Anaya

Present

I cannot believe this!!!!!! This guy is crazy...............I clearly told him off........I told him not to contact me again and here he is outside my office building! WTH!!!!!!

I do not want to make a scene near my workplace.................I need to stray him off!!

Even if I ignore him and try to get away he will follow me or worse call me out in front of my coworkers leaving the building. So, I silently went away to the direction opposite to my place and as estimated he quietly followed me.........as soon as we were out of their sight, I turned back and confronted him.

ANAYA : what is it? I thought I made it clear that you aren't to contact me again in any form! Is there an emergency that involved us? I doubt that!!! So explain!

VIKAS : I know..........I am not suppose to contact you but why????

He looked pained.........I do not know why but he looked tired, annoyed and pained...........

ANAYA : What do you mean ?

VIKAS : Anu........Can we talk somewhere else..........This is not the place to have serious conversation.........we are standing in the middle of residential road

ANAYA : That is the point! we do not have anything to converse on........let alone anything serious! And DO NOT CALL ME ANU!!!!!

VIKAS : Ok! Please just listen to me........its important!!! I am not just following you for no reason

ANAYA : Oh!! Really........I thought this was your MO.........just mindlessly following females until they feel frustrated and annoyed......just like in college!

VIKAS : exhales a deep breath........I know I behaved immaturely in college but we are adults now...........please just.......once......listen to me! Its important!

ANAYA : Regarding?

VIKAS : Your safety and.....................my.......my feelings!

ANAYA : Safety and........what!!.....feelings!!!..............

Frustratingly......I agreed to sit in a cafe again with this guy..............I will put an end to this............since he alerted me by saying safety and all.........Let's hear him out.......feelings........well! There is nothing to expect there!!!!

VIKAS : Thanks for........

I cut him off......

ANAYA : I am sure you are busy so why not just cut to the chase and wrap this up here.........I am interested to hear about my safety concern that you have for no reason.......

VIKAS : There is a reason...........I..........I have been told that...actually!!!......I have been warned regarding your safety..........well! It's hard to explain but it's related to Shefy's accident and......while we are at it............why don't we order something to drink and eat.......this is gonna take a while!!You must be exhausted and famished?

He ordered and just kept fidgeting around...........something is up!!!!This guy is scaring me now!

ANAYA : Complete your sentence.......what is this warning and why an I involved in this........I have nothing to do with Shefy's life or death!

VIKAS : I understand but............Ok! So......I am not aware if you know that shefy has a younger brother?

ANAYA : Yes......I know.....she mentioned it briefly.

A streak of annoyance touched his face...........

VIKAS : Oh! She did! But you wouldn't have met him......he was in UK but now he is here.........and that is the problem.

ANAYA : Wait........why would that be a problem?

He looks at me intently and then moves to eat a little of his risotto and wash it down with his americano, while my stomach is curling inside and I cannot even swallow the pasta..........so I keep drinking my lime soda.....hoping that it will mellow my upset stomach..............

VIKAS: He..............He is under the impression that I am responsible for her death............not like I murdered her or anything but you know indirectly..........more like emotionally and all.......

What the hell am I suppose to make out of this? and why am I roped into this.......

ANAYA : ok! Listen..........I think this guy.........younger brother has some deep rooted issue with you and I honestly do not want to get into this............tell me where do I fit into this puzzle........

VIKAS : You are the centerpiece..........

I give him a puzzled look...............

VIKAS : I mean...........this is the feelings part I wanted to talk about............you know...........I mean.........God! I cannot believe after all these years I am still stuttering while confessing to you!!!!!!!!Well! He knows that I am still in love with you and wants to take some sort of revenge but getting to you because he knows that will directly affect me...........actually it will affect me the most...........I cannot bare the thought of anyway causing even slightest of inconvioenece to you because of me...........so I ..........I just wanted you to know that you do not need to worry .......I will take care of it...........him...........but you should just be careful.......that's all!

I listened to him in silence, anger and shock...................

ANAYA : Two things.........Please listen carefully and understand firmly! First, it cannot be that simple.........this brother of hers will not be crazy enough to seek revenge without a reason and as I mentioned I do not want to dwell into it so you should take care of this non-sensical situation. Secondly, Its been over a decade........even if you say you still have feelings for me, you have to understand that I do not............so stop confessing and expecting. I am tired and I cannot deal with you and these issues that you have sprung upon me because it does not and should not concern me. KEEP ME OUT OF THIS!!!!! Why is it that every time you cross my life...........something bad happens...........Anyway!!! I have made my point clear..........I will be careful so thanks for the warning but you have to realise that you have to solve the brother issue.........

VIKAS : I know I will deal with him in my way but please do not dismiss me like that...........again.....!!!

ANAYA : (frustratingly)..................VIKAS!!!!! Enough!!!!!!.........I have made myself clear already and when I met you and shefy months ago.......I thought you two were together.......for god sake.......you two were engaged and now that she is no more you are confessing to me........how can you...............I mean............

VIKAS : Its not like that Anu...........Yes I was engaged to her but it was not..........it was not love............I will not deny that she loved me but for me it was more like an alliance of convienece rather than anything else..........I always loved shefy as a friend but nothing more and you..............you know how I feel about you............I am not asking you to get into a relationship with me right now..........all I am saying is please think about it calmly and empathetically! Why are you so against it?............why have you always been so against me? (painfully).................I thought it was because shefy made your life hell in college so you intentionally kept distance from me and were always cold towards me but now..........Honsetly! Anu........I have always blamed myself for that.........but now things are different and we are adults........please think about it practically............I.........I would not have been pursuing you so adamantly if I was not serious.........give me a chance! Just once.........thats all I am asking! If you do not feel comfortable with me or anything at all then...........I will accept it..........I will accept that we are not meant to be and I will leave.............I will leave you alone.........I promise! and ..............You.........You have not even dated anyone ever.........and I know you do n0t like anyone in particular even now............. so why are you so hesitant of giving me one chance.............just remove your doubts and fears............I can never....ever.............hurt you in anyway...........I rather die myself than hurt you............I.........

ANAYA : Enough!!!!!..........

I stood up........I just could not hear more..........not anymore.................

VIKAS : Alright!!!! Please sit down.........I apologise for coming onto like this...........I.........I will drop you home!!! Please let me........

ANAYA : No......Please!

VIKAS : Ok! I am leaving..............

Just before he moved towards the door he turned back, looking concerned and pained..........

VIKAS : Please take care and I will send you the details of her brother......just be wary of him and please call me or text me if anything................(he stopped with a heavy heart and then left)

And there I was sitting, sipping my lime soda loudly so I can ignore the overeating voices in my head..........I AM CONFUSED! I AM TIRED! and I AM LONELY!!!!! Yes..........lonely............. I cannot even reach out to anyone to help me entangle this mess!!! I HAVE NO ONE! 

I reach out to grab the fork on the table, thrust it into the pasta and gobble spoon full...............It's cold and tasteless............FUCK!.................It started raining as well! Could this day get any worse!!!!!! I HATE RAINS!!!

After the rain subsided for a while. I gathered myself and paced towards my place, I cannot stop thinking...............

Why did he get engaged to her if he did not love her? But why did he not love her ? She was basically head over heels for him and they always looked happy together! I mean looks can be decieving but I was sure that these two were gonna end up together somehow..........What does he mean he still loves me? Was he really that serious always? He looked like he genuinely.......I mean I always knew his feelings were genuine but he seemed more serious today..........or was he always this serious and I chose to ignore it? Why can I not give him a chance???..................Oh! No wait!!!!!! What is this ? What chance.............no way! I know how he was in college, I mean people cannot change their character and personality just like that.........He was always mean, arrogant .........a 360 degree rich brat!!! Does not matter if he has composed himself into a gentlemanly persona now but still the feeling I use to get back then its same even now............HE IS TROUBLE and I OUGHT TO STAY AWAY FROM HIM!!!! and I do not need this romance shit right now in my life or maybe ever!!!

I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I did not realise that I reached the entrance gate of the building and someone shoved it open and I got started and moved back a little but it was slippery at the entrance due to rainwater and I almost fell backwards but............

He saved me!................he held my hand pushed me towards him and then grabbed my waist with the other hand. I opened my eyes to realise what the hell had happened in past one minute and there he was...........just inches away from me................so close that for the first time I saw it.............GREEN!!!!............his eyes are a mesmerising colour of green...........I just........I could not speak or move or even think.........he grasped my waist tighter and I felt something...........strange............even though it had again started raining outside.........even thought the temperature had dropped but inside........inside me.......it felt like something was burning and I knew my cheeks and ears had turned red because I could feel the warmth.......maybe because of the weather...........maybe.................He slowly loosened his grip and said "YOU ALRIGHT??? YOU SHOULD PAY MORE ATTENTION TO WHERE YOU ARE GOING THEN WHEREEVER YOU WANT TO BE!!!!"........and smiled.........wow!!! Dimples..........he gets dimple on both the sides when he smiles...........FUCK!!!! What am I doing? I gather myself and arrange my clothes..........."THANKS!!! SORRY........I WAS JUST THINKING AND........I AM SORRY!!! THANKS!".........He smiled again........Why is it whenever we meet you always thank and apologise to me............for something or the other......first the parcel and now this.....he smiled again!!!!! and brushed past me saying "Take care of yourself.......this season gets tricky if you do not pay attention.........but I LOVE RAINS!!!!..........and I love it even more now!!!.........Good Night! "

He loves rains...........but I do not! but thanks to this little moment, I was able to distract myself from the earlier fiasco...........Well! Maybe I am being too harsh........rains are not that bad!!!!