“Where are you going?” Aarohi asked, sounding suspicious.
Akshara picked up her tote with an extra pair of clothes to change into for the dance practice with Abhimanyu that evening and said, “I’m heading to a meeting and then to the gym.”
“What meeting? It’s Friday night, and we were all supposed to go out for drinks and play poker at Jai’s house.” Aarohi raised a curious eyebrow.
“I am meeting a caterer who seems to have a good platter option. I don’t want to miss out on a good option.” She felt guilty about lying to her best friend.
Aarohi smacked her forehead with her palm.
“Lord… and here I was secretly hoping that you were meeting someone.”
“Nice.” Akshara let out a laugh.
“You know organizing weddings is cool, but you need to get your own life. You need to either go on dates or start dating people we meet as part of our work.”
“Not happening.” Akshara shook her head.
“Then, you need an online profile, so you can start seeing someone. You haven’t had a relationship since that prick ruined it all,” Aarohi grumbled.
Akshara rolled her eyes.
“It’s not because of him that I don’t meet other people, it’s because of work.”
“Then prove me wrong that your ex is not the reason you don’t date anymore.”
Akshara laughed.
“I will after Anisha’s wedding.”
“I don’t believe you. Then, you’ll say after my wedding.” Aarohi laughed.
“Are you getting married? Who is the lucky guy?” Akshara winked.
“I know you will find another excuse and—”
“Aarohi, I’m serious. I will create an online matrimonial profile right after Anisha’s wedding.”
“Promise?”
“Yes. I got to go. You guys have fun.” Akshara left her office and headed to the parking lot.
Akshara was excited about the surprise Abhimanyu was about to give his sister.
The best gift in her mind.
She followed the instructions to Abhimanyu’s place and realized he lived pretty close to his office and was in an upscale apartment complex.
Abhimanyu’s parents’ mansion was one of the most beautiful homes she had ever been to, and if it were up to her, she would live in that house to be close to the parents, and not live on his own like Abhimanyu did. But she knew people enjoyed their freedom. Not everyone obsessed over living with their parents, and she knew it would end up being a fantasy that would never be a reality for her.
It was almost seven by the time she approached the private elevator that took her directly to Abhimanyu’s apartment and punched in the code. She had stopped at home on her way to change out of her work clothes. Although not professional attire, she knew it would be easier to practice dancing with some comfortable athletic clothes instead of the pencil skirt and silk blouse she had on that day.
She waited as the elevator rode up to the penthouse and keyed in another passcode to open the doors. The heavy metallic doors opened up to a partially covered outdoor space that had a beautiful view of the city on one side and a sanctuary of plants on the other side.
She could immediately see Anisha’s touch as a home designer in every aspect of the outdoor space, and the area was just stunning.
She walked to the large double doors and even before she could ring the bell, the doors opened and Abhimanyu stood at the door wearing a t-shirt that fit him snugly and a pair of linen lounge pants.
“Hi, Akshara. C’mon in.”
“Thanks. You have a beautiful home.” She scanned the beautiful living area. “I see a lot of Anisha’s touch outside but not so much on the inside.”
“Long story, I’ll have to tell you sometime.” He chuckled.
She nodded and looked toward the entrance.
“I think the outdoor space is a good place to practice.”
He shrugged. “Whatever you prefer.”
“Thanks. I’ll wait outside for you.”
“What would you like to drink?” Abhimanyu asked as she stepped out onto the covered section of the open area that was surrounded by plants.
“I’m good. I have my water bottle.”
“Are you sure you want to be out here?” he asked, stepping on to the outside space.
“Absolutely. It’s so beautiful here, and you will be getting a good workout from the dance, so you might as well get some fresh air.”
“I could use a workout. I haven’t made it to the gym this week.”
“Let’s begin. Do you remember the basic steps I taught you when we met at your office?”
“I think so.” He shrugged.
“Okay, let’s see them.” She turned on the upbeat music that was the background for Abhimanyu’s performance.
Almost an hour later, multiple repeats of the same step, Akshara was unhappy about how Abhimanyu was performing one step.
“It’s one step, and people will barely notice. Let’s move on,”
Abhimanyu asked, out of breath.
“No. You are dancing with Karina; she can very easily make you look bad.” She kept her eyes on her phone as she watched the video recording of him doing the step.
“Can we take a break?” he asked.
“Abhimanyu, I know what is happening. Let me show you.”
“What will you show me?” Abhimanyu smiled.
Akshara went to stand behind him and placed one palm on his shoulder and lifted her toe to touch the back of his knee.
“Feel my palm and my toe. You need to sync the shoulder move and the knee bend for the bounce. Now move, and I will push to show you how far you should go.”
He let out a laugh. “You are very hands-on.”
Akshara pushed on his shoulder and edged too much into the back of his knee making him step away from her, laughing.
“If you think I’m hands-on, you should have worked with Jai. That guy will even show you how far you need to swing your arm and the angle at your elbow.”
Their eyes locked as something sizzled in the air between them. He looked away when the elevator dinged and said,
“Oh no, Anisha is on her way here.”
“Oh, no she can’t know.” Akshara grabbed her phone and water bottle and ran indoors.
“Go in. There is a guest bedroom to your left as soon as you enter.”
She stepped in behind the doors when she heard the elevator doors open.
“Abhimanyu. You knew I was coming. Did Mom call?”
“What a surprise?” Abhimanyu said, and Akshara realized the brother and sister were walking in so she ran toward the guest bedroom and stood behind the door.
“So much for a secret location to practice,” she whispered as her heart beat loudly in her ears.
“Mom sent you a special dish. She suspects you are meeting someone tonight at your place.” Anisha’s words made Akshara roll her eyes.
“What made her think that?” Akshara followed the conversation between the brother and sister with her ear to the door. She needed to know if Anisha was going to come wandering into the room she was in.
“I don’t know. She was very hopeful about you meeting someone tonight and maybe get married.” Anisha laughed.
“Tell Mom I’m happy being single.”
“You tell her that when you see her.” Anisha’s voice came from the kitchen, and it sounded like she was moving around the space.
“Okay, I got to go shower. Thanks for bringing me food.”
Anisha let out a laugh. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”
“No. You can hang out here, but I need to go out.”
“Really? So, you are seeing someone tonight?” Anisha asked, sounding excited.
“Anisha, I go to go. You can hang out if you like, but I am going out for dinner.” He was being pushy, but his little sister was getting adamant by the minute.
“Okay, I’ll go. But are you meeting someone tonight? And you told Mom and not me. I’m hurt.”
Akshara bit her lip to stop herself from laughing when she imagined Abhimanyu’s face trying so hard to lie to his sister. She found it adorable that he was keeping the secret when it would have been so easy to tell his sister about the dance practice.
“I didn’t tell Mom anything. Just because I told her I want to be at my place to get some work done, she just made up things.”
“I don’t care what Mom thinks. You tell me if you are meeting someone tonight, if not, I’m staying. I’ll ask Deepak to come join us.”
Akshara smiled when she heard Abhimanyu let out a growl.
“Fine, I’ll tell you but promise you don’t tell anyone else.” Akshara stuck her ear to the door wondering if he was going to tell her the truth.
“Okay, I won’t. I promise.”
“I have plans for tonight and tomorrow morning as well. And I am telling you this, so you don’t barge in tomorrow morning with another special dish.”
Anisha let out a squeal of joy, making Akshara wonder what was so exciting.
“So, you are busy tonight and tomorrow morning. You are having a sleep over, huh?”
Akshara felt the heat creep up her cheek as she laughed silently.
“Anisha, you had too much fun already. Now go.” His tone was suddenly firm.
“Okay, but please if she is the one, let me know so I can ask Akshara to block her calendar,” Anisha said, and Akshara bit her lip, pressing her hands into her stomach as she laughed silently.
The interaction between the brother and sister was endearing and funny at the same time.
“No. You will not block anyone’s calendar. I am planning to elope.”
Abhimanyu laughed.
“Abhimanyu, you are literally kicking me out of your house.”
“I told you, I’m going to be late.”
“Fine, I’ll go. But when can I share the secret with everyone?” she asked, and her voice was distant as if she was outside the house already.
Abhimanyu chuckled.
“Let’s just say everyone will know on the day of the Sangeet.”
“Will you bring your date to the party?” Anisha asked.
“Bye, Anisha.”
“You are such a spoiled sport.”
“Drive carefully,” he said.
“Fine, I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Akshara heard the double doors close, but she waited for a few moments just to be sure. She opened the door when she heard a knock.
“That was close.” She smiled.
“Let’s practice inside. She might show up again for the sake of it.”
Abhimanyu laughed, and Akshara could not help but join the laughter.
“I only wish I could see your expression while you made up all the excuses to get her to leave.”
“She made up most of it.” He turned on the music system and added, “You can connect your phone to the speakers, so I get the full effect of the music.”
“Look at you, all pumped up for the dance.” Akshara cheered.
“Now that I made a mention of her finding out on Sangeet, I need to get this right.”
“That’s the spirit.” She laughed as she turned on the music on high.
A few hours later, she sat across from him at his dining table licking her spoon clean of the dessert his mother had sent with Anisha. “This is by far the best food like the best I have eaten ever.”
Abhimanyu smiled. “I’ll be sure to tell her that.”
Akshara shook her head.
“Hold off until the Sangeet, and I will tell her myself.”
“Sure. You can tell her.”
“Abhimanyu, thank you so much for dinner. I can barely move now, let alone drive back home.” She wanted to fall asleep on the dining table.
“Feel free to stay the night, especially since we were supposed to meet early tomorrow morning.”
The idea of snuggling into bed, any bed was very temping, but she wanted to get back home. “Thank you for the offer. I’ll get going.”
Her phone started to ring as she was about to get up. Aarohi was calling.
“Akshara, are you home yet?”
“No, I’m not. Why? What’s happening?”
“What do you mean what’s happening? There is a major grid failure, and the entire city is in the dark.”
“Oh,” she looked up at Abhimanyu who was looking at her puzzled.
“I didn’t realize there was a power outage. I’ll be heading home soon.”
Aarohi let out a sigh of relief.
“Just wanted you to know that I am staying back at Jai’s place. The traffic is a mess with the signals out. I will see in the morning.”
“Okay, I’ll mostly see you later in the day, then. I’ll be leaving early for a meeting.”
“Fine. But be careful when you get home. Lock the doors well.”
“Yes, I will.”
Akshara ended the call and looked at Abhimanyu. “A grid failure, and you are not impacted?”
He smiled. “Solar power reserve, and the building has a generator if needed.”
“Good. I was wondering how far I would make it down the stairs.
I’ll get going, then. That was some awesome food, and we can burn off the calories tomorrow morning.”
“Sounds good.”
“I will see you tomorrow at seven thirty?”
“Sure. I will have my security follow you to your place.”
Akshara shook her head. “That is not at all necessary.”
He smiled. “That was merely for your information.”
“Sure, thank you!” Akshara stepped into the elevator with a weirdness settling in. She was not used to people taking care of her, especially not a client. But it felt nice.
How in the world did she end up talking to him for hours?
How is it that her mind did not go haywire at the thought of spending hours at someone else’s house?
It is not something she had ever done. Even if she had joined Aarohi to Jai’s house, she would have insisted on going back home sooner than later and yet she had spent an entire evening at someone’s house, and it was fun.
Maybe because she was having fun with dancing. It had been so long since she had danced.
Love
Janus