Song of the chapter: Ye ishq hai
Singer: Shreya Ghoshal
Movie: Jab we met
Adrita's POV
Have you ever been in a situation where your mind wants to speak a lot but it has forgotten how to? Well, if you haven't, let me tell you it's truly an awkward situation. Especially if your only company is hell-bent on silence. Usually, I would have said something but the pressure of impressing one's crush and the nervousness of standing alone with them in an elevator can silence even a chatterbox.
Finally, after a good 10 minutes of awkward glances, sheepish smiles, nervous fidgeting from my side and calmness from his, we made it to the bus stand.
I should have offered him a car ride. Are we gonna travel by bus? But everyone knows how crowded and messy bus rides are. But then he is the one who is offering lunch. So shush, Adrita.
While he taps and scrolls on his phone, I survey the surroundings near me, nothing except the high rise buildings, and rushed civilians catch my eye. I nibble my lip trying to form a few coherent words but before I could speak, a white wagoner parks in front of us. Anirudh opens the door and gestures for me to get in.
Anirudh's POV
Politeness has its cost, and not just in a metaphorical sense but in the literal sense too. During the whole ride, I have been calculating all the upcoming expenses. Rs 500 for the cab ride(Up and down),
If I order the least expensive dish- Rs 200. If she orders the most expensive dish-Rs 600. What? Did you think I would take her to some hi-fi restaurant?
How dare you?
Heck! What if she orders beverages? Another Rs 200 down the drain. Don't get me wrong. I am not usually this stingy but she wouldn't even appreciate it. Why would she? She must have never stepped into restaurants that are not five stars or seven stars. Though I am taking her to a very good restaurant with a healthy budget. But where does it stand before her high and mighty diners?
A sigh of frustration escapes my lips which manages to draw her attention. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, we are almost here."
She nods and gives one of her typical smiles which for unknown reasons made me smile back.
We reach our destination and enter the Bollywood themed restaurant. Several posters adorn the walls of the restaurant depicting various retro artists, and movie dialogue. A vintage jukebox in the corner played the various melodies of Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, and Mohammad Rafi. There is a reason this is my Grandma's favourite place.
"This is beautiful." Adrita sighs her eyes rounding the restaurant, a childlike glow illuminating her brown eyes. Her typical smile cheers up a little more. A feeling of accomplishment courses through me as I see her appreciating the restaurant's aura.
"You like it?"
She turns to me, her eyes seal on mine and nothing has ever felt more genuine than the joy twinkling in her eyes.
"I love it."
I smile, and gesture for her to take a seat.
"So, don't get me wrong but why did you ask me to dance?" I finally ask the question that has been bugging me since her birthday night. Wait! Did I even wish her on her birthday?
After a momentarily alarmed expression, she starts laughing awkwardly. I have never been confused about my own feelings...until now. Jealousy, guilt, accomplishment, confusion. And I have only met her thrice.
"Well, if you want to know the truth; you must wait." She says, scratching the nape of her neck, a pinkish hue endowing her cheeks.
That just made me more confused. But I shrug the feeling away. Overthinking has never done anyone good.
"Did I weird you out?" She asks, propping her chin on her fist.
I lean against the chair and shrug nonchalantly. "Not really. It's just lunch, and not to forget I am the one who invited you."
She nods her head while her fingers tap on the table in rhythm. An old song plays on the jukebox creating a pleasant environment but not pleasant enough to suppress the awkwardness stretched between us. To break the awkward environment I ask the first question that comes to my mind.
"What are your future plans?"
What a stupid question! Of course, she will be handed her father's company.
Sitting almost on the edge of her seat, excitement flushes her face as she begins speaking about her future."I wish to start my own clothing line. Loveee designing clothes. I have my ideas noted down, currently working on my catalogue, the only thing I need is a partner who can handle anything that's not designing you know like finance, marketing, operations etc etc."
"You are not interested in jewellery designing? I thought being the daughter of the greatest jewellery designer you would have been more drawn to it, considering your dad's company is well established."
"Yeah, but that's not my dream. I want to start something of my own. Who knows? Maybe in the future, Dad and I can make it a joint venture? What are your plans?"
"One step at a time. Right now the goal is to convert this internship into a permanent job and then owning the highest position I can possibly own. Nothing too fancy."
"Here is your order babu moshayes. Khao, piyo, aur mast raho!" The waiter gently interrupts our conversation. Adrita laughs at his filmy words, and the waiter mouths "Gotta say for the pay" at which she giggles and nods.
I gaze at Adrita, waiting patiently for her reaction as she takes a small bite of her food. I feel a smirk building up on my lips as she closes her eyes in delight and savours the food.
Before you get any wrong ideas, my sense of fulfilment isn't because I want to impress her. I just want to ensure that my taste in restaurants and food is immaculate.
"So are you filmy types?" She questions, her forearms resting on the table as she leans forward.
"No, not really. But my Grandma is. I only come here for the food."
"I can taste why!"
I had zero expectations from this outing but it went quite well.
The starting couldn't have been more awkward but as the minutes passed by, the awkwardness evolved into jokes, food talks, and silly conversations. I had almost forgotten I was conversing with 'The princess Adrita'. With me here in this restaurant she was just Adrita, another ridiculous intern.
And the Adrita sitting in front of me talks with thousands of hand gestures in a single minute. Her eyebrows have a habit of lifting every two minutes. And she nibbles on her lip when she tries to figure out her next words.
*******
Author's note
Hello!
Forgive me if the future discussion was unrealistic or if any wrong terms were used.
Lots of loveð