Sneak Preview :: Chapter Two (Snippet 9)
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Sneak Preview :: Chapter Two (Snippet 9)
Bangalore , India
Present day
Her sleek blue Nokia Lumia almost fell off the table, vibrating with an urgency that Sanya Rawat had seldom seen. The university cafeteria was sparsely populated, with the odd yuppie group milling about with no express purpose. The late afternoon sun made the vintage glass windows sparkle like vertical walls of shimmering water.
As she uncrossed her legs and bent over to read the incoming number, Sanya’s heart jumped a beat. The number was unknown, yet oddly familiar. She was sure she had known the number, but just could not put a face to it. Sliding the touch-screen interface, she pressed the phone to her ear as she reached for her mug of coffee on the triangular table in front of her.
“Sanya, Anuj.”
Sanya froze.
“Sorry, who again?”
“Anuj. Anuj Chaddha.”
The coffee mug almost slipped from Sanya’s hands. It could not be him. “Oh, hi Anuj. I couldn’t recognize your voice,” she stammered, her mind racing, searching for things to say. It was her senior from college who had graduated two years earlier.
“That’s okay. How have you been?”
“Oh, I’m pretty good. I’m really surprised. Imagine getting your call after all these years.”
“Can we meet at UB Mall in half an hour?”
Sanya was bewildered. “Sure. Didn’t know you were in town. How’s everything?”
“Tell you when we meet. See you there.”
As she replaced her phone on the table, Sanya frowned. Anuj had been uncharacteristically brief. His voice had acquired a slight nasal twang. She didn’t like the developments. For a fleeting moment, she was transported to their days of unconsummated romance – a love that had not really blossomed. At least, Anuj had shown no interest, save the occasional indulgent glance.
Sanya had always mooned over her college hero whose wavy hair and dimpled smile somehow made up for all that snootiness. She had loved that the object of her desire was athletic, not beefy like most other guys in her peer group. And she had reconciled herself to the fact that her knees invariably went weak whenever she heard his deep Germanic voice. Her idea of heaven then had been to allow herself to be cradled by his muscular arms and nestle into his broad manly chest, her fingers tracing every sinewy ripple on his back.
With a start, Sanya broke out of her reverie, unable to bear the scalding heat. She had tipped the coffee mug in her hand and the steaming hot liquid had spilt over, causing red welts on her casually manicured fingers. Sucking on them to ease the burning pain, she got up and opened the list of received calls on her phone to see the calling number again. What did he want to talk to her about after all these years?
Coming soon: the next Sneak Preview.
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