~Meet - Cute?~
ये कैसी मुलाक़ात है
जैसे सदियों से तुम मेरी जान हो
अब कैसे मैं ये समझाऊं
कितनी अरसो से मुझे तुम्हारा ही मुझे इंतज़ार है
This concludes today's meeting. I'll let you guys get back to your work. Thank you, everyone, for attending, even if some people were just physically present here,” Ayush bhai says, his last sentence directed pointedly at me. I roll my eyes and look up from my phone.
As I get up from my seat, I watch the other employees file out of the conference room. My best friend Vedang smirks at me. “Why do you even bother showing up if you’re just going to play games on your phone?”
“Because I’m forced to attend these meetings,” I retort. “Besides, I wasn’t playing games. I was testing the games we’re launching in the upcoming months.” Vedang rolls his eyes, clearly not buying it.
“You're forced to attend because you’re an equal partner in the company,” Ayush bhai interjects in his best ‘big brother’ tone. “I know your forte is tech and all, but you should be aware of the financial and other aspects of the company.”
“Fine, bhai, since it’s your engagement today, I won’t argue. But seriously, these meetings are boring AF. I don’t get all these numbers and charts,” I grumble.
Ayush bhai shakes his head in exasperation. “I’m leaving now, and I want both of you to reach the venue on time, okay?”
He reaches the door and turns back to add, “Rudra, you need to go to the jeweller's store. Mom ordered something for Disha. Pick it up on your way home.”
“Will do,” I say with a mock salute, and he leaves the conference room.
Vedang chuckles. “You’re really going to test my patience one day, you know that?”
I grin. “And yet, you’re still here. Must be my charm.”
“Of course,now leave because if you are late for the event then your maasi will kill you and your charm will not be able to save you”, he says with a mischievous smile. I exit the conference room with a smile on my face.
Even though the store is only 35 minutes away from my office, it took me an hour to reach there because of traffic. I don't even know where all these people come from!
As I enter the narrow lane towards the store, I spot a red car haphazardly parked at the edge of the road. Great, just what I needed. Trying to squeeze my car into the tight space, I misjudge the distance and hear a sickening crunch.
“Great,” I mutter, stepping out of my car to assess the damage. My heart sinks as I see a noticeable dent on the back of the red car.
Before I can gather my thoughts, I hear a voice next to me. “What the hell do you think you're doing?” I turn to find the owner of the voice, a girl in a yellow sweatshirt and blue jeans. Her hair is in a high ponytail, and her eyes are blazing with fury. “Are you blind? Can't you see my car?”
She then walks towards her car ignoring me to check on the dent, “Oh my God! What have you done to my baby?”
Baby. I repeat in my mind.
My temper flares at her accusation. “Your car is parked in a no-parking zone. How was I supposed to avoid it?”
The girl crosses her arms, her stance defiant. "Maybe if you paid more attention instead of driving like a maniac, this wouldn't have happened."
"Oh, so it's my fault now?" I shoot back, my voice rising. "You think you can just park wherever you want and expect everyone else to work around you?"
"Maybe if you had any sense of spatial awareness," she retorts, "you wouldn't be crashing into other people's cars!"
“Do you have any idea how much that’s going to cost to fix? I’m still paying its EMI,” her voice wavers slightly at the end.
I throw my hands up in exasperation. "Yeah, because fixing this is exactly what I wanted to do today."
We stand there, glaring at each other, neither willing to back down. A crowd starts to gather, murmuring and taking sides. The tension between us is palpable.
"Look," I say finally, trying to rein in my temper, "we can stand here arguing all day, or we can try to resolve this like adults."
Her eyes narrow. "Fine. But you're paying for the repairs."
"Excuse me?" I can’t believe what I’m hearing. "Why should I pay when you’re the one who can’t park properly?"
"Because you’re the one who hit my car!" she snaps.
"Because you were in the way!" I shoot back.
Just as the argument seems ready to escalate again, the jewellery store manager steps forward. "Why don't you both exchange insurance information and let them sort it out?" he suggests calmly.
We both turn to glare at him but then realise he has a point. With a final, withering look at each other, we grudgingly exchange our details.
"This isn't over," the girl warns as she scribbles down her information.
"Believe me, I know," I reply, equally frustrated.
As I walk back to my car, I see the girl examining the damage, her fingers roaming over the dent on her car. She bends a little and mutters, “I am sorry baby, I will never leave you alone again I promise.”
“Is she serious?”, I mutter to myself and start walking. I move my car from there carefully and give her space to leave. As I am sitting inside the car I look at her. She looks like a minion in a yellow shirt and blue jeans combination with a frown on her face.
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