Shayad yahi toh pyaar hai!

 "Why don't you look at me the way the male lead looks at his heroine in this drama series?" Jiya asks Nirav.

Nirav glances at Jiya who is watching her favourite Korean drama on the mobile. Nirav is busy in giving finishing touches to his presentation he has in the office the next day. Simultaneously, listening to his playlist on Spotify. He doesn't bother to answer that question. 

Jiya pauses the drama, takes a look at her husband who has all eyes on his laptop. She thinks, "Doesn't he care anymore?". And her soliloquy disheartens her. She plays the drama again to distract her thoughts. 

Nirav and Jiya have been married for three years now. Both are working for reputed companies, doing seemingly good at respective jobs. While studying engineering both fell in love with computers and each other. And from then have been together.

"Korean drama heroes have eyes oozing with affection as if shooting hearts, pink, fuscia, purple, orchid, lavender, crimson, red.....", Jiya blurts and waits to see Nirav's reaction once again. 

Nirav asks plainly, "Fuscia, orchid, ain't they flowers?"

Jiya makes a 'Tch Tch' sound instantly and continues with her drama, errr, watching her drama.

Nirav is now humming his favourite Boulevard of broken dreams' song playing on Spotify, "I walk a lonely road, the only one that I've ever known, don't know where it goes, but its home to me and I walk alone......". Banging his head as the music transcends to a higher pitch. Also his pitch increases along.

Jiya once again with her 'Tch, Tch' leaves the living room and lays down on the bed. She switches off the drama and keeping the mobile on the side table ponders, "Does love shrinks or fades, in a similar way a cotton dress does? It's so pretty and snuggly fitting when we buy it. Has bright colours. And as we wear and wash, it shrinks, fades, leaving behind lint, bits and pieces slowly....."

" The way Nirav used to look at me. His smile soaked in love, eyes only watching me. Where is that Nirav now?"

"Is it me? Am I not attractive enough now? But I follow a strict diet, I exercise daily. I dress up everyday. Then what's changed? Yes I'm getting older in age but so is he....." 

The train of thoughts was interrupted by the reminder on her mobile, 'Time to sleep', it read. Jiya switched off the WiFi on her mobile and slept.

Next morning the ringing alarm sent a shock through her body as she reached for her mobile with eyes closed. 

"Why do you keep the alarm volume so high Jiya", Nirav complained as his sleep got disturbed. 

Jiya turned off the alarm and got up to battle the day through. 

They both got ready and left for their work. They had a luxurious car but to save on time, they preferred to take metro to the office. Both their metro lines were in opposite directions. So they hoped onto the respective ones, bidding a not-so-saccharine goodbye. 

On the way, Jiya still had the lingering thoughts of yesterday. And when she saw a hoarding of a couple, advertising for some housing project, while passing by a flyover, she gazed at the expressions of the man in the picture, till the hoarding was out of her sight. 

"Ah! This man isn't related to the female yet his eyes sparkle and his smile is as broad as a cruiser ship", once again her soliloquy, now welled up her eyes. She abruptly dabbed her eyes with handkerchief and peeked into glass window to see if her eye liner is smudged. She pulled out the compact from her handbag and touched up her makeup, making sure she looked neat.

She got down at her station and walked towards her office building. Her office was in proximity to the metro station. She wasn't walking swiftly today but dragging her feet literally, towards the commercial complex. 

She scanned her ID card and entered the lobby. As she glimpsed at her watch, she rushed towards the lifts. There was a queue. Lost in her thoughts, she had got late today. As the elevator doors opened the crowd bolted in. She had to wait for the next one as the space was already jam-packed. 

While she was waiting, a couple joined the queue. Holding hands and gazing at each others eyes, they looked so in love. The woman had henna on her hands, "Seems like newlyweds", Jiya thought. Her trance was hindered by the loud 'Ding Dong' sound of the arrived elevator. Jiya vaulted into it as soon as the doors opened, to desist from getting involved with the endearing display of ardor.

She had a habit of messaging Nirav as soon as she reached the office. But due to the extensive contemplation since morning, it skipped her mind today. 

Jiya got busy with work. After having her lunch, lethargically, she continued her tasks. She was in no mood to work today but had zero option. 

It was about time to wind up for the day, when a thunderous sound was heard. All the employees rushed to the windows and balcony. A crowd had gathered on the road. Everyone seemed bewildered. They got to know that one side of the wall of the metro station had collapsed suddenly, obstructing the tracks. 

It was announced that there would be a block for metros running, atleast for few hours. 

Jiya was disturbed due to her previous thoughts as it is and now the metro not working, added to her worry. She hadn't seen her mobile all this while and to her displeasure, the battery had died. She asked her colleague for the mobile to call Nirav. But her colleague said that the mobile network was down due to the accident. A huge vehicle carrying out the repair works had disrupted the telephone lines and the mobile tower. In toto the communication was totally hampered in the area. 

Jiya left the office along with her colleagues. Finding a cab online was impossible now.

Amplifying the adversity, there was a traffic jam on the road outside. People were literally getting out of the cabs and walking. Decibels from horns and voices were deafening. 

On a normal day, Jiya would be home in an hour. But the series of mishaps had already wasted that hour for her.

 Jiya was getting paranoid. She started walking hastily. She somehow managed to cross the metro station area which had debris and rubbles everywhere. She hoofed it, atleast a few kilometres, halting and panting amid the deluge of people and vehicles. 

Exhausted, she sat on a bench at a bus stop. She took out the bottle of water from her bag and gulped it apace. She splashed a small amount of water on her face, sans souci of the makeup getting washed away. She didn't bothered to pull out her compact to check her smudged eye liner. 

As she took a deep breath and looked into the horde of people moving, she saw a conversant face emerging through the crowd. He was wiping sweat from his forehead. As he drew closer, his scanning eyes fixated on her. His anxious moue transformed into a smile as broad as the cruiser ship. His eyes sparkled with affection, not exiguous, but affection that was spilling by leaps and bounds. He looked just like that male lead in the drama she watched last night. 

He hotfooted towards her and wrapped her into a tight hug, without paying any heed to the passers-by.

 "I was so worried as I couldn't contact you. Thank God you are safe", Nirav exclaimed taking a sigh of relief. 

Jiya kissed him on his cheeks. And all the jittery thoughts that she had throughout the day vanished in thin air. She held his hands and said, "Lets walk home today".