| ANGAD |

FIVE DAYS LATER...

Me: Apart from roasting me, what do you do for a living?

Upon receiving Violet's message, I found it hard to conceal my frustration as her words had expertly taken me down a notch.

Violet: I have a lot of tasks to complete, whereas it seems that you do not have any responsibilities and are causing harm to your life.

Me: Do something to motivate me, Violet!

Violet: Mission Impossible, dearie!

Me: Vee, I'm already depressed.

Just as I hit the send button, I received a message on Instagram from an account I've been longing to receive messages from.

Naina: Hi!

Me: Hi, Naina! Did you return from Noida?

Naina: Yeah. A few minutes ago.

Me: Glad to hear that. How's your friend?

Naina: Yeah. Simran is good. Newly married, right?

Naina: Angad, did you start exploring Delhi?

Me: Yeah. I went to Qutub Minar yesterday.

Naina: Glad to hear that!

Naina: Hey! Are you free tomorrow?

Me: Yeah.

Me: Why?

While I wasn't overjoyed at the prospect, I was quietly optimistic that Naina might eventually ask me to accompany her somewhere, so that I would use this as an excuse to see Naina.

Akash: Well... I'm going for shopping tomorrow. I guess you would enjoy it. So, would you like to join me?

I giggled at the fact of me being a Nostradamus nowadays while I suppressed it and texted her.

Me: Sure.

Me: Since you asked me, I am ready to come.

Naina: Great! I will pick you up from the hotel.

After reading the message, I jumped up and down like a teenager without any reason. I couldn't contain my happiness and clapped my hands while laughing. However, my joy was short-lived as I received a message from her.

Naina: Only if you want.

Naina: I thought of doing it since I don't know how you will manage to come while not knowing much about Delhi.

Me: That's fine, Naina! I'm okay with you picking me up.

Naina: So glad to hear that!

Naina: Get ready at 9 AM sharp. 

Naina: Good night.

Me: Good night.

I locked the mobile and switched off the lamp on the chest drawer near my bed. I wanted to sleep early so that I could be ready earlier. But I couldn't help but fantasize about my day with Naina.

Finally, after deciding to sleep, I turned to my left and whispered, "Good night. Sleep tight. Enjoy tomorrow."

***

THE NEXT DAY...

"Hey! Good morning, Naina!" As soon as she settled on the Royal Enfield, I couldn't help but greet her warmly with a broad grin. She looked stunning, like an urban queen, in her pristine white t-shirt and sleek black jeans. It was a sight to behold, and I couldn't help but admire her beauty.

"Good morning, Mr NRI!" She grinned at me as well and winked.

"How are you, Desi Girl?" I patted her shoulder as I got on the bike and received a helmet from her.

"Tit for tat?" Her tone was playfully sarcastic as she chuckled.

"Sort of." I shrugged my shoulders, trying to be sorry.

"Anyways, Mr NRI. Delhi is ready to embrace you. Shall we go?"

"Yes, Desi Girl. Can't wait to embrace Delhi as well." I rested my head on her shoulder as she started riding the bike.

"Ummm, I forgot to ask this. How was Qutub Minar?" She initiated the conversation as we were close away from my hotel.

"It was great. I loved it. If you observe the impressive architecture of your homeland, then you can easily determine its magnificence."

"Your words said it all." Naina chuckled at her comment; and said, "I was never into history and all those stuff."

"Anyways, what is the plan today?" I asked, anticipating some form of entertainment.

"Well... We will go to a mall, and we will watch a movie there. Then, we will do some shopping. Then... We'll disperse," she recited the whole plan while I was excited about it already.

"Fine! Let's have a blast, then!" My volume increased as I was overly excitement, and I looked up at the sky. It was a perfect blend of the sunlight and clouds, making it serene for those who admire the beauty of it.

***

Naina and I went to Select CityWalk and went into a theatre to watch Badrinath ki Dulhania. It was a movie about two small-town, diametrically opposite people falling in love when their ideologies clash. I didn't find this movie to be interesting. At least, it was not as interesting as I expected.

Despite spending the traumatic 135 minutes, I enjoyed the experience off-screen. I looked at Naina everytime the male lead appears on the screen since it's much better to see her than the traumatic romance. I helped her with getting her favourite caramel popcorn and fizzy drinks, instead of asking her to leave. I enjoyed her minute reactions she gave for each scene.

But then, after the movie ended, I became the first to get off the theatre, along with Naina.

"How was the movie?" I asked, munching the leftover popcorn from my box.

"Quite disappointed, Angad. Everything is just okay. But the male lead was like... How can one be so toxic?" Naina threw her hands up in the air, not before munching some popcorn from my box.

Though I found the movie uninteresting, the thing made me scrunch my nose a little.

"What do you mean?" I crossed my arms and faced her.

"I mean it, Angad. Badri couldn't take no from her. Such a man-child he is. Kidnapping his lover is not a green flag at all." She shrugged her shoulders.

"But Vaidehi betrayed him. She said that she would marry him. It was she who ran away from their wedding." My tone suddenly became argumentative. But I was least bothered.

"She was clear about what she wanted till the end. She never wanted a man in her life. It was Badri who kept on forcing her to be his from the start." She raised her eyebrows, expecting an answer from me that would shut her mouth.

"But, she must have left him, right?" I asked, expecting an answer from her that would shut me up.

"Who asked him to come to her, in the first case?"

I tried. I lost.

Sighing deeply, I diverted, "Okay. Why would we fight over some movie? Do you want to go to some restaurant?" Then I walked away from her, munching my popcorn, while she glared at me, clearly confused about what happened then.

***

"Angad, I want to go there! Please!" Naina whined like a five-year-old kiddo at the entrance of a chocolate shop.

"What did you find interesting there, Naina?" I raised my left eyebrow.

"Look there!" She pointed at a pack of marshmallows which was more like an edible rainbow packed with clouds. The pastel shades of pink, blue, and purple and the fluffy white could make anyone's mouth watery.

No wonder how Naina became a kid after seeing it.

"Okay, don't worry. I'll get you one," I said and went to the shop to get her one.

After spending over 200 rupees, her joy knew no limits as she grabbed the pack from me. She jumped up and down and crushed my rib bones in the name of hugging me. I stood still. I wanted to hug her as well. But every cell of my body refused to move unanimously. I became like a corpse: I could barely swallow, I could barely talk, I couldn't breathe, and I could barely move. The two seconds she hugged me felt like it was two ages.

"Thank you so much, Angad!" She pulled my cheek like how a teacher does to her pet while I managed to smile a little.

"Okay, shall we go and get some coffee as well?." My legs pained like Hell, to be honest.

"Yeah," she beamed and came with me, linking my arm with hers while leaving me in ultimate euphoria.

***

"I swear that coffee and marshmallow are the best combo ever made. I mean it!" Naina exclaimed merrily as she sipped her coffee for the first time, not before having a marshmallow that had pink streaks on it.

"Give me some. I bet your choices were never wrong." I grabbed a blue-and-white marshmallow and snatched her coffee mug, unveiling my flirtatious side.

She scrunched her nose and said, "I know you trust my choices. But this is not the time. Let me enjoy my coffee, Angad!"

I moaned blissfully and said, "I loved it. No wonder why this combo is heavenly." I returned the mug to her with an intense look that forced her to expose the pink shades of her cheeks.

"At last, you agreed." She had that intense look and sipped some more of her coffee. "This coffee is much better now. After what you had done to it."

Yes. We flirt like we're Gen-Z kids. But, at the end of the day, when we get the taste of our medicine, we would freeze like a slate of ice. That's millennials for you.

***

I'm back, peeps!

And what could be the future of Angad and Naina? Like, they look so cute together, right?

Stay tuned to know more!

Song Courtesy: Lover by Taylor Swift