"Is everything all right?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.
Once Daadi explained the matter to him with judicious inputs from Rudra, Shivay turned to Nishanth, "So, where are you planning to go?"
Nishanth looked at Anika. He gave an embarrassed smile at her and said, "I was thinking we could head out to Juhu for a bit. After being cooped up all day inside, I thought we could both enjoy a nice walk on the beach."
Anika was taken aback. During the many visits to the beach with Saahil, she had seen couples come there, walking together along the dancing waves of the murky ocean, chatting over a shared plate of pav bhaji, holding hands, creating memories. In those brief and fleeting moments of weakness, she'd wish that someday she too could come there with someone. The voice in her head that had been worrying her since morning suddenly fell silent at Nishanth's words. On seeing the smile that appeared on Anika's face, Daadi and Priyanka discreetly high fived each other while Rudra suddenly lost his cheeky grin.
Shivay cleared his throat and said, "Well, I am going in that direction. Come with me. I'll drop you guys off." And with that he turned around and walked out, fully expecting them to follow.
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Mumbai traffic inched forward slowly. In deference to his boss, Nishanth sat in the front beside the driver. He turned around to Anika and apologised.
"Actually, my car has been giving me some trouble and today I finally had to send it for repairs."
Anika opened her mouth to tell him that it hardly mattered. They could have just taken a cab or even an autorickshaw, which was her preferred mode of transport. However, Billuji got to it first. "You really should get another car, Nishanth. It's important to have a stand by just for emergencies."
"Yes Sir. I am thinking about buying one."
The conversation turned to car models. In her corner, Anika tried to keep herself awake. It had been a long day.
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Shivay glanced towards her sleeping form. Curled up next to the window, she had drifted off, her head resting on the cool glass pane. Her face wore the softness that sleep brought to people. This was Anika when not in attack mode. A sudden ridiculous image rose in his mind of her tucked in his embrace, sleeping with her head resting on his shoulder. He sat up with a jerk and focused on what Nishanth was saying. They had moved on from cars to the share market. Nishanth had pretty good insight into the latest market trends, he was pleased to note. However, the fellow had clearly not noticed that his date had been silent for quite a long time. So much for Prinku's theory of Nishanth being interested in Anika, he smirked to himself.
"I think we've bored her into falling asleep with our market talk," Nishanth said with a guilty grin. "I wish we didn't have to wake her up. She is sleeping so peacefully."
So he had noticed. Probably had been checking her out through the rear view mirror which was a mildly creepy thing to do, Shivay mused.
They had almost reached Juhu and Anika was still asleep.
"Maybe you guys can do this some other day?" Shivay said. "I'll have my driver take her home."
Nishanth's face fell like Shivay had refused him a promotion. "Yes Sir, if you think--" he began.
However, the jerking motion of the car as it hit a pothole had Anika sitting up. Shivay watched her as she rubbed her eyes and for a moment looked completely disoriented. That feeling of wanting to draw her to himself returned again and he had to look away.
"Are we there yet?" she asked.
Nishanth turned around in his seat and said, "Yes, we were just beginning to think if we should discard the plan since you had fallen asleep." His smile had returned.
"Well, it was just a power nap and I'm all charged up now," she said with a laugh.
Soon they had reached the beach and as Nishanth and Anika got out, the former thanked Shivay profusely. As the car pulled away from the kerb, Anika heard the Bagad Billa scold the driver for not watching out for potholes while driving. She turned to the waiting Nishanth and they made their way to the warm sands. Shivay looked back and watched the duo walk slowly away, she laughing at something the guy said. He turned back to his phone. He could get some work done on the way to the restaurant where he was supposed to meet Tia.
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On her way to work, Anika smiled to herself as she checked the message Nishanth had sent her that morning. Truth be told, she had enjoyed their walk and Nishanth had turned out to be really easy to talk to. He was full of funny anecdotes from his work, his university days and his family. She had definitely had a good time.
When the time had come for them to part ways, he had insisted on fixing a second meeting. She had agreed, even though she had felt some trepidation. She knew the dangers of someone in her position dreaming of things that in reality lay far beyond her reach. And yet, whenever she had tried to raise the subject of her family, something or the other had prevented her. The evening had been pleasant. They had been among happy smiling people and she had wanted to be a part of that carefree world,if only for a little while. And so they had chatted about their work, their friends and their hopes and dreams for the future and she had forgotten that she was Ms. Anika, orphan extraordinaire.
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Shivay watched her as she and his mother went through one of those never-ending lists she was always working on. The two were at present busy laughing at some joke they had cracked. In between the laughter and slapping of thighs, he saw his mother reach a hand out and pull her cheeks in an uncharacteristic gesture of affection. Unbeknown to him, his grip on his coffee mug tightened. Shivay turned his attention back to his breakfast. He had made it himself. A warm plate of chilaquiles served up with a generous sprinkling of queso fresco on the salsa which had in turn been improved with a dash of habanero sauce. He clutched at the morning paper as Prinku joined them. He could hear the hum of their low-voiced conversation followed by more laughter. How did she get any work done if they only sat around and gossiped all day? Snatches of their conversation floated towards him across the room. Nishanth...fun...waves...ice cream...second date...
He abruptly got up from his seat. He had suddenly lost his appetite and it was getting late. He really did have to leave for work now.
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Over the next few weeks, Anika found herself increasingly spending more and more time with Nishanth. His humour, his attention to her likes, her dislikes, the concern he showed for her, all put together had created quite an impression on her. And somewhere in her a bud of hope had suddenly come into existence. She no longer looked for excuses to avoid meeting him. Instead she found herself looking forward to her evenings when she would meet up with him even if only for a little while. At night, she would stay up well after Saahil had fallen asleep, replying to his texts, grinning at his jokes. She had learnt small details about him that she would have hardly bothered to notice earlier. And with each day as she felt her apprehensions being slowly stripped off her, she wanted more and more to have him meet Saahil. know about her past, her family, her life.
While Anika was preparing to take a step forward in life that she never thought she would contemplate, Shivay was engaged in a private battle that raged within him. Now that life had ensured that he could firmly put behind him those kisses they had shared, he found himself being even more drawn to her. Now that it was ever more impossible for him to think of her, he found himself daydreaming of her. Thoughts of her touch, her smell, the feeling of her in his arms,that sense of fulfilment he had experienced, if only for a brief moment of passion, filled his waking hours. His eyes would find her with uncanny precision whenever she was around, noticing tiny details about the way she lived her life, etching it into his very soul, it appeared. And at night in his dreams when she came in all her unguarded glory, he would wake, clawing at his sheets, filled with an aching need that made him want to tear apart the very fabric of his reality.
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