Adhvik's first few days as a new joinee in Boyd were uneventful to say the least.

The interior of the office was cool and well- furnished. The Koreans were nice. The Indians seemed nice, too. He was slowly navigating through the know-hows of his job.

Only, he didn't have much work to do. This wasn't something new to Adhvik. There were no work days in Mansur, too. Except he knew how to pass his time there. He knew his people. Boyd was a new territory to him. Plus, he had no PC. Can you believe it?

Strangely, he found a new way to pass time-- his phone and a new chat person-- Pallavi Khuranna.

Pallavi was as free and bored as the security guards sitting outside the buildings in her posh society. She hadn't found a new job yet which wasn't due to the lack of opportunities but the lack of her. She was just lazy. Frankly speaking, after eight months of her tirelessly toxic job, she wanted a clean break. And what better way could be to sit at home and chat with her... Gosh, she should come up with a title for Adhvik already. It's annoying writing about them without a label. Damn, these guys were miserable fucks.

Adhvik and Pallavi engaged chatting amongst themselves on WhatsApp everyday. All. Day. Long. That's how velle they were. Atleast it made up for the void she felt for not seeing him everyday. He would talk about the tiniest of things— his office infrastructure, the people, his broken PC, his whereabouts, the food, the technical aspects. It was like she was there walking alongside him. She didn't have much to talk about so she mostly listened and commented on his circumstances. When they weren't talking about this, they were sexting which shouldn't be surprising considering what they did in the last fifteen days.

Although Adhvik was a stranger to Boyd, he somehow managed to befriend a Korean by the name of Hong- Lee. Lee was on temporary visit to India, similar to Koreans like Se- hun and Duck from Mansur. It was Lee's third time to India this time. Adhvik and Lee bonded over a mutual connection of Mansur. Surprisingly, Lee knew Hyoung and few other Korean managers of Mansur. They worked together in Korea a long back. Adhvik advised Lee to never ever step foot on Mansur as it will eat him up alive.

Lee is asking about u
since I message u half
of the time. He's like,
“your girlfriend?”
😂😂😂

Oh, what did u say?
🙃🙃

Obviously I said no.
We r friends but she's
someone I fucked
😈😈

Haww! How dare u,
u inconsiderable
piece of shit! 😡😡

Hahahahaha!

Relax, I'm kidding!
I wouldn't say that.

I said yes, she's my
girlfriend. We r in a
relationship.

😳😳
Omg, really?
I mean, yeah that is
the most plausible
answer.

Are we in a relationship, Adhvik? She wanted to ask but let it remain a thought for now and resorted to reading those messages for ten more times.

* * * *

There was something exciting about involving your partner in your mundane everyday life. When was the last time Pallavi talked or chatted this much with Adhvik or anyone else? No one. It still mind boggled her how things took a drastic turn between them, post Mansur. He even claimed her as his girlfriend in front of someone. That was some progress, right?

Right?

“It's great, baby,” Pallavi commented, her gaze darting across her mobile screen which showcased Adhvik's glass cubical along with him in the office. They were on video call. “Better than Mansur.”

“I know right!” Adhvik's grin spread across her screen, making her smile along. He held his mobile in the palm of his hand zooming across the grey- white room. It was divided into various cubicles with a wide space in the middle. Even the shelves were spotless clean unlike the ones in Mansur where they were packed with big cartons as if the office was on a move. His eyes squinted slightly like he accessing something. “Where are you, by the way? That's not your home.”

“I'm out shopping...” Pallavi replied while fishing through a pile of denims held by the hangers. She seemed to have recalled something which was evident with her twinkling eyes. “By the way, I'm going on a family trip to Rishikesh soon.”

“Woah, that's great... Oh shit, my manager is here, I'll talk to you later okay. Bye, jaan (life),” Adhvik told in a hurry, already lowering his phone. Her screen showed a darkened image of his jeans which soon blinked to black as he ended his call. She didn't even have time to reteriate or reply in such a short instant.

Bye, jaan.

It wasn't his first time calling her that. Besides using creative cuss words, they had been using few sweet words like baby, babe, senorita, meri jaan (life). She remembered how startled she was when he called her ‘jaan’ the first time, though that time they were in engaged in a sensuous activity. Right now they were just video calling each other.

She wondered how it would feel if he told her he loved her. Hah, no way that would happen. She shouldn't daydream like that.

* * *

The second face-time call that followed was when Pallavi was in Rishikesh with her family. They were staying at a resort’ that had cottages as rooms instead of buildings. It was surrounded by a dense forested area of nature loving spots, waterfalls and a temple. Not to forget it was on a top of a hill. The whole place looked like a scene out of a painting.

“Resort with a cottage, my God!” Adhvik placed a hand over his mouth, eyes widening dramatically. “Kaha tum bade log, kaha hum chaprasi.”

She rolled her eyes. “Get over yourself. This is quite a cheap resort... Just 1500 rupees a day. Other resorts usually cost 4000-7000 per day.”

Pallavi took her sweet time showing off the wooden cottage and the surrounding greenery through her phone. She made him hear the sounds of different birds chirping behind the mist. She and Deepali were staying in one place while her parents were staying in another, some distance away.

“It is beautiful,” Adhvik commented after she was done with the virtual tour. They had retorted to voice call. “Imagine how good sex will be if we stay here.”

“Are you nuts?” Pallavi's grimaced. “That's all you thought after I showed you such a nature loving place.”

“Well, sex is a part of nature. It's not man made. Which makes it perfect to do in it amongst nature. Embrace the God given gift.” He explained as if he was doing a ted talk. Pallavi face palmed. “Man, I want to go to Ooty. Have you been there?”

“Nope.”

“We should go then.”

“Sureee, I'll just ask my parents to grant me permission to the far east. Piece of cake...” Pallavi replied sarcastically then sighed. “Just go with your friends or something. Perhaps, you, me, Tulsi and few others from Mansur can go.”

“Nope. No friend will do. I want to go with you.” He paused, emphasizing on them. “Just you and me.”

If Adhvik had seen her face now, he would have caught on a small tint of blush in her cheeks but then she gathered herself. “Quit daydreaming. Ooty is too far. It's never going to happen.”

“Party pooper.”

Just then, Pallavi heard her mother calling their names from a distance behind their hut. Deepali answered but big sister didn't. “Where's Pallavi?”

“She's busy talking to her boyfriend, Ma.” Deepali answered lower enough for Pallavi to hear and freak her out. She shot daggers in a warning while Deepali shrugged. “Hurry up sis, before I spill your dirty beans.”

“I'll butcher you!” Pallavi threatened though it fell deaf to Deepali's ears as she showed her tongue on her way out. She let out a sigh. “Gotta go. Mum's calling for lunch.”

She joined her family for lunch soon after, wearing a blissful smile. A smile that was a result of many small beautiful reasons.

* * *

Adhvik and Pallavi's string of daily chats went on. It continued long after he was granted a PC. It was one day when a Korean guy along with an Indian senior scolded him for chatting too much with his girlfriend. ‘Saare din ladki baaji karta rehta hai’ were his senior's words. Pallavi had a field day laughing about it. This same Adhvik who cared too much about appearances in office had now involved himself to a point where he was scolded about it. Times were surely changing. Did she change him?

Their messages gradually decreased from then on as Adhvik involved himself in the office affairs of Boyd while Pallavi tried to have a life at home. Around this time, she attended one interview in Noida in a company which was surprise, surprise, a Korean one. Though she didn't pass it as she never received a reply from them later on.

Pallavi and Adhvik met a month later in Parijat farm market. The place was slightly crowded so it took a bunch of phone calls and landmark spotting to find each other. Pallavi was wearing a purplish top with black jeans while Adhvik had sported a white tee with jeans that read as follows.



Butterflies formed her stomach as they walked side by side along the line of restaurants and shops. It was like the night of their first office party. Except this time there was no Se-hun, no 3D department or any office for that matter. Just her and him hanging out in a life outside office.

“By the way, I showed your photo to Lee,” Adhvik told her. “He said and I quote, ‘aww, your girlfriend is so cute and chubby.’

“Heh, really? Say thanks to him.”

Eventually they decided to have pizza on Dominos. They sat on the same place where Pallavi sat with Tulsi one time. It was around the time when things were rough between them and Adhvik and the girls decided to cheer themselves up by going to Domino's during lunch. At that time, Pallavi had no hope left of being anything more than a friend.

Look where time brought them now. Even if they were not quite the lovey dovey couple, it was okay.

“Look at how berserk you are being smiling like that. Creep.”

Almost okay.

* * *

“Where shall we go to next? I think I'm still hungry.” Adhvik said, massaging his stomach thoughtfully.

“Me too. We only had one pizza and chocolate cake. Let's explore,” Pallavi suggested, her eyes gleaming.

Adhvik looked at the receding time and then at an excited Pallavi. “Sure, no problem. Let's kill some more time, baby.”

And so they did. They exited the lane of restaurants and stores towards the road behind them. It stretched into a crowded market place with showrooms and stalls, selling one thing after another. Salesmen often stepped forward, advertising the items they were selling, hoping a passerby would take them.

“See that floral shop. It's still not too late to gift me flowers.” Pallavi pointed cheekily at the floral shop at a distance behind him. Different colorful flowers containing rose, lily, tulip, daisy were kept in buckets immersed in water with few bouquets on display.

“Heh, as if I'll gift you one,” Adhvik dismissed rudely.

“Why? Don't you want to do something that I'll never forget. So like years later when I roam with my future hubby and I see a floral shop, I'll remember your gift.” Pallavi gestured with her hands.

“Oh, if you talk about unforgettable, there's already one thing that is unforgettable. Our first time. Nobody forgets their first. And no one besides your family knows you the way I do.”

His eyes were hazily boring into her black orbs as he said this. Almost as if he was claiming her his. Pallavi sucked in a small breath. Gradually her demeanour changed as her lips twitched slightly,

“Wouldn't it be the same for you? You experienced your first time with me as well.” Pallavi stepped into their silence, closing in on his face “And I'm damn sure no outsider looks out for you the way I do.”

Pallavi felt like she had swept the motherfucking floor as she flipped her hair while turning around. She could envision herself as a badass witch, though in reality, she had her lips pressed in a giggle. Someone please gift her a pair of goggles to complete the meme.

Sometime later, Adhvik asked a strange question, “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Will you come to my wedding?”

“Are you getting married?” Pallavi stopped, nearly going white. She let out a exhale after he shook his head in a negative. Then why were they having this conversation? “In the future, huh? I'll come... I guess.”

“Okay....” He nodded slowly then chuckled. “Just don't laugh at my wedding. I feel like it would be awkward seeing a man with whom you were already... Someone you slept with.”

Her walks became slow. “Guess it would be. Will you come to my wedding?”

He gave a small smile, “Of course, I will.”

“I'd feel bad for a while though.” She admitted quietly, fidgeting with her fingers. She shuddered to think about his wedding. She raised her head to the sky, mentally praying to God for none of them to get married yet. She didn't care if she was being selfish. She wanted to be with him for a good while. 

* * *

After walking aimlessly for a while, they stopped in front of a shopping complex that had a restaurant in its third floor. They laughed upon its name. It was called, D- Wood.

“I wonder what does D means here? Diamond, dear, donkey, daddy, puft—” Pallavi tittered.

He placed a hand on her shoulder, laughing along. “What I don't understand is why they added ‘wood’ to it? As if D wasn't enough. Anyway let's check it out. I heard it's good... their wood that is!” They laughed.

Soon they entered the complex, ascending towards the wooden plank of stairs. Pallavi added, “What's if D is a name?”

“Then that makes even less sense. Imagine, Deepak- Wood.”

They bursted out laughing once again.

Adhvik and Pallavi stopped at the entrance of the third floor swiveling their head around. Let's just say what they saw was the least expected.

Beyond the entrance to the third floor was a narrow pathway with walls made of bamboos arranged one after the another. The path closed on them, almost appearing like a cave. Except that cave was lit by small golden thread lights. Their shoes stomped heavily against the wood they walked on. At the far end, lied a glass door. A guard in uniform greeted them, bowing in courtesy. The name of the restaurant was written above the wooden door in golden cursive letters.

“You think we arrived at the right place? We just wanted to eat some snacks,” Pallavi hissed in doubt.

“I just hope it isn't expensive,” Adhvik whispered hyperventilating besides her.

They entered the restaurant.

Or perhaps calling it a fancy restaurant would suffice. Pallavi's gaze fell over to the unique fashioned walls. They appeared like trunks of a tree that were arranged in a circular cross- section. The place was lit by dim orange lights inside little lamps that hung on the ceiling. But what caught both of them beyond the first few tables were the special kind of seats in the second room. They weren't seats but two cushioned swings lit by two pairs of balloons. Was there a birthday party going on?

Faint sounds of jazz hovered in the room as they stepped in. An attendent in black and white suit greeted them as if they were VIP and ushered them to sit on the swing. And so they did like lost kids. Previously they were only searching for a restaurant to have a snack but instead they stumbled upon a place that deemed worthy of a date. The whole place screamed romance.

Pallavi pushed her foot against the ground to move the swing, taking her sweet time to marvel at her surroundings. It was then she noticed another glass door. She stood up to go towards it, discovering a dark room with five pool tables. Where was this place all this time?

“Adhi, look there's a pool games room.”

“Then take a look at the menu, too. Itne me do thali aa jaayegi... ” Adhvik replied, his eyes scanning over the food items and their prices in the menu book he held. Pallavi sat down besides him to look at them herself.

“This looks expensive.” She concluded after looking at a price of Indian mixed vegetable that cost around four hundred rupees.

“I know what to do in two simple steps. First, drink this free water. Second, take the exit like nothing happened,” Adhvik explained dramatically like they were tied up.

“Noo~ We walked all the way till here. Let's dine. We'll only order a few things.” Pallavi whined, grabbing hold of his arm. She batted her eyelashes. “Pretty please!”

“No, no, don't do this to me. Don't lure me in...” Adhvik shook his head looking sideways at a pouting Pallavi who was still holding onto his arm. He turned to his front with a defeated sigh. “Tu mera jeb khali karke hi maanegi, dalli! Tabi kehte hai girlfriend mat paalo. (You'll only be satisfied after emptying my pockets, idiot. That's why they say not to pet a girlfriend)... Ah, fiine!”

“Great, that's the spirit!” She exclaimed gleefully, even though his spirit was very less right now. After clapping two times, she took the menu booklet from him, already looking for food items to order. “You know sometimes it's okay to treat yourself in fancy places like this. Make yourself special. There's no need to look for cheap, dingy places to dine all the time. Live like a king.”

“Easy for you to say. Let me see how much I have.” He mumbled under his breath, opening his wallet to check his expenses.

“Don't worry, I'll contribute, too.”

“But you already paid for the pizza we had earlier.”

“I'll make it an exception since this is expensive,” she reasoned calmly.

“If that's the case...” Adhvik scratched his trim beard. “Then I know what to order.”

After discussing for a bit, they finalised only three items— Garlic naan, paneer vegetable and a bottle of whiskey. Pallavi was right. If they were going to dine here then might as well dine in style. Even at the risk of becoming penniless.

Pallavi's heart swelled at the sight of Adhvik serving paneer lababdar and garlic butter naan on her plate before serving himself. Yes, she dined with him before, but that included a group of unwanted employees. Now, it was just the two of them.

If she knew things would change this way, she would have travelled back to a few months ago and told her Mansur self not to worry. And then, to her college self as well. She would have said that even though having dinner with a man seemed like a luxury back then, it wouldn't be in the present. Especially now as they ate and chatted away together like it was the most normal thing in the world.

It was a date well spent.

* * * *

Was this date or hangout slightly better than the previous? The next one will definitely be. Look forward to it. I might post the next one before Sunday. We'll see.

To be honest, sometimes I really wonder if there's a point in writing this story. Is it getting boring or slow for you? I don't know. There r only few readers here anyway (but I'm v grateful to them). I wonder why I picked it up to write in the first place. The plot is kinda not my style lol. But now, I can't quit even if I want to. I will write it and give you all an ending you will be happy and satisfied with. I just... I just need to will myself to keep writing even though it gets tough. You know with office and all. Just for the sake of that happy ending.

Sorry for being negative, I can't help it sometimes. Anyway, I have an idea. Do you guys want to see a small sneak peak into the future to spice things up? Say yes or no. Look forward to the next chapter 😊😊💕