As a year went by, Shardul a.k.a Mr Flowers feelings for Sanvika grew. Even his sister could see it. Suchil rather liked Sanvika.
“Tell her how you feel.” Suchil prompted Shardul.
“She is so young…”
“So, who told you to like someone young? You liked the young girl, right? So have the guts to admit it. And you guys are just 6 years apart.” Shardul still looked nervous. “Look you are 31 now. Time to get married. And San is such a gem. Don’t lose her.”
But of course, these siblings did not know anything about Sanvika’s past, or about her parents. That she was from one of the richest families in the country. For them, she was just San. The girl who singlehandedly manages the restaurant at such a young age. She never lost smile. She was always so pleasant and so fun to be with.
Sanvika took the role of the waitress at the restaurant while the two chefs cooked. The two chefs were a comic duo. They had a love-hate relationship. Always bickering. Like Tom and Jerry. But it was fun for San to watch them.
“Tariq Bhai…” One evening San was on the counter, the restaurant almost about to close. “Can you make those onion pakoras for me…”
“Going to drink, San?”
“Yes. I feel like drinking tonight. Today… I should.”
“Why? Is today something special?” Tariq asked cleaning the kitchen counter.
“Yes.”
“What is it?”
“Hm… Today is… someone’s birthday.”
“San’s birthday?”
“Not mine.”
“Then?”
“Somebody…”
Tariq looked at her for a while and then silently went to make The onion pakoras. Astrid came out of the storeroom. “San’s drinking?” She asked seeing Tariq cut onions. Tariq nodded. Astrid looked at San who was looking at the night sky.
“I wonder where San’s parents are,” Tariq said in English.
“San ran away from home.”
“Still… Why won’t they search for her?”
“How would I know.”
“Do you even care? San is like a sister to us.”
“Do you ever wonder why ‘I’ left home… and came to a different country?”
“Ah… I have never thought of that. Since I don’t care.”
Astrid frowned.
When Astrid was drinking Shardul joined her. She was not drunk yet. “Mr Flower.” She said.
“Why are you drinking alone?”
She just smiled.
“You could have called me.”
“I wanted to be alone today…”
Shardul noticed a sadness in her eyes. “What is it, San?’ he sat closer and asked in a gentle voice.
“Today is my Mother’s birthday.” She wiped the tear that came to her eyes.
Shardul went silent. “You miss your mom?” He asked after a while.
Sanvika nodded. Shardul felt bad for her. “Eh… I know this is the wrong time to say this but… if you need a family, I can be one.” Sanvika looked up at him. “Marry me, San.”
Sanvika blinked. It was unexpected for her. She sat up. “What did you say?”
“I like you.”
She blinked more. “As in like me like me?”
“Didn’t you know?”
“But… Mr Flower likes… dead girl…”
“You told me to let go of her. I did…”
Sanvika settled back down. Settled head on the table, looking down.
“You don’t have to give me an answer now. I know it’s too sudden for you. And wrong timing and all. But I felt I needed to say this today. So, you can take time to think about it…”
Sanvika looked up. “Mr Flower.”
“Hm?”
“I am sorry. I can’t…”
Shardul’s heart broke. He could not speak for a second. He did not expect this immediate rejection.
“It’s not because of Mr Flower.” Sanvika continued. “I don’t want to get married. Ever…”
“Why?”
“Just… And Mr Flower is just Mr Flower. I don’t feel that way.”
Shardul avoided her eyes to hide the fact that he may cry. He got up. “Okay…”
“Don’t feel bad, na, Mr Flower.”
“I don’t feel bad. It’s just… It’s okay… I can’t insist if you don’t feel anything… But… well. Goodnight.” He turned around to leave. Sanvika did feel bad. Shardul stopped at the door and looked back at her. “Eh… Can I ask something more?”
“Yeah?”
“There isn’t anyone else that you love or like, right?”
There was a momentary pause and Sanvika hesitated. Then she said. “Of course not.”
Shardul nodded and left.
And after that, Shardul never expressed his feelings or but he did not let go of them either. But now, Sanvika could sense his feelings for her. On the way, he talked to her. How he walked her to the market and back at night. How he took care of her.
If it was anyone, they would have melted.
But Sanvika did not.
And things were going like this peacefully until one morning Sanvika opened the door to find Vivaan.
Sanvika came down from her room to the restaurant to see that somebody was sleeping on the couch. And that was not Tariq. The person had a cap over his face. She almost attacked him thinking it is an intruder when she saw the tattoo on his wrist. And his body structure.“Vivaan,” she said out loud.Vivaan removed the cap and looked at her. “Let me sleep ten minutes more. It was a tiring flight.” He covered his face with his cap again. Sanvika was taken aback and confused for a second. But then she kicked his leg.“Ouch…” He jumped up. “What is wrong with you?”“What are you doing here?”“How can you kick someone you are seeing after three years?” He yelled at her.“How can you say ‘ten more minutes to sleep’ to someone who you see after three years? And, How the hell did you get inside.”“A dark, scary-looking guy opened
Sanvika was agitated. There was no reason for her to be so. Vivaan had said that he would not take her back to her home. Yet all the days Vivaan was in Goa, Sanvika was not herself. Shardul could notice that. Because Vivaan was always at the restaurant or near it. And all the time Vivaan was there, Sahvika looked uneasy. Her usual smile was not there. She occasionally stole looks at Vivaan with a look that clearly said that ‘I wish he just leave’.One evening, five days later… Vivaan started singing in front of the restaurant with a guitar. He was enjoying himself. In a short time, he managed to lure in Suchil, Aron and Shardul and San’s staff.“Mr Flower,” Vivaan called Shardul with excitement and pulled him along to sing with him. Shardul was startled and perplexed. But finally sang along. Everyone was clapping and happy. But Shardul could see that only one person was not happy – Sanvika.That night afte
Now Vivaan could not understand why he was so frustrated and agitated about what happened with Sanvika. He always had a weird equation with his ‘Vicky’. He always knew that in the end, only she will be his wife. Also, she was his best friend. And the person with who he had his first kiss. She was just Vicky.But that did not mean he had no real feelings for the girls he dated. He was very sincere about them. At the time of Jaime, he even thought that was love.So he sat in his hotel room going over what happened. He spent one sleepless night unable to decide why he felt the way he felt. Usually, Vivaan is always, almost always a happy person. But he was not feeling happy or okay about this.The next afternoon, Sanvika came outside to see Vivaan with Shardul, Suchil and Aaron. They looked at each other. With a plain smartass bitter look.“Yeah, the flight is tonight.” Sanvika heard Vivaan say to Aaron.“We
The next day, everybody at San’s restaurant was acting weird. Sanvika was working like crazy. She appeared extra cheerful and talking to the customers more. But Tariq and Astrid could see that the smiles did not reach her eyes.But at the same time, Tariq and Astrid were themselves being so strange and was not looking into each other’s eyes.Shardul came in and he watched Sanvika for a while and he could sense something is wrong. But he knew better than to go directly talk to her.“What happened?” Shardul slid into the bar counter to speak to Tariq.“Huh? What? Nothing… Nothing happened?” Said Tariq who was so distracted himself.“Clearly something happened? She is so happy.”“Huh? She is…” He turned around to look at Astrid who was making pasta. “I don’t think so.” Astrid was clearly in a bad mood since the morning.“I was talking about
Sanvika arrived in front of Vivaan’s house, that is Vivaan’s family house on a Sunday morning. She looked up at the grand house. It had been ages since she came to this house.Sanvika walked to them… She tried calling on Vivaan’s mobile, but he was not picking up.There were two security guards at the gate. She walked up to them.“I came to see Vivaan.” She told them.“Does he know you, ma’am?” The guard looked down at her clothes. She was dressed simply in a pair of shorts, a t-shirt, and a shirt over it. Not any branded one. As cheap as they can be. And her hair was tied up with a colourful scarf.“Of course, he knows me…” Sanvika snorted. But then she remembered how the guys may have no idea who she is. “I am Sanvika Singhania.”“Who?” The guard asked.“You may know the Singhanias, right?”One guard lightly hit
Vivaan hurried to get his shirt. While he was dressing, Sanvika got out of the bed and was staring at the door with fear. Vivaan could see Sanvika flustered and nervous. He put his hands on her shoulders to steady her. “Relax,” he said.“I don’t want to face this right now…” She mumbled.“This is the 10th floor. You cannot even jump off the window.”Sanvika frowned. “Ah…shit. Better get this over with.” She took a deep breath and walked to the door. The doorbell rang three times again in the time she walked to the door. She unlocked it to see her mother, Nirmala and older sister Prathyuksha.“I am telling you, we should leave them alone. It’s good that they are alone in there.” Prathyuksha was telling their mother. Then she noticed the door opening. “Oh, Hi sis…”But Sanvika could only see her mother’s strict face.
Sanvika stood in front of her family house that evening, looking up at it. The place she grew up in. She was not sure what she was doing there. That too immediately after the encounter with her mother. But her ma had asked her to drop by. Also, Sanvika was feeling pretty low after what happened with Vivaan. Somehow she ended up here…She was about to declare this as a terrible idea and was about to return when a luxurious car came to stop in front of her. The window was rolled down, and her father beamed at her from inside. “Sonu…” He called.Unlike his wife, Mukesh Singhania was a very affectionate person. He always addressed his daughters with pet names. Prathyuksha was ‘Paddu’ and Sanvika was ‘Sonu’. Whereas Nirmala always called them with their full names even when they were kids. The mother was the strict one in the house. Their father liked to spoil his princess daughters. His excess love and affection alway
“What in the world are you doing back here?” Tariq said as Sanvika came through the open door of the restaurant and sat down in front of him at a table. He was drinking the tea he made himself. It was still 6 am in morning.“Could you make a cup of tea for me as well, Tariq bhai? And I am famished. I could not eat dinner properly and the bus ride was so bumpy and crowded…” Sanvika said.“I will make breakfast,” Tariq got up, “But I need every detail…”“Me too…” Astrid said coming in.“Why are you here so early?” Tariq turned to Astrid. She frowned. “I mean… I… Good morning.” It was awkwardly cute. Sanvika did not know the details of how it happened, but they were kind of a couple now. She and Shardul had found them kissing in the kitchen one morning. Tariq was so embarrassed, he refused to look at Sanvika for a while.A