CONTINUING FROM THE LAST PART :
Ayra's Point Of View :
Soon the rain stopped pouring and so the city bus at the nearest stop to the cafe I work, getting down the bus I bid bye to both of my friends and with a 5 min easy walk, I reached my destination, the cafe I work in which was unusually quiet.
Unlike every weekend morning, when it is bustling with customers, with a long row of people in waiting, line in for their turn, some to take the takeout of the famous sweet bun - tea we sell early in the morning.
It made me confused and frown, clueless I walked towards the newly opened cafe which is owned by Advik's cousin brother and my friend Advir. The business startup he started to prove himself and the only source of my income which is supporting my family, which has proven to be of great help to me with my current situation.
But what I didn't expect to see as soon as I neared the glass door was the inside of the whole cafe decorated with red roses and white fairy lights and scented candles etc. I sigh at the sight, finally understanding what's going on. As usual a typical Love confession.
This was nothing new, since the cafe started their had been many rich brat customers before too, who booked the whole cafe to confess to their loved once, there was once this lunatic who filled the whole cafe with balloons to express his love to his one week girlfriend and trust me when I say, even if it sounds romantic it was nothing good, because it took me whole two hours to remove that stupid decoration and clean up the place again so we could open it back for business.
It's not that, I don't believe in love or anything like that because I very much do, it's just that I don't have time for all that and when I look at this youngsters of my age who don't have to worry about anything and can do as they please, it makes me feel sour like a lemon. So I found an excuse to criticise what they do so I could feel a little good.
But it's really not a total lie when I say that I hate this flashy display of affection because all the time, we are the one who have to spend hours to clean up after this rich brat leaves but what can we do after all our salary comes from their pocket and it's not like I am the only one who has to do the job and suffer.
There are many other staff for different work. Even though there are many cleaners in the cafe, still it's a small business and I try to help my friend as much as I can considering I receive the highest salary because of my family situation. There are other workers in the cafe too who are like family to me, they all are very good to me.
I work as a chef hired spatially for preparing desserts which are very famous here. I am not being a narcissist when I say that I am a really good cook, cooking is something which I have inherited from my mom in lineage. But My mom is even better than me, she was and she is still even if she is suffering from Alzheimer's. I usually use those of her special traditional dessert recipes which she taught me to make desserts and they are a hot sale in our cafe.
Even with all this, sometimes it gets difficult to handle the customers and their demands as everyone wants something new and unique all the time but I try my best to do my best because I love my job. I aim to finish my MBA degree as soon as possible and then get a good job so I could earn some money to give my family better living conditions and make some savings which I can use later to start my own hotesling business.
Yeah that's my dream. I want to set up a successful hotel chain business just like my dad used to possess in the past before that smelly old hag of a partener of his backstabbed him and snatched it from him. But that's another story, let's leave it for another time.
Taking a long deep breath to forget those bitter memories, I opened the glass door of the cafe, hoping in my mind that the show was already over but it seems like I was extremely wrong to think that. As soon as I stepped inside the cafe, I was welcomed with the showere of red rose petals.
'Shit don't tell me, I ruined someone's proposal!'
I cursed in my mind feeling horror knowing it's not impossible and if that happens then I will have to face the wrath of the customer for ruining their special moment and pay for compensation which is the worst thing to happen now considering my financial condition, it made me swallow hard just thinking about the huge amount I would lose and I felt like crying.
Such a rotten luck but then again,
'who the fu***ck in the world plans a proposal so early in the morning, like seriously bro?'
I wondered to myself, feeling ridiculous. That's when I heard a loud noise of a trash bomb which brought me back from my thoughts and startled me at the same time, resulting in me gasping in shock. Surprised me quickly turn my head around following the direction of noise only to find Dev seating on the floor covered with red rose petals in the centre of the room on his one knees with a huge a***ss bouquet of red roses in his hands, around him a heart shape with white pillar fragrance candles was made and he was looking at me?
Wait for me? Don't tell me this proposal is for me? Did he plan this? When? Why? This crazy guy.... What is he planning now? He has made my life hell! Isn't it enough to haunt and lament me in college that he even intruded my work place?
Thinking this, I crossed my arms in front of my chest and kept glaring at him sternly, knowing nothing good can come out of this man, already trying to anticipate his next move, wondering now what his plan is.
How he plans to torcher me! Because I don't believe this guy even a little. While he continued to look at me with those adoration filled eyes, his face had a love struck look but as if I will believe it. Instead it made me feel nauseated. I feel like puking just by looking at him.
He is really a delusional man. He thinks he can move my heart with it! Dream on. I just rolled my eyes on this brat and scoffed at him remembering the Ill fated day when I met this arrogant brat who is my born enemy, the fated archenemy once again after separating with him 5 years ago.
It was a year back when I just left my hometown Delhi for further education and was new in Mumbai. I was chosen by this one of the best buisness institute in Mumbai for further study via student scholarship program due to my good grades and top rank in the entrance exams so of course so grabbed the opportunity but who knew this spoiled brat was also here, spending my papa's hard earned money which his scum***mbag father had snatched from us and here I was living on the little scholarship I was getting from the student program.
But that money wasn't enough for me considering I also wanted to support my family with my mom's medicle expenses and my sister's study, so with the help of my friend, I secured a part time pizza delivery girl job in her father's pizza shop to make some extra bucks.
I would work full day on weekends and part time on buisness days after college.
But just as I started working, thanks to my bad luck, on the first day of my job I met this Devil, it was really too frustrating and I still feel irked just remembering that unfateful day, what a lifetime memory, I feel like punching his face hard so he could go silly just to erase the memory of that day which earn me this evil popcorn as a stalker who finds joy in lamenting me.
Flashback 1 year ago :
It was my first day at work, which I got with my classmate and the first friend I made in Mumbai, Rachi's help at her dad's pizza shop. It was not a large scale buisness but still it was famous and they had many batches in Mumbai, so the salery they offered even for part time was really good that's the reason I took the job.
After making many deliveries of pizzas and earning a considerable amount of tio, a happy me went to make the next food delivery with my other two coworkers Ragini and Kabir. It was a big order of 90 pizzas so we three took our delivery bikes provided by the store each carrying 30 pizzas in the delivery box and went to the address given by the Boss.
It was a villa situated in a very expensive area of Mumbai and reaching the gates we realised that a pool party was going on.
An old man with a strict face whom I assume to be the head servant of the house asked the watchman to let us in and also ordered other servants to help us carry the pizza boxes inside the mansion.
We walked to the huge swimming pool area outside the mansion where the pool party of bunch of rich brats was going on, just as I placed the boxes on the food counter I felt like someone grabbing my arm and spinning me around making me gasp in shock but before I can understand anything and my gasp what was going on let alone know how to react I was picked from the ground and thrown on a hard shoulder of a muscular nearly names body which hit hard in my baby stomach making it hurt like hell which made me groan in pain.
As I was getting harassed by this bulldozer-like dog, I heard the rich brats around me in the party laugh, snicker and giggle, murmuring among themselves, gossiping. Of Course finding in amusing while my companions who were just as shocked as me, left rooted to their spot, like a frozen statue, still completing what to do and how to react, looking at me in surprise as if I was the 8th wonder of the world.
Composing my shocked and panicked self, I yelled angrily, furiously swinging my legs, desperately trying to break free and get out of this crazy guy's firm hold which was really painful.
"What the hell! Who the hell are you and what are you doing, Mr.?"
I asked as some guys whistle while the said bulldozer remained silent making me more pissed, my co workers who by time now regain their sense tried to intervene as they ran towards me to help me and free me from these monsters hold but unluckily, some bunch of half naked, disturbing rich brats held them back and stopped them from helping me.
Seeing this I felt really pissed and with a thumping heart, engulfed with fear, I started hitting the man in the stomach aggressively with my feet while shouting.
"Put me down! I said put me down right now! "
I demanded but the shameless brat seems to be made of rock, he wasn't hurt even a bit and remained unaffected, instead he swiftly got the hold of both of my feets with his one hand so I balled my palms into fists and hit the rude guy's back, wanting the best the shit outta this punk for his audacious act, it was so insolent but he remained unaffected. It was as if I was heating a stone wall, no use of putting all the effort in since it would only hurt my fist.
Desperate and scared, I looked around with panicked eyes just to find all these rich brats looking in my direction with interest as if watching a show, it was amusing from them. Disgusting, hypocrite, heartless, brainless, emotionless rascals. Cursing them in my heart I tried to look where this bulldog was taking me and my eyes went wide in horror as I realised what he was trying to do when he carried me to the swimming pool.
Before I could react or say anything to stop him this rascal just threw me in the pool like a sag of potato without any hesitance making his peers cheer, echoing together in joy, laughing in amusement while I yelped in fear.
I get it that these bastards want to embarrass me in front of everyone but I am no pushover. If he wants it then he will definitely get it. Sincehe has gone for it of course he will have to suffer the backlash, he will face the consequences of his action. I will give him a tit for tat.
Unlike he had predicted, instead of crying desperately and begging for help, I just calmed my mind and heart with a simple counting exercise which my dad had taught me during my panic as I took swimming lessons which finally made me calm and my efforts paid of as I slowly I emerged out of water with grace like a frea***king mermaid, I wanted to be when I was kid.
My hair band which had tied my hair in a ponytail somehow slipped off and my long silky hairs freed from any ties, spread through water and floating down wet onceI emerged, covering the back and front of my wet body.
Instead of screaming and roaring at the prosecutor like a fool, I calmly and slowly but gracefully took of the white translucent soaked wet t-shirt uniform of the pizza store off which was sticking to my body like second skin making me embarrass only to reveal my royal blue t and then I swimming to the edge, I climbed out of the swimming pool holding the steel pipe at exit stair for support, without stumbling once, not wanting to give this so called reach brats a chance to laugh at me and make fun of me.
I wasn't shy or troubled for a moment since I was wearing a jeans pant which was just thick enough to cover me even if it was wet, although showing my body shape nothing more could be done. Getting out I grabbed the towel from the stand and instead of covering my shoulders with it, I started drying my long strands of silky black hair with it as I walked towards the culprit who was busy staring at me with lustful eyes with a smug smirk plastered on his lips.
It was him, Dev Raheja. My childhood playmate cum Archenemy. The son of that bastard Daksh Raheja who cheated my dad and snatched all of our property. I knew it was him, I saw it. I saw his face when he threw me in the water. Even though it was just a glimpse I could never mistaken him and that very moment I understood everything.
He did it purposefully to trouble me. It's funny how once the son of a guy who worked for my dad was standing in front of me proud after turning us into what we are today.
Seeing his evil smirk I felt like smashing his face with a stone but I calmed myself and walked towards him with a poker face, remaining unaffected, not wanting to let him read my mind by showing any emotion in eyes and see any reaction on face, which would give him the satisfaction he wants. No chance. He won't get what he wants. Not this time, this time I won't let you have your way Dev Raheja.
Thinking this, I stood in front of him firmly and threw aside the now wet towel. I asked him sternly, crossing my arms in front of my chest posing a threat while looking at him with the same intense intimidating eyes as his. If he is Dev Raheja then I am too Ayra Rawat. I ain't any less!
"So? What does this mean Mr. Raheja?"
TO BE CONTINUED....
HERE THE CHAPTER ENDS....