The earthern smell had hardly started filling in my senses when a soft knock resounded on my door.
I straightened up against the bedrest almost immediately. Yet, couldn't move my limbs to get down from the bed and go and open the door for him.
For Adit, I mean.
How could have I done that when I already knew what was he upto?!
The second knock resounded then. Much louder, much clearer.
"I know you're awake. So just stop pretending okay?" Adit's hush voice reached my ears now. I gulped and squeezed my eyes shut. Things didn't turn out as expected. And what was more hurting was that they turned out for the worst!
Only if I had known this before!!
With a heavy sigh I looked at my baby. She was sleeping on her tummy, her limbs oriented in various directions and face dug tightly in her pillow. She totally ressembled her father when it came to her sleeping habits. And nonetheless, it just heated away my memories till a sharp pain settled all over my poor heart.
"Nitzy??" The third knock resounded soon.
Adit earned a silent thanks this way. Afterall his knocking the door had knocked away my senses too. And now they were again back from their la-la land, my supposedly second home which was.. an abode of ugly habits and a decoir of beautiful memories that created an absolute mess out of the entire me.
Phew!
I gave a small peck upon coco's hairs and hurried towards the door, not forgetting to wrap a light weight grey stole around myself. This was the least I could do to make myself presentable at that hour of the night.
"Yes?" I said, once I opened the door.
"You.." Adit's hand restrained from another knocking session when he saw me standing infront of him, his half clenched palm still remained in the air though. "What took you so long?"
"I was changing."
"What?" He cocked his brows in a weird way and I looked around.
"Umm..yes... I was dressed in itsy-bitsy clothes.. my night suit... and I couldn't come before you like that!" And there I went lying again. With full confidence. With full attitude.
"Is it?" Adit scrutinised me from top to bottom and his brows cringed further. But seconds later, he gave in to my lie and said- "Anyway, lets go."
"Go where?" No, I knew where was he asking me to come.. but still.. I had to act all naive and innocent all of a sudden!
"For the talk?" He shrugged his shoulders.
"We can talk tomorrow also, right? I mean I am not running away anywhere!!" I tried to justify.
"No you aren't. But you can definitely come with another excuse tomorrow.... isn't it??" He pouted anonymously and I mentally rolled my eyes at him.
This guy.... knew too much about me... inside out.... something, that I hated the most. Seriously.
"Coco is sleeping Adit!" I thought of giving one last try. But failed miserably when Adit shut me down with his wise speech.
"Let her sleep. We won't take much time... hardly an hour or so." He replied.
Ofcourse, he never knew what humongous tusk he was asking me to join in when said those words- talk for an hour or so.
Huh! Talk for an hour!!... Talk my foot!!
•
"You sit here. I am coming in two." Adit said to me while turning back to leave.
"But where are you going?"
"Two minutes I said." And he left.
That authority, that dominance he had to show every time. Every damn time.... just like his best friend.. as if he couldn't even stay alive without reminding me about him.. Dev.... his evil twin!!
"Are you lost in your thoughts again?" A voice zonned me out of my thought bubble.
"Huh?" I turned my head to find Adit standing near me with two tall cocktail glasses in his hands.
"These days you think a lot.. I have been observing that since the past few hours."
Duh!
"Actually... creative people like me need to think this way. Or else innovative ideas don't hit their brains." Another straight-faced lie followed.
"Whoa.. creative and all haan!" He smirked. I giggled. He continued- "but honestly saying, you have changed a lot man!"
'Upgrading your software is much needed sometimes'..... NO... 'I am the same old Nitara, Adit. Only you don't know that.'
"Changed as in?"
"Like you don't shout at me when I call you with nicknames. Previously, this right was only reserved with Dev na!" He smiled goofily and looked down. I felt for him. The poor thing was trying to find humour in such a silly statement.
But then that was how he was. Always.
"You haven't changed at all Adit. Only that you don't joke quiet often now, but nevertheless, your jokes still suck.... even after all these three years!"
He smirked to this 'compliment' and looked down. His facial expressions didn't tell that he was hurt or something, but there was definitely a point missing about him that pricked my heart somewhere deep down.
"Have this." He said to me few minutes later. It was then when I observed that those tall glasses contained almond milkshake.
Oh my! He still remembers!!
"Yes, I do." He answered for my unsaid question and when he noticed the stunned expression on my face, yet another smirk played off on his lips. "Don't assume that I have started astrology or mind reading kind of stuffs.... you are already too predictable for me Nitzy."
I knew this. Summing up my helplessness of masking my transparent self, was something that I never achieved. Nor was there any hope for it in distant future.
An audible sigh escaped my throat as this deep realisation dawned upon me.
"Anyway...have this." Adit said again as he gave me one of the glasses.
"But I don't drink this milkshake now." I protested quickly. Only to make his eyes go dilated to their extreme.
"Are you like kidding me?" He gaped at me as if I were an alien. I frowned to this and looked away. He cleared his throat and shook his head, trying to best to digest this 'seemingly impossible' piece of information. "You and no honey_almond_milkshake...." he kept blabbering. "Is it becoz of Dev?"
Ofcourse.
8 years ago-
"Milk makes me nauseated, Dev.... I am sorry but I can't have this." I said making such a sorry face, ensuring that he couldn't ignore the look at all.
-"But it is necessary for your healing!" As if on a competition, he made a greater sorry face and his puppy eyes went all dull.
"I know. But..."
-"Will coco powder do good?" He asked again. But before I could open my mouth for another excuse, he discarded his plan himself and said -"I don't think I have coco powder at home... and then its pretty late already.." his voice trailled off as he looked at his watch.
"No problem. I can have milk tomorrow also." I was over the top enthusiastic as I said this but didn't show it on the face, least Dev got wrong ideas about me being a nutcase.
Honestly saying, I had no ideas of leaving any impressions on him. It was just a week I had started living in his house and I knew I was supposed to go away soon, BUT... I don't know why I always became soooo consious when he was around me. As if impressing him was one of the everyday things I needed to do, I just hoped to see that ever_so_sexy smile on his lips that lightened my day like thousand lanterns.
Well, call me crazy but I have no regrets.
-"Umm..actually I have a good plan." He snapped me out of my bubble and continued- "you just wait for fifteen minutes... without falling asleep."
"But Dev.."
He had left before I could finish my line.
And when he came back, he had a tall glass of a cream coloured drink in his hands, that he gave to me with a proud grin of satisfaction on his face.
-"Presenting you the HONEY_ALMOND_MILKSHAKE" he said.
I still didn't want to drink it.
Thinking about the original flavour of milk made me yuck and cough mentally, but considering Dev's happiness, I happily gulped the contents of the glass, that too without even batting an eyelid. And damn yaar, it actually tasted so good...beyond perfection if you me otherwise!!
-"You liked it?"
"I loved it!!!" I tried to jump but my broken ankle caught me beforehand.
-"CAREFUL" Dev shouted in a panicked tone. I mouthed a small sorry and he calmed after that. "Actually, this was my favourite drink in childhood. My mo....."
"Mom?" I asked innocently
-"Umm..nothing."
That day I didn't understood why he had stopped like that. Neither I could ask him about his personal matters. Me being a complete outsider, wasn't supposed to step into his world and I was well aware of my limits. Always. That was why I never asked him of the same even after staying with him under the same roof for 3 goddamn years!
Anyway. So that was how I was introduced to this awesome delicacy named HONEY_ALMOND_MILKSHAKE and that was how I fell in love with it.
Dev's favorite it was. How could I not fall for it haan?
"No. Its becoz of my baby... she just loves almonds and see her luck, she is allergic to it.. now that she can't have nuts, how can I have them infront of her eyes?" I said exhaling a cold, deep breath.
And trust me, not a bit of it was false.
"Oh. I see." Adit replied with a hush in his voice. "But she isn't here now. So you can definitely have this."
"Adit..." why are you behaving so childish?
"Becoz I made it with my own hands. Just for you." Once again he answered simply by reading my mind. "...besides that, I know that you're hungry and you can't talk anything sensible when don't have food inside your tummy. So please.. just have this quickly, talk it out and lets call it a night finally!"
"Hmm." I nodded and took the glass. Adit was right. I should have made it quick. Unnecessary excuses, ramblings, discussions about past and present- were leading us nowhere.
Having a slow sip, which led to a thin froth moustache upon my upper lip, I wipped it off cautiously and asked in a groggy tone-
"Hmm.. what do you want to talk about? That why I am in Delhi after all these 3 years??"
Adit just shrugged his shoulders in reply.
I nodded to myself and tried looking back. Everything flashed up in my mind then. Right from the train late to Delhi's traffic to wrong address and the sudden rain- had things being a little more organised, I wouldn't have had to face this mess now, i.e, sitting infront of Adit and narrating him that history which occured somewhat one month ago.
"AURA doesn't send its employees to outdoor locations..." I started my story over another sip. Need to be mentioned here, AURA was the name of that fashion house I was currently working in, in Mumbai. Adit knew that already and hence, I just jumped to the climax of the story with a minimal introduction initially given.
"....I was always in the 'Indian wear' section there. Quite naturally, whenever any client comes for his or her marriage or any other traditional ceremonies, they are sent to my department where me and my colleagues handle their requirements in the best way possible. Since these weddings mostly belong to the upper, ellite class of the society, all of us 'need' to work as a team so that even the smallest contribution gets payed off.... things went smooth as what it sounded.. BUT until the last month...... last month, a new client came to our department. Amaya Malik is her name and she is a resident of New Delhi.. she came to AURA for the purpose of her marriage which is supposedly gonna take place in this month. If not, then the first week of the next month for sure..."
"What is the problem then? I mean, clients like her do come throughout the year right??" Adit interrupted all of a sudden.
"They come. But none of them are like Amaya Malik.... this girl- a crazy, spoilt child of the richy rich industrialist Mr. Himash Malik- is the most weird client I have ever seen... I mean that girl....... can you imagine that she just bought me from my company for her entire marriage season??!!!!"
"WHAT?"
"YES. SHE BOUGHT ME FROM MY OWN COMPANY.... she just threw a hefty amount on our CEO's face and he readily agreed to sell me to his client!"
"But how is that possible? How can he sell you just like that?... Niyzy you know you are not making any sense to me!!!" Adit cringed his brows while I sighed helplessly.
"Sold as in, he agreed to send me to Delhi for attending her marriage." I tried to explain. Though I knew that I still didn't make sense anyhow.
"Attending her marriage? Or designing dresses for her??"
"The second one. But its not the point Adit. The main thing is that I HAD TO COME TO DELHI.... no matter how much I hate this city or..." the rest of the words remained choked inside my throat.
"Hmm. I see.... tough situation, isn't it?" Adit looked at me intently. He was teasing me or not, I didn't know.
"Whatever it is, its just against the rule-book of AURA!!!!" I grumbled further.
"I can understand what are you feeling.. But one thing is still not clear, Nitzy... is that girl.. umm.. Amaya right?.. yeah, she chose only you from the ultra-huge designing stuff of AURA?"
"Thats what I am saying!" I shrugged.
"Why?"
"That I don't know too."
"Oh... so whats next?"
"Here I am in Delhi! I can't afford to loose my job na!!" I gulped the remaining portion of my drink. And more than the taste, it was the satisfaction of my apetite that brought a sense of calmness to my soul. Adit was right, I really needed the food.
"Hmm.. and now that you are in Delhi, you are not going to stay at my place for sure." He twitched his lips amusedly.
"You already know!" I shrugged again. A blunt smile followed the movement of my shoulders. "I am thinking of a house on rent...my work is probably gonna take atleast one month and I can't stay in some hotel for such a long duration... that too with my baby alongside!"
"Atleast can you let me help you in searching a descent house for you two?" He spoke after a long silence.
"I will be more than grateful Adit... only if....."
"Only if I don't inform Dev about the same.. isn't it?" He ended with a smirk and I nodded my head in approval.
"You really know too much about me."
"Can't help it... you are the first love of my life!" He winked at me, earned a smack on his bicep in return. "What? You don't love me??" He asked then, in an all panicky tone.
"No. I hate you." I really do. You also trouble me a lot, Adit...just like.......
"I trouble you, but thats for your own good Nitzy. And you can't deny that otherwise!!" He said smiling. Wasn't he taking this mind reading game too seriously? I just wandered.
"Are you done talking? I can go back to my baby then.."
"Yes, ofcourse. But before that, atleast thank me properly... for all the favours that I did today!!"
I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the level of his expectation.
"You did all those things for me? Or for your little niece??" Okay, a little bit of teasing won't harm much.
"Well...... I think that Nirvana should actually call me 'mamu'." He ended his line with a cute pout, making a deep shade of red crawl to my cheeks. It was his way of saying that he was always there for his sister and her baby that made me think myself to be the luckiest!
"She doesn't call you 'chachu' either." I snapped, letting out a much awaited smile.
"Point. She still calls me 'Adil'." He smiled back too.
"Yes. She still calls you 'Adil'... although her vocabulary has much improved to let her differentiate between a 'L' and 'T'.... surprising much, yeah!!" I pursed my lips together while his lips curved into a mysterious smirk.
"You shouldn't think so deeply Nitzy... let things go with the flow instead.. Afterall all sweet somethings don't need an explanation you know!"
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Author's note :P
Writing stories in the exam sheet to writing matters in the real story, happiness always finds a corner for itself. And I am one of those lucky persons who got to see both happiness as well as its secluded corner.
Hello readers, meeting you after a long time. Hope you people haven't forgotten me yet. But then I had already said that the initial updates are going to be slow.. you remember that part right?
Next update is also going to take some time. And something interesting is coming on its way. A lot of other things are coming: like- a major twist, secret revelations, a beautiful journey, love amongst hatred, anger amongst love and a 'together-forever' in a 'its-over-between-us'. Most importantly, the character cast is going to come soon. So... aren't you guys excited?
Stay tuned, as I always say. Keep following your writer. And yes, keep voting, sharing and commenting.
See you the next update. xoxo
~