Forever Yours (Stay With Me Sequel)

Chapter 12

One year, and two months later.

I have never really loved summers in Calcutta. It’s not only sultry but very sick. The unbearable heat that goes beyond 40 degree Celsius sometimes and the hide-and-seek game played by rain doesn’t quite humor me. Adding to that, news of people dying in various parts of the state due to not being able to adapt leaves me with nothing but more intensified hatred for the season. I wish it didn’t exist at all.

Niall went back to Manchester quite around the time summer arrived last year. It gave me another reason to detest the season when I had to put up with it without him. However, autumn and winter especially which are my favorites didn’t quite fascinate me as well. Festivals line one after the other starting from September until December in the city. I used to go ballistic when I was young celebrating all of them. But since last year actually the year before everything felt numb and frivolous. Being alone in a huge city isn’t quite a good idea, I’d say.

A lot of good things happened with Niall and I, though. Owing to my hard work and quick submissions I got a raise in my salary. It increased by 21.8 % which meant now I earned rupees 23,000 a month. I was successful in convincing Aryan to not leave Orient somehow especially after I informed him what Naina revealed to me. I was the like the driving force in their situation boosting them to patch up. Rita and I regained our old friendship wherein we gossiped all day long and never got tired. It felt so damn good to have my girlfriend back.

Niall on the other hand got promoted to Senior Digital Project Manager. It not only meant higher salary but shifting to Manchester also. Greg’s friend, Olly got him an apartment that was close to the office with a nice parking lot, and driveway as I saw in the pictures. Video chats with him turned out quite interesting eventually when most of the time Harry or Liam would pop up along. Harry’s intelligent jokes and Liam’s serious questions kept me on the edge every time. His relationship with his father strengthened by each passing day and I couldn’t be happier about it. I loved that he paid heed to my advice and worked on it. It was quite difficult for him but his efforts proved how much his promise to me matters.

Adding to that, a little someone called ‘Theo Horan’ arrived in their lives. Denise gave birth to a healthy and big blue eyed baby boy on March 13, 2013. Niall would take innumerable selfies with him and post on Facebook and Twitter. Greg and Denise showered upon him even more happiness when they made him Theo’s godfather. He went positively berserk and couldn’t believe that at just 21 he became a godfather.

However, worst thing happened today when I finally introduced Aryan to Niall. It wasn’t via video chat of course but I made them talk on phone. It went awful.

“Hi, so you’re Niall?” Aryan smiled as he pushed open the glass door of Café Coffee Day where once Rita and I went.

“So you’re Aryan?” The phone was on loudspeaker but just audible enough for us to hear.

“I am, yeah…..so I’ve heard a lot about you from Lily,” he smiled as we took a table beside the window.

“Isn’t it quite obvious considering she is my girlfriend?” I wrinkled my nose in angst at Niall’s reply. Aryan noticed me and flashed a pretentious smile.

“Some people might want to keep their personal life hidden,” he retorted in a low voice.

“Unlike her.”

I somehow managed to put up a fake smile on my face when all I wanted to do was shut Niall up. I knew he was doing this since he was envious of Aryan. He didn’t like that I spent every day with him in and out of office while he stayed so many miles away.

Aryan gave me an insulted look to which I bowed my head down in shame.

“So how’s Manchester?” I thanked Aryan internally for changing the topic. A waiter came to take our orders.