Finding Love in the City

24. Alone

She dared not go down, knowing very well that Aditya was still waiting for her inside his blue car as was clearly visible from Shubham's bedroom's patio. Much to her annoyance, she found herself peeping down, noticing the shiny exterior of the vehicle as well as his silhouette as he stood leaning against the lamppost, taking long drags from his cigarette, his head hung low, his gaze fixated on the concrete ground.

She took her phone out, asking Piyali if they safely reached home, to which the girl replied that she went to her apartment with Akanksha and Raunak since Aditya had something come up at work. And there it was! The feeling of remorse and guilt. They were hiding a significant part of their lives from their respective partners, lying to them, going behind their backs as they peacefully slept at night assuming that all was good in their relationship. She had called Aditya a cheater the other day, but as she continued to gaze at his form feet below, she felt like a cheater too, and the mere thought tortured her like nothing before.

When she felt a shiver down her spine due to the cold winds blowing, half her heart was telling her to rush to him and force him to head towards someplace warm as he might catch a cold, but the other vengeful part of her mind asked her to let him suffer while she could watch and derive pleasure from the discomfort he might be in, for except for a thin jacket, he had nothing on him to protect against the frigid temperatures.

Shaking her head, reprimanding herself, she slid the patio door behind her and slipped inside the blankets. Shubham had partially woken up, and he quirked his brows at her, a yawn escaping his mouth. She smiled at him and snuggled closer as he wrapped his arms around her and she placed her head over his chest.

"You doing okay, Basu?" he said.

"Yeah," she mumbled.

"All good between you and Aditya?"

She took a deep breath, her palms clutching onto the red rose under her pillow. "Might be soon."

He kissed the top of her head. "I love you so much."

"Mmm-hmmm. I love you too."

He let out another somnolent yawn before slipping into a slumber while she continued to fiddle with the buttons of his T-shirt, kissing his palms every now and then, hoping the gnawing feeling deep inside her heart would disappear, but as soon as she tried to close her eyes and sleep next to the man she knew she loved, Aditya's apologetic expressions crossed her mind, and the duvet was off in a swift motion.

***

The cold was seeping into his bones, but he refused to give up. He had been unable to get the same kind of flowers from the same farmer's market she once told him was her favorite, but he had nonetheless made a quick trip to the nearest florist to get her roses and lilies before heading towards Shubham's in the evening. He felt like the cheater she accused him of being when he slipped the sorry card and the single rose under her pillow in Shubham's bedroom, and he felt worse when he lied to Piyali about the work thing that came up, which coerced her to retreat with her roommate instead of retiring back to his apartment as she had hoped.

But then he had different plans altogether. He would beg for forgiveness if needed because not talking to the chubby girl was tearing him apart. Hence, he continued to stand next to his car in front of the luxurious edifice where Shubham Agarwal lived, taking puff after puff of the nicotine sticks, which not only assisted him in beating the cold but also helped him gather his thoughts.

He knew she would come. If not right away, she would by the time the sun would come up. She was too kind, too sweet to let him go without listening to what he had to say. And much to his exhilaration, he did spot her ambling towards him from the well-lit foyer of the building, her jacket drawn close to her, the cap placed deftly over her mane of unkempt hair, holding a to-go coffee cup in her hands, and that rose tucked between her fingers.