Meeting Life Over Cake

A Turn

It had been a year since that fateful night when she had met Atul. And he wasn't a stranger anymore. They had become close friends. She was still happy with her job.
Things at home had never been easy and now that Stuti was up and about, they were harder than ever. It was almost like her mother didn't want her there. And as she was the decision maker of the family, her father normally didn't get a say. The pressure for marriage was now greater than ever but Stuti was still managing to dodge all the bullets that came her way as soon as she got in through the door of her home.
Another year passed with the same melodrama at her home and with the same satisfaction at her workplace. She didn't need anything else now. But life wanted more for her.
After a good day at office, just as she was proceeding towards her car, Atul came up to her and asked her out. He was very clear with what he felt and was ready to wait for her only if she was ready.
But she wasn't.
She told him that she needed some time to think and went home. She faced mother like everyday and went to sleep. But she couldn't sleep.
She knew that maybe it was time. Maybe she should say yes. Maybe this would be the right decision. But she also knew that it was right for somebody else, not for her. Right now, she wanted space. She was exploring herself and she just couldn't say yes to all the maybes.
The very next day she explained it all to Atul who listened very intently and replied, 'Just remember that I'm ready to wait.'
And with that, things went back to normal. She would still go out with him for articles and she would still have big and small fights with her mother everyday but she was happy where she was.
She liked the way Atul was, supportive and encouraging. He never asked that question again and she was glad. He was a really nice person and she liked him.
Her work was still satisfying and she still liked exploring new places and new cuisines. She didn't fear the world anymore. She had got what she hadn't even dreamed of. She was perfectly fine.
Until the day she wasn't, she wanted more from life.