On the way to the office, everything reminded me of him.
A dosa stand.
A man wearing a suit.
Even this route to work. It was the same road Jai and I took every time he came to drop me off at home.
My eyes stung as I climbed the flight of stairs.
‘Ananya,’ Manisha, the receptionist, called.
I steadied myself, then turned to her as casually as I could. ‘Yeah?’
She smiled, but it felt off.
My stomach twisted in knots.
She lifted a box from under the marble desk and placed it on top.
That’s … that’s my plant. My bottle of water that I kept here. My emergency stash of chocolates. My bottle of perfume. My life here, packed away.
‘I … I’m sorry. But you’ve been let go.’
The words dropped like a bomb.
Air exited my lungs in a silent whoosh. I knew it was a possibility. In fact, I’d expected it. But it still felt like a punch to the gut.
Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry.
‘I need to talk to Jai. I …’ If I just saw him again, explained myself again, more clearly, he’d understand. Maybe even forgive me.
‘I can’t let you inside,’ she said.
She didn’t need to say the words for me to know – she’d been instructed to hold me off at the door.
I picked up my box and dashed down the stairs.
The door opened before I even reached for it.
Jai.
Emotions flared bright in his eyes, and I saw the man who’d once kissed me like I was his oxygen.
A muscle in his jaw ticked. The next second, a mask of indifference slipped over his face. Then, he brushed past me as if I were a stranger.
I stumbled out, flagged down a taxi and collapsed in the backseat. Burying my face in my hands, I cried until everything ached and my eyes burned.
My phone rang loudly. I fumbled it out. My vision was blurry, but I could make out the name flashing on the screen.
My face twisted with anguish as I struggled to answer. ‘Maa,’ I choked out.
‘Arey! Ananya, what happened?’ her voice sharp with panic. ‘Why are you crying?’
‘I …’ My hand clamped over my mouth, muffling the sobs. ‘I miss you.’
‘We miss you too, beta,’ she said, her voice softening. ‘Take a leave from that job of yours. Come home for a few days.’
Home was an anchor I’d pulled free with my own hands. And now, stripped of everything, I realised how starved I was for the comfort of family.
