"Where are you lost?" Sona yelled right next to Maitree's ear.
"Ouch! What?" Maitree asked, quickly covering her left ear.
"The remote," Sona said, pointing to the remote lying on the side table next to Maitree.
Both girls were in their PJs, prepared for a movie night with a bowl of freshly popped popcorn, generously coated with butter, placed right in the center. Unlike their previous movie nights, Maitree didn't insist on holding the remote and selecting one of Khan's movies, while Sonakshi simply enjoyed munching on popcorn and rejecting all of Maitree's suggestions.
Maitree quietly handed her the remote.
"That's it," Sonakshi said, facing Maitree, sitting cross-legged. "Tell me what happened." Sonakshi raised her eyebrows. "I should've suspected something when you didn't call me at lunchtime. You haven't said a word during the entire ride home, and now you're letting me hold the remote! Did something happen at the hospital?" Sona asked worry written all over her face
"Have I recently told you how much I love and appreciate you?" Maitree said.
"Mai, I love you too, but you seem to be changing the subject," Sonakshi responded.
"I saw my ex at the hospital," Maitree admitted.
"What? Why was he there? I thought he had finished writing medical journals," Sona exclaimed, quickly standing up.
"Oh no! And you saw him and had a panic attack. Why didn't you call me?" she asked, settling back down and placing the popcorn on the table while taking hold of Maitree's hand.
As Maitree observed the genuine concern on Sonakshi's face, she couldn't find it in herself to reveal the truth about what had actually happened. Instead, she offered a reassuring smile and said, "I was okay! I mean, I wasn't thrilled to see him there, but I managed to handle it."
"Really? That's great to hear! It seems like you're making progress. This definitely calls for a celebration. You choose the movie, any movie, and I promise not to reject it," Sonakshi exclaimed, placing the popcorn on her lap.
"I didn't want to lie" Maitree thought scrolling through Netflix "but, I was actually ok even with the panic attack I was okay!" she started reminiscing about her encounter with Rudra in the supply room, "I was more than just 'okay' Rudra made it okay, he showed such respect for me, my privacy, and my personal space. He never once asked why I was upset. Instead, he sat beside me, breathed alongside me, and went out of his way to find me, just like Sona always does." she smiled looking at Sona munching popcorn focused on the TV.
"Maybe! He is alright" she decided
Finally picking their all time favourite movie "Diwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge"
________
Rudra is sitting in his living room couch, trying to read the case files but, all he could see was Maitree's tear stricken face.
"Why was she upset? So upset that led to a panic attack. Did somebody say something? Maitree doesn't seem like somebody who gets upset if somebody says something" Rudra thought walking around the living room.
Just then, his phone began to ring, displaying "Mumma calling" on the screen. A smile crept onto his face as he picked up the call, knowing that the sweet voice on the other end always managed to calm him down.
"Hello, Rudra," his mother greeted warmly.
"Hello, Ma," Rudra replied, his voice softening.
"Kaisa hai tu?" (How are you?), she inquired.
YOU ARE READING
Threads of Destiny
Romance"I'm not interested in you, so I don't want to know anything about you," Maitree stated firmly. Rudraksh, responded with a playful tone, "Well, maybe you should go on more dates with me. You might find yourself becoming interested once you get to kn...
