First posting my work In IF...Totally different frm show D3...Kriyansh are matured here..It's long...
*Let Me Think About You*
1st Part:
He was late again.
She glanced at her watch for the thousandth time and then wondered for a brief moment if maybe she had gotten the date wrong. He had agreed to meet her at the restaurant at 7 pm, hadn't he?
As the clock slowly ticked on, she began to doubt more and more. She took out her cell phone and scrolled through the text messages again, and when she found nothing there, she moved onto the incoming calls section. He could've called but she had missed it.
But there were no texts and no missed calls.
The hour hand on the clock moved another notch.
She looked out the window. It had been drizzling for the past three hours. Maybe that was why he was late. Rain always led to angry drivers and unfortunate accidents. Perhaps he was currently in a traffic jam on the highway, frustrated and worried, and even a little bit angry because his phone had no reception and was thus unable to call her to explain his tardiness.
It was that thought that kept her going. But still, her optimism could only go so far, especially when the waitress who had offered her a fifth cup of coffee came over, her face sympathetic.
"I'm sorry, miss, but we're closing."
She blinked and glanced at her watch. 11 pm. She hastily got out of her seat, thanking the waitress profusely for servicing her for four hours.
She stepped out into the freezing winter air and wrapped her coat tighter around herself. Her stomach grumbled and the emptiness in her heart ached a little, but she refused to acknowledge either. All she wanted to do was get back to her apartment and find comfort in her bed.
She must've looked extremely pitiful at that moment because even the taxi driver, who was always mean and spiteful, gave her a sympathetic glance and even insisted that she need not pay him tip for the remarkably short drive.
Her apartment was damp and cold and felt like an icebox when she stepped in..She stumbled over to her answering machine in a last-ditch effort to hear his voice that day. But when the automated recording insisted that there were no messages, her shoulders slumped and she felt tears rise to her eyes.
She chastised herself for crying and angrily ran the back of her hand across her eyes. All she needed was a good night's sleep, and then she would go to work tomorrow as if nothing had happened.
She was tired and exhausted when she got into the office the next day. She had tossed and turned all night..
"How was it, hmm?" Sharon Asked..
Kriya stifled a yawn and tried to look as exuberant as possible, if not for Sharon's sake then for her own. "It was great! We stayed at the restaurant for so long that the people had to eventually kick us out."
Well, at least that wasn't a complete lie.
Sharon beamed, looking ready to gush about it some more, when her eyes landed on the coffee on the table. She frowned and peered at Kriya's face, and then her own expression fell. "He didn't show up, did he?"
Kriya sighed and turned on her computer. "No he didn't."
"Did he give an excuse at least?"
She shook her head.
Sharon let out an angry growl and perched herself on desk, forcing Kriya to look at her. Work didn't officially start until 9 am, and since both Kriya and Sharon had a habit of going to work a bit earlier, they had about ten minutes to chat. Kriya wasn't too worried though. She had already turned in her proposal to her manager yesterday so she just had to wait on his response. This was what she liked about working in marketing.
"How many times has it been? Twice? Three times?" Sharon asked.
"Just twice," she mumbled.
"Just twice?" Sharon let out an angry scoff ... "For God's sake, Kriya. I don't know how you stand this. This guy is not good for you, can't you see that?"
Kriya looked down at her lap. She knew, of course she knew. The moment she heard his story, she knew her life would never be smooth-sailing again. But she had thought she could handle it. Now, as it turned out, maybe she was wrong. Maybe she wasn't as strong as she thought she was.
Sharon, unaware of Kriya's internal debate, continued ranting. "This guy comes with baggage. He may be rich and he may be brilliant, but besides that, he can't offer you anything else. He obviously doesn't care about you if he can cancel dinner without even telling you about it."
Kriya sighed morosely and picked at the thread on her scarf. Sharon had been her best friend in college and was now her closest confidant. She was generally very accepting of everyone, so for her to outright criticize him was significant enough in itself.
The door suddenly opened and the manager, walked in. He smiled cheerfully at everyone as was his wont and then slid into his office. He didn't say anything but everyone knew that work was officially starting.
Sharon gave her one last look of warning. "Forget about him, Kriya. You deserve someone better." And then she hopped off the desk and skipped away back to her own table.
Kriya stared at her now-cooling coffee and suddenly felt very depressed.
That was when her office phone rang, startling her from her thoughts. She blew out a sigh, smiled a bit to prep herself, and picked up the phone.
"Hello, Kriya Ghai speaking."
There was silence on the other end, and then she heard his voice. "Hi Kriya."
She swallowed. "Rey"
His words were hesitant. For Rey, the man who was so smooth that he could just about charm the pants off any woman, this was somewhat unsettling. "Sorry for calling your office phone. I just' I just thought you wouldn't pick up if I had dialed your cell phone."
Kriya wanted to smile. He knew her so well.
She struggled to make her voice pleasant. "Did you need something?"
"I'm' sorry for missing dinner yesterday. Something came up."
She looked down. "I see."
The line was silent for a while, and then his voice came back on, quiet and ashamed. "Suhana'"
Kriya's heart froze when she heard that name. Suhana Roy, Rey's girlfriend of four years' or rather, ex-girlfriend. Problem was, she didn't act very much like an ex-girlfriend.
She blinked away the tears that had suddenly popped into her eyes. "It's okay. You don't have to explain. I understand." She sucked in a breath. "I just wish you'd called me last night. It would've saved me some time."
"Did you wait a long time?"
"Yeah." One word, but it spoke volumes.
Rey sighed on the other end . "I would've called but Suhana wouldn't let me leave her side. She' she called me, crying, and I couldn't'" He trailed off then, as if he couldn't bear to continue. She didn't much feel like hearing it either.
"I'm really sorry about yesterday, Kriya. I'" He abruptly cut himself off, and she could imagine him shaking his head at himself. "Look, are you free tonight? I want to take you out."
Kriya sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Rey, I don't think'"
"Please," he said.
It was that one word that did it. She sighed and caved. "I'm off at six."
"I'll be waiting for you then." He hung up.
Kriya stared at the dead phone in her hand. She mentally berated herself for caving in, once again. But this was Rey, the one man who made her heart beat faster than she thought was possible. She felt like she was on top of the world when she was with him. And honestly, she really, really wanted to see him.
She saw him the moment she stepped out of the building. He was leaning against one of the pillars at the entrance, dressed in black slacks and a dark blue button-down. He was the image of perfection, his black hair and black eyes matching his attire brilliantly.
He looked up when he saw her and his entire countenance brightened. In a few short steps he was in front of her and he held out a perfectly shaped lily.
He smiled gently. "Thanks for coming, Kriya."
"You didn't have to get me a flower."
"I wanted to," he said.
She smiled thankfully and took it. Lilies were her favorite flowers. "Where are we going?"
"I thought we'd head to that nice little Italian resturant near your apartment. I remember you saying you've always wanted to go but never seemed to find the chance to."
It was at times like these that Kriya knew she loved him. He never seemed to try exceedingly hard, but he remembered every little detail about her. She had mentioned that restaurant in casual conversation when they had been taking a walk around the neighborhood. It had never come up again, but somehow, he remembered.
It was another few moments before Rey suddenly spoke up again. "So I'm thinking of taking a trip down to my family's beach house this weekend."
Kriya looked back at him. "Oh really? That's great. Is your entire family going?"
"No, just me. " They stopped in front of a red light and he turned to look at her. His black eyes were startlingly bright in the steadily darkening atmosphere. "I'd like you to come with me."
She stared at him, shocked. He was asking her to go to their family beach house with him? What kind of invitation was that? And what did that even mean? "You're asking me to go?"
"Of course. Who else would I ask?"
A name popped into her mind, but she forcibly squashed it down. She didn't need any unnecessary angst in this conversation. "Are you sure? I mean, I don't know anyone in your family. Would they be okay with me going?"
He drove into the restaurant's parking lot and smoothly slid into a spot. "My parents definitely wouldn't mind. They like you."
Now Kriya was really floored. "You parents know about me?"
Rey smiled and grabbed her hand, threading his fingers through hers. His palm was warm and comforting and she felt herself relaxing in his hold. "I told them about you. You're too wonderful to be kept a secret." Her cheeks were warm from his words and he must've noticed this because his smile widened and he leaned forward and slowly pressed his lips to hers.
"I like you, Kriya," he whispered. "I want this to work."
"Me too," she said.
He grinned and opened his door. "Come on now. Let's go see what this little restaurant's all about."
And at that moment, Kriya didn't think she had ever been happier.
The beach house was beautiful. It was a two-story structure painted a soft pink and white, the colors fitting perfectly with the sand and the waves. Rey grinned as he led her through the door and into the living room. Even the interior was decorated like a beach house. The pictures were of surfers and waves, interspersed with images of the family members.
Everything was bright and happy and it made Kriya's heart swell.
"You can put your bag here." Rey gestured towards the foot of the stairs. "We'll take them up later. It's about noon right now. Do you want to grab a bite to eat and then hit the waves?"
She blinked. "I don't know how to surf."
His smile flashed. "That's what I'm here for. I'll teach you." He grabbed her hand excitedly. "Come on!"
Despite his excitement and her willingness to learn, Kriya realized that she was deplorable when it came to sports. She had severe difficulties just getting on the board, and once she had actually managed it, she fell off almost immediately. Rey, who was perched comfortably on his board, had laughed so hard that he had fallen off himself.
"I think we should give up on this for the day," he chuckled, after hauling her out from the waves. "Maybe sun-tanning is a safer option for you."
She scowled and threw her towel at his face. "Shut up. Just because not everyone is as athletically adept as you are doesn't mean you get to laugh at them."
He shrugged, eyes sparkling. "Of course I do. It's a free country. If I want to laugh at you, I get to. If I want to put my arms around you, I get to." He did just that and pulled her closer. "And if I want to kiss you, I get to."
And then he captured her mouth in a mind-numbing kiss. Needless to say, they did nothing else for the next few minutes.
When they became aware of their surroundings again, Kriya was blushing profusely for their very public display of affection and Rey was grinning from ear to ear.
He pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Want some ice cream? I'll be right back." He ran off with a quick wave and she occupied herself with taking over a small portion of the beach with towels.
She settled down on the two towels that she had placed side by side and started lathering her skin with lotion. She took the time in the interim to observe the happy families on the beach. It was such a relaxing atmosphere that she wondered why she didn't go to the beach more often.
Suddenly cone topped with two scoops of chocolate chip ice cream was shoved in her face. She jerked back, surprised, and saw Rey settle himself next to her, a cone in his hand.
"You like chocolate chip, right?"
Kriya nodded and accepted it gratefully. "You remembered," she said, and then wondered why she was surprised every time.
He scoffed. "How could I forget? Remember the first time we met? I accidentally made you drop you ice cream and you practically tore my eyes out."
She frowned defensively and took a bite out of her sweet dessert. It was cool and contrasted against the warm weather nicely. "You caught me on a bad day," she admitted and then rolled her eyes. "Besides, you weren't exactly a gentleman either. You didn't even offer to buy me a new cone."
"Because you were too busy bitching at me," he retorted.
Kriya's jaw dropped. "So now you're blaming me?"
"I would hardly call it 'blaming you,'" he said thoughtfully. "Without that encounter we wouldn't have met."
"And what a tragedy that would be," she said.
He adopted a soulful expression. "Naturally. I don't know where I'd be without you."
She smiled slightly. "Probably still with Suhana."
Rey pulled away slightly, his eyes wary. It looked like he was trying to read her thoughts, but then he turned away and looked out into the ocean. He didn't comment on her statement and Kriya was almost sorry for bringing it up. She had convinced herself to forget about Suhana, if only for the weekend. This was her time with Rey and her time alone.
Rey's phone chose that time to ring. He frowned and looked down at himself, and then reached into his pocket. His face immediately sobered when he saw the caller ID and he glanced at her, almost ashamedly.
"Um' I' I'll just be a minute."
Kriya sighed and looked away. Speak of the devil.
Rey hesitated, his hand still on the button. "I' I don't have to take this."
She turned back to him and saw his reluctance, but also his desire. He was at war with himself. On one hand, he wanted to take it because he still cared about Suhana. But on the other hand, he didn't want to offend her. Decisions, decisions.
Every part of Kriya wanted to tell him to ignore the call because this was her time with him. Suhana could wait. But she couldn't, because she wasn't that type of person, and because she knew it was what he really wanted. Who was she to deny that?
"Go on," she said. "I don't mind."
It was the green light Rey needed. He walked away with the phone pressed to his ear, his voice light with his greeting. Kriya convinced herself that his contact with his ex-girlfriend was fine because he was here with her, after all. He had asked her to come to the beach with him, not Suhana.
But she wondered, ten minutes later, if this distinction mattered to him at all. He had an apologetic look on his face when he told her he had to leave. Suhana needed something urgent and apparently, he was the only one who could provide it for her. But he assured her, hastily and urgently, that he would be back later that night.
"Just relax here, all right? Take a look around, have some dinner, and I'll be back before you know it." The smile on Rey's face was bright as he grabbed her shoulders and gave them a comforting squeeze. "I promise I'll be back soon, okay?
And Kriya, the stupid girl that she was, gave him the go-ahead with a bright smile and a nod that contradicted everything she wanted. And then she watched him drive away, feeling more alone than ever.
She spent her afternoon exploring the neighborhood and playing with the neighbor's dog. The evening came and went, and she found herself relaxing , waiting for that familiar car to drive up the street. But the sun went down and the clock ticked on, and still, Rey didn't come.
There was no phone call either.
Kriya fell asleep waiting on the couch.
The next morning dawned bright and sunny, and she sped to the door, hoping, praying, wishing, that his car was in the driveway. But it was empty.
Her heart plummeted into her stomach and she slumped down on the porch, feeling the tears well up in her eyes. She was so stupid to have believed him, so stupid to have let him go. Who did she think she was? She couldn't do the right thing all the time. But, she thought wryly, that had never stopped her from trying.
The morning passed slowly and Kriya mindlessly ate a sandwich she had made with the ingredients they had brought up for lunch. She hovered around the house, and finally, when she saw that it was 3 pm, she mustered up the courage and dialed Rey's number.
She reached his voicemail.
That was when she finally understood. Rey wasn't coming back.
Kriya gave herself a few minutes' worth of crying time before calling Sharon. Sharon had been both horrified and angry on Kriya's behalf and was spewing flames by the time her car was parked on the driveway, two hours later. She drove them to her house, because in her words, "Who knows what you'd do if you were alone right now?"
They were drinking hot chocolate when she asked the fateful question. "Are you still going to see him?"
Kriya shook her head, because this time, she finally understood. "No. I'm done with him."...
Phew!!! Done..now tell me should I continue???😊
Last Chapter:http://www.india-forums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=3089395&TPN=6
Anupamaa
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Cricket
