Chapter 3 - The Wait
Vivek was sitting in his office cabin, pretending to work, but his mind was still wandering in last night's garden. Because of this, he couldn't focus at all. He kept typing wrong data into the laptop, then correcting it again and again. That unknown girl, Vanshika, had completely taken over his heart and mind.
Just then, his phone rang. It was Preeti, his girlfriend. The moment he saw her name, his expression changed instantly. He picked up the call.
Vivek (cheerfully):
"Hey baby!"
Preeti:
"What are you doing right now?"
Vivek:
"In the office, working."
Preeti (angrily):
"You call me every single night. Why didn't you call yesterday?"
Vivek:
"You could have called too! Do I have the sole contract for making calls or what?"
Preeti flared up even more:
"Since when did you start talking to me like this? Do you want to end our relationship?"
Vivek (quickly):
"No! No… that's not what I meant."
Preeti:
"If that's what you want, then give me back my diamond ring and finish this relationship right now."
Vivek:
"Oh baby! I don't want that at all. You've gone too far."
Preeti:
"Then what do you want? Tell me right now!"
Vivek (softening):
"Yaar… I'm sorry. There's a lot of pending office work. I didn't sleep properly last night, so I'm not thinking straight. I don't even know what I'm saying."
Preeti:
"Are you telling the truth?"
Vivek:
"Yes, jaan… I truly love you, and you know that very well."
Preeti (calming down):
"Okay. The moment your work is done, call me first. No excuses."
Vivek:
"Yes, jaan… I'll do exactly that."
Preeti:
"Take care of yourself."
Vivek:
"You too, take care."
He ended the call and muttered to himself:
"She thinks she can order me around. If this girl wasn't rich, I would've dumped her long ago. Just wait till we're married—I'll show her."
[Evening]
Somehow Vivek finished his work and stepped out of the office. A strange restlessness had gripped him. He got into his car and started driving home, turned on the music system—but even the romantic, intoxicating songs reminded him of the mysterious girl he met last night: Vanshika.
After a while, unable to bear it, he suddenly stopped the car on the side of the road. He sat still for a few moments, thinking, then turned the car around and started driving toward the old town outside the city again. It felt as though someone—or something—from that garden was calling him. The memory of Vanshika was pulling him back like a magnet. He called his friend Sameer and asked him to meet there.
It was 6:50 p.m. Vivek reached the same big garden in the old town and parked his car. Sameer was already waiting near the gate, just like yesterday evening.
Sameer:
"I came straight from the office because you called."
Vivek:
"Same here, straight from office."
Sameer:
"So, what's the emergency? Why are we suddenly back here?"
Vivek:
"Come inside, I'll tell you everything."
Sameer (teasing):
"If you've dragged me here again for that mystery girl from last night, you're wasting both your time and mine."
Vivek:
"Arre, just come inside once."
They entered the garden together. At this hour, the place was quite lively—children were playing, elderly people were relaxing on benches, and deeper inside, couples sat lost in their own worlds. But Vivek looked restless, almost lost.
He scanned every corner of the garden, searching for a glimpse of that red-yellow dress, that unforgettable face.
The wait had begun.
Sameer:
"So you actually talked to that mystery girl?"
Vivek:
"Yes, I did."
Sameer (grinning):
"That's the whole story! Come on, tell me—what was she like?"
Vivek:
"Unbelievably beautiful. The kind of beauty that makes any man go crazy… even you would have."
Sameer:
"More beautiful than your Preeti?"
Vivek:
"Yes, far more beautiful than Preeti… but she didn't look anywhere near as rich."
Sameer:
"My friend, money isn't everything."
Vivek (with a smirk):
"After a point, love fades away. Money stays forever. Without money, we're worth nothing in this world. And that's exactly why I'm more successful than you."
Sameer:
"If that's true, then why are you back here? You should be chasing the girl who has the money."
Vivek (quietly):
"I don't know… it feels like that unknown girl is calling me here. I just got pulled back, like I had no choice."
Sameer:
"Was she really that special… that beautiful?"
Vivek:
"Yes. The only regret is I couldn't get her number."
Sameer (laughing lightly):
"So you think she'll come back tonight? You'll whisper sweet nothings to her while I sit on the side listening to your nonsense?"
Vivek:
"Maybe… she said she often comes here alone to watch the sea."
Sameer:
"Meaning you're going to come here every single night and wait for her? If she's such a nice girl, why does she roam around alone at night?"
Vivek:
"I talked to her, man. She's a good girl. If luck is on my side, I'll find her again. I'm ready to waste a little time for her."
Sameer:
"Girls who wander alone at night are never simple. And just like I said about money—beauty isn't everything in love either."
After that, Vivek narrated every single detail of last night's encounter with the mysterious Vanshika to Sameer. They sat for a while, then walked around the park, and by the time it was almost nine o'clock, she still hadn't appeared. The crowd was thinning; only a few people remained.
Vivek looked like a man possessed—restless, almost addicted, craving something he couldn't have. Just then, Sameer's phone rang. It was his father.
Sameer spoke for a minute, then turned to Vivek, who was still staring at the same bench where Vanshika had sat last night.
Sameer:
"Yaar, Dad called from home. Talks about my marriage are going on. I can't keep roaming around late at night anymore."
Vivek (absent-mindedly):
"Right."
Sameer:
"It's almost nine. I don't think your girl is coming tonight. We should head home."
Vivek:
"You go. I'll leave in a bit."
Sameer:
"Alright then, see you. Take care."
Sameer left. Vivek slowly walked to the exact bench where Vanshika had been sitting last night. He sat down and stared at the sea. Same moonlit view, same mesmerising sight—everything was the same… except she wasn't there.
A long time passed. Vivek sat alone, dejected and alone, gazing at the endless waves. Then, from behind him, a sweet, melodic girl's voice floated through the air:
" Are you Waiting for someone? "
Next Chapter…