Chapter 366

For a minute she even got mad at Pryag for ignoring her and reacting the way that he did. It was extremely annoying when she was trying to tell him something very important. She paused for a minute and looked around while he continued to enjoy the soup. She got even more annoyed at him. Then it occurred to her. It must definitely be hard for him to listen to her. She knew that he lover her very much. And just after a few minutes, there was some other guy in the picture and the woman he loved was telling him that she has been seeing him. It was not easy to digest for anyone. Diya felt bad. She was not annoyed at him anymore once she realized that. She wanted to break it down to him gently but there was no gentle way to say it. Diya continued after a brief pause. Pryag had almost finished his soup. Diya said, “I have been seeing him for a while. I kind of like him. It was very casual I the beginning…..” she paused for a minute again and said, “…then it got a bit more than just casual.” Pryag didn’t say anything. She said to herself, “Say something! Anything, just any damn thing.” But no words came out of his mouth. She wanted to look into his eyes and read him but he hardly looked at her. She waited for a couple of minutes and she couldn’t bear his silence anymore. She opened up her mouth to say something and the food that they had ordered arrived. She waited for the waiter to leave to continue the conversation. Pryag beat her to it and asked her looking around, “Are those pair of eyes still interested in me?” and smiled. Diya had not expected that. It took her by surprised. For a moment she felt like smacking him right on his face. It took her a few seconds to recover from it and she looked around and said, “She is still around but is busy chatting with someone.” Pryag said, “That’s bad. I might loose another one too. Looks like it.” He gave out a meek laugh and turned his attention to his food.

Diya didn’t know what to say. She felt like someone just pricked her with a needle when she wasn’t looking. She couldn’t concentrate on her food. She doodled on it with a fork. Diya said, “Pryag. Look at me.” He looked up and asked cheerfully, “What? You don’t like it? Let me taste yours.” He grabbed a fork and tasted her food. Diya got a bit irritated and said, “Forget it.” Pryag said, “Hey! I am listening to what you are saying. At the same time also like to enjoy my food.” Diya just couldn’t figure out what he was thinking. She replied with urgency and said, “I really didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I didn’t want to hurt you in any way. You have got to believe me.” He looked up and said, “I know. Why don’t we discuss this after we finish our meal? This is really good and I think you should enjoy this. The evening is still young and we can continue our conversation later. Diya felt relieved by his statement. She nodded in agreement. They both finished their meal. It was indeed very pleasant for her pallet. The menu not only had a huge selection but it also had international flavors added to it. Diya’s choice was a pan tossed lasagna salad. She had randomly picked one up from the menu as she had something else on her mind. It had some over roasted tomatoes and olives. It also had baby spinach and pumpkin seeds. It was tossed along with some bread croutons and shredded pepper jack cheese. Pryag had ordered rice and eggplant. A big whole eggplant was halved and was backed with some tomatoes and feta cheese. The sauce was made from capers and wine. It was served with a Greek salad and rice. It was definitely unique and tasty. Pryag thoroughly enjoyed himself. Diya excused herself to make a trip to the bathroom.

Chapter 365

They both placed their order and again Diya noticed that those two pair of eyes was still eying Pryag. Diya said, "You look quiet handsome today" with a smile. Pryag replied, "Thank you. You look great too." He paused for a minute and said, "I feel good too. Don't they say that it is all in your mind" and smiled. Diya smiled again and said, "True. That is very true. It is not just me who finds you handsome but there seems to be other pairs of eyes who feel that too" Pryag raised his eyebrows in surprise and asked, "Who might that be?" Diya said, "Well! Just a couple of tables behind you there is a young lady who seems to be interested in you. She has been eyeing you for a while now." Pryag exclaimed, "Really! That is flattering. Especially flattering when I am in the presence of a gorgeous damsel. Well, I am only used to guys looking at you and not gals looking at me. So this is definitely new and flattering and makes me feel even good." Diya smiled. Before she could say anything Pryag continued, "As mostly guys at you when we go out together anywhere, I kind of used to feel man I am going to loose her. As for that, this is definitely a welcoming change. Now I am curious. Who is that?" Diya laughed. "Pryag, I am sorry you felt that way but I never knew that." He said, "Hey! That is okay. It is not your fault. It is just me. I almost forgot." He reached for his pocket and took something out. It was a small box that was gift wrapped. He gave it to her and said, "Open it. It is for you." Diya was surprised. It was very small and compact to fit in a pocket, yet nicely packaged. She opened it and in there was a small brooch. It was a golden crystal twin dolphin brooch; one was a golden dolphin and the other a crystal dolphin. There was a small card in there and it read, "The Golden crystal twin dolphin Brooch is perfect to give a fun, artistic flair to whatever it is that you are wearing. This was just created for people who love high quality handcrafted jewelry. This brooch fastens securely with a metal pin clasp. Diya looked up and said, "Thank you. This is beautiful. This was something.." Before she could finish Pryag interrupted and said, "Something you have always wanted. I remembered that you once told me that you wanted a dolphin brooch for you animal brooch collection but could never find one that you liked. When I came across this one, I thought that you would like it so I got it for you. I got this a couple of weeks ago but we never got a chance to actually meet. When you called up and said you wanted to meet, I remembered to bring it with me." Diya smiled and pressed his hand that was on the table with hers and said, "Thank you." He smiled and said, "Welcome". He waited for her to pin it on her blouse. The green colored crystals matched well with her outfit. He said, "Looks nice on you." He paused for a minute and said, "You wanted to talk about something." Diya's face changed and became a bit serious. She said, "Pryag, we have a special relationship and an amazing friendship." She paused again and then continued, "We have been together and things kind of got a little rough between us and we hardly spoke with each other. And I am really glad that it is all over and we are here together having a nice time. I wouldn't trade this wonderful time for anything." She paused. Pryag said, "Go ahead." Diya stammered. Pryag said, "Something changed? You can tell me Diya. I am big boy. What ever it is I can handle it." Before Diya could say anything the soup that Pryag had ordered arrived. He sprinkled some salt and pepper on it while Diya watched him. He looked at her and said, "I am listening." Diya reluctantly continued, "When we were sort of .... when we were not talking to each other and .... when things kinds of went down hill between us... I started seeing someone." Diya starred at him but he didn't even look up and continued to enjoy his soup. He said, "This soup is really good. You have got to try it." Diya didn't know if he was just talking about the soup or he didn't hear what she said or if it was suppose to mean something else.

Chapter 364

After three days Diya and Pryag were sitting at a local diner sipping their drinks. Pryag had ordered a tropical fruit juice and Diya was sipping her cosmopolitan. Pryag commented, “You should try this. The pineapple and the mango and I think it had kiwi too. This is really good.” Diya said, “Maybe next time”. Pryag seemed relaxed and said, “You know it feels very good. The atmosphere is quiet and is pleasant. It has been a long time since the two of us actually went out and had a bite together. I know you have something important to discuss with me. So what is it that you want to talk to me about?” Diya replied, “Ya. It has been a while that we went out somewhere.” She paused for a minute and said, “I am …. Not sure exactly how to start the topic. It is not easy for me.” Pryag smiled and said, “Take your time. I am not going anywhere.” He picked up the menu and said, “Would you care for an appetizer?” Diya nodded “No”. Pryag said, “I think I will start with a soup. This spicy Mediterranean soup sounds good. “He looked at the menu and said, “This is a big diner and have quiet a lot of choices. I can go for a wrap or this grilled entrée or maybe go for this pasta with pesto and capers. Oh! Boy this is going to be tough to pick one.” He looked at Diya and asked, “Have you decided on something? Sometimes too many options is also a problem." Diya was distracted and it was very obvious to Pryag. He knew she was finding the right time and the right words to discuss what was on her mind. He also guessed that the topic was something to do with how he felt about her or about some thing that she needs his input on. He also suspected that it may not be a pleasant conversation considering how reluctant she was to discuss the subject. He didn't want to pressure her and wanted to give her the time she needed. With his head behind the menu she was secretly admiring her. Her hair was pulled back into a pony and a simple green scrunchie was holding it back. It went well with her plain green skirt and her off white blouse with a tinge of yellow adding elegance to it. A simple jade pendant adorned her neck and matching drops dangled from her ears.

Diya's mind was neither on the menu nor on the questions was that Pryag asking her. She was going through her mind how to tell Pryag that she had been dating someone and it had become more than that. She decided that the best way to do it would be to come right out with it but it still felt a little uneasy to open up that topic that she had been avoiding. She looked up and caught Pryag starring at her. She returned his smile and he immediately immersed his looks into the menu. She starred at him and realized that how easy it had always been to talk to him in the past. She noticed that he had been working out which was apparent through his tight t-shirt that he was wearing. He was well dressed with a dark acid-wash jean and a light pink t-shirt. She thought, a pink t-shirt, he would probably be the only guy who is comfortable wearing one and it probably only suits him. It brought out his complexion and made him look more muscular. Diya accidentally dropped her menu and bent down to pick it up. When she was just about to look up she noticed a young woman looking at Pryag. At first she thought she was glancing at him and when she looked up a few minutes later she noticed that she was still looking at him on and off. It struck Diya that it would be the right time to start a conversation and steer it in the direction that she wants. By the time the waiter was back to take their order.