Finding the rainbow: They meet again (Chapter-1)

CHAPTER-1

This is going to be one horrible weekend, Anjali thought as she scrambled through the crowd. She hasn’t visited her birth town in for a long time ever since her family shifted to another place, She has almost forgotten how crowded local market can be.

“Anjali! Anjali! wait up!” Anjali heard someone calling, “Excuse me ma’am, please step aside. Anjali Gupta! Is that you?” Anjali whirled on her toes and was startled to see a very familiar face beaming right back at her.

“Hi Anjali.” his smile was so innocent as if nothing has ever been wrong, as if it was the most natural thing, well it was, but not here, not like this.

“Hi, Roy.” She replied matching his upbeat tone.

“So, what are you doing here?” He asked.

“Playing football…” She left the sentence open-ended raising her eyebrows, sadly for her raising one eyebrow is a task, another one always accompanies the first one.

“Haha, you haven’t changed at all.” He laughed.

“Yeah I haven’t, but everything else has.” she eyed the market around her.

He gave a confused nod. “So, where are you headed?”

“Baker Brothers Bakery.” She added, “Piyu is turning twenty-one tomorrow so just making sure Bakery gets all the order correct.”

“That you can do over the phone as well.” He suggested in a light playful tone.

“And risk getting it all messed up? No. A girl doesn’t turn twenty-one everyday mister.” She added the last word in her peculiar accent then flipped her hair and walked away.

“Wait up Angie!” He caught up with her, “what was that? No bye, no farewell, no adiós?” he asked, surprised by her abrupt behavior.

“You are the one to ask!” She retorted throwing her arms in the air then took a deep breath knowing she should keep calm. “Alright, I am in a bit of a hurry, so if you will excuse me, Ciao.” and she started to walk again.

“So let me give you a lift.”

“No thanks, I’ll take the cab.”

“I won’t let you take the cab.”

“You can’t stop me.”

“Last time I couldn’t but this time I’ll,”  he said with such authority that Anjali couldn’t protest.

“So what’s the big deal?” Roy Asked.

“Didn’t you hear the first time? Piyu is turning Twenty-”

Roy cut her off mid-sentence “Not that, about you storming off.”

She just folded her hands and looked out of the window.

“Now you are angry?”

“I am not!” She countered and Roy pointed towards her folded hands, Anjali has this habit of folding hands whenever she gets angry, Funny that he remembered. She thought.

“I remember everything about you.” He gave a smirk pointing towards her scrunched eyebrows before she could ask as if he is a mind-reader. But of course he isn’t, if he was a mind-reader then they wouldn’t be standing where they are today. Strange that he still remember everything about me. She never thought he would. After all these years, after everything that happened.

“You think too much you know, it kills happiness,” Roy said in a calm voice to her surprise.

“Yeah my fatal point, but it’s better than not thinking at all.” She retorted and there it was again, the anger burning in his eyes. Was it all her fault? maybe it is, maybe it always will be. She turned her head to hide the teardrops that skipped her eyes.

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About which fault Anjali is thinking about? Why there is so much tension between Roy and Anjali? Why is Roy so angry when he clearly cares for Anjali?

To know more stay tuned, Next chapter will be updated soon. Meanwhile, you can leave your comment or feedback below, I would love to read them.

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©Ankita Singhal