"So are you guys a thing now?" Sanjay asked Anya while they met yet again, at a restaurant, to share a cup of coffee. It had been three weeks since their camping trip, though Ajay did not blatantly ignore her like before, he did not speak to her in public too. What they shared was private.

He called her every night and made sure to share his day with her. Likewise, asked her about hers. It was much better than what they had shared earlier. She did not get a chance to visit the pub off late, so she did not know his reaction when he would find her there. She might go at some point, it was a place her project members caught up after work to relax and have a good time.

"Hello? I'm talking to you. Planning honeymoon with him, huh?"

Anya was brought back to the present with Sanjay's ridiculous question. She burst out laughing, but she sobered up in the next moment and answered him truthfully, "I don't know. We are testing waters, I guess. So what's the scene between you and Anu?" she asked while changing the subject.

"Oh you know the usual. We've gone on a few dates, and things are looking pretty good."

"Wow...that's impressive," Anya was a little jealous with their progress but swiftly suppressed the feeling and proceeded to dig for more details.

"Did you two kiss then?" she asked with genuine interest.

Sanjay smirked, "Well! what do you think?"

Anya's eyes widened in disbelief, "You cunning little dog. Now when did this happen? And why was I not told?"

Sanjay arched his brow in amusement, "Didn't know you had such a perverted mind. Had I known, I would've shared it long back with vivid details."

"Eww. Gross. Shut up!"

"You asked for it."

Anya couldn't comprehend how Anu, though she came out of an abrasive relationship, could move on, leaving her past behind, yet her brother was reluctant. Other than the kisses that they had shared at the forest camp, they hardly met each other in person.

"Something is really wrong with you. Why are you zoning out?" Sanjay spoke loudly, to gain Anya's attention.

"Nothing. Just thinking through things."

He looked at her for a long moment and gathered her hands in his, "This is so not like you, Anya. If things are not falling into place either you need to try harder to set them right or just give up. You should maybe take the initiative and push him to make a move?"

Anya took a deep breath and released it slowly, "I'll think about it."

"Don't think, just do it."

At that point, his phone beeped with a message, "I'm afraid that I need to cut short our meeting. Anu messaged, I need to go. We'll do it some other time? I'm really sorry, because I need to be home the same time I promised amma. I'll not have time for Anu then."

"Hey, no problem. Come on, this is fine."

Soon both of them got up and paid their respective bills. Before leaving, Sanjay quickly hugged her that astonished her which was something very new. A lump grew in her throat that blocked her vocal cords as well.

"I hope you sort things out with him soon. If he is still reluctant, then he is not worth it."

She clung to him for a minute to sort out her feelings and nodded her head since she lost her ability to speak. They pulled away as he whispered, "Take care."

It was pretty early to get back to her apartment and with nothing better to do, Anya decided to visit Cubbon park for a stroll among the trees to sort her thoughts.

It was a Saturday, and the park was brimming with people. It was mostly family crowd and occasional lovers. She found a huge banyan tree that seemed empty with just a person fast asleep and sat down on the other end of the cement bench that was built around the tree.

There were few things that were troubling her, of course, Ajay occupied the number one spot. But she kept his thoughts at bay to concentrate on other pressing issues. From the time when Ajay had hinted, her company was not doing well.

Projects have dwindled, layoffs had been rampant, and the job market outside was pretty wretched. If she lost her job, she could only sustain for about four months with her savings else, there was no other choice but to get back to her hometown.

She could ask Anu or Sanjay to refer her in their circles but her pride came in-between. She wanted to try her level best in securing a job than to rely on her friends like a damsel in distress.

Her therapy was adding to her cost—it was helping her in a way, but now with this financial crisis she would have to stop it. She didn't want to think about the consequences but her hands were tied. If things wouldn't show up, she would have to sell her car as well.

She pulled out her phone and made a note of things that immediately needed attention, topping the list was job search with more vigour, discontinue therapy and work on alternatives, ask Anu and Sanjay for job reference keeping her pride aside.

Her next door neighbours recently vacated, and the new occupants were a rowdy gang of three college boys. This new situation was creeping her out as they made a few moves to get to her. She was increasingly feeling unsafe in her current apartment, but right away she couldn't afford any other place too.

Even with all these grave things going on in her life, Ajay paralysed her with his sudden appearances in her mind. It was as if he resided in every breath she took. The kiss that they had shared around Kurinji flowers was the one that kept running at the back of her mind in a never ending loop. It was perfect in every possible way.

She wanted to feel his limber body against hers and his gentle touch with his soft fingers. She wanted to forget all her woes that only his presence could ensure. She couldn't recall when had he gotten under her skin. She eagerly anticipated his calls every night and drank in all his words like a starving dog for its juicy steak. With these thoughts and Sanjay's sound advice, she got into her car and decided to visit Ajay on a whim.

Ajay's apartment building had recently a change in security proceedings. Every visitor had to sign a register and an OTP is sent to the resident's registered mobile number, which in turn the resident shared with the Security after identifying the visitor.

Anya was caught unaware of this recent security development and her courage plummeted. She was extremely nervous of this and wanted to head back. But the security personnel were regarding her cautiously. She took a deep breath and went ahead to call Ajay.

"Hello Anya," Ajay's cheerful voice made her sigh in relief.

"Hey Ajay. I'm just outside your apartment right now. I had some work in this area which completed earlier than expected so just dropped by to see you. I think there is some new security thing here about some OTP or something," she blabbered in a rush. She wondered if he caught everything that she had said.

"That's great. I'll give them the OTP right away. And... I'm glad you came by."

That put a huge smile on her face, let alone the relief she felt. It took two to tango. She needed to make an effort from her side, and sometimes even badger him for conclusive results.

The security personnel let her in, and she parked her car at the visitor parking lot. To her surprise, she found Ajay exiting the elevator. While she took time to admire his handsome profile. He spotted her, welcomed her with a heartfelt smile, and his eyes looked luminous filled with earnest happiness.

His delight quickly took root in her, and she beamed at him in response. His smile assuaged some of the uncertainty she had felt earlier. As he led her to the elevator, their hands brushed which again tingled her nerve endings. She wanted to pull away, but she controlled her breathing to seem cool and collected. When she peeked at him, he didn't seem affected. Other than the huge smile he had sported earlier, he looked the same as always.

Just before they entered his place, he brought her close and kissed her forehead. He gave her a sweet smile as she gazed at him. She was a tall woman and could easily hold his stare without tilting her head too much. She circled her arms around his waist and rested her cheek on his shoulders holding him softly against her. He exhaled in satisfaction and secured her in his embrace.

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