#stopplagiarism

© Copyright work- This work is protected in accordance with Section 45 of the copyright act 1957 and should not be used in full or part without the author's (Sreeveni) prior permission.

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"𝑨 𝒃𝒂𝒅 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒄𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒂 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒆."

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Even though his eyes were focused on the road in front of him and his ears were enjoying the sweet music of Mozart's symphony number 40, Krish's mind wasn't focused on driving or the music. Krish was still thinking about the girl he met at the cafe. Their hands had just brushed against each other, and yet her reaction to that was shocking.

The sudden ring of the phone woke him up from his thoughts. He stopped the car for a minute, and took the call, placing the mobile phone close to his ear.

"Krish... Where are you?" A worried voice rang in his ear. A little smile formed on his lips upon hearing her voice.

"Coming, Naila... Why are you worrying like this? Today was a bit busy. I was at the cafe for some time," he spoke.

"Mmm..." she hummed softly. "Come quickly... I'm waiting..." With those words, he heard the line being cut.

☕︎☕︎☕︎

After a few minutes of persuasion, Harini gave in and agreed to stay there with them. She knew that this would be helpful, especially if she encounters the same problem again.

"What would you like for dinner, Harini?" Jane's sudden question woke her up from her thoughts.

"No- nothing. Thank you," she said.

She just wanted to lay down. The long day at work had gotten the best of her.

"No, you have to eat something. At least some fruits," Fred said, rolling his eyes at her.

Harini looked at him pleadingly.

"Doctor, I'm not hungry," she tried to play her way out of it.

"When did you last eat?" Fred questioned, raising a brow.

She bit her tongue, not knowing what to say.

"Come on Harini. Tell me," he insisted.

"Ye- yesterday," she whispered.

"Breakfast, lunch or supper?"

"Breakfast," she mumbled, not meeting his eyes.

"And you're not hungry, correct?" Fred asked, sarcasm evident in his voice.

Harini didn't know what to answer. As she stood mum, Fred suddenly turned around and walked towards the kitchen. She watched in horror for some time, before finally sitting down on the couch nearby. Her mind was thinking about the events of the last few minutes. She knew that she rarely ate food. Most of the time the food she takes to eat end up in the trash can.

After about five minutes, Fred returned from the kitchen. His hand held a small bowl, which was full of colourful fruits. She glanced inside the bowl: apples, oranges, grapes and whatnot. She had never seen so many fruits on her plate all at once. She stared at Fred with wide eyes.

"I won't be able to --"

"Shh-- keep quiet. I need to see this empty. Doctor's order." Saying so, he walked back towards the kitchen.

Harini nodded slowly, knowing very well that Fred was in the kitchen and couldn't see her. She took the fork placed inside the bowl and placed a piece of apple inside her mouth. As she chewed the apple, she realized how hungry she was. Within a few minutes, the bowl was devoid of fruits.

She paced towards the kitchen with the empty bowl in her hand. As she returned to the living room after washing the bowl, she caught sight of Fred and Jane sitting and talking together. Fred was lying on Jane's lap and Jane was lovingly running her fingers through his hair.

For a moment, her mind went to the memories of her mother. Her eyes teared up slightly at her thought. But, she forced herself to drive out the thoughts of her family from her mind. The small tear that had started rolling down her cheek was forcefully wiped away by her.

She turned around to walk back towards the kitchen when Fred's call suddenly stopped her. She turned around to see Fred pacing towards her.

Using the opportunity she got, she suddenly questioned, "Doctor, my room?"

"It's upstairs Harini," Fred smiled.

Harini nodded and started following Fred, who, by that time, had started ascending the stairs.

There was only one room in the corridor. Harini slowly pushed open the door, as Fred watched her from behind.

It was a small room. Darkness had swallowed the place. She heard a sudden click behind her, and with that noise, yellow light flooded the room.

She slowly took in the sights. The room had just one queen-sized bed, one bathroom, and a small table.

She made her way towards the bed, her bed tightly gripped in her hand.

"Good night Harini. Sleep well," Fred exited the room after saying those words.

Once she was sure that Fred was gone far enough, she took out a small strip of sleeping pills from her bag. She stared at it for a few moments, before breaking the cover and swallowing one.

Before she knew it, she started to feel sleep beckoning her eyes. Her head hit the pillow as she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

☕︎☕︎☕︎

Just as he parked his car below the building, the phone in his hand started vibrating.

"Where are you, Krish? I've been waiting for so long," he heard Naila's voice as soon as he placed the phone close to his ear.

"Coming. I'm reached. Just parked now," he said as he cut the phone and entered the elevator.

He hadn't even rung the calling bell of the flat before the door swung open and Naila leapt into his arms. Krish held her close with a small smile on his lips and planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

He pulled back after a few moments and entered the house.

"Dinner is ready. Go freshen up and come," Naila stated as she followed him inside after locking the door.

Krish nodded and sauntered towards his room.

As he stood under the shower, he realized that his mind was still around the girl he saw at the cafe. She could barely have been twenty-seven or twenty-eight. Her small, round eyes and short brown hair that kept falling on her face, kept disturbing his mind for some reason.

'Harini' he recollected the name he saw on the badge hanging on her t-shirt.

'Why am I thinking about her so much? I see thousands of people every day. She's just one of them. There is nothing else special about her. I probably won't even see her again,' Thoughts kept swimming around in his mind.

Wiping his hair and body after quite a long bath, he dressed and went back to the kitchen, only to find Naila standing there with her eyes fixed on her phone. On catching his sight, she switched the phone off and proceeded to place the supper on the dining table. 

"You ate?" Krish inquired, as he pulled a chair and sat down at the table. 

"No, I was waiting for you," she replied, a smile forming on her cheeks.

"I have told you this numerous times Naila. You don't need to wait for me to eat. You can eat if you're hungry," Krish glared at her.

"₁Aiyo Krish, I wasn't hungry, ₂yaar!" she exclaimed, seating herself on a chair beside him. 

Krish threw a glance at her before taking two chapatis from the casserole and placing it beside the paneer on his plate. She watched him with a smile on her face, as she broke a small piece of chapati and placed it in her mouth. 

Little did she know that her happiness was short-lived and that the serenity she was feeling was the tranquillity before the storm.

To be continued...

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Love, Sree 💖

PS: For non-Indians

Aiyo: used to express distress, regret, or grief

Yaar: a friendly form of address.