What The Eyes Don't See

4 | Date Disaster

Vishwa noticed and began walking up to them.

"I don't like this, Anay," Renee whispered. "Something's going on here."

Vishwa caught up. "What's the matter, dude?"

Anay thought quickly. "Hey, not much. Just going out for a meeting. Just keep a lookout if Salil notices my absence."

Without waiting for a reply or turning back at Renee, he stepped out of the automatic office doors.

***

Shanaya was dressed in typical casual office-wear—a red loose top paired with blue denims—but he still could not take his eyes off her. She had evidently made no effort to look pretty for him, because her hair was unbrushed and tied in a high bun, leaving some strands dangling down over her ears. She was wearing simple earrings, small hoops of gold that complimented her slender neck. He was glad that she had not worked on her appearance before he arrived; that took a lot of pressure off his shoulders. And there was also that little fact—she was the one who had called him. Why should he feel the butterflies in his belly then? He asked his thumping heart to stay still.

"How was the week?" Shanaya asked.

He knew she didn't really want the answer to that question. He kept it as short as he could. "It was okay."

They chatted for a while and coffees were ordered. They chatted more till they arrived, and then Shanaya cleared her throat. "Listen, Anay, so the thing is... I am not happy with where I am working. It's not challenging work. All I have to do is to keep records of the jewelry they sell every day. It's a sitting job staring at a computer screen. I want to move on."

"Yes, yes, of course you should," Anay said in the tone of a great guru dispensing life advice.

"I want to do something creative. Something like you do. I am ready to work my way upward."

Anay's heart missed a beat. She liked what he did!

"So, I am asking," she went on, "is there a position at Changemakers? Even the most junior position will do."

"I'll see what I can do," Anay said heartily. "I am sure there will be a spot for you."

It was then that he saw that her lipstick was fresh. It was still glittering like it had been applied recently, just moments before he arrived. There was probably a purpose to this meeting, after all.

"I will be so grateful," Shanaya said. "I just want to get out of the clutches of my sleazy boss. I don't want to talk any more about it, but I hope you understand."

He did. In fact, he was already dreaming about her in the same office space as him. They would be able to bump into each other all the time. Over time, he'd ask her to join his core team, and maybe take her to the client meetings. Maybe even some of those outstation ones. Eventually sharing a hotel room. He shook himself back to reality. Building castles in the air never did work well for anyone.

"I'll check," he said, checking his eagerness. "I will ask Salil, my boss."

"Oh, that would be great!"

"We are actually short-staffed and with the new mega project we have just landed. I think it will be easy to convince Salil about a new hand. I could easily talk to our HR—" He stopped there abruptly, not knowing why he did that. The HR head was Renee. She would definitely ask a million questions.

"I will be thankful," she said. "Now let me treat you to some early lunch."

Anay did not refuse that offer. They did not talk any more about work, but chatted their way through a meal of pizzas, trying to fill in the gaps between what they had been doing in the intervening years from school to now. Anay hardly ate while she did all the talking. There were times during the conversation when he did not even listen to her. He just kept staring into her eyes and her lips as she spoke with great fascination of the times gone by, their many teachers and friends, and punctuated every sentence with short laughs, showing her perfect set of teeth. It fascinated him how little everything had changed. He was still that same schoolboy smitten by the prettiest girl in class.

"Let me grab the check," she said abruptly, and he came back to his senses. "I insist. I called you; it's only fair."

He watched her go to the counter. Her gait was brisk and casual, not the hyper-accentuated sashaying catwalk he had seen on so many wannabe girls. She had evolved into the full package indeed, the woman who always had a purpose.

Anay looked ahead, out of the window of the café. This is a good thing, he told himself. She is the right one for you, and you for her. Don't fuck this up.

But then, as it was happening with him lately, he saw behind that pretty smile of hers and beyond those alluring eyes. Like something wrenching his heart, he felt a severe pang that this was not going to happen, whatever he was thinking about. That negative aura that he had been sensing of late was soon going to make its appearance.

And then it did.

There was something in the corner of the café. He could feel the terrifying vibe. There was a movement. Up somewhere, in the walls. The nasty feeling of dread filled him. A current ran from his neck to his fingers. Why now? Why did he have to feel this now when everything was going so well? When he was with her, the woman of his dreams? Like drops of water on a red-hot pan, his amorous thoughts sizzled away and vanished.

He looked around. The café was full of people, carrying on with their routine everyday talk. Unsuspecting people. But he shook away his jumpiness. What can happen in such a place?—he tried to justify to himself.

Shanaya was at the counter making the payment, laughing about something the man behind the counter had told her as he handed her card back to her. She took it and returned to Anay. Anay stood up and joined her. He held her arm instinctively then, but quickly pulled back. What if she did not like it? All the same, he wanted to touch her again. Oh, damn! That softness of her arm! In that moment, he forgot what he had just sensed. There was nothing in the world that he wanted to touch so bad.

They turned to move toward the door, and it was at that precise moment that there was a loud crash.

Anay spun around to look. The sight was beyond his wildest imaginations.

A portion of the ceiling had caved in! 

***

Dear readers,

What do you think just happened? Is Shanaya safe?

Or has she become a victim to the bad luck that has engulfed Anay's life?

Read on...