It's been a couple of days since the lockdown was implemented and it was finally the weekend. This meant sleeping in for Kayal. She had been extremely exhausted with the extra work that she had been doing ever since work from home had started. Whoever said that work from home is a bliss, they were clearly lying. She had never been as much as answerable to people as she had been in the last two days. Thanking her lucky stars that Saturday isn't a work day in her company, she snuggled further into her warm whale plushy.

"Hmm... this is heavenly!"

"Hold that thought!" Her quirky brain interposed all of the sudden when she heard some countinous rattling of pots and pan from below, in the kitchen. A guttural groan escaped her throat as she quickly pulled her hair into a high bun and marched down the stairs.

"Hi, good morning! You're up so early!" Reyansh beamed while pouring a cup of steaming coffee.

"Dude, you were so noisy for the past fifteen minutes. Do I look like Lady Khumbkaran who would have slept through all the pots and pan clutter?"

"Well, now that you're awake, why don't you have this coffee first?" He grinned. He bloody grinned. She was furious at him, but damn, did he have to display the perfectly aligned teeth.

"Wipe that stupid grin of your face! I'm very much angry at you, Reyansh Mehrotra! Keep that stupid coffee, drink it yourself or pour it down the sink for all I care! Just let me sleep in, would you?" Kayal admonished him and was about to walk away when she heard him.

"It is already eleven hours in the morning. You still want to sleep in?" She was quick to turn around in surprise. Did she really slept that long? Nearly 12 hours?

Noticing the way she was shuffling mindlessly to and fro, muttering some incoherent words, perhaps in Tamil, Reyansh called her out and showed her the time in his phone.

"I had actually slept for almost 12 hours!" Her wide-eyed realisation made Reyansh's lips to tug upwards as he slowly made his way towards her.

"Dude, relax, you had been working really hard these few days. You were tired and your genius brain needed some rest. Here, have your coffee. I tried to make it the way Tai had taught me, but if it doesn't meet your expectation, then you can be honest to me, alright?"

Kayal nodded as she took the handle of the white mug from his grasp. The steam coming from the mug brought the aroma of the South-Indian blended coffee to her nostrils. Immediately acting as a booster to wake her. Just the aroma alone was enough for Kayal, but when she took the first sip of the coffee, she knew she was in heaven. It tasted perfect! Even better than what Tai used to prepare for her. It was just like the one from hometown.

When she cited the same to her husband, he was evidenly delighted and had taken the responsibility to prepare her coffee for the next fortnight, until the end of the lockdown. Elated with the turns of the event from what she had thought was going to be a rough morning, into this peaceful situation, Kayal excused herself to freshen up.

"Be quick! Let's have brunch together, I'm starving and I already made something!" His signature grin was to follow. Kayal stiffled her chuckle as she shook her head and took quick strides to her room.

Upon finding herself relaxing under the cold shower, Kayal was taken back to the first moment she and Reyansh had a proper conversation. They had always run into each other in the elevator whenever she was coming back from work, and they had some harmless flirting which was truly amusing. Some days, his flirts were what she had looked forward when she gets back from work! But, during their first real encounter, she had literally loathed the very sight of him.

* * *

"Drive, drive, drive! I'll explain later, please drive!" Kayal instructed a startled Reyansh as she was catching her breath after entering his car out of nowhere.

"Are you okay? What happened?"

"It's a long boring story! Let's talk about something more interesting, what are you doing here? Were you following me?" Kayal caught him off-guard as he was trying to make the turn to their condominium.

"What? I was getting myself food! You came out of nowhere, got into my car, asking me to drive and now I'm following you? I don't even know your name! We meet frequently in the elevator, and you were panicking earlier. I was just helping you out! Clearly this is what happens when someone tries to help a stranger. No, not someone, but a guy tries to help a girl! Within seconds she puts blame on you! Get down from my car now! Go, get down!" He halted his car at the side of the road, right before the entrance of their condominium and turned to look at her.

She was plainly blinking and staring at him.

"Dude, I was just joking! I had had a fucking annoying day and almost got molested by some stupid pervert when I saw you, ran for my life and got into the car. I'm sorry if you were having a time that is even worse than mine and can't even sense a joke! To be very honest, I thought we were kinda sorta mighta have been friends! My bad!" She calmly replied and took out a 500 rupees from her bag and placed it on his dashboard.

"That was how much the Uber ride was from there to here. Thanks for the ride and have a better day ahead!"

He watched her retreating figure in regret. How could she possibly have known his trouble when? Besides, that was the way they normally converse in the elevators whenever they run into each other. In fact, he had asked her if she was checking him out when they had first met! She was being normal and he had successfully ruined whatever that was between them. He did really thought that she was his friend, a hi-bye kind of friend.

"Urghh! What have I done?" He slapped the steering frustratedly as he remorse his deed. He began driving inside the building's parking when something dazzled his eye, making him to raise his hand to cover his eyes and look for the source that was blinding him. It was the metallic clip on a badge which reflected the evening sun directly to his eyes. He bend down and picked it up to find her face on it.

Kayalvizhi
Executive Accountant

"Khayalvizzy! Vizzy?! What kind of name is Vizzy?" He chuckled to himself, making a mental note to ask the meaning of her name. Wrapping the lanyard around his wrist, Reyansh took his food parcel and quickly rushed into the building, after parking his car in his allocated parking.

"Okay, so I only know that she lives on the 22nd floor. How the hell am I going to find her?" He sighed to himself and thought of leaving her badge to the security guard or management office, but would it be safe? What if they had misused it or be careless about it?

Without him realising, Reyansh had already pressed the 22nd floor button on the elevator. The doors dinged opened, and Reyansh was still contemplating on whether or not to give her badge back. Besides, he does owe her an apology. Shrugging all his thoughts away, Reyansh stepped out of the car and looked around. If he keeps thinking about it, he will never be able to make a decision, hence, whatever come may, he's just going to do it!

There were 5 doors on that particular floor and Reyansh was bummed again. His floor only had 3 houses and there were 5 on the 22nd floor? Like seriously? Aren't the number of houses in each floor supposedly to be the same?

"Screw architects!"

Kayal was about to go down to take her food parcel from the delivery guy when she heard her doorbell. Sighing and muttering some incoherent words at her housemate who always forgets her keys, she walked up and opened the door without checking ahead. Oh, how she wished she had checked. His face was literally not the one that she wanted to see at the moment, especially when her eyes were still red due to crying.

"Hi! I'm really very sorry about earlier..." he trailed off when he saw her swollen eyes and dishevelled hair. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm absolutely fine!" She couldn't help but to look down upon realising his intent gaze upon her. The red lanyard around his fists reminded her of her badge and thus making her point to it involuntarily.

"You dropped this in my car earlier." He found himself fumbling mentally. He didn't know how to apologise or what to say. They weren't thick friends or so. They don't even know each other's name, at least he didn't know her name until a few minutes back.

"Thanks!" She took the badge from him and walked out to lock the door, completely ignoring the man who was hovering her by at least a feet tall. She took quick paces towards the elevator with Reyansh tailing behind her. He was still fumbling for words and she's ignoring him.

"Great!" He could literally hear his brain mocking him.

"I'm sorry about earlier, I know I overreacted. I'm sorry!" Reyansh apologised genuinely once they were inside the elevator.

"I guess I overracted too. You know what, it's okay. I just had a crappy day and all I want to do right now is eat and get drunk!" She sighed.

"I have food and booze in my house, you're welcome to join me!" Reyansh plainly shrugged his shoulder as he passed her a small, genuine smile.

"That is very kind of you, but I think I'd rather be alone tonight. I'm very much pissed off. Angry and annoyed at almost everyone and everything!"

"What a coincidence! I am also kinda in the same situation! I'm so furious, but there's nothing I can do about it. So, I planned to get drunk too! At least, if we drank together, we wouldn't feel that lonely, maybe we can share whatever that's bothering us!"

Kayal's head shot up from her phone screen to look at him. Strangely, her mind and heart were in agreement to accept his invitation. She badly needed a friend and he was just trying to be one. Without a second thought or overthinking it, she nodded and informed him that she would just grab her food and change into something more comfortable before meeting him. Much to her surprise, he had waited for her patiently outside her condominium, and walked her to his place.

* * *

"We have really come a long way from the first time I came here to what we are now, haven't we?" She startled an oblivious Reyansh who was setting up their brunch table.

"Dude! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Well, consider it as a payback for what you did to me the other day!" She darted out her tongue and was about to pull a chair to sit down when Reyansh had pulled it for me.

"Yes, we've come a long way! But this is nice! From a one night companion to bond over sob stories to here, amidst a pandemic, being the only friend we have!" He smiled as he poured the Chardonnay into two flutes.

"It does feels nice! In fact, it is heavenly!"

So, that was their first proper conversation as acquaintance. Isn't Reyansh the most adorable being? Anyways, find out more about these two in the next echo! Till then...

With love,
Nivaa.