Oh, My Heart! ✓

•08• CEO eating Gol Gappey

For the first ten minutes, the car ride was filled with utter silence. Angvir was focused on driving and Aara was focused on everything except him. Sitting with him made her feel like she entered a disney fairytale. She was a damsel in distress and he, her knight in shining armour. However, she very well knew it was just a physical attraction. Angvir was a good-looking man and that's it. Nothing else.

“So how's college going?” Angvir initiated a conversation when he couldn't bear the silence anymore.

“Pretty well.” She smiled thankfully, it won't have been possible if he hadn't helped her.

“Are you able to manage studies and job?”

“Better than before, I guess.” Maybe because now she knew there is someone willing to help her in her tough times.

“By the way, I am coming to your college.” He mentioned all of a sudden when it came to his mind.

“On what occasion?” Aara was genuinely curious if there is any seminar going to be held in her college.

“To inspire the students. To give them a chance to interact with a young successful businessman that I am.” He was literally mocking himself by using a sarcastic tone. As if he hated what he is.

“But as much as I know you overtook the position of the CEO just a few months ago. It was your father behind the success of the company.” She voiced out her opinion. If it was someone else she would have never pointed it out. But Angvir was different, he was someone who embraced his flaws without hesitation, according to what she could observe.

“Does it matter? Just a boring speech, few pictures for various newspapers, publicity for the college as well as me, and that's it.” He had no fear of judgement. She won't judge him, he just had this feeling.

“It seems like you don't want to do this.” She looked at him, who was still focused on the road.

“Obviously. I know I don't deserve any of this.” His reply was honest.

“Then why you have to do this?” What's the use of being rich if you can't live the way you want? She was confused.

“Aaryahi, you know what, you are really lucky that you aren't born in a rich family.” His tone gave a clear indication he was getting emotional.

“If you say so.”

“Yeah, because you don't have to keep up with the standards of your social circle. You know, I never ate street food standing by a lane. Because it doesn't suit my family's status. Can you believe I didn't eat Gol Gappey for last ten years?”

“WHAT!?” She raised her voice so high Angvir shook a little in fright. What happened to her?

“Stop the car!” She shouted.

“Why? Is that a crime I didn't eat Gol Gappey?” Because last time he checked on Internet, No, it wasn't a crime.

“I said stop the car!” She repeated.

“But why?”

“Because I just saw a man selling Gol Gappey!”

He applied the brakes. Aara, all of a sudden, got excited and jumped out of the car. Angvir got out as well and followed her to an old man slowly pushing his stall.

“Uncle, stop!” Aara shouted excitedly.

Angvir couldn't understand why she got so excited. But yeah, he clearly knew he was going to eat Gol Gappey after whole ten years.

“Uncle, I know you must be getting late to reach home, but we want to Gol Gappey.” Aara said excitedly. It was maybe a good coincidence that the moment Angvir blurted out he didn't eat Gol Gappey in the last ten years, she saw the stall passing by.

“Beta, it's my livelihood.” The old man smiled at them and forwarded then two tiny round plastic plates.

He first put a Gol Gappa in Aara's plate. Angvir was quite surprised to see how effortlessly Aara ate the big round waterball in one go.

Next came his turn. As he ate this desi delicacy after such a long time, he was left moaning with its deliciousness.

Both of them turned out to be big foodies. No one was willing to stop. They kept eating and eating. And only stopped when the old man had no Gol Gappey left.

“What? It's over!” Aara sighed dramatically.

Angvir chuckled and pulled out his wallet.

“I'll pay the money. It was my idea to eat Gol Gappey.” Aara protested.

“Buy chocolates of that money.” He smiled at her the way someone smiles at a kid.

Aara frowned.

“But-”

“I know you did this for me.”

Somehow this sentence touched the strings of her heart. He acknowledged her efforts.

He pulled out a bundle of the notes of thousand and gave it to the old man.

“Its too much, Sahab. The price is only five hundred rupees.”

“Take it as a price of giving me some happiness. Happiness is very rare in my life.” He looked no less than an angel while smiling so innocently.

The old man patted his head before taking the money. He was relieved that an angel took off some of his worries. And he moved ahead, blessing the two of them.

All this while Aara was looking at Angvir admiringly. She very well knew Angvir could be generous at times. Sometimes because of his arrogance and other times because he was actually acting generous. Just like what happened a few moments ago.

“Let's leave. It's getting late.” Angvir looked at her while saying so, and blushed a little at the way she was looking at him so admiringly.

Aara realised he caught her expression but pretended as if she noticed nothing and followed him to the car.

Rest of the car ride was filled with a pleasant kind of silence. They could feel a pull towards each other, but shrugged it off thinking of it as a mere crush.

The car halted in front of Aara's home, a small two-storey house with nothing modern about it.

Aara, for a moment, felt concious about what he must be thinking after looking at her home. He, who was raised in a lavish mansion for sure.

But a home is home, doesn't matter how small or big it is.

“So we'll meet tomorrow at your college.” He smiled.

“I doubt if you will be able to find me in the hundreds of students.” She really doubted this.

“I will.” He was confident about his words.

“We'll see that tomorrow.” She got out of the car and waved at him before entering her house.

His car sped away, leaving to meet her again.