He stopped at the door and turned back. For just a second, his eyes met mine.
There was something in his gaze. Something that looked like regret. Or maybe pain. I could not tell.
Then he looked away, opened the door, and walked out.
Just like that, he was gone.
I stood there, staring at the closed door, the paratha I had been about to serve still steaming on the platter.
He had left. Without explanation. Without saying goodbye properly.
Without giving me a chance to explain about Puneet. Without letting me tell him that he was the only one I wanted.
A month.
I would not see him for an entire month.
And I had no idea if he was running away from me, or from himself.
Chapter 17
Viya
It had been a month. A whole, agonizing month since Armaan left for Japan.
Thirty days. Seven hundred and twenty hours. Forty three thousand two hundred minutes.
Not that I was counting.
He had not called me. Not once. Not even a single text message. No "I arrived safely." No "How are you." No "I miss you."
Nothing.
The only way I knew he was alive and well was through Dadi. She received regular calls from him, and she would tell me little snippets of information. He was working hard. The negotiations were going well. He was eating properly.
But he never asked about me. Never requested to speak to me. Never sent any message through Dadi.
It was as though I did not exist.
At work, we received business updates about the Japanese client. The contract was progressing smoothly. Mr. Khanna was handling everything personally. The deal was worth millions and would open up new markets for the company.
But there was never anything personal. Never anything for me.
I had picked up my phone countless times over the past month. My finger hovering over his name in my contacts. The cursor blinking in an empty text message box.
But what would I say? "I am sorry for making you jealous?" "Puneet means nothing to me?" "Please come home?"
Every time, I put the phone down without sending anything.
If he wanted to talk to me, he knew where to find me.
Then, three days ago, everything changed.
Vikrant called an emergency team meeting. When we all gathered in the conference room, he announced that the contract with the Japanese client had been finalized. We would be traveling to Japan next week for a two week intensive training on their systems and requirements.
The entire development team would be going. Including me.
Akshita had practically screamed with excitement.
