The Addiction of Love

I

"No, this is not going to work. The cost of promotion is too high." Ashar Syed leaned back on his chair and said while looking at the costing plan that his team had made.

Ashar was the Vice President of Marketing for the company he worked for.

"But sir, I don't think it will be possible to lessen it anymore." The marketing manager said.

"If we follow this plan, we'll be spending more on trying to attract customers than gaining. It'll be a loss in the long run." Ashar stated. "Our product is for the younger generation, then why do we have ads running for our products on TV? Young India doesn't watch TV anymore. They're too busy on OTT platforms and social media. It is a waste of money."

He gave a few more ideas to lessen the cost and then wrapped up the meeting. Getting out of the meeting room, he went towards the canteen to get some water. It was a Friday night so the office was mostly empty. Everyone had left early.

He was drinking water when his phone rang.

"Assalam alaikum, maa." He greeted his mother, Bushra Syed.

"Walaikum assalam! Pahuch gaye tum?" She asked.

He frowned. "Kaha pahuchna tha?"

"Ashar!" She gasped. "Tum bhool gaye?"

"Kya bhool gaya?" He didn't understand her behavior.

"Tumhe aaj Avira se milna tha 8 baje." Bushra said in a hard tone.

His eyes widened in realisation and he checked his watch. It was 8:15.

"Oh shit!" He sprinted towards his cabin.

"Ya Allah, kya karu main is ladke ka? Itni badi company mein VP pata nahi kaise ban gaya. Koi itna gair-zimmedar kaise ho sakta hai?" She said in a whining tone and Ashar could imagine her slapping her forehead in frustration.

"Maa, main aapse baad mein baat karta hoon!" He quickly cut the call and put his phone in his pocket. He then put his laptop in the bag and grabbed his wallet and car keys. Taking his bag and coat that was draped on his chair, he ran.

A few employees that were still in the office were confused to see their VP running out of the office like crazy. He didn't have the patience to wait for the lift, so he took the stairs. Reaching the parking, he got in his Audi as fast as he could and pressed on the accelerator hard.

After breaking almost all the traffic rules, he made it to the restaurant, Big Chill, in twenty minutes.

"I've a reservation by the name of Ashar Syed." He spoke at the reception.

As soon as the receptionist heard the name, his expressions changed. "You had a reservation for 8:00 pm, sir." He sarcastically spoke. "Your guest arrived on time and waited for you. But when you didn't show up, she left."

"Fuck!" He cursed under his breath. "Can you tell me when she left?"

The receptionist gave him a slightly annoyed look. "Just now."

She left just now. It meant he could still catch her. But how would he identify her?

"What was she wearing?" He asked.

The receptionist furrowed his eyebrows, trying to remember. "A red shirt and black jeans."

"Thank you," Ashar said and hurried out.

His eyes ran in all directions trying to find a woman in red and black. The area being crowded didn't help his situation. Just as he was about to give up, he saw a woman dressed in a red shirt opening the car door and getting inside. Her back faced him so he couldn't see her face, but his gut told him it was her. By the time he could call out for her, the car zoomed off.