twenty-three The Next Station Is …
twenty-three
The Next Station Is …
My first thought when my phone jolted me awake the next morning was that maybe I’d forgotten to switch my alarm off.
But it wasn’t even light outside, and the ringing sound was not my alarm tone.
Why is someone calling me at this hour? My hand shot out towards the bedside table, heart thudding as I fumbled for the phone and started imagining worst-case scenarios. Are mom and dad okay? Keshav bhaiya?
He’d seen the email.
I swallowed, a real effort considering how dry my throat was. My voice was going to come out sounding like a frog, but I didn’t exactly have time to brush my teeth and emotionally prepare. I brought the phone to my ear. ‘H-hello?’ I croaked.
‘Kavya!’ His voice boomed through the speaker, in sharp contrast to mine. I could hear a faint airline announcement in the background. ‘Good, you picked up.’
‘Uh … yes.’ I pushed myself upright against the headboard. My eyes were still struggling to focus. ‘Good morning.’
‘Well, it was a good morning. I just landed from London after closing Jharokha’s first international deal … but when I switched on my phone I saw your resignation email in my inbox.’
I shut my eyes. Of course. He didn’t pause long enough for me to come up with a response.
‘I have to say, that was the most interesting resignation letter I’ve ever read.’ Was I imagining it or did he almost sound … amused? ‘In fact, are you completely sure you’re a graphic designer? Because the content team could use a writer like you.’
Heat rushed up to my cheeks. ‘Rajat, I was just—’
‘Anyway, not the point.’ His voice switched back to business mode.
‘Listen, we’ll talk about the ethics lesson later, all right?
I’m not brushing it aside. You made a mistake, and yes, I’m annoyed.
But I’m ten times more impressed. The work you’ve done on this project is commendable.
I saw the shoot footage from Mussoorie. It’s epic. ’
I held the phone a few inches away from my face, scared that he might be able to hear my heart beating through the receiver.
‘We’re days away from the launch. You spearheaded this thing and you’re going to see it through.’
‘I understand, Rajat. I’m happy to serve out my notice until the end of the launch,’ I managed, my voice small.
‘Kavya, I’m saying that I’m not accepting your resignation,’ he said, breaking it down for me like he was talking to a child. ‘I’m not losing you over a petty catfight and a half-baked rumour.’
Huh?
His matter-of-fact tone was back. ‘And once the launch is done, we can talk about your new marketing role in the fashion vertical.’
‘I … I don’t know what to say, Rajat.’
‘A simple yes will suffice. I’ll see you in the office today, okay?’
‘Okay …’ I acquiesced, but a thought was nagging at me. ‘Rajat, what did you mean when you said “cat fight”?’
He sighed dramatically and muttered, ‘God, this generation is so sensitive.’ There was a pause before he continued, as if he was trying to watch his mouth.
‘Look, Varun has expressed to me recently that the pitch-off may not have been the healthiest idea as far as office politics was concerned … So yes, I’m aware that I pitted all of you against each other and maybe that wasn’t entirely fair.
It clearly created unnecessary drama between you and Tanya, and if I’m being honest, I see why … ’
Every cell in my body froze.
‘Wait, what are you talking about? What does Tanya have to do with any of this?’
‘Oh.’ There was a noticeable hesitation in his voice when he spoke again. ‘Um, sorry, I didn’t realize HR hadn’t told you about who came forward with that accusation about your degree. That’s, um, my bad …’
I could feel last night’s pizza coming back up my throat.
No, no. It couldn’t be. I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to hold myself together.
How could this be happening? Why would she …
How did she even find out? My mind scrambled to piece together the Mussoorie trip.
Had someone from my family said something incriminating to her?
I couldn’t recall any nostalgic conversations from that night about where I’d gone to college …
but maybe it had come up when I hadn’t been around?
Oh God, what if Arjun had said something on their ride back to the hotel?
‘I’ve to go now, okay? We’ll talk more in office,’ he said and hung up without waiting for my response. Not that it would’ve made a difference, because I was way too stunned to speak anyway.
Tanya had reported me to HR, not Neil. I didn’t know how or why, but my best friend had betrayed me.
A dramatic background score started playing in my head as I rode up the elevator, as though Ekta Kapoor had suddenly started directing my life.
The violins were humming as I punched in and stepped into the office.
They shot up an octave when my eyes locked with Tanya’s.
For a microsecond, there was a brief lull as her face softened into the automatic smile she always gave me, like it was muscle memory.
But then she registered my expression and the imaginary beat dropped.
Tudum-tudum-tudum. The cameras panned to her face, then mine, then hers again.
Her smile faltered before dying out completely.
And just like that, the soundtrack slipped away, leaving behind the cold, uncinematic reality.
My best friend had betrayed me. The hurt rose up fast, but I pushed it back down.
I was not going to let her see me fall apart.
I held her gaze as a flicker of panic flashed across her features, which she replaced quickly with a neutral expression.
She straightened her spine, suddenly very interested in whatever was on her screen.
I walked past her silently, even though every muscle in my body wanted to walk up to her and slam both hands on her desk.
I settled into my chair and switched on my iMac, pretending not to notice the way Tanya kept glancing at me from two rows away.
I refused to look in her direction. There was too much to catch up on anyway.
The campaign rollout was scheduled for next week, and I’d missed three whole days of post-production calls, design edits and feedback loops.
Without Neil or me steering the ship, the project had begun to wobble.
My heart ached at the thought of Neil. It hurt to think about how quickly I had written him off and painted him as the villain in my story.
I’d thrown so much anger and hate his way, when he’d done nothing but stand by me.
And the pathetic irony was that I hadn’t spared a single suspicious thought for the person who actually had double-crossed me.
I had blindly trusted the wrong person and doubted the one who’d shown up for me again and again. What kind of compass was that?
I took a long breath, forcing myself to focus on the screen.
I couldn’t fix any of this right now. I’d already tried calling and texting him this morning without getting any response.
And until he came back to me on his own, there was nothing left to do but sit in the uncomfortable truth that I’d failed both of us.
A chat box popped up on my screen, pulling me away from thoughts of Neil.
Tanya: Can we talk?
I thought about closing the chat and getting back to my inbox, but another message appeared.
Tanya: Waiting for you by the staircase.
I blew out a sharp breath. Might as well get this over with.
Tanya was sitting on the top step with her chin propped up on her elbows. She looked up the second she heard footsteps and, for a moment, neither of us said anything.
‘Thanks for coming,’ she said, her voice low.
I crossed my arms, leaning against the railing, keeping as much distance between us as the narrow space allowed. ‘Why?’ The word came out more breathless than I’d intended. ‘Why would you do that to me?’
She ran a trembling hand through her hair. ‘I … I didn’t plan it, I swear. But that day in Mussoorie, when I went to your room? I saw that photo collage from your college days. At first, I thought I was just getting things mixed up … that maybe you’d gone to NYU for your post grad. But then—’
‘Then you dug,’ I finished for her, my voice flat.
She nodded, looking at the wall to avoid my furious gaze. ‘I couldn’t help it, I just wanted to know the truth.’
I snorted. ‘You could’ve just asked me, if you were so desperate to know.’
She shook her head. ‘I didn’t think you’d tell me. You had been hiding so much from me … about where you went to college, your relationship with Neil … it made me feel like our whole friendship had been a lie.’
My nostrils flared as a spark of anger rose in my chest. ‘There wasn’t a relationship to tell you about!’
‘Well, there was something … I got that much from that night at your house.’
I closed my eyes and exhaled, resting the side of my head against the wall for support. Just breathe, I told myself. You came here for answers, not retribution. ‘And so, what, you decided to punish me?’
‘No!’ She buried her face in her hands. ‘I mean, at least I didn’t mean to.
I was just so angry, Kavya. At my parents, for controlling everything about my life …
who I spoke to, where I went, what time I came home.
At Rajat, for showing me a way out and then snatching it away.
And at you … for being the reason why I’d lost that chance.
’ Her voice wobbled and, for a second, all the betrayal and hurt I was feeling gave way to a stab of pain for the friend she used to be.
I swallowed. ‘Tanya …’
Her glasses slid down her nose as she shook her head again.
‘I’m not telling you this so you’ll feel bad for me.
I’m just … I’m trying to explain the headspace I was in.
Every small thing felt like an attack. When I saw that photo collage, and then you and Neil …
I snapped.’ Her eyes glistened with tears, and I felt my own cheeks grow wet. ‘I am sorry,’ she whispered. ‘Truly.’