[Author's POV]
The pale morning light seeps through the curtains of Tanya’s apartment, washing the living room in a tired gray. Priya sits curled on the sofa, her knees drawn close to her chest, her eyes fixed on the untouched glass of water on the table. She hasn’t slept all night. Her thoughts had circled endlessly Aarav’s voice, his eyes, the way he had looked at her yesterday, and the weight of her own words replaying again and again until they tore her apart. Every time she tried to close her eyes, she saw his pain mirrored with her own.
Her head is heavy, her body aching from exhaustion, yet her heart refuses to slow down. It keeps pounding as though reminding her of the truth she cannot run from that she loves him, and yet she cannot say yes.
Just as another wave of memories threatens to drown her, Tanya’s voice cuts through the silence.
“What are you thinking so deeply about? Him, right?”
Priya blinks and looks up, startled, as Tanya walks in, her hair tied neatly, already dressed for work. She sits down beside Priya and gently turns her face toward her, holding her shoulders with both hands.
“Listen to me,” Tanya says firmly, her voice softened by worry. “I’m going to the office. I made breakfast, it’s on the table. After I leave, you will get up, freshen up, and eat. No more crying sessions, okay? Because it hurts me to see you like this.”
Priya’s lips tremble into the faintest smile. She nods slowly, her eyes glistening.
“Good.” Tanya smiles back and pulls her into a tight hug, as though trying to transfer some strength into her fragile frame. Then she rises, picks up her bag, and walks toward the front door.
But before she can open it, Priya’s soft voice calls out.
“Tanya…”
Tanya turns, her brows lifting.
Priya swallows hard, her voice barely audible. “Can you… see if he’s okay? Please?”
For a moment, silence hangs heavy between them. Tanya studies her, then gives a small nod. “Okay. But you get up and eat.”
Priya exhales shakily, whispering a small “thank you.”
With that, Tanya steps out, closing the door behind her. Priya stays still for a moment, staring at the empty space where her friend had stood, her chest tightening again. Then, with quiet resolve, she rises and makes her way toward the bathroom to take a shower, as if cleansing herself from the long, restless night.
The apartment is quiet, only the faint tick of the clock filling the silence. Priya forces herself to sit at the dining table, Tanya’s words echoing in her head — “No crying session,” She picks at her breakfast, her hands trembling slightly, eyes swollen from the night she spent drowning in memories of Aarav.
Just as she lifts a spoon to her mouth, the doorbell rings. Her heart jumps. For a second, an irrational hope flickers — Could it be him? — but she quickly shakes it away and pushes back her chair.
When she opens the door, a man is standing there, middle-aged, dressed neatly in a plain shirt and trousers. In his hand is a small carry bag.
“Ma’am,” he says politely, handing it over. “This is for you.”
Priya blinks, confused. “From… who?”
But he simply gives a small nod, avoiding her question, and turns to leave without another word.
She shuts the door slowly, her pulse racing, and carries the bag inside. With hesitant fingers, she opens it and her breath catches. Inside, neatly placed, are strips of medicine. The same ones Aarav always reminded her to take.
Her throat tightens.
At the bottom of the bag, folded carefully, lies a small note. Priya’s fingers tremble as she unfolds it. The handwriting is instantly familiar, bold, sharp and unmistakably his.
Take your medicine on time like you used to take here. I don’t want you to think about whatever happened, I will fix it very soon.
And don’t cry, you already know that I don’t like tears in your eyes at all. And don’t think that how did I know that you are at Tanya’s Place.
Take care, Aarav.
Priya’s vision blurs as tears rise again, no matter how much she fights them back. Her hands clutch the note as though it were a lifeline, his presence seeping into the empty room despite his absence.
For a long moment, she just sits there, the note trembling in her hand, her heart caught between pain and an ache that refuses to let him go.
Priya stares at the neat fold of the paper in her trembling hands, her breath uneven. Aarav’s handwriting is bold yet sharp, each stroke carrying the weight of command and care tangled together. She reads the words again, slower this time—Take your medicine on time like you used to take here… Don’t cry… I don’t like tears in your eyes… Don’t think how I knew you’re in Tanya’s apartment.
Her throat tightens. How does he know? The question spins in her head, louder and louder. Yet he knows. He always knows.
Priya presses the note against her chest as if it were the only fragile connection left between them. A strange comfort seeps into her veins, the way his words still carry that same unshakable certainty, that same authority that used to infuriate her, yet also made her feel seen, held, claimed. But alongside it comes the ache, the fear. If he can reach her here, if he can watch her even in Tanya’s apartment, then there is no escape.
Tears pool in her eyes despite the warning etched in his note. She shuts them tightly, shaking her head. No, no crying. The thought itself makes her heart twist painfully. Even now, she listens to him. Even now, her emotions bend under the shadow of his voice.
Clutching the note, she whispers under her breath, “Why? Why are you doing this to me?” Her voice cracks, breaking in the silent room. She knows Tanya wouldn’t want her drowning like this again, but she can’t stop the storm raging inside. Love, fear, anger, longing, they tear at her all at once, leaving her hollow and restless.
She sets the note down gently beside the medicine, her fingers lingering on it for a moment too long, as though letting go would mean severing something vital.
And when she finally forces herself to take a bite of the now-cold breakfast Tanya made for her, it tastes of nothing but salt, the salt of the tears she refuses to let fall.
[At Infinitium Solution]
When Tanya reaches her desk, a small cream-colored envelope sits neatly on top of her files. She frowns, picks it up, and slides her finger under the seal. Inside is a glossy invitation card printed with golden letters.
“You are invited to the company’s success party tonight.”
Below, the details are printed in elegant script:
Venue: Verma Grand Hotel, Banquet Hall – MG Road, Bangalore.
Date: Tonight
Time: 7:30 PM onwards
Her brows rise. A party? Tanya glances around and sees a few colleagues opening the same envelopes, their faces lighting up.
Curious, she turns to the girl sitting two rows away.
“Hey, do you know for which success this party is being held?”
The colleague shrugs lightly. “I asked one of the HRs.They said it’s a success party for one of the company’s major projects. Big deal apparently.”
Tanya nods, murmuring thanks before slipping the card into her bag. But even as she does, her mind drifts elsewhere—to Priya’s pale face this morning, and her quiet, shaky request, ‘Just… Can you check if Aarav sir is okay?’
The thought doesn’t leave her. With a soft sigh, Tanya rises from her chair and heads out of her department. Her steps carry her toward the ‘AI Solutions Department’, determination etched into her expression.
The moment she enters, the sleek glass walls and hushed professionalism of the place hit her. She walks briskly, eyes set straight on Aarav’s cabin at the end of the corridor. But just as she’s about to reach, a polite voice stops her.
“Excuse me, ma’am.”
Tanya turns. A young woman sits behind the reception desk, her expression courteous but firm.
“Whom do you want to meet?”
“Aarav sir,” Tanya replies. “I just need a few minutes with him.”
The receptionist lowers her voice apologetically. “Sir hasn’t come to the office today.”
Tanya’s heart dips slightly. “Do you know why?”
“No, ma’am. I wasn’t informed,” the receptionist replies with a practiced smile.
“Alright. Thank you.” Tanya forces a smile back, though her mind spins. As she walks out of the department, her thoughts are quick and restless. ‘If he hasn’t even come to work, then maybe he won’t show up at the party either.’
By the time she reaches her own department again, she has made up her mind.
Then maybe I should take Priya with me. A little change of air, some celebration, she’ll feel better. At least for one night she won’t drown in worry.
Her pace quickens as she heads back to her desk, determination set in her eyes.
[Afternoon]
The television plays loudly in the living room, but Priya isn’t really watching. She sits curled up on the sofa, hugging a cushion to her chest, flicking through channels aimlessly. Every few seconds, her thoughts wander back to him—Aarav’s face, his absence, his silence. She bites her lip and turns the volume up higher, almost as if drowning herself in meaningless voices can shut down the ache inside.
Just then, her phone vibrates on the table. The screen lights up with Tanya’s name.
Priya quickly grabs it, a small relief washing over her at the distraction.
“Hello?” she says, her voice softer than usual.
On the other end, Tanya’s cheerful tone comes through. “Priya, are you awake? What are you doing?”
“Just… watching TV,” Priya admits, curling her knees up tighter, “trying not to think too much.”
Tanya pauses for a second before replying, her voice lowering just a bit. “Hmm, good. Listen, I needed to tell you something.”
Priya frowns. “What is it?”
“I found an invitation on my desk today,” Tanya says. “The company is hosting a success party tonight… at Verma Hotel, near Residency Road, Indiranagar. It starts at 7:30 PM. Everyone from different departments is invited.”
Priya blinks in surprise. “A party? Today?”
“Yes,” Tanya says with a little laugh. “I asked one of my colleagues, and they confirmed it with HR. Apparently, it’s for celebrating a big project completion.”
Priya stays silent for a moment, her fingers nervously twisting the edge of the cushion.
Tanya softens her voice. “I know what you’re thinking… about him. I even went to his department today to check, but the receptionist said he didn’t come to the office.”
Priya’s chest tightens again. “He didn’t…?”
“No,” Tanya replies. “And honestly, I don’t think he’ll show up tonight either. Which is why—” she pauses a moment before adding firmly, “—I think you should come with me. Get out, meet people, breathe. It’ll distract you, Priya. I don’t want you to sit here all evening, drowning in thoughts of him.”
Priya swallows hard, her eyes flicking toward the note. A storm brews inside her chest, half of her wants to refuse, to curl up in the same silence, but the other half craves the escape Tanya is offering.
Before she can say more, Tanya’s energetic voice bursts through the line.
“Don’t say no, Priya! I’m on the way home. Get ready. We’re grabbing dresses, then heading to the beauty salon. We’ll have lunch out too, okay? And we’ll get ready at the salon and leave straight from there for the party.”
Priya hesitates, opening her mouth to protest. “Tanya, I don’t kno—”
But Tanya cuts her off firmly, her tone leaving no space for refusal.
“No excuses today. I’m already coming in twenty minutes. Be ready!”
The call ends before Priya can argue further. She stares at her phone for a long moment, then sighs. With a faint “Hmm…” escaping her lips, she slowly pushes herself up from the sofa. The cushion falls from her lap as she drags herself toward the bedroom, her body heavy but her mind spinning.
The door opened exactly twenty minutes later. Tanya steps inside and goes straight towards her bedroom, her eyes immediately falling on Priya, who is standing in front of the mirror, carefully running the comb through her hair.
“You got ready? Thank God!” Tanya claps her hands dramatically. “I thought I’d have to drag you from bed and make you ready myself after coming home.”
Priya gives her a small smile, then turns and asks softly, “I have to go to my apartment to get clothes.”
Tanya waves her hand dismissively and marches toward her wardrobe. “No need. I have a lot of clothes. You’ll wear something from mine and I'm not so fat that my clothes won't fit you.”
Without another word, Tanya begins pulling out dresses one by one, tossing them onto the bed until a colorful pile grows high. She then steps aside with a grin. “Choose one. Go on.”
Priya’s eyes widen as she takes in the collection—sleek fabrics, glittering designs, bold cuts. She turns her head slowly to give Tanya a side glance.
“What?” Tanya raises a brow.
Priya folds her arms. “You… you want me to wear one of these?”
“Yes, obviously.” Tanya plants her hands on her hips. “What’s the problem?”
“The problem is… they’re all short dresses, Tanya. You know I’ve never worn this type of clothes before.” Priya’s voice is half nervous, half pleading.
Tanya sighs heavily, walking up to her. “But you have to wear one today. We’re going to a party, Priya. You can’t show up in your regular kurti. Come on, quickly select one.”
Priya shakes her head stubbornly. “No. I can’t wear them.”
“Shut up and select one!” Tanya snaps, her tone sharp but affectionate. “And don’t be dramatic. They’re not that revealing.”
Priya frowns. “Don’t shout, I’m selecting…” She kneels near the bed, carefully lifting each dress. One is off-shoulder, another is backless, another plunges deep at the neckline. Her cheeks warm as she goes through them, each more daring than the last. Finally, her fingers stop at a simple yet elegant one—short, yes, but less revealing compared to the others.
Her face softens slightly. Tanya immediately notices and snatches the dress up with excitement. “Oh, this is beautiful! You’re going to look like a doll in this.”
Before Priya can protest further, Tanya claps her hands again. “Now, let’s go. I’m starving.”
They quickly gather their outfits into a carry bag, adding matching footwear, jewelry, and small handbags. Tanya slings the bag over her shoulder, locks up the apartment, and with Priya by her side, they step out, heading straight toward the salon, the energy of the evening already buzzing in Tanya’s stride.
[At the venue]
The car glides into the brightly lit driveway, music already thumping through the walls of the club-style banquet hall. Flashing lights spill out every time the glass doors open, laughter and chatter rolling into the night. Tanya stepped out first and then Priya.
Her eyes widened at the sight of girls in shimmering minis and men in sharp suits, the whole atmosphere buzzing with a heavy mix of perfume, alcohol, and energy.
For a moment, she wishes she could disappear into the night instead of walking through that entrance.
“Stop worrying,” Tanya says with a playful nudge.
She tosses her hair back and grins at Priya. “You look gorgeous. Trust me, half the people in there are going to wonder who you are.”
Priya forces a smile, her heart pounding as if she’s about to face a panel of judges instead of colleagues at a party. “I don’t know… I feel like everyone will be staring.”
“Good. Let them stare,” Tanya replies smoothly, looping her arm through Priya’s. “That’s confidence, not fear. Just hold your chin up, walk like you belong because you do. Tonight isn’t about blending in. It’s about being seen.”
Together, they made heads turn , Priya with her soft, ethereal beauty and Tanya with her fierce, commanding elegance. It was a pairing that demanded attention, one like the moon, the other like fire.
As they walk toward the glowing entrance, the golden lights bathe Priya’s face, highlighting the nervous brightness in her eyes. With Tanya by her side, her steps feel a little steadier, the weight in her chest a little lighter.
And as they walked deeper into the glittering hall, all eyes slowly began to follow them.
With the lights dazzling and music thumping around her, Priya walks into the party, her heart racing. But is this night going to bring her comfort… or turn into a nightmare? Only time will tell.
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To be continued…..
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