Thorned Roses

Chapter 1- BETWEEN CHOICES

"It's in the tangled web of relationships and decisions that we discover the true essence of our desires and fears."

For the last three years, I've been focused on myself, my career, and steering clear of serious relationships. My last one was so traumatising that it could fill another book entirely. But this story, this one is different. It's for someone special-the reason I started writing in the first place.

My father used to say something that I only recently recalled. He'd say, "When someone leaves your life, they never vanish completely. The universe always finds a way to bring them back-if only for a moment-offering closure, whether in person or as a faint echo before your paths truly part."

Deep, right? My father was a wise man, and fortunately, in our case, it was in the flesh.

My life was pretty much boring for me-work, home, occasional flings-but things felt stagnant. That's when I met Gaurav, this lively and outgoing guy at the office and my office cab partner. He was different from most of the people I worked with. In a way, he was almost refreshing, always positive, cracking jokes, and most notably, constantly praising his wife. In fact, in the last six months, I think he must have invited me at least a hundred times to have dinner at his place, but I always found a way to avoid it. It wasn't because of Gaurav himself; it was more about the idea of stepping into someone's family life, something I wasn't quite comfortable with yet.

Gaurav was the kind of guy who never once looked at another woman at the office, which was rare in the corporate world. He constantly spoke about how lucky he was to have his wife, who seemed to be everything he admired in a partner. And it got me thinking: maybe that's what I had been looking for in my relationships all along-a sense of stability, admiration, and mutual respect. His relationship was the epitome of what I thought true love should look like.

One day, after a typical office grind, Gaurav didn't seem his usual self. As we were packing up to leave, he said, "Samarth, I'm not feeling good today, man. Let's not take the office cab."

I gave him a curious look. "What are you planning?"

He shrugged, looking almost resigned. "How about joining me for a drink tonight?"

Now, here's the thing about Gaurav-he was a heavy drinker, and by heavy, I mean the guy needed at least a bottle of whiskey a day to feel normal. He had this habit of buying a bottle before we even started our shift, locking it in his locker, and then drinking it when he got home. I always told him how risky that was, but talking to him about it was like speaking to a wall. He had his own vices, just like all of us.

I asked him, "Are you thinking of going to a bar, or what?"

He rolled his eyes and laughed. "Hell no! I hate spending money like that. We're brothers, man. I want you to come to my place, have a drink with me, and just chill."

That was a sweet gesture, but like I said, I wasn't a fan of going to people's homes late at night, especially when they had families. I felt like an intruder in their personal space, and the last thing I wanted was to feel awkward around my friend's family. So, I said, "I'm sorry, man, but I'll take a rain check on that." He looked disappointed, so I quickly added, "But how about we do this instead? Let's skip the office cab, book our own, and grab a couple of beers from the wine shop next to the office. We can drink on our way home."

That lit up his face immediately, but I wasn't done. "There's a condition, though."

"What condition?" he asked, eyebrows raised.

"I'll pay for everything tonight," I said, knowing fully well he'd refuse. Gaurav wasn't the kind to let anyone pay for him. But before he could argue, I continued, "Think of it as an investment. The next time I come over to your place, you can greet me however you want, and I won't say no."