19- "Love is like wine- Gets better with age."

AHANA

Maitree Bhagyashree- A thirty eight year old woman with thirty eight years of wisdom and experience. She started out as a freelancer- taking small odd jobs from different companies. She had to work like that for almost two years since she never studied fashion. Coming from a science background, it was difficult but with enough knowledge, experience and patience in the freelancing field, she was able to fetch herself a position in one of the renowned fashion lines of the country. She then worked for Tejaswi fashion line for two and a half years before getting promoted to where she aimed for- Costume designing. In other words, the Haute couture route. In those years, she became an expert in both designing outlines on paper as well the dress. Between her ages, twenty nine to thirty six, she experienced a prominent jump in her career. She became a sensation. Her quality designs were valued, priced off, with few of them worn by the celebrities itself. It was the best high of her life.

After stepping down from costume design, she opened her own fashion line in her name. You can easily find her in her boutique where she designed kurtas and even party dresses upon special request. She was well settled down with her own clothing line, her husband and her seventeen month old son.

To think that I was getting mentored by a accomplished person such as her- Damn, I must be born under a lucky star to get an opportunity like this. I didn't know she was such a star person when I met her. The workers were shocked when Maitree agreed upon being my mentor for the next ten months. Not because she saw something special in me but because she felt like sharing her knowledge with someone. And also because she could relate to someone from a non- fashion background.

In the past six weeks, I've been learning under her, I felt like I had entered a whole new dimension. I was being introduced to new methods, terms, a whole new pandora of creativity. Although not everything was flowers and unicorns. Sometimes I had to work relentlessly, staying late evenings till eight. At other times, it was really stressful and annoying, especially with the stitching and cutting part. I wasn't quite interested in those things but Maitree said I should know the basics of everything first. Often I had the urge to give up but I didn't. Because for the first time in a long while, I felt contented. The fact that I felt tired after I returned home meant that I accomplished something, that I was worth something. The more time passed, the more grateful I was, for my last minute decision (again, thanks to Piyush).

It was weird working alongside Nisha at first, but having her itself was a huge boon. She would often help me but my wicked mentor would stop her, saying I needed to learn on my own. As time passed, Nisha introduced me to the rest of the gang working for the boutique and soon I found my new friends in them.

Maitree was moody as fuck. She wasn't the type to shout at others but she would show her cold anger by making us work hard if we did anything wrong. Sometimes she was kind, sometimes she was a demonic bitch, while at rare times, she would be sitting alone, looking as distant as ever. Regardless of her mood swings, everyone loved her. Not me though, I only liked her. There's a difference.

It was one Friday afternoon. I was absolutely not in the mood to work today. I was tired from a long week and Maitree's son only made it worse by running all over the studio, misplacing the materials he found. It was a stressful day.

Until a single message in my mobile changed it all.

"NISHAAAA~" I yelled, my voice reverberating across the huge studio room I was in. Every head turned to me as I ran across the room to pull her into a tight hug but I hardly cared. It was lunch time anyway.

"Fuck Ahana, are you nuts? I know it's lunchtime but you can't-"

"Vansh is coming to India!" I cut her off with my good news while holding her shoulders. "Do you hear me? He's coming to India during Christmas. He's going to visit me too. We are going to meet after six months. Six freaking months. I can't even-" I immediately covered my mouth as a cry escaped me.

Nisha's gaze wandered left and right, her expression showing discomfort. She wasn't even paying attention to me. Just when I thought about leaving to save her from her embarrassment, she pulled my other free hand and dragged me to the small lawn outside. "Calm down, babe. This is a working place."

I blinked my teary eyes. "I'm going to meet him, Ni. I'm going to see him in flesh with my own two eyes, touch him with my own two hands and you're asking me to calm down? Some great ass friend you are."

"Ahana," Nisha called me when I was about to turn, then surprised me by holding my hand in hers. "I'm actually happy for you. This is great news. Make sure to have him fall harder for you this time."

"You betcha!" I said and we jumped and hugged each other.

"And may I know why you two lovely ladies are doing, loitering around my beautiful lawn?" Maitree's asked, standing right behind us, bringing chills down my spine. For some strange reason, Nisha decided that honesty was the best policy.

"A guy is coming to town to meet her."

Maitree's face feigned surprise. "You never told me you have a boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend. He's... well, it's complicated." I admitted shyly.

"Ah, today's youngsters and their complications," She said, shaking her head while I scowled.

.

Turns out luck wasn't beneficial for me in every way. While I was escalated from my recent news, Maitree still made me work till six, even after granting half day leave to most of the workers . I swore torturing me had become her hobby these days.

Surprisingly, she was human enough to order pizza for both of us as a reward. We sat down near the lawn, under the light of the evening sun and began eating our slices. Naturally, we begun talking between the bites. "So how long have you and your husband been married?"

"Twelve years," She answered, after finishing her bite.

"Twelve years?" I frowned, confused. "But I heard something different from my collegues. Said you were only married for one and a half years."

"Oh, dear. Do I have to explain this every single time?" Maitree mumbled to herself and continued with a sigh, "What they said is true. I've been married for one and a half years, but I've been with Shravan ten years before that, living under the same roof. What's the difference, really? Marriage just makes it contractial. It's funny how adults here never take a relationship into consideration unless they are married. They invite over two hundred people, half of whom don't exist in our world. Such a nuisance."

I laughed, "Then how come you're married now?"

She made a face. "I was never planning on getting married. Shravan and I were so busy building our own castles that we hardly got time to think about marriage and kids. Plus, he works in a business that demands him to travel so we were away often. We were contented in our own bubble. Even our families gave up pressuring us after a while. The idea of marriage completely wiped out of our minds and I was perfectly fine with that. But then, two years ago, I started this boutique and Shravan shifted to Delhi. We thought of starting a family. When the news of my pregnancy reached our families, they went completely bonkers. Before I knew, my mother was asking the Panditji (priest) for a shubh mahurat (auspicious date) while I was being dragged by my sisters for bridal shopping. I was already three months pregnant when I was married off. Can you believe that? I vomited two times at my wedding day. It was torture."

The box containing the pizza box was long empty but Maitree continued on with her rant about her engagement, wedding and their crazy families. It was funny. I ended up laughing a couple of times, earning a glare from her. I could understand how her wedding must torture but I had a feeling she liked it, too. The small twinkle in her eyes said it all.

She might have continued it more if it hadn't been for her son crying like a maniac. Maitree cradled Laksh in his arms, trying to soothe him. It was quite a while until he calmed down, though I'm sure it was my ears that were relieved the most. Right after that, she was talking to her husband while I made funny faces to Laksh, bringing a wide smile on his cherry cheeks. Maitree listed out a few grocery items he had to bring, followed by their plans for dinner. I felt a small pang in my heart. I was envious of her. Curious, too. Surely they must have been through various tangents in the span of twelve years. It made me wanna spill my problems to her. Later, I asked her what made her and her partner tick. Her answer was in the usual terms of love, trust and understanding. I continued to play with a happy Laksh while suppressing the disappointment that surged through me.

"Have you been in love with the same person twice?" she then asked.

I stopped twirling Laksh in mid air and took him in my arms, "Yeah, I guess."

She let out a short laugh, "You don't get it, dear. Have you felt it twice, like going through the whole falling- in- love- process twice?"

"Perhaps not?" I answered, more like a question then sat down, situating a curious Laksh on my lap, "Okay, I lost you. I get what your words mean but I don't get what you mean, Maitree?"

She shot a small smile at me before looking ahead, her eyes lost from this place, "I believe a person should fall in love with the same person atleast twice. When they love for the first time, they are only getting to know their partner- emotionally and sexually. They are discovering and liking what they feel so far. Theirs is a fairytale of a hopeful happily ever after. In other words, the honeymoon phase. The second time- however- is a tricky one. A span of time has passed, you have already known enough about each other, have suffered through enough of their mood swings. Your love life is as basic as brushing your teeth everyday. Their appearances, likes, dislikes, everything be damned. Basically, you are in a blank space with your partner."

"Then, what?"

"You fall in love again." A wide smile tugged at her lips before she lifted her eyes at me, "You fall in love with that version of a person who has been with you for a long time. You begin to discover things you never would have in the beginning. The smallest of things. It's love in its most naked form. Basically you fall in love with their soul."

You know the moment when you watch a powerful performance on stage. The kind that managed to leave everyone motionless and speechless. That was the kind of reaction I was going through. After walking through the endless loop, I felt like this was the kind of answer I had been searching for.

When I didn't speak for a while, Maitree continued. "Funny how people keep searching for the first kind of love that they never discover the second one. Not saying the first kind is bad, no. But what's the point in scratching the surface if you never dig deeper and fall?" She patted my head. "So if you want to treasure your old love, then go ahead, dear. After all, love is like wine- It gets better with age."

In that moment, I wanted to experience. Experience the joy of the second stage of love she talked about. "Thanks."

~

It was the first week of January- a new year, a new beginning. Vansh went to Chandigarh a day before Christmas and stayed till second of January. He would visit me on the third and leave for Boston the next evening. I was planning to meet him on the bus station but he had other plans. He wanted to meet me on his unused apartment at Delhi. I had a spare key so it wasn't a problem. Since the apartment was untouched for six months, one could very well imagine how spectacular it would look. I took help of a room cleaning service since I didn't have the time, nor the energy for a work this big. Everything was set.

I reached his apartment at six thirty in the morning while he was due to arrive at eight. Meanwhile, I prepared breakfast for him. Time was crawling like a tortoise. Calling Vansh from time to time didn't help either.

It became worse when he got down the bus. None of us had cut the call. He updated me on his location while I kept listening with a bated breath. Aside from his voice, I could hear the honking sounds of the vehicles, the sound of air clashing against the speakers till everything was silent, except for my heart hammering against my chest.

Wait, silence?

Vansh was still on line, "Don't tell me you-"

"You know me so well, babe." I could easily imagine a smirk forming over his face. "I told the bus driver to drop me half an hour early cos I wanted to see my girl. What a considerate driver he was," he lied but I was still smiling. It was faint but I could hear the sound of his footsteps against something. Which means he was climbing the steps. Which meant....

Oh my Chester!

I disconnected the call and rushed towards the door.

The corridor was empty. The breath I held it in, gushed out of my mouth. I walked further into the corridor, my heart-beat escalating like a crescendo with each step I took. That is until reached the staircase and my heart beat escaped out of my ears.

"Vansh."

"Ahana."

Covered in dark gray jacket and denim jeans, he stood at the foot of the staircase, dragging a luggage. He uncovered his furry hood, his front hair sticking out at uneven places. He raised his head to meet my eye and my heart skipped. Oh, how I missed those brown eyes.

"Hi." We both greeted and shared a small smile. The next moment I was helping him drag the luggage through the stairs. "It's okay An," he said, taking his luggage from my hold, our palms brushing in the process. The walk to the door was deafening. The air felt heavy. It seemed like someone had clicked the slow motion button of the music player, dragging everything along with it. I couldn't find it in me to turn behind as I walked past the door. I could just feel his stare burning a hole behind my back.

"Ahana."

Chills ran through my spine. Whether it was being at a closed space with him or whether it was the way my name rolled out from his tongue- I didn't know which, but it had me turn to him. He hadn't moved an inch past the door. He blocked the morning light that passed through it. It fell on him instead. Before I knew, my legs were moving towards the sunlight. Towards him.

"What is it?" Breathe in.

"Nothing." Breathe out.

Another step, another breath- My world was moving like a ballad until it came into a standstill as we stood a foot away. Our eyes were boring onto each other, taking every detail we possibly could, in that standstill moment.

Thump, thump, thump.

And the next moment, our worlds collided.

Two strong arms encased me into a warm embrace as I leaped onto his frame, with my own arms spreading behind his back. My head rested on the crook of his neck, taking in his masculine scent, mixed with morning dew. Vansh pulled me even tighter if that was possible and I melted and melted, until I became one with him.

"Is it really you, Van? Tell me it's you. Tell me I'm not dreaming," I spoke quickly before this realistic dream turned into a dream itself.

"Wait, let me confirm it first." His head moved, his stubble brushing against my cheek in the process. He pulled away, only to kiss my face- my forehead, my nose, my cheeks, my mouth before hugging me all over again. I squealed when he slightly lifted my body above the ground and twirled me around. "Okay, I confirmed it. You are real-" he said, once he put me down. He paused to whisper near my ear, making it grow hot, "my Ahana."

"Excuse me but I need to confirm it too," I said and repeated the same action as him. When I reached past his nose, he cupped my face and moved his lips against my own, bringing my senses to life. We had officially sealed this moment.

We were about to head inside when Vansh held an arm for me. That's when I caught a glimpse of a familiar wristband on his wrist- his lucky charm, Charlie. I kissed it and proudly linked my arm with his. Thus we walked ahead, taking one step at a time. It was Vansh's doing. He was touring around, inspecting each nook and crook of this tiny apartment. I shot him a side glance.

"What are we doing, Vansh?"

Passing me the same look, he replied. "We are having a date inside this house."

A wide smile escaped my lips. I missed this. Missed his stupidity that always managed to fascinate me. I circled my arm around his, even further and happily leaned my head against his shoulder. I felt him kiss the the top of my head in return. I was at absolute bliss.

~

"... Then Irfan and I imitated the pose of Statue of Liberty and told Natasha to click a picture of us. Yeah, the same one that got one eighty likes on Instagram," Vansh recited to me. He was reciting his experience of his unplanned trip to New York while lying comfortably on my lap. I ran my fingers through his hair and watched as he threw a lazy smile at me. We continued to talk when he suddenly took my palm near his mouth, kissing it. He cupped his face with my own hand. "Being with you makes me forget about everything else. Everything."

"Me too."

"Except you." He turned his body to the side (while still lying on my lap) and closed his eyes. "Don't mind me, please. I'm gonna rest like this for a while." He kissed my hand again.

A smile tugged at my lips, "Sure, baby," I replied and bent down to kiss his cheek lovingly. He grinned under the silky strands of my hair that descended upon him. Ah, I love him.

I could tell how relaxed he looked as he napped on my lap, basking in my warmth. It was as if he desperately needed it. I let him rest like that for as long as my legs could bear his weight. It wasn't everyday that he visited me so this measly sacrifice was nothing in front of his presence.

Though obviously I couldn't let him lie forever.

A while later we were either sitting or lying on bed, talking. At first we were only talking about our holidays but then we played a rewind button to the entire course of the last six months. Suddenly we were talking a whole lot more than usual, leaping from one topic to another, while laughing in between. Sometimes I would feel his fingers rubbing the knuckles of my palm while at other times, I would pull his cheeks and kiss it. There was nothing crazy about this. There was nothing interesting either, but in that moment, it was enough. Just lying on bed while asking ourselves why fans rotated anticlockwise or simply raising our hands, comparing our skin color was good enough for me. It was just us, in the confinement of this room. It was beautiful.

A huge part of me wanted to know if it wasn't just me. If Vansh perhaps felt an ounce of what I was feeling. I wanted to ask him but my fear of disappointment stopped me.

"Do you want to have breakfast? I brought all the ingredients for aloo paratha." I motioned with my fingers. "I just have to-"

He took my hand in his and assessed my painted nails, "I'm not hungry. Later."

"Liar. You told me you were hungry when you were at the bus before."

"You weren't there with me, na." He lifted his gaze from my hand to my eyes. My breath caught as he gave a small, shy smile, "Now that you're here, I strangely feel full."

And that was how I got my answer.

.

We were checking out each other's photos saved in our mobile. I was checking out his when I commented, "Damn, this chick is fine material."

"What chicken?" He asked, his eyes glued to my mobile screen.

"No, silly. Your friend, Natasha," I answered, "I didn't notice at first but now that I look at her photos, I realize how stunning she is. Especially the one in her grey saree I saw on Insta. You must have oogled at her, surely."

"Not really." He scoffed. "There are many other pretty women like her in the offices. Hardly makes a difference. Excluding you."

"Well that's true but people still look. You haven't stared at her even once?"

"No."

"Seriously? Not even a five second stare?" I wriggled my brows at him.

"If you put it that way-" Vansh said quietly and looked away with his head cast downward. "then yeah, I looked... once or twice or..."

"God, you don't have to look so guilty for looking. I understand. I stare at a handsome boy whenever I see one, which is a rare sight you know." I bursted out laughing. I scrolled down the pictures from his mobile and found one where he was standing with his boss. "Hm, when was this taken? The background looks-"

Before long, Vansh grabbed by my arm, cutting my words mid- way and pulled me down to bed, next to him. He scooted me closer in such a way that I had my head nestled on his chest. And believe it or not, I was flustered. Vansh lifted my chin up.

"We didn't meet today to talk about others. Screw them. We are here to talk about you, me and us." Then he hugged me again, his fingers forming circles on my back. "Do you remember our virtual night date? When you talked to me till I fell asleep? I desperately wanted to hold you like this."

"And?" I whispered quietly, repeating his action.

"I wanted to skim my fingers through your hair and smell it." He moved my hair above my head.

"Then," My voice became quieter as he acted upon his words. Warmth seeped through my upper skin as I felt his lips brushed through the side of my face, all the way to my neck. My chest heaved under half of his weight as his face stopped just inches away from my collarbone. My jaws went taught, followed by a half suppressed breath as he nibbled the soft spot between my neck and shoulder.

"Then..." I continued asking as I felt his mouth around my chest. He raised his face to look at me. His eyes seemed mischievous as I waited for his next action. Instead, I felt a loss of warmth.

And the next thing, he was faking a snore.

"Vansh!" I hit his shoulder, glaring at him. To show exactly how annoyed I was by leaving me high and dry, I climbed on top of him. When he shot me a questioning glance, I answered, "I'm trying to remind you of the promise I made earlier."

"Promises like this aren't something to be reminded of."

We shared a wicked smile before I dipped my head to meet his mouth. Right and left, our heads moved as we kissed fervently, knowing exactly how to mould our lips together, thus inciting a fire inside of me. It felt good to be physically intimate after six months. Our bodies were pressed onto each other, our hands were exploring in places. Things were heating up. Taking advantage of my position, I moved my hips, in a way that my front hit his crotch. He growled under me.

"Easy, tigress, easy," he said, breathlessly but then did the exact opposite, by rolling us over with him on top of me this time. He took a good look at me, testing my waning patience until I couldn't take it anymore. I placed one hand at the back of his head and pushed him towards me. I heard him gasp before his tongue swiped my mouth. I closed my eyes, thus losing myself in the pool of desire.

In no time, I felt the urge to dive further. I wanted more and more. And even though I wanted to drown in that pool like before, something was stopping me. Or rather someone. My brows knitted in puzzlement, wondering why the hell were his kisses slowing down. I lifted my head, wanting to meet his mouth, but instead, I was met with cold air. Frustratingly, I opened my eyes.

What I saw wasn't something I imagined. Instead of receiving a lustful yet warm look like always, I met a pair of shocked eyes. His breath ragged, his eyes widened. Like they had just witnessed a ghost instead of me. I think I heard him whisper a 'no' for a second there.

"Vansh..." I whispered, my voice laced with concern and fear. I touched the side of his cheek with my palm, "What's the matter?"

The moment I did that, he jerked my hand away as if it burned him. If that wasn't it then he rolled away from me and sat at the edge of the bed. Now it was my turn to be shocked.

Growing more confused than ever, I sat next to him. His eyes were transfixed to the ground, his jaws taught and his fists closed as if he wanted to rip someone. What in the world was happening? He was starting to freak me out.

"What's wrong? You were just fine in the start."

I heard him take a sharp breath, "Let's not delve into this for now. We are on a break, remember."

"But today was supposed to be an exception," I shifted myself an inch closer to him "We talke-"

"Ahana!" Vansh cut me off abruptly while moving an inch away. As if realizing the harsh tone behind his voice, he continued softly. "Sorry. I- I'm tired. I think the road sickness is getting onto me. I need to replenish my energy. We can continue this later on, alright. That's right, breakfast! We almost forgot about that, didn't we? Man, I'm hungry now... I'll head to the washroom."

A few seconds later, he was gone like a flash while I sat rooted to the same spot like a stone. Never- never in the course of six years of our relationship had Vansh rejected me, that too, this way. It was always the other way around due to lack of time or fatigue. Perhaps he was tired, too. His shaky voice had to be my imagination.

Then why did it hurt so much?

I continued to remain as unfazed as I could be when Vansh returned, despite my clogged throat. I even smiled through my heavy heart. All because I wanted to make this day eventful, just like it was in the beginning.

We spent a decent time during breakfast, which was understandable as we were indulging ourselves in eating. After that, we opened my laptop and watched some stuff from there. We were still talking, we were still laughing over silly stuff and yet something felt amiss. Like an almost fused bulb that tried to lighten up like before but couldn't. Vansh was right here. He was so close to me and yet, he seemed far. Like he left a part of him somewhere. I wanted to shake him up to know what happened to him before my brain started cooking up stories. I couldn't give my all, as a result. Eventually my smiles became forced, my gestures half-hearted. If I knew things would end this way, we shouldn't have kissed in the first place. Who knows, maybe I was reading too much into this.

Things only became better at night when our carnal instincts took over. We became fully intimate this time. It wasn't as passionate as older times but was enough to keep us satisfied for the time being.

* * *

I secretly counted the hours left until it turned out to be the hour of his departure. He gathered his things, wore his jacket and got ready to head outside. It was four in the afternoon. We walked side to side in complete silence until I broke it with my curiosity, "You said you wanted to tell me something last night. What was it?"

Vansh stopped walking. I did too, as I arched my head to him, hoping to hear his voice amidst the sounds of the honking vehicles and people. The atmosphere around us felt gloomy.

"Nothing special. I just wanted to wish you luck on your dreams. Let's do our best, baby."

"Yeah."

I noticed my hand that was on its place and then at Vansh, who was walking towards the car. My chest tightened and a lump formed in my throat. Why was I feeling this way? He just rejected me that time. It wasn't like he ignored my whole existence. Maybe this was karma's way of biting back on me, on the times I rejected him. Geez, even our day went smoothly. Maybe not as I expected but still- we talked about so many things, we laughed, we smiled, we held hands. I should be contented with that.

But he never rejected you.

Why do I feel this alarm ringing in my head? This terrible feeling in my gut. Like he was going even further away from last time. To a place beyond my reach.

I'm scared, Vansh.

"An?" I heard him say my name in sheer surprise as I stopped him abruptly. It's like my consciousness overpowered me for a split moment as my hands held his arms in a vice like grip. I buried myself on his back, my mouth trembling. "What's the matter?"

"Let's come back together." I blurted out and felt him tense under my grip. I moved my arms to circle his chest, desperately holding onto him.

"But we promised-"

"I know but I want to change that!" I raised my voice. "We just had to stay away for a while and realize our worth, right? I think we realize it now. We are in good place, I can feel it. Enough of this bullshit already. Sure it will be difficult, being in long distance and all, but we'll manage because we have each other. That's all it matters."

I pressed my head onto his back, holding onto him as much as I could, until Vansh unhooked my arms and turned to me. "I understand what you're saying but the time hasn't come yet. It's still early. If we get back now, our efforts so far will be wasted. Long distance will not help our situation. You know that too, Ahana. You told me we'll get together when our hearts tell us to and right now, my heart isn't telling me to. Let's stick back to what we planned. Just wait for me to come back and then, everything will fall in place. I'm sure of it."

"Pro- mise?" I must have been looking really miserable to him because suddenly he averted his eyes away and lowered his head. "Van?"

"I promise," Hearing that lifted my heart a bit and I gave his hand a squeeze. "Geez, Ahana, stop being dramatic. You are turning me to an emotional wreck too." He then mumbled something along the lines of 'aww, my baby' before pulling me to his arms.

I giggled despite my tears and hugged him back. "I know right! I'm surprised myself. Maybe the fact that I won't see you for the next four months is making me like this."

"Don't worry, these months will fly before you know it. I'll miss you too," Vansh said and then held me tighter as if he wanted to hold onto me too. "You are the one for me, no matter what. Remember that."

I nodded and nuzzled against his shirt, taking in his warmth and scent. Everything stilled in silence for a few seconds as we remained in the boundary of our embrace. If only this day continued on and on. If only this silence would still forever. If only there was no future...

"Let's go." Vansh parted, thus breaking the camouflage. We gazed at each other until I lifted my head to place a soft peck on his mouth. He simply smiled in response and exited the apartment.

.

Vansh entered past the glass doors of the airport, after we bid our goodbyes. I expected him to look back at me, one last time but he didn't. Instead, he went straight ahead without a backward glance. Like he was running away. I swallowed another lump. Something didn't feel right. It was like the red string of fate- Various red strings that binded us together for years. Gradually it's grip loosened but we still held onto it, through this break. Then, all of sudden, those strings started slipping away at a rapid rate- all from Vansh's side- while I was desperately trying to hold within my clasp. My hands went to my chest. Why, why, why...

Suddenly, I was dreading the future. I didn't want to look forward to what lied beyond these four months.

As I stepped out of the airport, I took out my mobile and called Maitree, "Hi, um, can I come to your studio?... I know it's 4:15. I can see the time, thank you very much... Yeah, he left for Boston... No, nothing's wrong. Just my usual wariness over nothing... Please, Maitree... Thanks, I love ya. See you."

I hailed a cab and headed towards my temporary sanctuary.

⚫⚪⚫⚪

----I N T E R M I S S I O N---

Just felt like adding that. With this, we are done with 60% of the story. 40% remains (rough estimate) 😢 Thank you to all those who read this far. I hope you'll stick with me through the end. It will be worth it. 👍

Honestly, this chapter is special to me. It's like the Checkpoint of the whole story. I loooooved writing their reunion scene like I was a part of it. Thoughts about the chapter. About Maitree's words of wisdom? Do you like Vansh- Ahana meeting? What about the ending? Was Ahana right in feeling insecure? What will befall this couple?

We are moving towards the more crucial part of the story. Expect some dramatic, intense & tensed filled chapters (I said some, not all) I'm nervous but fuck it. I hope you are ready xD

Vote 🌟 and comment 💬.