This is very random, Arylie in a different world, as different people.
I couldn’t think of a title, so I shall edit it later. :)
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Chapter 1
The air felt colder today. The bougainvillea Radha aunty, her neighbour in the second floor had planted at the entry way, were beginning to bloom. She wondered if she should go back and get her umbrella, worried if it will rain .
She had promised Amma she would visit the temple in the evening, which was a 45 minutes commute from her work . All of which would be made a lot more difficult if it rained. Especially with the Saree she chose to wear today. For someone that loved draping herself in pretty colours once in a while, the occasions that called for it, were so rare these days. Today since she would be visiting the temple, she went for a lemon yellow plain georgette Saree, paired with an off-white blouse, with tiny mirror work along the borders. Her hair was pulled back in a loose pleat. A pair of small golden hoops, the only accessory.
“Bhaiya”
“Station Chaliye please”
It would take 15 mins to the station, and a 40 minutes ride to work. She made her mental calculations , and was happy she would still reach with an extra 15 minutes to spare, so she can go through her notes before the presentations begin. The thought made her smile. If her boss Yash, were already present, she would tell her “some days, I’d like for you to be not the first one to enter and the last to leave” , she would quietly smile at that. But she knew her boss was secretly proud. Some of the interns had mentioned it to her over tea, how they’ve overheard Yashaswini ma’am bragging about her assistant engineer’s consistency.
“Madam, pohonch gaye” , she was pulled out of her reverie by the auto wala’s loud announcement.
The local she usually took at this time was never too crowded, which made it a lot more peaceful than the evening ones, with hardly enough air to breathe .
She sat down and pulled the blinds open, only to feel the soft flick of the raindrops on her face.
She sat back, and closed her eyes. She didn’t know how the rain made her feel anymore. It was always raining — when the good, and the terrible happened to her. A silent witness, with which her life seemed to ebb and flow.
On days like these, when the shadow of the past seemed too close, and the future far, all she longed for, was a long nap on her Amma’s lap on the Jhoola Dadda had fixed for her. With the new project beginning, it might be a while before she can visit them again. Dadda would understand, but Amma would be sad. Maybe she could squeeze in a visit before the works begin in full force. God knows, she needed it.
She rushed from the auto, hurriedly wiping the water from her bag. The rain had resulted in heavy block enroute, and now she was a solid 10 minutes late. Ofcourse, she’d be early to work all these days, but would run late on the very first day of conference with their new clients.
She silently cursed her luck, and the rain.
“Just how do you manage to look this good with only the Kohl lining your eyes?”
She smiled at Sara, “Abhi time nahi hain, meet me for tea later and I’ll take that class”
“Gosh Imlie, you look GORGEOUS! Now hurry, I hear the new project head is a hothead, and also a hottie” Sara relayed with a wink
Imlie rolled her eyes, “yes, ofcourse, the boss and every other man with a beard. Sudhar jaaaaa”
“No thanks, bye , I’ll see you later. Good luck!!”
Imlie shook her head , and walked towards the reception. Anu, their 55 year old receptionist was at the desk, hurriedly running through documents.
“Hi Anu, please mark my entry? I’m running late”
Anu looked up with a frown from her stack of papers , “must be the baarish, no? Yes yes, please go. Oh the boss..”
“I know. Is hot!” She quickly threw back a smile, mid stride, only to turn around and hit a wall, the papers in her hand now spread over the floor. She jolted, and looked up at the owner of the wall/chest, thankful there was no concussion.
“Yes, do make sure it’s sent in by tomorrow”
The man with the most gravelly voice she’d ever heard, was on the phone, and walked away hardly sparing her a distracted glance. What an arrogant A-hole!
“Oh Sara, there are a few things more important than a fancy beard. For example, manners!!” She muttered under her breath, bending to pick the papers.
She fumed silently , walked up to the conference room, took a deep breath, and opened the doors.
Health and Fitness
