Chapter 22 The Unexpected

Anika's PoV

As soon as I hung up with my mom, I called Arun. Even after calling him five times, he didn't pick up my call. He must be at work. I decided to send him a message of this news and let him call when he is free.

‘Arun, my mom and dad want to meet you regarding our wedding. They said, if they find you fit, they will say ok to our marriage. Now that you got your job, I think they wont find any fault in you. We should be good. But don't panic, I have told mom that we will marry only after we get settled. Call me ASAP.’

I sent this message to him and waited for him to call. He read the message. I waited for his reply but I didn't get any. Maybe he is busy. I called up Nithu. I have to tell this to her. She would be happy for me.

"Hello, Nithu!" I squealed.

"Ah shh, Don't scream on the phone. You don't have work?" she asked me.

"Pch, listen to me. My mom and dad have asked Arun to come and meet them. They are getting wedding proposals for me from relatives. So they have decided to give me a chance before they decide."

"Oh, good. But you were talking about your job yesterday and now talking about your marriage!?"

"I asked my mom the same thing. Looks like someone had called up mom only today regarding my marriage. I have already sent a message to Arun."

"Message? just call him and tell him this happy news." She said.

"I tried, but he didn't pick up. Maybe he is busy or even mad at me for asking him to wait for a year."

"He is not angry. I don't know. But he never spoke about you or asked about you to me when we talked or messaged except for just formal health enquiries!" she said. Ofcourse, he is angry.

"He will be fine when I explain the situation." I told her.

"Mmmm, what about Arjun? Did your mom call him?" she asked me.

"I don't know. But I called him yesterday." I told her.

"What? When?" she was absolutely horrified when I told her that.

"After I hung up with you."

"What? After 11? Are you mad?" it was her turn now to scream on the phone.

"Shhhh Yeah, I forgot the time but I disconnected the call once I realized that it was too late. But then he called me back and instead of declining I attended the call." I said, still feeling that embarrassment.

"hahaha, OMG! What happened then?"

"Stop laughing. The laughter part is yet to come." I stopped her laughs and told her to save it for the fun part.

"Really!? What did he say?"

"He asked me whom do you want? I didn't know what to tell him. I said, 'can I talk to Nithya!?' "

"What? Lame!! hahaha, then?" She was so into the story and I wish to dunk myself in the ground.

"I think he knew it was me. He said, ‘I think you have called the right number and asking for the wrong person!’" I told her. I just wish I could dunk my head in the ground.

"Hahahaha, OMG! He is a genius. What happened next?" I hate her laughter.

"Don't get too excited. I said sorry and hung up before he could embarrass me more." I told her.

"OMG, Anu. My stomach hurts laughing. Now tell me why did you call him in the first place?" she asked me. Though her laughs irritate me more than that embarrassment I felt on the call with him, I let it slide because I really don't know why I called him.

"I um... I called him to... I called him to ask for a job in Coimbatore." I said after fiddling with the words more than necessary.

"You could have said this to your mom. She would have asked him the same. You don't like him and yet you decided to call him at unusual hours for this reason?" she asked me suspicion evident in her voice.

"I didn't think properly. What now?" I raised my voice to stop this talk.

"Don't yell at me, Anu. You want me to stop talking about Arjun? But why? What are you not telling me Anu?" She asked me authoritatively, she is my best friend since childhood after all.

"I will come to your home in the evening. We will talk."

"hmmm Ok. They are coming tomorrow to see me. He called me a little before to talk to me." she said and that shows she will definitely wait for me in the evening to hear my side of the story.

"Awe, are you blushing now? How did he talk? Did you like him?" I asked her.

"He was very gentle in talking to me. He said he can't wait to meet me tomorrow."

"Awe, so he likes you, too. Super. So it is a confirmation tomorrow?"

"Hopefully!" she said.

We spoke for a little more with teases and laughter. She is happy. That is all that matters. I am happy for her. She knows that I am not telling her the whole truth. I must tell everything to her. Keeping it to myself is confusing me so much. Letting it out will lessen the burden of his thoughts. HIS THOUGHTS! It feels like he is growing on me. The weird thoughts of him near me doing indescribable things to me are making me wet in my dreams. I am longing for him is the bland truth that I do not wish to accept even in my death bed.

I wonder why Arun didn't call me yet. It was almost 5pm and I have to leave home now. Mom will ask me about the date. I decided to call him again.

"Hello, Arun." he picked the call on the very first ring.

"Hi, Anu. Tell me." he sounded so formal. No excitement for talking to me after months or for the message I sent him.

"Did you see my message?"

"Yes, I did. So your parents still didn't agree to marry you to me? They want to check if I am ok?"

"What are you talking about, Arun? How can they marry me to you blindly without making sure you are ok?"

"Ok ok, relax. I was just joking. I am actually happy that your parents finally agreed to meet me. So when do they want to meet me? Is marriage talk so necessary now?" he asked, which made me feel relaxed and intrigued all at the same time.

"The sooner the better. How about tomorrow? Anyways it is the weekend right?" I asked him, ignoring the last part of his questions.

"Tomorrow? Are you kidding me? It's been just a month since I got this job. I have to work on Saturdays. I can't come tomorrow."

"Oh, then start there after your work tomorrow and we can meet my parents on sunday?" I asked him unsure of how he would react.

"As excited as I am to meet your parents, I have other works too, Anu. I promised my colleagues to take them to treat on Sunday with my first month's salary. I can't come this week. I will check with my schedule and let you know about next week soon." he said that literally disappointed me. But he is right, he has other commitments too. Oddly, his refusal didn't hurt me much but it did make me take a relaxed breath. Weird!

"Oh, ok. Now that my parents agreed to meet you, I don't think we should stay apart anymore. We can talk on the phone like we used to." I told him. I am not desperate to talk to him, but the very fact of the desperate feeling I am actually getting on the wrong person made me say it to Arun. Maybe if I keep talking to Arun, I won't think of Arjun anymore?

"Sure, Anu. Take care."

"Oh, yeah. You too." I said.

"Arun, come on, it's already late." I heard someone on the other end.

"Ok Anu. I gotta go. Bye!" he hung up on me before I could say bye.

That was a girl who called him. Should I be worried? No! I know about Arun. He wont talk to girls easily and now he is not a college student anymore. He is working in a place with girls and he cannot avoid them for no reason. But his lack of interest? That is totally unexpected.

He could have easily postponed his treat to next week and have come here. He didn't give proper priority to important things or is this not an important thing as I presume? How should I see this? Or am I thinking too much?

I ring the doorbell of Nithu's home. It is time I open up to her with everything. This feeling of disappointment on Arun, the lack of interest on him, the extreme feeling of desperation on Arjun, my body literally aches for him! I feel my heart will explode with everything dumped inside of me.