion.
"For me?" she spoke very slowly and uncertainly.
"To thank you for the delicious cookies I had a while back."
"Cookies? Oh - you went home?"
"Yes. Mrs. Verma told me you were here. So, I came here. But not before filling myself up with the cookies. They were really tasty."
"Thank you," Nidhi felt happy at his appreciation. But the rose was still confusing her. She saw Ashutosh looking at the rose and felt forced to pick it up. "For this too," she said indicating towards the rose.
Ashutosh smiled and asked her, "Yesterday you did not tell me whether you like movies or not."
"Who doesn't like movies in this age?" she replied, "Apart from action and gory stuff, I watch everything."
"And when did you go to a movie hall last time?"
"Few months back," Nidhi laughed embarrassed, "Actually just after coming back. With Anji."
"Let's go to a movie tonight then."
"We?"
"If you don't mind..."
"No... Why would I mind? It was... just... unexpected... But sure. Let's go. Which one?"
"There is a new animation movie from Pixar. We can go for that."
"Okay."
"I will get the tickets and pick you up at 6.30 from your home."
"Sure."
--
Nidhi was utterly confused about what to wear in the evening. It wasn't like it was a date. Dr. Mathur would never think of it that way. But then what was it? Going to a movie?
'Come on Nidhi,' she told herself, 'don't you go to the movies with friends? Just treat it like one of those occasions.' She put up a blue kurti on her black jeans and wore matching ear-rings. She looked at her nails. The nail polish was coming off again. The last time she had put a coat was on the morning that...
She didn't want to think of it. She used the nail polish remover to remove it altogether. 'My nails look fine without it,' she thought. She put up minimal make-up and waited for him to come.
After the movie he took her to a continental restaurant without telling her. It was a surprise.
"Thank you. The food was delicious and the restaurant was really good," she told him while coming back.
"Good that you liked the restaurant. Does the outing do good to your mood? How are you feeling?"
"I feel like I am in a relationship and this was..." she bit her lips. What was she doing? "I'm sorry," she said next.
"There is nothing wrong in feeling that way," Ashutosh was not perturbed.
"Everything is wrong in feeling what is not meant to be... I should just..."
"Nidhi!" he suddenly stopped the car and looked towards her, "If I asked you for another chance, will you give it to me?"
Surprise and uncertainty were obvious in her eyes when she looked at him on hearing that.
"Please!" he added earnestly.
"What... do you mean?" she didn't want to hope.
"I was stuck in time; stuck in the moment from nine years ago, when it would have sounded so wrong. Probably it was so then. But not now, when you are an adult who can make her decisions. I have realized that and I want to give ourselves, our relationship a chance. Will you?"
It took her a few seconds to digest what he was saying. Then she was about break into a smile, when doubt clouded her face again, "Is this because of Mom?"
Ashutosh did not quite understand her, "In a way, she did influence me. But..."
"Don't do it then," she suddenly turned cold.
"What do you mean?"
"I know that Mom is... going away and I know that I come across as weak. Well... I am weak and somewhere me and Mom have brought you in between all this. You feel that I am your responsibility. But that cannot be reason to force yourself into..."
"Shut up, will you?" Ashutosh' voice was soft, not quite matching his harsh words. He spoke again after a pause, "Listen to me before accepting your guesses as the truth. I had no clue this is what you meant when you asked me that question. When I said Mrs. Verma influenced me, what I meant was this. She said certain things that made me feel that she would accept our relationship. Probably even be happy about it. That gave me confidence that it won't be bad for you, or for me. I, sort of, trusted her life experiences. That was all that I meant. There is no pity, no emotional blackmail, no coercion involved here. Trust me Nidhi. Please."
It was her tears that showed first and then her smile.
"Wipe those off. Please," Ashutosh smiled and pointed to her tears. She did that as her smiled broadened.
"Do I, then, have the right to ask you out for a movie with real people next time?" he said playfully.
It made her laugh slightly. She blushed as she nodded a yes.
--
