Chapter 36

ANUSHIYA SMITH

Today I woke early than Arjun would have. When I went to the kitchen Alice was making herself a
coffee when she sees me she made an extra cup for me too. Today Alice looks quite beautiful. She
was wearing makeup. This was the first time I was seeing her with makeup. She looks beautiful in it.
Sky-like sky blue in her eyes, eye shadow with the same color paint on her lips and she was totally in
sky blue except for her hair, her hair was blonde as usual.

"What happened to you? You look like a goddess of sky blue." I said as my eyes widened, exclaimed.

She bit her lips and closed her face with both her hands and shook her head.

"Say! You knew I don't like being surprised." I told her. She was acting weird today including her dres'
sense. Fully sky blue top to bottom even her shoes were sky blue.

She nodded. Then freed her hands from her face and turned her back to me and started talking like
she was still shying to say.

"Today...." she pressed.

"What?" I asked excitedly without having patience in me.

"Today I have a date." She chanted.

I was confused. She said she was married and having a teenage son but how can this is even possible.

"Wait. Weren't you married?" I asked her.

She turned to meet my gaze and walked towards me and stood an inch or two away from me. She
rested her palms on my shoulder and smiled politely.



"Yes, dear. I'm married but that doesn't mean I can't date my husband. Today's our Anniversary."

"Wedding anniversary?" I asked.

"No dear it's our 20th anniversary after he proposed to me." She said blushing, her cheek turned pink.

Okay, now I'd understand. She was going on a date with her husband to celebrate their anniversary. I
was shocked when she first said that she was going on a date and I'd thought she was going on with
someone else. There was nothing wrong with me because whenever I see Hollywood movies they only
mentioning these kinds of things like kissing, dating, then.... Cheating and then broke up and
sometimes racism too. But in reality, things are different. Why these movie directors don't take the
movies about reality. I was sure that reality-based movies would take the place in the blockbuster box
office. They should try it.

Movies were always been fantasy-like slender woman equals hot guy equals the perfect match of
taking the movie. So, those movies were always been fantasy movies for girls like us. It was all
because of the movies we'd grown watching. Only heroines would get a chance to have the perfect
fairy tale ending. And even in the camera focus was also only on those main characters. Why should
stars have all the fun? Won't the moon worth it? Because, it's too beautiful for stars, I giggled for my
poetess. Yeah, because people always searching for stars, there was countless out there but there had
been and should be the only moon. So they'd already know that they can't afford the moon that's why
they didn't even try it because we deserve better in real life like me and Arjun.

While daydreaming about this society Alice saw me unconscious about the presence and gave me the
"What's going on in your head?' look.

I shook my head and tried to remember what was we talking about but then really didn't know what we
were talked about. But I was sure I've to say something in this situation to assure her that I was
listening to her.



"Oh, Okay." I sighed in relief. When she saw my relief smile, she laughed.

"Oh, please say to me that you didn't think like that about me," she pleaded.

"Oh..." I let out a nervous laugh with her. "No, I didn't" I lied.

"You, silly girl" she clapped me on my arms friendly.

"It was all your representation in movies. Do you know? Stereotype? Like Slumdog Millionaire. You
guys were thinking that people in India, are living in slums and don't have a good dress to wear and
good foods to eat? No, that's not at all true. People in India are different. Cultures in India differ from
state to state sometimes even districts to districts in the same state, dresses, hairstyles, mythology,
religions, and even languages. There was not only Hindi speaking in India for example people in
Gujarat speak Gujarati, in Punjab, we speak Punjabi, In Telangana and Andhra Pradesh we speak
Telugu, in Tamil Nadu we speak Tamil, in Kerala, but we also speak Malayalam and...." I was thinking...
what I was missing here...

When she saw me thinking and that wasn't it, and I still searching for a topic to continue the
conversation and she used my pause as her turn to change the topic.

"So, say what makes you woke up this early and come to this kitchen?" she asked as cutting some
vegetables for her salad.

I made a coffee for him in his perfect taste with cream as Alice taught me the other day. So this coffee
was going to be the sorry-sorry coffee.

As I walked out of the kitchen I shouted, "Thanks, Aly." I just gave her a nickname which I didn't give
very often, only to the people I love and trust more than I do myself.

"No mention, bud."



I placed the coffee mug on his table and opened the curtains as the sun burned my skin and my eyes. I
felt like I was in a movie, making coffees and opening curtains for him.

I heard him frowned behind me.

He took my pillow and closed his face from the sun's rays. I saw his innocence through that.

"Could you close the curtains?" he groaned.

"Sure." I couldn't say no when he asked something.

When I closed the curtains and turned around he was standing an inch away from me. My skin gets
hotter each second extends. I was starring at his jaw where my eyes can watch straightly. When I hear
him clearing his throat I looked him in his eyes. His hair was messy from his sleep, eyes tired. I took a
step aside from him but he blocks me then to my right again he blocks me. Finally, I stood there where I
was standing nervously.

"I made coffee for you," I said pointing at the table where the coffee was placed.

"I see," he said didn't look away from my eyes. Now I felt a whole lot of pressure on myself.

"Okay:" I whispered.

"Was that your revenge for the other day? Again?" he snapped.

"No... that was for yesterday's_ Sorry." I apologized.

"Apology will be accepted if you only go out with me."

Okay. I didn't expect that. So if I go out with him my apology will be accepted. Without another thought,
I said, "Okay." He seemed surprised. "I'll go out with you," I assured him.



"Anu? Where are you?" We heard my cousin Krishna from the doorway. "There you are! I've been
searching for you around the world. Come with me." he called me.

Arjun hasn't finished his conversation so I looked up at him for some kind of permission. "I'll call you
later. Do you have my number?" He asked.

I nodded. I do have his number. Don't I? He gave me on our engagement night before he leaves with
his parents.

"Arjun, if you excuse us?" Krishna said.

Arjun just moved from the way and I gave him an apologetic look as Krishna dragged me from there.

"Come with me," he ordered as grinning and took my hand and dragged me outside the room and the
door shut with a big thud.

"Where?" I almost shouted.

"Just follow me."

"Why are you being ridiculous?" I scolded Krishna as we sat on the chaise lounge. "And why are we
here?" I asked surprised why he dragged me here to the pool.


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