Just Listen

My theme for this year's A to Z Challenge is A Reader's Take, where everyday I will be picking out a novel title corresponding to that day's letter and write my post based on it. To make it more challenging, I have decided to write a serial story. The novel I have selected for today is 'Just Listen'

Leave Me Never

Chapter 10

(Read the previous chapter here)

Lucy served the dinner. Dinner was her favorite time which she got to share with Ayaan. She always made it a point that they at least had dinner together. She loved spending time with him. “How was your day?” she asked him as she passed the curry. “It was the usual. Work and more work. You tell me, how was your day?” he asked. “Great! I had been to shopping and while coming back, I bought some chocolate ice cream” she replied grinning. Without realizing, Ayaan blurted out “Chocolate ice cream? They were…” “Kayra’s favorite” completed Lucy. The grin from her face had disappeared. Ayaan felt guilty. He tried to apologize but Lucy waved it off. The easy banter was gone. They finished their dinner silently, each trying to find answers to the questions buzzing in their mind.

Lucy stayed awake watching Ayaan sleep. He looked handsome without those worry lines on his forehead which had become a permanent feature of his face. Her mind travelled back to the time they had met. His company had outsourced a project to the company she was working in. She was the team lead and she had met him few times. It was hard not to fall for the young handsome bachelor. What started as a fling had then developed into something more and it wasn't long before Lucy had started dropping in to spend time with him every now and then, like she had done today. Ayaan had been honest when he had confessed about his past. He had told her in absolute words that he was not able to forget Kayra yet and Lucy had been willing enough to give him time. She believed her company would help him get over the past. But now, six months after they had started seeing each other, Lucy wasn't certain about that anymore!

Everything in Ayaan’s life was about Kayra. Kayra’s likes, Kayra’s dislike. Hell! She felt like she could write a book on that girl she had never met. Did Ayaan even know that chocolate ice cream was her favorite too? She doubted that! Would she be courting heartbreak if she held on to him? She didn't know. Did he even love her half as much as he loved Kayra? She didn't think so! Was she wrong when she had courted him? Yes, she had done it! There was no way she could wait for the workaholic Ayaan to do that. She knew it would take eternity and he still wouldn't do that. So she had made her move first and had tried until Ayaan finally agreed to give them a shot. What could she have done? She was head over heels in love with him. “Have I done the right choice?” she asked aloud, wishing someone would answer her. She sat there, listening to the wind, trying to decode the secrets it seemed to whisper in her ears. After thinking for long, she decided she would confront Ayaan in the morning. She wouldn't put it off anymore, waiting for him to come around. She had taken the matter in her hands once before and now she would do it again!

To be continued...

About today's novel: 'Just Listen' is a novel by Sarah Dessen. Last year, Annabel was "the girl who has everything" - at least that's the part she played in the television commercial for Kopf's Department Store. This year, she's the girl who has nothing; no best friend because mean-but-exciting Sophie dropped her, no peace at home since her older sister became anorexic, and no one to sit with at lunch. Until she meets Owen Armstrong. Tall, dark and music-obsessed, Owen is a reformed bad boy with a commitment to truth-telling. With Owen's help, maybe Annabel can face what happened the night she and Sophie stopped being friends.

PS: Linking this post to A to Z Challenge 2015. If you are participating too, please leave a link to your blog in the comments, so that I can visit you :)

Until the next post,

Keep Smiling :)

Love,

Swathi :)