Chapter 3 - The Wait
1377 Words
Chapter 3 - The Wait
Vivek sat inside his office cabin, staring at the laptop screen in front of him. His fingers moved over the keyboard, but his mind was nowhere near the office.
It was still trapped in last night’s garden.
No matter how hard he tried to focus, his thoughts kept drifting back to that quiet bench by the sea, the moonlight, and the mysterious girl who had appeared out of nowhere and vanished just as suddenly. Because of this distraction, he typed the wrong data into his report. He stopped.
Exhaled slowly. Then corrected the mistake.
Yet even as the numbers on the screen changed, nothing changed inside his head. Vanshika’s face refused to leave his thoughts. Her calm eyes. Her strange silences. The way the cold had touched him but not her.
Just then, his phone vibrated.
Anita Calling. The moment he saw her name, Vivek’s expression shifted. The softness in his face disappeared, replaced by alertness.
He picked up the call.
“Hey, baby,” he said.
“What are you doing right now?” Anita asked.
“I’m at the office. Working,” Vivek replied.
Her tone sharpened instantly.
“You call me every night,” she said angrily. “Why didn’t you call yesterday?”
“You could have called too,” Vivek snapped without thinking. “Am I the only one responsible for calling every time?”
There was a brief silence on the line then her voice rose.
“Since when did you start talking to me like this?” she demanded. “Do you want to end our relationship?”
“No... no,” Vivek said quickly. “That’s not what I meant.”
“If that’s what you want,” Anita continued, “then return my diamond ring and end this relationship right now.”
“Oh, baby,” Vivek said hurriedly. “I don’t want that. You’re taking this too far.”
“Then what do you want?” she asked sharply. “Tell me right now.”
Vivek rubbed his forehead.
“Look… I’m sorry,” he said. “There’s a lot of work pending at the office. I didn’t even sleep properly last night. My head’s a mess, I don’t know what I’m saying or doing.”
“Are you telling me the truth?” Anita asked.
“Yes,” Vivek replied. “I really love you. You know that.”
There was a pause.
“Okay,” she said at last. “When you finish work, call me first.”
“Yes, sweetheart,” vivek replied. “I will.”
“Take care of yourself,” she said.
“You too,” Vivek replied.
He ended the call and leaned back in his chair, muttering to himself,
“She orders me around like she owns me. Baby... I’ll deal with her properly after marriage.”
Evening Somehow, Vivek managed to finish his work. As he stepped out of the office building, a strange restlessness surrounded him. It clung to his chest, making it hard to breathe normally.
He got into his car and began driving toward
home.
He turned on the music system, hoping it would distract him but it only made things worse. Romantic songs filled the car, each one reminding him of Vanshika. Every lyric seemed to echo her presence.
Irritated, he suddenly pulled the car over to the side of the road. He sat there in silence for a moment.
Then, as if pulled by an invisible force, he turned the steering wheel around.
Instead of driving home, he headed back toward the old town, outside the city.
It felt as if someone was calling him from that garden.
Vanshika’s memory tugged at him relentlessly, drawing him back toward the place where he had last seen her. Without overthinking it, Vivek called his friend Sameer and asked him to meet there.
Ten minutes before seven, Vivek parked his car in front of the same large garden in the old town.
Sameer was already waiting near the gate, just like the previous evening.
Vivek stepped out and walked toward him.
“I came straight here from the office because you called,” Sameer said.
“So did I,” Vivek replied.
“So what’s so important?” Sameer asked. “Why are we suddenly here again?”
“Let’s go inside,” Vivek said. “I’ll tell you everything.”
“If this is about that mysterious girl from last night,” Sameer said bluntly, “then you’re wasting both your time and mine.”
“Just come inside once,” Vivek insisted.
They entered the garden together.
This time, the place was lively. Children ran around laughing, elderly people sat resting on benches, and couples occupied quiet corners deeper inside the garden. Everything looked normal yet Vivek appeared tense and distracted.
“So,” Sameer asked, “did you actually talk to that girl?”
“Yes,” Vivek replied.
“That’s it, then,” Sameer said with interest. “Tell me, what was she like?”
“Extremely beautiful,” Vivek said without hesitation. “Anyone who sees her would fall for her. Even you.”
Sameer smirked.
“More beautiful than your Anita?”
“Yes,” Vivek admitted. “More beautiful, but she doesn’t seem as rich.”
“My friend,” Sameer said, “money isn’t everything.”
“After a while, love fades,” Vivek replied coldly.
“Money stays where it is. Without money, we have no value in this world. And this mindset is exactly
why I’m more successful than you.”
Sameer stopped walking and looked at him.
“If that’s true,” he said, “then why are you back here? Shouldn’t you be where your money is?”
“I don’t know,” Vivek said quietly. “It feels like that girl is calling me here. Like I’m being pulled back.”
“Was she really that special?” Sameer asked. “That beautiful?”
“Yes,” Vivek said. “I regret not getting her contact number.”
“So you think she’ll come back tonight?” Sameer asked sarcastically. “And you’ll talk sweetly to her while I sit nearby listening to nonsense?”
“Maybe,” Vivek said. “She said she often comes here alone to watch the sea.”
“So now you’ll come here every night and wait for
her?” Sameer asked. “If she’s such a good girl, why does she wander alone at night?”
“I talked to her,” Vivek replied. “She is a good girl. And if fate allows, I’ll meet her again. I’m ready to waste some time for her.”
“Girls who roam alone at night aren’t always what they seem,” Sameer warned. “And just like money isn’t everything, beauty isn’t everything in love either.”
After that, Vivek told Sameer everything about last night in detail, the meeting, the conversation, her sudden disappearance.
Time passed.
They walked around the garden, stopping near the same bench where Vanshika had sat the previous night. Nine o’clock approached, but she never appeared.
The crowd thinned.
Only a few people remained.
Vivek looked restless, like someone craving an addiction he couldn’t satisfy. Sameer’s phone rang, it was his father. He spoke briefly, while Vivek kept staring at the bench.
“My father called,” Sameer said. “They’re discussing my marriage. It’s not good for me to stay out late.”
“That’s fine,” Vivek replied distractedly.
“It’s almost nine,” Sameer said. “I don’t think she’s coming. We should go home.”
“ again??? Alright,” Vivek said. “You go ahead. I’ll leave after a while.”
“Okay,” Sameer said. “Take care.”
Sameer left.
Vivek walked slowly toward the bench where Vanshika had sat the previous night. He sat down and stared at the sea.
The same view.
The same moonlight.
The same silence.
Only she was missing.
Time passed.
Vivek sat there alone, disappointment written across his face, staring at the endless waves.
Then, From behind him, a soft, melodious female voice broke the silence.
“Are you waiting for someone?”
Next Chapter…
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