Page 47 of 12 Years
‘Really?’
‘Please don’t judge me. I only had that one glass at Leopold’s. It’s the weekend, and I had a rough week—fourteen-hour workdays.’
I went to the kitchen and returned with two glasses of white wine. Like the last time, I sat on the opposite end of the ledge, facing her.
‘So, how’s work?’ I said, deciding to stick to neutral topics.
‘Busy. We’re about to close a deal, and there are thousands of pages to read.’
‘Yeah. Private equity is mostly reading legal documents. I don’t miss that part.’
‘How’s your work going?’
‘I had to work on a new set last week. Couldn’t.’
‘Why not?’
‘Too disturbed and preoccupied.’
‘Oh? Why?’
‘Someone ghosted me.’
‘Ouch. Sorry again.’
‘Don’t worry about it. You’re here now.’
‘Can I get away with claiming that I’m too young?’
‘You’re old enough to sift through private equity legal documents. But I guess you’re too young to know how to communicate your feelings.’
She laughed. ‘Something like that,’ she said, taking a sip of her wine and gazing out of the window. We sat in silence for a few minutes.
‘Do you miss her?’ she said eventually.
‘Who?’
‘Raashi.’
‘No, not really. We shared some good times in the beginning. But those memories are hazy. Only memories of the divorce are fresh.’
‘I’m sorry.’
I shrugged.
‘I shouldn’t have told Akanksha about you.’
‘It’s okay. She’s your best friend.’
‘Yes. But I’m not like her.’
‘Really?’
‘Akanksha is what my parents want me to be. No boyfriends. Married at twenty. Loves cooking and taking care of the house.’
‘Twenty? That’s early.’
‘Yeah, to Suraj Chandak. A boy chosen by her parents. She’s Marwari, so it had to be a Marwari boy.’
