Chapter 5: Jealousy in the Inbox
After I sent the message, Neha didn’t reply for ages.
The seconds dragged as I lay beside Priya, careful not to wake her. The ceiling fan ticked overhead, the Mumbai power flickered, and I kept checking my phone for her reply.
Just when I was about to sneak to the study to call her, she finally replied with a voice note. I replayed it, listening for any trace of warmth:
[Rohan Sir, sorry, I just took a shower and didn’t see my phone.]
[He’s the guy from my rishta last week. He’s into me, so he came to pick me up after work. Why?]
My chest tightened. My fingers shook as I typed:
[You went on a rishta?]
[Yeah, my family arranged it. They said he’s pretty decent, so I went to check him out.]
I tried to keep my breathing steady.
[So, what do you think of him?]
The wait felt endless. I stared at her WhatsApp profile pic—her and her sister, smiling at a Diwali party—trying to guess her mood.
Finally, another voice note pinged:
“Sorry, I just took a call.”
“You mean what I think of him? At first, nothing much. But today, when he picked me up, he brought me a Michael Kors bag. He seems pretty decent, so I’m thinking of getting to know him better.”
“Rohan Sir, it’s late. I’m going to sleep. You should rest too. Good night.”
It felt like a stone in my chest. I wondered—was the call from him?
I couldn’t take it. I slipped out to the study and dialed her number directly.