Opposites attract

Chapter 23(Ashika)

I hate to do this but I had no other option. I was resting in my room with Sahika and kali when I received a call from my assistant saying that the officials from "Aisle" wanted to see me.

I had been trying to get in contact with them for a long time now. Aisle was my target client not just because I wanted to land business from them but also because didi love that brand. They make stuff life friendship bracelets and sister pendants. My sister used to love their products. They were really cute and she always asked us to get her merchandise from the aisle store on her birthday. She had gifted me one part of their sister pendant before her marriage and I still have that pendant. I wanted to land Aisle as a client to feel closer to didi.

I immediately changed into work clothes, packed my laptop in my office bag and left. I thought about waking up Sahika or Kali and informing them about going but they were both sound sleep and I knew they had driven a long way so I left without telling them.

Yakshi was in the puja and Neil had gone to see the preparations so I left without telling them. I just dropped a message on Yakshi's phone telling her that there is an emergency and I will be back before the cocktail party. When I reached the office, I was too tired and looked like a penguin. My hair was ruffled. That was bound to happen after such a long drive. I walked to my office in a hurry where I fixed my hair and after talking to my assistant for a few minutes to get a hint of what exactly the officials want so that I can provide them with exactly that I entered the conference room where the officials were waiting for me for the last 5 minutes.

The meeting went well. The officials told me that, they had a meeting with another company tomorrow and wanted to go through our have a meeting with us before them. They had only got our proposal email two days ago and took time to investigate about us from the market. They contacted us because they had got a good review about us from our previous clients.

I bid them a good bye and rushed to my car straight from the conference room while my assistant got my bag and phone for me.

It was already 2 pm when I started driving. I checked my phone repeatedly to see if I had any messages from Yakshi. The noise from my stomach reminded me that I had had nothing after breakfast. But I decided not to stop for lunch so that I reach the resort as soon as possible.

I tried calling Neil but his phone was switched off. I called Sahika and Kali but they were out of network coverage area. So much for having my best friend's wedding at a fancy resort at the outskirts.

I reached the resort before 4 pm. Thank God I didn't miss the Cocktail party. I was hungry and tired but at least I balanced my personal and professional life perfectly. I was proud of myself. I ace in my meting and reached my best friend's wedding at the right time. I was proud of myself.

I went to my room through the garden area enjoying the views and the early evening breeze when I saw Neil rushing towards me from the opposite direction.

He came to me and hugged me tightly saying without saying one word. After a moment he stepped away from me and examined my clothes. Are those tears in his eyes but why would he be crying?

"What are you wearing?", he asked me in disbelieve.

"Clothes!", I replied in an isn't is obvious tone.

"Yes but why are you wearing these clothes? Why are you wearing your office clothes?"

"Because I am coming from office.", I replied in the same tone.

"Are you kidding me? It's your best friend's wedding and you went to office?" he looked at me with eyes full of shock and hurt both at the same time.

"You are acting as if I have committed some crime. I just went to office. I didn't have a single bite of food. I drove for more than 3 hours even after waking up at 5 in the morning and I came back before time. But here you are shouting at me.", I said in an angry voice. My hunger was setting in, I was getting more and more frustrated with every passing second and this man standing in front of me wasn't helping the situation, in fact he was making it worse.

"You are acting as if you are the victim here. You don't understand, I have been worried about you. Why didn't you tell me before leaving?"

"I wasn't obligated to. You are forgetting Mr. Neil Verma that you are not my real boyfriend. This is just an act."

"An act? Yes, you are right. All this is an act. Everything is an act for you. You friends, my sister, this wedding and me, everything is an act for you. Except one thing. Your work. That isn't an act. Is that? In fact, that's the only thing that matters to you, isn't it. The only thing you love."

I couldn't believe my ears. He was saying this to me in the same way he did all those years ago to Yakshi. My eyes flickered and tears made appearance as I said, "I can't believe it, I just can't believe that I actually thought you had changed. I was so wrong. You can never change. You can never understand me. You are the same Neil from 5 years ago."

I started walking without waiting for an answer. I was hurt. Neil had hurt me. I thought he would understand me after I told him everything about didi but that wasn't true. He will never understand me.

I reached my room and used my keycard to enter the room. I lay there on the bed crying. I cried for a long time and slowly sleep took over my tiredness and hurt. I don't know for how long I had slept but I was woken up by Sahika and Kali's chattering when they came into the room.

I looked up from my pillow and saw them dressed up in pink dresses. One look at them told me that were at the mehndi ceremony. Pink was the theme for the mehndi ceremony for the guests while the bride and groom wore green. "Are you guys coming back from the mehndi ceremony?", I asked them.

Sahika looked at me in shock and they both ran towards me and hugged me and started crying.

"Why are you guys crying? Is something wrong?", I asked them in shocked voice.

"Where were you? We were so stressed. Thank God Neil bhaiya found you.",  Sahika pulled back and said.

"What do mean Neil found me? Do you think I was lost?"

"of course you were lost. We were so stressed when we woke up and found you missing.", this time Kali answered my question.

"I was not lost you idiot. I went to office. There was an emergency.", I said.

"Why didn't you tell us?", Sahika asked.

"you guys were sleeping, Yakshi was busy in puja and Neil was busy with the preparations. So I left. But I had sent a message to Yakshi that I will be back before the Cocktail party."

"You really think she had the time to go through her texts?", Kali's question hit me like a storm.

"Shit! You guys really thought I was lost."

"Yes we did, and Neil bhaiya went looking for you throughout the resort. He was so worried about you. He didn't even attend his sister's mehndi and straightaway went to find you."

I can't believe this.

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I wanted to go to Neil immediately but Sahika and Kali made me have lunch first. After all this, it was time for cocktail party. They insisted I talk to him at the party directly, we got ready together and went to Yakshi's room. I wore a black shimmery dress with a rose gold watch and rose gold-diamond earrings. I straightened my hair and Sahika helped me make a braid crown.

Sahika and Kali had explained me that Yakshi had no idea about what happened in the morning and thinks that I was with Neil going through the preparations so I had to act along.

We went to the hall with yakshi and my started searching for Neil immediately.

I excused myself from my friend when I found Neil, but he saw me before I had time to go talk to him and he went away somewhere in the crowd. This can't be happening. He hates me. We are back to square one. All of this is because of me. I will find him and I will apologize to him. He will have to listen me. He will have to forgive me. I will make sure of it.

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