It was 09:50 am, I was already late for the office. I didn't feel like going to the office, but I have no choice. I took the shower and dressed up. Took my bag without even combing my hair.
I locked the house and went down the building. It wasn't the same good day for me anymore. I was feeling heavy inside so couldn't find any positivity around me.
I didn't want to listen to music while walking towards my office. My whole world was lost. I have heard that if the bad time comes, it will take you from left, right and centre. I was feeling the same right now. I was being screwed left, right and centre.
"Good morning Isha mam" The security guard had greeted me while I was passing through him and moving towards the escalator of the building. I was lost in my thoughts that I didn't reply to his greetings. I went straight to the building waiting for the lift to come and pick me up. I was behaving abnormally like my body was there but I wasn't present there.
I press the number 22 with no excitement. I was waiting for the doors to close so that I can close my eyes as well and lost again in my thoughts. Suddenly, the guy sneaked into the escalator.
He was the same guy from that architect's office on the 19th floor. I haven't had seen him since the last few days I guess. Where the guy was? He must be on some assignments or on a business tour.
He looked at me and smiled, but I didn't bother much about him and closed my eyes again leaning towards the wall of the escalator. He was standing exactly on the opposite side of me. He pressed the number 19, where his office was located.
I woke up with the jerk of the escalator as it stopped on the 19th floor, and saw him standing in front of me. He smiled again, but I was not in a mood to reciprocate. He turned himself after not getting a response from me and started moving towards the doors of the escalator. He went off the escalator and again turned back perhaps to see my reaction, but I was actionless.
The doors of the escalator closed and it moved my dead body to the destination. It stopped on floor 22. It was my turn to get off the escalator, but I didn't felt like going to the office. I didn't move an inch for a while. The doors of the escalator closed by itself.
I was feeling suffocated, so I thought of going to the terrace and take the fresh air. I press the topmost button on the dashboard of the escalator. I was moving upwards to the terrace.
I get off the escalator and started walking towards the terrace. It was a sunny day and being on the top height, I was feeling fresh air that touched my chicks. I was feeling good, but that feeling was only for a few seconds. My mind was still occupied with all the thoughts and things that had happened to me.
Should I jump from here and finish everything? Why should I? Why should I don't? What is left in my life? Everything was finished. I had no reason to live my life. I was contemplating the idea of jumping from the terrace of my office building.
With all my courage, I stood on the edge of the terrace wall. My legs were shaking as I inched closer to the edge of the cliff. I took in a deep breath of fresh air. My eyes were closed and my hands were trembling by my side as I step closer and closer to the end of the cliff.
I opened the eyes to stared down and saw the cement roads beneath me. My heart was pumping high and exhaling loads of carbon dioxide. If I jumped from the cliff right now, I would surely die before I hit the ground. But wasn't that I was wanting? To die quickly without any pain. I was talking to myself.
I just wanted to get rid from this hell-like life. I don't want to live here among these people who think I was the culprit.
I took another step and moved closer to the end; feeling like my breath was stopped. Tears started flowing from my eyes rolling on my cheeks. I closed my eyes again and I was about to jump from the cliff, suddenly I felt a jerk and I found myself on the terrace floor as I opened my eyes. Noticing I was now thrown away from the cliff.
Who did this? Why? I looked up with only half eyes open. The face hovering over me was familiar to me. The one that was with me in the escalator. The guy from the 19th-floor architect's office.
"What the hell do you think you were doing?" He shouted at me. My vision was still blurry with my tears. I wiped them off with the back of my hands with frustration.
"Can't you see by yourself? I was about to jump from the cliff, why did you stop me? I replied while I brushed the dirt off my pants.
"Everything was going ok until you came and interrupted me, why did you came and stopped me?" I said to him angrily.
"Well do you really think I would just stand there and watching you jump off the cliff?" he asked me. He was coming closer to me, but I pushed him away with my palms.
"You don't know the damn things about me; let me do whatever I want to do with my life."
I was running to the cliff again and was trying to jump off. I didn't hear his voice from behind. So I decided to jump off. I step forward, but before I could jump off the cliff, I felt a tug by my wrist. He pulled me backwards. This time with double force.
"What the hell are you doing, let me go and jump off the cliff," I screamed on him. He clenched his jaw. "I am not going to let you die." I ripped my wrist out of his grip. "Who are you? Why do you even care? You even don't know me." I sobbed.
"Then I want to know everything about you." He started. "I won't let you die just like this. I want to help you, and If I couldn't change your life, you can jump off the cliff."
I bit my lower lip. "Why should I trust you? Who are you and why are you doing this for me?" I raised my eyebrows.
"My name is Siddharth Roy. I am an architect by profession. I knew you were working in the media company on the 22nd floor. That's all I know about you." He replied.
"Sometimes back, while in the escalator, I saw it was stopped on the 22nd floor for just a few seconds. And then it went upwards to the terrace. I felt something unusual and hence came up here. I saw you were standing on the cliff and was about to jump off. I rushed towards you and catch you before you make any mistake."
"Luckily, the timing was perfect; otherwise I won't get to hear your voice and your anger." He smirked.
"I am Isha Kapoor," I said. My heartbeats came down to normal. Should I trust him? Especially after the recent betrayed by Vivan, I lost trust in everybody, even on myself. I gulped as I looked into his eyes. They looked so innocent and genuine.
"Please leave me alone, I don't want you to help me. You don't know what all happened to me." I still was testing his intention.
"I told you, I will not let you die." Siddharth was persistent.
"Ok, tell me how will you change my mind? I asked him.
"Isha, can we go somewhere and sit, this place is inappropriate for talks and sun is hovering over our head."
"Where you want me to come with you?" I asked.
"Some restaurant or a cafe perhaps, what say?" I can visualize the coffee in front of me, as soon as he said cafe. "Ok, let's go to the cafe."
We both drove to the Starbucks cafe at Lokhandwala, Andheri (West).
"How did you know that I love coffee? Starbucks is my favourite place for coffee." I was stunned as he took me to my favourite place.
"Excuse me; I didn't know that you also love coffee."
Coincidently, this happens to be my favourite place as well." He clarifies.
"What will you have?" "I will have cappuccino," I said to him.
"Ok, that a good choice. I will have a Frappuccino. It's my favourite." Well, that's a good taste as well." I replied.
"So, did you following me all these days?" I asked him.
"Following, hahaha. Why should I follow you? Look I am not that kind of a man. Did I do anything that makes you think that I was falling for you?"
"Then why did you saved me today?" I asked.
"Look Isha, I saw you were going to the terrace instead of your office. That was unusual and so I came to the terrace out of curiosity only. Thank God, I came to the terrace; otherwise, I will not have a chance to drink this coffee today.
"Perhaps, this coffee was in my destiny today so I saved you."
"Rubbish! I don't believe you." I replied.
"Oho, look who is saying. Madam, if you would not believe me then why are you here with me right now?" You are talking rubbish, not I." He smirks.
He was staring at me and smiling continuously.
"Why are you looking at me like this? Haven't you seen any girl so closely?" I couldn't resist so I asked him.
"Attitude, you have got Isha. Good, good." he smiled.
"So tell me, why you want to end your life like this?"
"I was in love with Vivan, but recently I discovered that he liked another girl. He betrayed me." I told him.
"That's it; you want to end your life just because a guy betrayed you? Do you really think that the person was worth your life that you are up to killing yourself? It is better that he was gone out of your life. He deserves that only."
"Not only out of my life, but he also left this world. He died a few days back."
"Died? What are you talking about? How?" He was curious.
"Here is your coffee mam," the waiter interrupted our conversion and put coffee cups on the table.
"He was found dead in his society parking. Someone might have killed him."
"Killed him?" Siddharth's jaws were wide open.
"Who killed him? Why?" He asked.
"Nobody knows why he was killed and who did this. The investigation is going on. The police had doubts on me; they thought that I might have killed him as to take the revenge of his betrayal." I said.
"That's the reason I got fed up with my life and want to end up." I took the sip.
"You must be thinking that you made the wrong decision by saving me. You should have let me jump off and end my life."
"No, that's not true. I can't let you or anybody for that matter let the jump-off like that. Suicide is not the end of the problem. You must know the repercussions of suicide. Think about your family, what will happen to them? How would the face the world after you? Have you ever thought about that?" He replied.
"Ya, it's better said than done. It's difficult to live a life like this either. His thoughts were haunting in my mind all day and I couldn't concentrate on anything else. Plus, these cops thought I did that and so they were behind me all the time." Tears were rolling out of my eyes.
"I can understand your situation Isha, but still suicide is not the solution for any damn problem in the world. There will be ways to get out of this mess. Have patience and keep faith in yourself." He said.
"You are good at motivating, but that will not last long. You don't know what I am going through." I wiped my tears while saying this to him.
"Who else knew about your relationship?" Siddharth asked.
"Almost everyone in the office and now that cops as well," I said.
"Do the cops have any evidence about you being the culprit? On what basis they are blaming you?" He asked.
"They don't have any concrete evidence about me being the culprit. However, I am their prime suspect as of now." I replied.
"Damn, how can the cops harass you like this without any evidence? One of my friends is an advocate; I will talk to him about this issue and let's see what best we can do under this situation."
"No, Siddharth, I don't need any help from the advocate. I know I am not the culprit, so I will sail through this tough time." I replied.
"Isha, don't worry I am with you. Nothing will happen to you. You just need to have patience and trust in me."
"I don't know who to trust now, I and trust have an adverse relationship now. Let's see what is there in my fate." I said with a sigh.
"Anyways, thanks for saving me, I would have killed myself by now if you hadn't come and stopped me. Thanks once again Siddharth. And ya, thanks for this coffee. It made my day. Talking to you makes me feel better." I said.
"It's ok Isha, you can talk to me anytime and can share whatever you want to, and I am always there to help you. And ya, you can trust me. I assure you, I will not let you down." he replied.
"Let's go to the office, my boss didn't know that I am out." He said.
"Siddharth, if you don't mind could you please drop me at my apartment? I don't feel like going to office today, as such it's too late for the office today." I request him.
"Ya, why not, where do you stay? I will drop you home."
"I am staying nearby the office only and my apartment is on the way to our office. So you don't have to take much of a pain."
"Pain? Come on yaar... what are you talking about? We are friends, aren't we?"
He drove me to my apartment, I went off the car and then he drove to the office.
Nice guy, but I should not trust him as easily as I did with Vivan. Where was he all these days? I was talking to myself while going up in the escalator.