Shadows of Yesterday - II

"Damn!", she muttered inside her breath.

"I hope you don't mind my best friend being a part of our date today. He means to me as much as you mean to Anu.", said AJ with a friendly wink.

"Oh! sure...My pleasure". Sia felt she lost almost all her vocabulary to say anything better. He extended his hand to introduce himself. "Hi. I am Arjun. Nice to meet you. I hope you are glad too", he said with an underlying sarcasm only she could understand.

Its been 4 years. She dreaded this moment, the moment she would see him again. She could not simplify his actions to make any damn sense to her."Is he putting up an act or did he actually forget who I am?", she was so confused that she wanted to do just one thing. Go home, get a hot shower and sleep.

"Why does she always want to run-away from reality? How long could she avoid it? It had to happen", she asked questions, she answered them.

Anu could read her mind. There was something seriously wrong with her friend, Sia today. She really wanted to know.

"Are you okay?", Anu asked her in a hush-hush tone.

"Yeah! Yeah! I am good"

"So, Sia what would you like for dinner? Dinner is on me, please", AJ smiled.

" I am sure Ms. Sia would love to have the mexican here. Someone told me, it is the best they have here", Arjun interrupted Sia before she could actually speak.

"So he still remembers it", Sia wanted to run away now."Why on earth did he happen to be Anu's fiancee's best friend?? Damn! Life can never get nastier.", she thought.

"Nopes. I don't like Mexican food at all. I am sorry. I would go with the usual Indian food", she stared back at Arjun. He could not help but break into a smile.

"As you like it, Sia", AJ gestured a bow.

Meanwhile, Anu noticed the underlying tension and she knew by Sia's expressions that she wanted to run back to her home. Anu knew she'll talk to her once they are back home. That's the first thing, she had to do.

Arjun could not believe his eyes when he first saw HER here. Life could never get funnier than this. It's been 4 years and he could not imagine what he saw. Sia was as beautiful as she was, when the first time he saw her. She did not bother to cut her long-hair, they were just the same. Her beautiful black eyes did lack the sparkle they had and she hardly smiled. She was not the same person , there was something she had lost in the last 4 years when he was not around. He wished her to smile so he could see that sparkle in her eyes...as if they dance... the one he missed for the last 4 years in his life.

Sia noticed him staring at her and studying her closely. She felt too uncomfortable under his gaze. The same gaze that made her go weak in her knees, the first time she saw those eyes. He looked older or may be tired but he had the same charm. It does not, IT SHUD NOT matter to her NOW.

"Drama! Drama! Drama!", she laughed at the irony deep inside.

As soon as they finished with the dinner, Sia signalled Anu to say her "Good Night" so both of them could rush back. Sia did not drive to the restaurant thinking that Anu will anyways accompany her home today so they will leave together.

"Hey! Anu, I wish you could stay an hour more. I needed to discuss something about the engagement coming up next week", AJ said with a smile that made Anu look apologetically towards Sia.

"Come on gal! Stay back. I will take a cab back home. I am a big gal now", Sia faked laughter when she said that.

"I am sure you are Ms. Sia. Give me the pleasure to drop the beautiful woman home, today", Arjun said with a magnetic smile that could not possible hide his motives.

"Hey! Thanks man. Sia, do you mind if my friend escorts you back to your home, safely?". AJ surely knew how to floor a woman.

"Uhuh! mmm...Well I can... Okay!", she said when she realized she had no option but to oblige.

"Thanks", Arjun was full of sarcasm.

She did not know how she would bear with him for those 15 minutes of drive back home. She could fake sleep or may be a phone call to any of her friends or may be,she would tell him that she had no intentions of a conversation with him. She would do anything but give him the pleasure of reading the pain and hurt in her eyes. She promised herself she would never it show ever again. She would not want to be vulnerable again.

"So, Is Yug out of town? You are out on your own.", Arjun spoke before she could do either of the things she planned to do.

"Yug?", she gave him a look of confusion.

"Yeah! That's what you told your husband's name is. I have not grown that old. Have I?", he gave a wicked smile.

"Oh! Yug. He is good. He is just out of town and Anu means a lot to me so I stayed back for this date tonite", she replied clearing her throat when she talked about Yug.

"This makes me wonder, why you came alone today?? I expected the next time I would see you, it would be with your wife again.", she wanted him to read the pun intended between the lines.

He stopped the car in front of her apartment and she looked at him for an answer.

She stepped out and said,"Thanks for dropping me. Good Nite. By the way, convey my good wishes to Neha."

"You can do that on your own. Good nite", he sped away before she could ask him... "Why? How? When?" "What does that suppose to mean?"