Invisible Strings

Chapter 2

"Oh, and snacks. We deserve snacks, " Dimple added.

Monica smirked. "And maybe a livestream for those of us stuck at home next time ?"

I laughed and rolled my eyes "Sure, I'll pass along the message"

"Please do and also tell them to send the Proposal video" Simran chipped in excitedly

I nodded.

"Good. Now I need to get back to my boring— responsible Sunday afternoon" Simran groaned.

"Same, I have to get going as well" Monica yawned.

Talk later? "I raised my eyebrows.

A chorus of goodbyes rang out before the call ended, leaving me with a smile lingering on my lips.

As the call ended, I set my phone aside and stretched my arms above my head before rolling out of bed—ready to start my day, slow and easy, just the way Sundays should be. After freshening up, I made my way to the kitchen to warm up some leftovers from yesterday.

Mmm, nothing screams Sunday like day-old pasta, I mused, grabbing a fork. With a satisfied sigh, I slouched onto the couch, turned on a random episode of Gilmore Girls, and settled in. The perfect Sunday afternoon.

Just as I was getting comfortable, my phone vibrated under my thigh. Monica's name flashed on the screen. I picked up without moving from my comfortable slouch.

"Hey."

"Hello there," Monica greeted, her voice bright and enthusiastic.

"Ugh, I just got comfortable enough for a nap," I sighed dramatically.

"Well," she drawled, amusement laced in her tone, "I was just wondering if there are some extra details about the party you might want to share."

I frowned slightly. "Umm... I don't think so? I guess I covered everything." I hesitated, trying to keep my voice even.

"You sure?" Monica pressed. "Because I swear I caught you blushing while we were talking about the party earlier. Or was I just imagining things?"

My stomach did a small flip. How did she catch that?! I scrambled to come up with something—anything—to deflect.

It wasn't a big deal. Just a conversation. A perfectly normal conversation. So why did Monica's question make me feel like I was caught red-handed?

"Well—"

"Uh-huh," Monica cut in, a knowing smirk evident in her voice. "Can't come up with an excuse, can you?"

I groaned.

"Come on, Anamika, I know everything about you. You really think you can hide stuff from me now?" She giggled.

I sighed, rubbing my temple. There was no way out of this one, was there?

"Well, it was nothing, really. Just... a conversation," I said hesitantly.

"Conversation with?" Monica's voice was full of intrigue.

"Okay—so, Kabir introduced me to his childhood best friend during the party—Arjun," I paused, inhaling deeply. "We talked, yeah—just talked."

"Just talked, huh?" Monica teased. "You're telling me you just 'talked,' yet you're behaving like you're holding back a rom-com level love confession."

"No—no, it's nothing like that," I replied dismissively. "It's just... I didn't expect to get along with him so easily. I mean, I'm usually terrible at small talk with new people, but with him, it wasn't awkward."

"Mhmm, just getting along, huh?" Monica said dramatically.

"Yeah, he was just so observant, and I don't know... it felt easy talking to him, you know?" I confessed.

"Mhm, I get that," Monica hummed.

A small smile tugged at my lips as I remembered the moment "We just stood there in the kitchen, barely talking for like twenty minutes... watching the party, just existing in the same space."

"So standing in the kitchen together for twenty minutes is 'just talking' now ?," Monica teased.

I rolled my eyes at Monica's comment. "Ohh, it's nothing like that, you're reading too much into it."

"Maybe, maybe I am," Monica sighed. "But even you said it yourself—it's rare for you to get comfortable with someone so soon."

"Yeah—but..." I hesitated.

"But that doesn't mean you have to overanalyze it," Monica cut in.

"Yes! Exactly!" I said, latching onto the out she gave me.

"All I am saying is that you don't usually hit it off with new people this fast. But if you wanna pretend it was nothing, be my guest."

"I am not pretending" I muttered "It really was nothing"

"Well, a girl can hope," Monica laughed.

As the call ended, I let out a sigh and set my phone aside, Monica's words still playing in my head. She was reading too much into it—wasn't she? Talking to Arjun did feel different—comfortable—but that was it... right? It didn't mean anything. Probably. Maybe.

Shaking off the thought, I shifted on the couch, trying to find my comfortable spot again before turning the TV back on. But even as the familiar sounds filled the room, my mind kept circling back to the conversation with Arjun—and Monica's insight on it.

Author's Note

Thank you so much for reading Chapter 2! This one was a little slower, a little softer- just like Sunday mornings. I really wanted to show Anamika in her own space, and how sometimes even the smallest conversations can linger in unexpected ways.

If you're enjoying the story so far, I'd love to hear your thoughts - comments genuinely make my day and help me grow as a writer. 

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