Authors POV

10:09

Office is buzzing as usual. Quiet but still busy, going on with mundane tasks. Ongoing meeting. Designing models. Drawing on CADs and Charts. Visiting sites. Managers rushing the interns and their juniors to complete their tasks of the day.

Two juniors architects hover around her table with their rolled out drawing sheets. Quietly listening to her reviews over their sketch. Her black rimmed glasses hanging loosely on the bridge of her nose. A few locks from her messy bun falling over her face like a curtain, her voice calm but professional.

This is something she is pretty used to by now. Her tone guiding with no discouragement. Her phone buzzes on her desk as she points out a few changes in the sketch.

She pauses and glances at the screen displaying "Lavanya" on the screen. She sighs half annoyed as she grabs the phone. Like she already knew what was coming. She quietly answers and places it over her ear.

"Hello."

"Why are you not coming? This is our brother's marriage. Not someone else."

She sighs placing her pencil on the desk and lean back in the seat and looks at the junior architects.

"Work on the reviews I made. I'll call you again after few minutes. Go."

"Yes mam.", they say in unison as they roll up their drawing charts.

"You know right. I'm not good with our relatives. Moreover I'm busy-"

Lavanya cuts her off, "Bullshit! Don't 'busy' me. This is my final year in PG. Yet I made time. C'mon. This is our own brother's wedding."

She rolls her eyes, "Your own brother's wedding.

Lavanya sighs, "Anika! You know what I meant."

"Yeah yeah. I do. Our only brother. I got it. But I don't really want to face those relatives. 'Arey yaar when are you getting married'. 'Your brother is getting married. You'll be next.' 'Do you really need a job? Just get married and take of your husband.' My ass. Do we really need all that.?"

Lavanya sighs silently agreeing with Anika,"You're right. But. It's Tanish's wedding, Anny. Our only brother's wedding. You know I wouldn't push you this much if it was someone else."

"Yes, but-"

Lavanya cuts her off again,"No buts Anny. You're coming. I'll be so bored if you don't come and I prepared for this wedding for so long. I adjusted my scheduled and all that just so I can make myself free for this one week. We can't miss this wedding."

"Yeah?.."

"Why can't you just apply leave. I'll be so bored you know. "

"Oh really? Or is it because you don't want to face that chaos from our relatives alone."

Lavanya giggles on the other side, "Maybe. That's only half true. I'll really miss you and be bored too."

Anika sighs rubbing her forehead." I can't take a leave all sudden. You know my project manager. He may not give me leave. And then again I need to go the HR. This sucks."

"I don't know about all those. You're coming. C'mon. You're the senior architect. Use your card. Our parents and Tanish already left to Puducherry. I told them we'll go together. Once I finish my shift I'll go to your apartment."

"You are thinking this is easy."

"I don't know all that. You'll go to your manager or HR or whatever they are. You'll apply for leave for this whole damn week. If you don't, I'll come there and do it myself."

"Don't you dare. Fine. I'll apply for the leave. Happy?", Anika asks rolling her eyes again.

"Good. After my shift I'll go to your apartment and pack your luggage. It'll save some time.", Lavanya chime excited.

"But wait. I didn't do any shopping for the wedding.", She mumbles.

Lavanya yells, "What! You're joking...you were so fixed to not to attend the wedding huh. ", she tuts thinking for a moment. "We can do some shopping in Puducherry for you. Also I didn't buy any wedding gift. We can buy it there. You just work on that leave thing."

Anika hums convinced by it, "Alright. I'll see about that...mm...so....Is he coming?"

Lavanya smirks on the other side,"Who."

Anika rolls her eyes, "You know who. "

"Don't worry. He is not coming. That's the another reason why I'm pushing you to come. "

Anika goes quiet for a second biting her lip,"You sure? He is definitely not coming right. If I'm there I want fun. And I seriously, seriously don't want to see his face."

Lavanya sighs, "He is not coming. I asked him twice. He said he is on some...very big project or whatever. He said he can't come. So calm your ass down."

"Alright then. I'm hanging up. See ya later."

"Sure. Try to return early. You know the Chennai traffic."

"Sure."

The call ends. Anika places her phone the desk. Her thoughts drift to "him" for a minutes but she brushes them away. She doesn't want to think about him clearly. Eight years passed she clearly moved on. Or that's what she thinks it is. She opens her laptop and starts typing an email to her manager applying the leave as promised. The rest of the day goes as usual for her. Her leave gets approved after she talked with her HR. But she was requested to respond online if she was need to which she happily agreed.