Pouring Agony

6. Nistha

~Late December~

The Christmas Eve here was colder than my hometown. I felt like I was about to freeze. Well a good thing was, today was the last day before the winter vacation. I looked at my watch. 6:47. 13 more minutes. Well, I'd already done my work. I was just checking the email that my boss had sent to me. I was already informed for my holiday assignments. Work never bothered me. I could work till I got exhausted. Told ya, I was a nerd. What bothered me most was people and their expectations for me. Turning them down was more irritating and disappointing than turning myself down. I knew this sounded pathetic, but sometimes I really didn't want to answer myself to them. It was very exhausting. And I also hate gatherings and meets.

That was why, festivals never amused me. It was just the same thing came in every year. I didn't understand why people were so enthusiastic to see the same Gods or Goddesses in different pandals. Even I was a 'hardcore' Bengali, I never got that hype for Durga Puja although I joined the main anjali on Mahashtami at my neighborhood pandal. My maa was more eager to join in any of pujas. She just played the role of the pusher of my life. I really and hardheartedly missed her so much.

I put all of my things in my bag, and got up from my chair with the same stinged pain in my ass and calves. My eyes directly met with the empty open cabin of Veer. I wasn't that surprised to know that he was also a CEO of a company which was ofcourse his late father's. Classic story of most of the businessmen. But I still didn't understand why he was doing this internship.

I stood infront of the elevator. It was coming down from the 12th floor. I pressed the down button. The elevator opened revealing the unexpected person to me. Veer. Was he in this office? When did he come? He looked much more formal than he usually did. He was in a black vest with a deep brown shirt underneath and had the half-folded black blazer in his right arm. His hair was set backwards but some of his hair strands teased his temple. Why he suddenly seemed so gorgeous to me?

"Aren't you coming Ms. Sen?"

"Huh- yea" I got in the elevator, pressed the already pressed ground floor button. "I didn't know you're here"

"Should I have to inform you, 'Nish'?" My belly released a quick warmth when he suddenly called me that.

"No. I just-"

"Chill." He chuckled. "I had a meeting with the HoDs. So, yea I came." The elevator stopped with a ting. We came out.

"Oh. Why? I mean-"

"It's for the investment related. I am also an investor of this institution."

"Achha, I mean ok"

"Are you heading to the exit?" He asked.

"Obviously"

"Umm, we're going to the same place, I suppose you don't have any plans for tonight, so I can give you a ride. We live in the same place, after all."

"Uh, ok."

"Ok? Ok." Well I didn't turn him down this time, it was chilling. The winds were teasing my follicles under my blue sweater. So yea, I needed a ride. I sat right next to him at the front seats. He started the car. But the silence right after clouded the whole car. I looked outside trying to focus on the outside, but my mind was grabbed back by a song. The Bengali words suddenly seemed unknown to me. But I'd heard this song so many times. Tomake chuye dilam by Arijit Singh. I looked at him with my partly wide eyes. He had his signature half-grin on his lips which was now getting wider.

"What is this?"

"What? Am I not allowed to listen to music now?"

"That's not what I meant. You play this song all of a sudden, so, now what? Mr. Veeraj Dixit is into Bengali music?"

"This is absurd. Songs are songs. I just love the music so yea. And my tenant is also happened to be a bengali, so I thought to do some research on Bengal. Just for fun, nothing more. Don't misunderstand me."

"I didn't. So, what have you learnt?"

"Umm.." he pressed his lips together as he rotated the wheel with his palm and fingers taking a turn. "That Bengalis are very humble-" My eyes twinkled with pride. "But also very stubborn by nature."

"Yes, we are." It was a compliment for me.

"They're mostly famous for their food and poetries."

"Indeed." My lips crept its highest.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, I'm not complementing you."

"I don't listen to what you've just said." I grinned relaxing myself on the seat and looked outside, silently lip-syncing with the song. I could feel the fierce side eyes of him.

After a whole playlist of Arijit, we reached our apartment. I insisted to stay till he parked his car, but he told me to go. I took the elevator for 5th floor. I walked to the closed door of my flat. I could hear soft giggles of Nini and a high pitched voice of a mid-aged woman. I pressed the bell. The door was opened with an unknown face. She was a very beautiful woman, might be in her 40s, had her hair in a tidy bun with a classy lil' bindi on her forehead and had a very fierce aura that could pierced any skin. I was so stunned by her judgey eyes that I didn't realise, Veer stood next to my side.

"Oh, Chachi ji" Veer's words broke my subconsciousness. So she was Veer's aunt.

"Oh Veer beta! How are you? Come in!" She stepped back to let us in. Veer eyed me to step in. What was wrong with me? I locked the door, following them to the hall. I stood at the corner of the sofa, didn't bother myself to sit, as they talked with eachother. This was really awkward for me, I felt like a left-over elaichi at a corner of a plate. I was about to leave, but that same high-piched voice stopped me.

"You might be the Bengali tenant." That was too direct. But I shouldn't feel uneasy by such an obvious fact. Right? Everyone's eyes were on me, like I was a hair on a mobile screen and they wanted to wipe that unwanted thing off.

"Yes. I am Nistha. Nice to meet you."

"You don't believe Madhu, she is one of the purest hearts I've ever seen. Come here, Nish." Atleast I had Nini on my side. I put on a forced smile and sat beside her. I could feel the unpleasant expression on his aunt's face. I just now only wanted to go to my room, and never came out till she left. This was not the first time for me that people looked at me with that look. But I tried not to care about what was going on in their minds about me. But I failed everytime. And in this case, I felt more uncomfortable, 'cause of my appearance. Well, it was a casual office wear and I wasn't into those fashion or style things. I wore the clothes which gave me comfort. I didn't think my blue & white checkered cardigan and black jeans would affect someone till her eyes were just scrutinizing me everytime, like I failed in my board exams. My toes curled hiding under my shadow.

"Oh, hello. I'm Veer's aunt. Do you know Anand K. Dixit? Ofcourse you do. I'm his wife. Pleasure to meet you."

Anand Kumar Dixit was one of the well known entrepreneurs of India. How his business bloomed just in a half decade was still a mystery. And he WAS Veer's uncle! He was always been a role model for me. His motivation talk shows and business advices for the next generation always inspired me. He was once appeared in a famous reality show as a judge too. And this woman, infront of me was his wife and also the person who was scanning my whole body like I was kind of a different species of Earth.

After a whole 15 minutes of the praises of her dear husband, I finally excused myself and went to my room. I put my key in my doorknob to unlock it. But It was already unlocked. I didn't remember leaving this unlocked but it wasn't like something impossible to happen. I entered in my room. It seemed almost same to me. I put my bag on my study table, and was about to turn, a half naked man only in towel came out of my bathroom. What in the bloody hell was this! I screamed.

"WHO ARE YOU!!?"

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