Tanya blushed and smiled. “Hi, yourself.”
“May I say I am glad to see a girl be ready on time, for once?”
Tanya’s smile dimmed a bit at the implication of other women. She ignored the pang and gave a determined smile, before getting into his car. Absently, she noticed that Ritwik didn’t bother to open the car door for her. Almost immediately, she cursed herself for comparing Ritwik with Neil.What’s wrong with me?
“TinTin, are you okay?” Ritwik interrupted her thoughts.
“Oh, yes. All good.” She flashed a radiant smile at him.
“You seemed to be thinking quite hard, eh? Anyway, how do you like Chinese? There’s this new place in Koramangala that’s quite hip.” Ritwik continued with the small talk as he eased his sedan into the traffic. Barely a half an hour later, the two of them entered the cafe, which looked cozy and inviting. Ritwik ordered drinks and starters for the two of them, even as Tanya thought he knew her so well. “Now, tell me everything.”
“Everything?” Tanya was perplexed.
“Yep. What’s with this personality change? Who’s the lucky guy?” Ritwik grinned, his smile warming her heart as always.
“What makes you think it’s a guy?” She immediately challenged him.
“Well, maybe you changed for yourself. But, knowing you, nah!” He finished with a chuckle.
Tanya sighed. “Sometimes you know me too well.” She sipped her white wine and looked ahead before meeting his eyes. “What about you? No one serious at the moment?”
“Not really, and I am not looking for anything serious, thank you.”
Tanya’s heart ached at his response. “What if someone you know well, has hmm...feelings for you? Will you still say no?”
“Someone I know? Who is that?” Ritwik frowned, almost mentally trying to come up with a name.
“Never mind.” Tanya didn’t bother to elaborate. She moved on to other topics and the conversation flowed as they finished the main course and moved on to dessert.
Ritwik looked at her. “Are you planning to skip your dessert or do you want something?”
Tanya was momentarily distracted by the memory of Neil packing her chocolate pastries during their first dinner together.
“Hello? Back to Earth, Tanya.”
Tanya came back to the present with a start. “No, I am done.”
“Alright, let’s go.” Ritwik swiped his card and they went out towards his car. “I’m glad we could catch up today. It’s been so long since we had a leisurely meal. The merger is killing me.” Ritwik grimaced as he reversed the car.
Tanya quietly got into the car, contemplating about the evening. She’d enjoyed the dinner date, but it wasn’t anything special. She’d dressed up although she hardly felt sexy or alluring. It was then that she remembered the mysterious part.Oh no, I forgot!Tanya almost beat herself for forgetting to get out of the friend zone.
“This is the fourth time, you know.” Ritwik’s comment was casual.
“What?”
“You zoning out on me. At least tell me now, who’s the guy you’re preoccupied about? Do I need to check on him?”
“First of all, there’s no guy. Secondly, I am not that high school girl anymore. Stop ruining any prospects I might have.”
“Okay, whoever he is, he’s very lucky.” Ritwik looked at her deeply, sincerity shining from his eyes.
Tanya almost held her breath. He was giving her the perfect opening. She cleared her throat and spoke, almost hesitatingly, “What if that guy is you?”
For a minute, there was absolute silence in the car. Ritwik looked completely shocked. “Me? What? Are you serious?” His tone was completely devoid of any teasing.
Tanya turned red in embarrassment. This wasn’t how she planned to tell him. “Shall we go inside? I’d rather have this conversation inside my house.” Ritwik nodded, and the two of them went into her house.
Tanya dropped the keys by the table and walked in. She sat on the couch, followed by Ritwik, who continued to look dazed. “I..huh didn’t see this coming. Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
