12: Hues of pink
Vani dwells on her previous relationship as Manav initiates conversation with her. Dhriti has an upsetting run in with someone.

Vani had busied herself in work. A second away from doing something productive, her ears would start ringing with Sahil's voice.

57 seconds. Their call was a 57 second thing. Yet, Vani felt that she was stuck in those few moments. The last three months had been tumultuous for her not having Sahil by her side. She had known him for three years now, and was habituated to his presence in her life. 

"I have to say, that was the most peaceful merger I have ever seen, not that I have seen a lot, I" Sahil said as he sat beside Vani, who was having a sandwich.

"Agreed," she cut him off.

"Sahil Jog" he introduced himself and Vani raised a brow at him.

"I know who you are, you were literally representing the other side," she said.

"Well, technically it was my boss, but yeah..."

A silence followed and Sahil decided to break it.

"Let's be friends,"

"Really?"

"Yeah, let's be friends- I mean, why not? We're two intelligent, good looking lawyers"

"No, what I meant is, who asks to be friends? Are you like a kid in play group or something?"

The sky displayed hues of pink as the sun set, allowing everyone to turn the page in their books. Vani and Sahil continued their conversation, liking each other's presence.

"Ma'am, here's the paperwork for the Mishra's" a voice interrupted her thoughts. Vani tried to ignore her throbbing headache as she took the file.

The new recruit stood nervously in front of Vani who was reading the file.

"Hm, looks okay, have you sent the soft copy to Sa...I mean Kelkar Sir?" She asked.

"Not yet ma'am, I wanted your approval first" she replied.

"Why are you so nervous? Calm down," Vani said, forwarding the glass of water on her desk.

"Thank you ma'am" she said, taking the glass of water.

"Sit down and drink the water" Vani muttered and she nodded, sitting down.

"Everything seems okay, I'll make some minor changes in these points" she told her, pointing it in the paper and Janhavi- the new recruit nodded.

"Send me the soft copy so I'll edit it and send it to Sir,"

"Yes ma'am, I'll do it right away"

"Tag along with me day after tomorrow"

"To the Mishra office?"

"Yes, you need to learn how to interact with clients, just come along, you don't have to do anything"

"Thank you so much Ma'am!" Janhavi replied with great excitement and thankfulness. Vani smiled looking at her.

-

"Whoa, that's crazy. You finally met her!" Arjun voiced out his surprise while Manav was making upma.

"How is she?"

"She is actually...nice, Arjun. She's fun to talk to, and seemed helpful"

"Kyun? Teri jaan bachayi kya?" (Why? Did she save your life?)

"Her kaku has a tiffin service and everything, and while we were talking she told me about it...so yeah, I mean she thought about it, so she must be helpful I guess,"

"Okay, I mean that's basic courtesy and also expansion of a relative's business, but I think I understand what you're saying"

Manav hummed, going back to the moment when he met her.

"So what now, are you going to ask her out?" Arjun asked and Manav nodded his negatively.

"Manav, you there? I can't hear you nor can I see your face?"

"Yes yes," Manav said, wiping his hands and taking his phone in his hands.

"So?" Arjun asked.

"I am not going to ask her out, Arjun. I mean, I just met her and she's very pretty, like she's gorgeous and she's charming, has a nice personality but that doesn't mean that I am going to ask her out. It'd be nice to befriend her, but yeah"

"You're so confusing, Manav Limaye, so confusing" Arjun sighed out while Manav just shrugged.

-

Tara sighed as she sat comfortably in her chair in her air conditioned cabin. She had been working continuously and needed a break. She noticed that her desk looked dusty, confusing her. She took a cloth, and started cleaning her desk. Her eyes fell on the photo frame Ahana had gifted her on her birthday. It was a group picture. A soft smile appeared on her face, as she remembered the day. It was the party Ahana had thrown after announcing her engagement.

She took the frame in her hands, a soft smile adorning her face as she looked at the group of the people in the picture. Her hands softly caressed the photo. My people.

She lost her smile a little as she noticed Karan in the picture, who was right beside her, his arm on her shoulder and all. He was hardly smiling in the very happy photo. His posture was slumped, looking shorter than he always does. Perhaps he was slightly drunk. But his eyes...they simply look sad. Why was he sad that day?

She closed her eyes, trying to remember that day. One thing about Tara Deo, she was always going to boast about having a good memory, which was true.

Tara and Karan were in a gift shop, arguing about what gift they were giving to Ahana.

"I don't like anything, Tara, let's just go somewhere else" Karan said, annoyed at the girl.

"Can you just watch Instagram or play some game? I am searching for a gift" she responded.

"Whatever," he mumbled, pulling out his phone, "Who even buys gifts from gift shops these days?" He remarked but regretted it immediately as an employee of the shop walked right past him.

Tara had selected a nice showpiece- something beautiful and elegant, which Ahana would like and was browsing through the greeting cards to buy. Something funny, perhaps. Just then, Karan got a call. The call ended in a minute, but it looked like Karan was greatly disturbed.

"Karan, kay jhala?" (What happened Karan?) she asked a visibly shook Karan.

"I...Aaji...she's, fuck" he struggled to form a sentence, running his hands through his hair.

"What happened to her?" Tara asked, worried but tried to maintain composure in front of him.

"She's sick" his voice cracked as he managed to say the words.

"She'll be okay, Karan"

"She won't" he said and Tara looked at him, unable to answer. "Did you choose a gift?" He asked and she simply nodded.

"Let's go, I'll give her the gift and leave" he informed her and Tara nodded, shakily.

Karan's grandmother had been present in all of their lives as she lived with Karan. Narmada Aaji would make 'laadoo' for the group on the last day of their exams. She would tell them stories from the Mahabharata and Ramayana. She would defend the kids after they used to get caught in their mischievous acts. Losing her would be a big blow for everyone, but Tara could not imagine would Karan would go through.

He had always been his grandma's grandson. He loved and respected her the most, in the world. His world revolves around her.

"I'll drive, Karan" Tara said, taking the keys from him, and he nodded.

"Dr. Deo?"

"Dr. Deo?"

"Dr. Deo?" The voice was louder than before, successfully bringing Tara out of her thoughts.

"Sorry, yes?" She cleared her throat, coming out of the painful memory.

"Sir is calling you to his cabin," the peon informed her and she nodded.

"I'll be there right away"

-

"Arey bhaiyya," Dhriti sighed in frustration as the grocery store clerk handed her the items from her list. "Yeh waali shakar nahi, dusri waali chaahiye, aur yeh pads—orange waale nahi, green waale chaahiye. Aapne ulta laaya dono." (Not this brand of sugar, the other one. And I wanted the pads in green packaging, not orange. You brought the exact opposite!)

The clerk groaned, nodding in resignation. "Rukiye didi, laata hu." (Wait here, I'll get it.)

As she waited, Dhriti glanced at her phone, tracking Raghav's flight. She was calculating how much time she had left to make her decision when a voice from behind startled her.

"Bhaiyya, woh cream biscuit ke do packet chahiye," (Brother, I want two packets of cream biscuits!) the voice called out, and Dhriti froze. She could recognize that voice anywhere.

Oh no. Not him. Not now.

Dhriti looked at herself, an oversized grey t-shirt and navy blue pants, her hair was a mess. Of all the times for him to see me...

She debated making a quick exit but it was too late. Aditya was already stepping closer to her, oblivious to her presence.

"Ek bada packet de du?" (Should I give you one big packet?) the store clerk asked, moving even closer to where Dhriti stood.

"Nahi bhaiyya, alag alag packet dijiye nahi toh mere bhanja-bhanji dimaag khayenge." (No, give me two separate packets, or my niece and nephew will drive me crazy!) Aditya replied, now standing right behind Dhriti.

Taking a deep breath, Dhriti turned slowly, plastering a smile on her face. "Aditya, hey!"

He blinked, his expression momentarily blank before he forced a polite smile. "Hey."

Her nerves buzzed. "So... they're your brother's kids?" she asked, looking at the two children who were busy squabbling over something.

Aditya nodded, but his smile didn't reach his eyes. "Listen, Dhriti, you don't have to do this."

Her heart skipped a beat. "Do what?"

"Ugachach kahitari awkwardly bolat rahu aapan, kahich garaj nastana," (Let's not make awkward small talk for no reason) he said, his voice gentle but firm. He picked up the biscuits and gestured for the kids to follow him.

Dhriti stood there, feeling the awkwardness hang heavy in the air as he walked away. She hadn't expected the encounter to be pleasant, but his straightforwardness still stung.

"Didi... Didi," the grocery clerk's voice broke through her thoughts.

"Ji bhaiyya, kiti jhale?" (How much do I have to pay?) Dhriti asked, forcing herself back to reality.

-

Vani returned to Tara's house who was not home yet. She was going back to her apartment tomorrow. The last few days had been really nice for her, and she didn't want her stay to end. But travelling to work was more convenient from her house than Tara's, and mainly, Vani could not possibly burden her best friend more.

Tara led a very busy life and Vani knew that for the past few days Tara had put all her energy to be a perfect host for her. As a token of appreciation, Vani had decided to cook dinner for Tara and have a little date with her. She brought fairy lights - which Tara loves and put them in a transparent bottle made of glass to put on the dining table.

She tried making a blanket fort in the bedroom, but failed yet managed to give the room a cozy, sleepover look. All she had to do was cook. And that was the most difficult part.

"Vaaaaaani" she heard Sahil's voice from the kitchen and quickly rushed out of the bedroom.

"What happened Sahil?"

"You left the sabji burning to go talk with Ahana!" He complained and she looked at him with wide eyes.

"Fuck, I am so sorry- I, I shit"

Sahil looked up at the ceiling in defeat.

"Don't ever step in the kitchen, okay? Please, thanks"

"You're overreacting, it's like one mistake" Vani tried to defend herself.

"Yes yes, I will cook for you forever, okay? Just don't ever step in the kitchen"

"I'll go make a contract which will state what you just said," Vani replied, laughing.

"Seriously? You don't believe me?" He asked, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"You are a lawyer after all" she whispered, kissing the tip of his nose.

"FOCUS, Vani. Focus!" Vani shouted, not wanting to relive the past.

She turned on the YouTube recipe, and started making 'Restaurant style paneer butter masala'. The food was ready in about half an hour, but Vani got a message from her friend saying that she was running late. Vani was disheartened at the news. It wasn't new for Tara to get late, but Vani hated it equally every time. Tara was one of the closest person to her, someone who had always been around since she was a child. As adults, even if they met each other often, they could not have the time to just relax and talk for hours, especially since Tara was a literal doctor. So, whenever Tara would get delayed, Vani would sad, as her time with Tara would reduce.

She turned on the television and resumed the episode of 'The Office' which she was watching earlier to distract herself. She felt overwhelmed the entire day. Her emotions were out of control, and she felt like she 'over-reacting' to every little thing.

Manav Limaye

Manav Limaye
Hey Vani! Manav (Karan's friend) here

(Vani was surprised at the message, but quickly replied.)

Vani
Hey Manav!

Manav Limaye
So I tried calling your kaku, but no one received the call, did i call the right number?
9........7

Vani
Wait let me check.

Hey!
The last digit is a six, not seven. So yeah, you did call the wrong number 😅
Sorry for that, I got it wrong

Manav Limaye
No that's okay, I must have heard it wrong.

Please don't say sorry, it feels weird.

Vani
Sure thing :)

-

Tara returned home to Vani watching her favourite show intently.

"Go freshen up quickly, I made us dinner"

"Wait, really?" Tara asked, feigning shock as Vani handed her a glass of water.

"Yes" Vani flashed an extra sweet smile and Tara laughed.

"I love how you get annoyed so quickly" Vani rolled her eyes.

"Patkan aavrun ye, we need to talk"

"Okay ma'am" Tara said, getting up from the sofa and going in her room.

-

The two had their dinner and were lying in the bedroom, covered up in their cozy blankets.

"What did you want to talk about?" Tara asked, suddenly pausing the movie they were watching. Vani clicked her tongue in annoyance, but turned her head towards Tara.

"What's going on with you?" She asked.

"Nothing's going on with me,"

"Don't lie, Tara. What was the entire brownie thing the other night?"

"I...uh, I was just pulling his leg" Tara smiled meekly.

"But you told me that you weren't troubling him," Vani pointed out and Tara laughed out hesitantly.

"Yes, uh...I did say that. I said that because you, my friend" Tara started, taking her pointer finger extremely close to Vani's face.

"You were supporting him and being a killjoy"

"No Tara, you're being weird" Vani said calmly, moving away her friend's finger.

"And we don't have to talk about it right now, but I hope that you know what you're feeling and what you're doing. Talk to me when you feel like it" she added, resuming the movie and diverting her attention.

But Tara could not focus on the movie again.

Idk I rewrote this like five times, please let me know if there are any mistakes in this, thanks❤️