Aarav POV
-Flashback continues-
Just a single glance, and I could tell she was Kanika. In that moment, everything around me faded into a blurred world. In my vision, only she was there. She was taller than average girls, but still looked smaller in comparison to me. A slender body with no dramatic curves. Brown almond-shaped eyes. Her hair was tied up in a pony, highlighting her cheekbones and neck. She wore a red long kurti with jeans; even so casually, she looked beautiful.
"It's fine, I am also sorry, mera dhyan nahi tha." She apologised and brought me back to reality, keeping the bottles inside the bag again. But how could I have let this God-like timing go in vain?
(It's fine, I am also sorry, I wasn't paying attention.)
"Please let me, or else I will feel guilty later." I insisted, making her give in to me.
"Alright, but then don't complain about them being expensive later," I said nothing to counter back, just smiled at her. She gave me the small bag, and I gladly held the bag to follow behind her.
At the store, I gave the broken bottles on the counter and requested a replacement. I looked around for a bit with her while they brought the replacement. Kanika picked up a perfume the bottle looked like rose it was translucent but you could tell the liquid inside it was a dark pink in colour she sprayed it a bit on her wrist and it smelled heavenly the rose scent wasn't too strong or too light just right to leave long lasting impression through one sniff she checked the box for I wonder why and kept it back like she wanted to buy it but couldn't and walked to another shelf. I just took the perfume to the counter and asked them to pack it as well. I paid the bill and got out of the store. Kanika checked inside the bag, and her eyes widened in surprise.
"Did you buy it?" she asked in surprise as she took out the same perfume and showed it to me.
"Yes. Why? Did you not like it?" She nodded no.
"I like it, but isn't it expensive?" She checked the back of the box again, 'Oh, so this is why she kept it back after checking the box at that time.' Even though she was surprised and worried about it, her eyes were sparkling at the sight of it. 'So cute.' I smiled to myself.
"Nope, just consider it as my apology." I shrugged my shoulders. 'Nothing is expensive if it's something you want.' I couldn't say it out loud, or I don't know how she will react.
"Your sorry is expensive, I won't be able to accept it. Where is the bill?" She checked inside the bag for the bill, but I held it in my hand and tore it up into pieces.
"Oops, the bill is torn now, it can not be used," I said in a dramatic tone, like it was a mistake when we both knew it wasn't. And once again, she just gave up.
She leaned on the railing, looking down at the ground floor where an open book bazaar was going on.
"Are you going to the book stalls?" I asked, curiously looking for ways to spend more time together.
"Yes." Her tone held an excitement for books.
"Do you like books?" I already knew the answer to it, but still asked.
"I love them," her eyes sparkled once more.
"Same. Why don't we go together?" I don't think she will accept it, but I still suggested the idea. I didn't want our meeting to end just yet.
"Ohkay." She just accepted with a smile and turned to leave while I followed her.
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The moment we reached the ground floor, she rushed to the book stalls. She forgot about my existence, she forgot she came with me and got herself occupied with different genre books, going through blurbs and starting pages, making different faces with each book. One moment she would smile to herself with her eyes like she was in a dream world, and another moment an expression so serious, like she was trying to understand a puzzle, another moment just rolling her eyes in a whatever and keeping down the book and moving on like it doesn't exist.
I started going through some psychological and non-fiction works when she finally came to me with a book in her hands, like she suddenly remembered something forgotten, and gave an awkward smile.
"Planning to buy it? What's it about?" I pointed at the book in her hands.
"Let's see, I am still looking around. This one feels interesting. This one is The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. It deals with themes like murder and psychological thrillers. Basically, the story is about a woman who kills her husband and stops speaking entirely and is admitted to a psychiatric facility, intrigued by her case," she started explaining the book in a very serious tone. "A psychotherapist takes a job there to unveil the details of why and how. The novel explores themes of obsession, hidden motives, and betrayal. It's interesting, right?" she asks me with a smile like she didn't just talk about the murder of a husband done by a wife.
"You have a weird taste," I admitted straightforwardly while smirking. 'Not like I am complaining though.'
"At least I am not roaming around in some dull, boring section of non-fiction." There it was, rolling her eyes in so much disinterest that screams whatever.
"What's so fun about reality? reading should be done to escape it." She went through the book I was holding and kept it back.
"Escaping reality? Said by someone who was showing interest in reading murder," I countered back, waiting to see how she responds.
"Well, no comments, but still better than the boring repetitive reality," she shrugged her shoulders and turned to look through books on another stall that had old classical literature.
"So what do you think I require in this boring, repetitive reality?" I mimicked her tone and style to tease her, earning a glare from her.
Her fingers played through books and stopped on one— Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë and gave it to me.
"You need some passion and drama that keeps you awake at night. Peace is for people who lack sleep, and enlightenment? Well, life's giving enough of that without even asking," she grinned playfully, but that playful smile seemed to hold something else.
We looked around a bit more. She ended up buying three more books— comedy-romance, historical fiction, and old literature. And I? Just one book, the one that she gave me. It was time to pay. I took out my wallet, but she stopped me.
"I will pay. These books are what I am buying for myself. Really, I wouldn't like it if you pay, and it will feel like I need to repay, and this book…" she pointed at the book she gave me. "It's a gift from me." I insisted, but this time she didn't budge, and I had to let her pay. She looked really proud after paying, more like relieved. 'Does she hate others paying for her so much?'
"What now?" I asked, hoping for some more time together.
"Nothing. Might as well just go home," she yawned slightly, showing she was tired, but I didn't want to let her go yet. 'How can I make her spend some more time? Think, think, anything, something?'
"Aren't you hungry?" I randomly just asked. 'Maybe a coffee date or something? But a date with a stranger she just met? Probably not, I shouldn't ask either, this is good for now.'
"Nah, I will just go home and tha-" she tried to avoid it, but it was the wrong person.
"Means you are hungry, let's go." I didn't let her complete what she was saying, held her bags, and just led the way to the food court.
Surprisingly, the food court was emptier than usual. 'Good for us, fewer people means less disturbance.' We took a seat in a little corner, sat face to face, and ordered one medium pizza and two Cokes with cheese garlic bread. And chatted as we waited for the order.
"Come to think of it, I don't even know your name and have been roaming around with you like we are some close friends for years," she said in a sudden realisation, face-palming herself at her own lack of awareness.
"Good morning," I teased her as if she finally woke up to reality, earning another glare from her. "I am Aarav Rao, 28 years old." I extended my hand for a handshake.
"I am Kanika Bharadwaj, almost 24 years old." 'Oh, I know that sweetie.' She too extended her hand and shook mine. 'I finally touched her skin, yes, she is real, so real, I wasn't living a dream, it's reality.' I barely controlled myself. 'Her hands are so soft, though they are not really small, but still mine are bigger, which makes hers look fragile.' She pulled away her hand, and I had to let go. 'Oh, but I don't want to.'
"But damn, you are old." Her comment caught me off guard.
"H…huh? I am… old?" I was confused; no one ever said that to me, and she just sat there nodding and laughing.
"Veeerrryyy old." She said dramatically, giving special emphasis to the word very.
"Huh? We are just four years apart. How does that make me old?" I matched her dramatic tone, acting like I was offended. I never did this with anyone, but watching her laugh so wholeheartedly because of me was my end goal.
Soon our order came, and we calmed ourselves down and chatted some more as we ate. We talked about books, fiction, and ourselves.
"Kanika, so are you like… working? Studying?" I asked curiously.
"Post-graduated just a few months back, currently working at a publishing house as an assistant editor," she replied, taking a sip of her Coke and asking, "You must be working now. After all, you are an oldie," she teased again. This joke ain't leaving me for a while, I guess. 'Not complaining.'
"I am not an oldie, and yes, I too work in a publishing house. I got transferred from the Mumbai main branch to the Pune branch. I will be joining from Monday." Suddenly, a thought clicked in my mind. "Hey, what if we both turn out to be working at the same place?" I raised my eyebrow at her again. Even the thought of us working together in the same workspace made me happy.
"Nah, I don't think it's possible. The probability is almost zero, and there are actually many publishing houses in Mumbai and Pune." She didn't even put any thought into answering.
"But still, what if?" I probed more. I wanted to know what she had in her head.
"Well, from the time I spent with you till now, it would be fun, I guess. I don't know, maybe… like… fate?" She laughed it off as a joke, like it really won't happen, and so we decided not to share the names of the places we work in to really check what happens.
We were done eating, and it was finally time to leave. I called for the bill, she started going through her purse, took out money, and gave it to me. I looked at her with a confused, questioning look.
"My contribution," she said proudly. 'I don't know what she was proud of paying when she was out with a man.' I just sighed and gave it back to her.
"Kanika, I know you are a strong, independent woman, but I have enough money to at least afford a meal with a lady." I put the money with the bill and gave it to the waiter. She opened her mouth to speak, but she didn't say anything and closed it like a fish.
"You want to say something?" but she just nodded no.
She looked at her phone and gasped. "It's already 6.30 pm, just how long has it been?" She stood up and collected her stuff.
"In some hurry?" I didn't like the fact that there was something more important than me, which made her feel the hurry to leave me. I stood up with her, carrying her bags.
"Yes, I have some work to do which can not be late." 'I really want to know what is so much more important than me.'
"Let me drop you." I offered as the last hope to spend even a little bit more time with her, but she refused. 'Of course, Aarav, why will she accept?' So I just helped her get a taxi back home.
'Oh, I really didn't want this to end so soon. The girl I always just saw through the screen, the girl I only knew through someone else's words, was right in front of me, someone I never thought I would cross paths with. I wanted to admire her more.'
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And finally, it was the most-awaited Monday.