** Dedicated to Sweetlover48 for her unconditional support towards my stories!**

The next few days I was adequately busy with Anamika. She gave him authority to follow up with the teams. She even gave me a day off to prepare a piece about evolving street fashion trends. I welcomed the distraction and went about hunting in the fashion streets of Mumbai. The next day, when I presented her the article, she refused it saying that it was too plain. That night, I sat late and rewritten the piece in a blog style. It paid off as she liked it. She told me to click professional pictures of the market and clothing.

Meanwhile, Tanya kept herself busy in work, scarcely talked about Rishi. He went to Chicago for a business deal and was supposed to get back a week later. Kush, on the other hand, was cheerful. He cooked dinner and took us out for clubbing. On asking about his newfound joy, he would just wave away and grin.

Siddharth was popping into the meetings with JP publications, teasing about my sincerity. As his usual practice went, nobody took notice of him or raised any objections him being there. Twice, he asked me out for dinner, but I made excuses to concentrate on demanding Anamika. That was paying very well as she had become soft in her manner. She appreciated my article and also shared her son's pictures of childhood.

On that particular day, I had finished with my work and was leaving the office. She offered me a ride in her car. After some time in comfortable silence, she started, "I am happy that you are focusing on the job. But I want you to you think out of the box, and come up with new ideas of your own."

"Thanks, Ms. Vora. I appreciate that."

She nodded when her phone pinged. Her sister sent her a picture. The aunt and nephew looked cheerful at Anamika's home having an ice-cream. Another text pinged, saying 'come home early.' A smile played around her mouth as she said, "I miss being with Arav, I wish I could spend more time with him."

"He is very sweet and adorable." I murmured.

"He was a chubby toddler. Do you want to see his pictures?" she asked unlike herself. When I nodded smiling; she browsed through her phone and shown his early baby pictures. He was literally pink and had a big, beautiful eyes. She told a few stories of him, recalling the time. When the subject of his dad rose, she sighed and muted. Everybody knew of her divorce. Her former husband was a banker in a good position. Though the downfall started when Anamika started to get more important and famous. It was said that he couldn't cope with her success and was egotistical. After a year of hardship and fight, they separated and divorced mutually.

I was silent as she brooded over her thoughts. However, she again brought up a different subject. There was a party being held for the JP publication completing its thirty years in India. She briefed about her schedule that day, it was a couple of weeks later. It was a large event, followed by media on a large scale, even the ministers, celebrities were invited for the event. She had arranged three extra passes for me. Although, I was to stick with her the whole night. Also, she informed that she called her sister to help her with the evening gown and she would also dress me. Bubbles of joys were dancing in my stomach. Dressing up for the event of the year, in a famous designer gown, would be a Cinderella story for a girl like me. I even thought of convincing her to buy a gown for Tanya as I was sure that I would take her, and Kush.

"Who else would be there?" I asked.

"Well, all the guys you see in the JP meetings, some top media people too," she informed.

"Oh. Is it?" I mumbled, though my first thought went to Siddharth being at the party. "That means Siddharth will come too."

"Did you say Siddharth?" she questioned as she caught my murmuring.

"Hmm. He is at the meetings with JP," I mumbled, deeply embarrassed to bring out my thoughts.

"He will obviously be there," she said, looking at my puzzled and colored expressions.

"You know him well?" I asked reflexively.

She dwelt over my question for few seconds, meanwhile scrutinizing me. "A little. We had few short conversations at different events. Just that he works temporarily for Live Money as an editor and he had written a few books on modern economics." She then looked away through the windows at the clear night sky.

I processed the information in new light, Sid was indeed someone I didn't know at all. Who could have thought him being patient enough to write whole books?

"Speaking of the party, there is major development going on, the top boss of JP, Mr. Jason Parker is rumoured to come along with his Indian wife," she said. "I am hoping that I could get few minutes with those people if at all they come for the event."

I acknowledged her information with a nod, half of it, she was saying to herself. I could imagine her being visible in the crowd of top executives, and other VIP guests. I could feel the pressure coming, I was supposed to provide her with data ready at my tongue and the other arrangements on the Purple side.

*

I couldn't stop myself being excited when I recounted the information in front of Tanya and Kush after getting home. Tanya was positively vibrant as I was taking her with me. She could herself imagine an evening gown on her. But Kush, on the other hand, some other thing in mind.

"Who will you take, apart from us, the third invitation?"

"I have not thought about it!" I blurted. "Why are you asking? Do you have somebody in mind?"

"No," he answered as soon as I questioned. "I am curious. That's all." And that was a lie.

"You think she will invite Sid, don't you?" Tanya laughed, as she continued to pore over his coloured form in a teasing manner.

To save him from embarrassment, I quickly answered. "I am not! He has already got an invite from his own boss."

"That's convenient," he murmured lowly. "What is it to me? I am just happy that I get to go with you. I mean both of you."

Tanya was quick with this one. "Oh Kush, she will be as good as plus one for Anamika, as she requires her presence by her side, always. I think you will have to stick with me," she teased mercilessly.

*

It was a Friday night. We finished our dinner and prepared our bed. Kush already wished us goodnight and retired to his bedroom. Just as I was laying in the bed, my phone buzzed. It was one of my occasional international call, which as my usual practice goes, I let it ring before it died on its own. Again the same surging of emotions I felt run through me. And the emotions were mixed, it was neither happiness nor extreme sadness, it was somewhere in between. Though this time I got it after almost two months. There was a time when alternate days, it used to ring. Each time, It brought  sadness and anger within me.

For the next half an hour, I struggled to keep my eyelids forced shut. The sleep was running away from me. I propped myself up on the bed, tired of trying. Sensing my movement, Tanya roused from her early sleep. She regarded me for a moment and I knew what she would say again.

"You need to answer the call, Sara. I know you miss them even if you refuse to accept it," she mumbled.

"They are dead to me," I replied, refusing to look at her, comforting in the fact that it was near dark in the room. The only light came was from the moonlight through the open window.

She didn't contradict me and opted to stay in silence. She knew that it was hard for her to win the argument on such sensitive issue. I was grateful that she would give me enough space to brood over it. Initially, she had made a lot of efforts to comfort me, but as I made clear that I never wanted to talk about them again. She accepted it reluctantly.

But after some minutes, she sat up and looked at me with a renewed determination. "I wholly sympathize with your situation, Sara. But as your friend I need to help you even if you detest it. I only will want to tell you this," she paused taking a deep breath and locking her gaze with me. "Learn to let it go. It's been years, so many things must have changed, and people change too. Just hear them once and then make your decision."

"But why Tanya? I am happy, I have you guys." I told her earnestly, my eyes pricked with approaching tears.

"You have us, dear. But since Nani left, it created a large void in your heart. You can feel it too. You are a strong girl, dear. But we need parental love. Everybody does. Give yourself that chance again."

"I can never be ready. It hard to mend what's been long broken. Besides, people hardly change." With that I laid back in the bed and pulled the covers over me, silencing the subject.

**There are layers to Sara's personality. Will she able to overcome her heartbreak?**