UNREQUITED

The Interview

"Kushi, are you there? what's the package?" Komal enquired while Kushi stared and walked past him.

"Can you believe it, he wasn't a candidate!"

"Wait ...what?"

"The guy I spoke to after the interview. I assumed he was one of the candidates, but it turns out he's already working. How can people pretend these days?" She expressed her disappointment and noticed him staring back at her with a grin.

"Ouch...hope you didn't blabber something stupid regarding the interviewer, to him," Komal asserted.

Feeling the pinch, she hoped the guy wouldn't share her thoughts about the Hr head to the Hr himself, and wondered why he was present there in the first place.

Back at home, everybody were in a festive mood since it was the festive season. Being the only child, her family was delighted that she had landed a new job. "It's good you came home early. Now give your thanks to the almighty in the prayer room and then help your father fix the lights outside," her mother instructed as soon as Kushi stepped in.

"Whoa, why thank him when I've done all the hard work?"

"With an attitude like that it is better you don't," her mother remarked.

"Oh come one! You should be happy for me, I finally got a job after months of searching for the ideal one. New year, new job! What could be more auspicious than this?"

"Well if you ask me, It would settling down and raising a family," her mother quoted and rubbed her the wrong way.

"Raising a family! What am I, an animal farm?" she protested. "And why does settling down mean getting married and having kids? I'm young, financially independent and am building a career, how more can I be settled..."

Her mother gave up as usual and continued decorating the house with the help of the maid. "Wait till your father and I die, only then you will realize the importance of my words," she grumbled like any other mother in a typical Indian household.

That night, Kushi couldn't sleep a wink with the excitement of joining her new workplace. She kept switching through each social media app on her phone to pass her time. as she scrolled through each, the one thing she found common in all were that someone or the other was getting married or engaged. "Wait, was he in my friend list all this while?" she sulked when she came across a picture of a handsome guy she had long forgotten, existed in her friend list. Seeing him strike a pose with his fiancée, she wondered why she had not noticed him earlier and sighed.

It wasn't long before Nikita, her batchmate pinged her inviting her to her wedding. Surprised, she enquired how she ended up in the marriage trap and why she wasn't aware she was seeing somebody. "No he's not my boy friend, you know I never had any affairs even in college, right?" Nikita explained and left her puzzled.

"Wait, are you telling me you're marrying a stranger? Freak are you getting into an arranged marriage?" She flipped.

"Yes I am, and no he isn't a stranger. Just coz we weren't in a relationship before, doesn't imply I don't know him. We courted for few months after getting engaged,"

"I must say you've got some guts girl. If I were in your place I would have opted for a love marriage where I know the person in and out," Kushi commented.

"You don't have to be in my place for that. I think it's time you find your perfect match and get married. Since you're inclined to the concept of love marriage, it shouldn't be hard for you to find one," Nikita stated and for the first time made her seriously think about finding someone.

"Fine, I'll be there at the wedding and congratulations once again," she hung up and thought about what Nikita said. "It should be easy for you...ya right! That's why I'm 26, single and still a virgin who spend Valentines watching reruns of Friends in my room," she muttered and held on tight to the pillow, anticipating the day she would run into the man who would sweep her off her feet. 

"Hey dork! Your shoe laces are untied," The class bully pushed Kushi and ran away laughing, while she scraped her knees.

"Where's your partner? You and he are in, next," the director got frantic and begged her to hurry. Kushi looked for him back stage and found him sulking on the stairs.

"There you are, do you remember your lines? we're in next."

"No we're not," he remarked.

"Yes we are, have you forgotten about the play?"

"I haven't, but i'm not walking up there with you. I wanted Sarah to get the role, not you," he retorted and walked away ruining the only high school play she had ever participated in.

Disheartened, she walked back to her locker and was surprised to find a note. Much to her surprise it was from her long time crush who had lately been dropping hints at her. This time he confessed his feelings and invited her out to dinner.

Swelled with excitement, she got ready for her very first date and met him at the cafe. "Where's Vrinda?" he asked sounding exasperated and puzzled her. "Is she playing some kind of trick with me by sending you over?" 

"That note...it was written by you, right? The one in my locker...? she lowered her gaze as her voice wavered. 

"Oh freak, was that your locker? I'm extremely sorry...I mistook it for Vrinda's. Please don't take this other wise, I honestly had no clue it was yours," he cringed and felt awkward after figuring out why she had come in place of Vrinda.

"It's okay, to error is human..." she faked a smile.

"Please I beg you not to mention about this to anyone. The last thing I want is to be laughed at by my mates," he said and hurriedly left her standing there all by herself.

Kushi opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. Running her fingers through the tassels of her hair, she shifted her gaze at her grandmother's picture. Reaching for it, she pulled it closer to her chest and closed her eyes.