“Oh gosh, it’s late. I need to start getting ready”, she exclaimed.

“Relax! It’s just 7:30. You’re well aware by now that no party ever starts on time”, her husband said, reading the newspaper and sipping his evening tea.

“What should I put on, honey? Do you think the black dress I wore on your birthday would go well?”, she asked as she indulged herself in the pre-makeup work.

“You look way too gorgeous in that dress. Are you sure that’s the one you want to go with?”, he asked still with scant attention on her.

She felt no urge to respond to him. Deep down, this was the affirmation she secretly craved. She needed to be certain that selecting the finest piece from her wardrobe was the right decision that night.

---

Her mind wandered off to the first time he caught her eye about 2 months back. He wore a navy blue tie on a black suit and radiated warmth that could not be overlooked. He was the senior consultant hired by her startup to work on a project with her.

"Hi, Aruna. My name is Kunal. Nice to meet you!", he greeted with a cheeky smile as he entered the cabin to introduce himself.

"Nice to meet you too. Looks like we're going to be working together closely in the upcoming months", she said realizing how firm his handshake was.

"I am looking forward to it, given your prolific experience in the sector. Yes, ma'am, I did my homework", he grinned. "By the way, I am a Murakami fan too", he blurted as he dug through her massive book collection. 

That sent butterflies in her stomach in a way that felt wrong.

"Hopefully we will get ample time to discuss these books. Been a long time since I did that with someone, you know?", he murmured almost to himself.

It got increasingly difficult for her to conceal how her body reacted to his charisma and confidence.

"Hey, you seem busy. I shall take your leave and see you around! Excited to start working with you!".

She could not utter a word as she was left stunned. You couldn't blame her. This guy swooped into her office and left her feeling some version of "seen", perhaps?

---

"You're putting in quite the effort for an office party," her husband remarked, clearly taken aback by her attire.

"Well, it's a big event and all the important investors are going to be present", she tried to justify.

-—

The silence that followed drifted her to this one time when they were on their way back from a meeting. Due to his unsettling presence, she made a concerted effort to limit her conversation to work-related matters only. 

"Hey, could you turn up the volume? I love that song," he asked politely from the passenger seat.

"What other bands are you into? Favorite cuisine? What kind of movies do you watch? What did you think of that Black Mirror episode?" He'd pester her with these questions incessantly, whether they were in a cab, on a flight, grabbing a meal, or waiting at the client's reception.

She attempted to fend him off with curt, monosyllabic responses. The fear of him breaking through her defenses crippled her.

Undeterred, he often responded by posing thought-provoking questions instead. "Do you believe the client's treatment of their subordinate was justified? Why do you think there are so few women in the workforce anyway? If there was one thing you could do to solve that problem, what would that be?"

These questions got her to start opening up and confiding in him and boy! all the walls she had built around herself came crashing down. After all, she was a sucker for deep or stimulating conversations just like him.

---

It was a hot Thursday afternoon, they were trying out a new restaurant by the block between their meetings. Anticipation tingled in her veins as she eagerly awaited their lunch break, a daily highlight she cherished. However, as the hour approached, a subtle unease crept over her, a nagging sensation that something was amiss.

She appeared deep in thought. The realization had steadily dawned upon her on how day in, and day out, the routine of work and daily life had quietly strangled her marriage. Loneliness had become her silent companion, especially in the last couple of years. Was it her promotion? Or her husband's new job which demanded lots of travel? She wasn't sure.

He caught onto that tension in the air and interrupted her thoughts. "Is everything okay? You look weary."

"Aah, no. It's nothing", She felt surprised that he could notice that. It was as if someone was seeing her again. 

"Okay, I won't probe and make you uncomfortable. But tell me this, how long have you been married for?"

"It's going to be 10 years this June. Phew! Long time", she answered a personal question quite comfortably, crossing a self-invented boundary unknowingly. But, there was a touch of melancholy in her voice. "How about you?"

"Well I got divorced 2 years back", he enlightened her after a slight hault.

"Ouch. I'm sorry to hear that! How are you holding up?"

"Much better now actually. Thanks for asking!"

---

"Hey hon, how do I look?", she asked her husband in an anticipatory tone as she finished getting ready. 

"You look stellar as always", her husband complimented without even looking at her.

She contrasted this with the kind of compliments he showered at her. "Did you get a haircut? It really suits you… That dress looks pretty on you… You should wear black more often, it makes you stand out…"

This made her smile. She hadn't felt this way for a long time. "Why are you smiling, dear?", her husband looked puzzled.

"Great! Now, he notices!", she thought to herself and flashed back to their celebratory dinner when they won the big deal together.

---

"Hey, congratulations! You kicked some ass back there. You were on fire. I mean we have to celebrate the deal", the zeal in his voice was evident. 

"Thank you, that means a lot! But, I can't. I will get home late!"

"I never insist, but come on! Just this one time, because today calls for a real celebration. Just a nice meal and maybe a beer!", he pleaded.

---

"Alright alright", she grinned.  

"Honey I am going to be late tonight..going for dinner with a colleague. Don't wait for me", read the text she sent her husband. 

After 3 hours and 5 beer bottles down, he suddenly found himself lost in thoughts, questioning why fate hadn't brought them together a decade earlier. 

He started fabricating stories about how he would have asked her out, the amount of fun they would have on movie or theatre dates, dinners, or music shows - you name it! He would have shown her his favorite spots in the city, specially handcrafted for gorgeous sunset views and she would have shown her how she decorated her apartment perhaps?

But it didn't matter. It was too late. It took every ounce of strength in him to accept that she couldn't be his. He felt fortunate to have met her, learned many things, and created memories of chatting, joking, and debating with her. 

He gave her this intense, very soulful stare. "What?", she retorted.

"Your husband is a lucky man you know". There was remorse all over his face.

"Well, I don't think he feels that way though..But I have to thank you…I have had the most fun the last two months. Sorry if I came across as too secluded and reserved at the start", she was careful not to divulge too much about the state of her marriage, having gulped two beer bottles. 

"Don't apologize. I could always understand It's not easy being a woman in business, running such a huge and talented team."

She looked at him affectionately and felt very warm and fuzzy in her heart. 

 "Am I attracted to him? That's not possible! Who even gets attracted at my age to someone else? He's just a dear friend!" she quickly dismissed these thoughts and decided to delight in all her naivety.

"It's late! I should head home", she uttered hastily to ensure no boundaries were crossed that night.

"Let me drop you home. You obviously can't drive in this state."

She made a rebellious face.

"No, don't debate me on this", he chided her.

"Only on one condition".

"Shoot."

"Next time, I am gonna decide the place." 

"Haha. Give me the keys", he supported her as she walked towards her car.

After a lot of fun banter in the car, he parked outside her apartment and confessed, "Thank you for showing me such an amazing time tonight. I loved it! It's hard to acknowledge how time passes by with you."

She blushed and waved him goodnight.

---

"Nothing honey.. just got reminded of an incident from a get-together with colleagues", she tried her best to sound believable. 

"That's strange. Why haven't you told me about it?", he asked. 

"Ummm.. I don't know. We haven't gotten adequate time to speak properly lately". 

"Yeah, I know. I've been swamped with work. Today was one day I was free but your office party randomly sprang up!"

"You have been occupied for weeks now and this is that one night when I am engaged and now you're blaming me?"

"I know. I am not blaming you. Let's go out for dinner this weekend?", he proposed and let out a long, deep sigh.

"Sure, but promise me you won't cancel at the last moment like the last four times", she interjected, arranging the handbag she would be carrying.

---

She was reminded of one of those weekend plans with him as she went to the garage to get her car out. It was one of those gloomy Saturday afternoons when her husband bailed on her again. 

Her phone vibrated as she was watching TV. "Hey. What you doing tonight?", his text read. 

"Nothing much. My husband is out of town. The plan is to chill on my own, maybe read a bit", she tried to sound nonchalant but was relieved to see his messages.

"I have two tickets for this exotic play. Want to give me some company?"

"Sure. Sounds interesting! When is it?"

"This evening. Will pick you up in an hour or so."

She was glad to escape from the fact that her marriage had plunged into a mid-life crisis and engage in something rather interesting - a topic such as feminism and masculinity in the modern world, which was what the play was about. 

---

Her heart raced with each passing minute behind the wheel. She couldn't wait to see him.

"Hey", she whispered staring at him from a distance.

"I thought you won't show up."

"Wait, What? Why?", she sought an explanation.

"I just assumed you're not good with goodbyes."

"Goodbye?", she inquired in shock.

"My work here is almost done. I leave the city this Sunday to start a new project next week". 

"What?!" That was rather a scream. "Wait.. what?", she repeated.

"I thought you knew. But if it makes a difference, I wish I didn't have to."

She was speechless. She tried to disguise her tears under the glamour of her makeup hard but her efforts went in vain. 

"Hey. You alright?", he handed her his handkerchief. pouring her a glass of water. "Let's find a place that doesn't have a flock of people."

They walked over to the rear side of the building near the foundations and he just sat next to her and tried to comfort her by rubbing her shoulders. She just sat in silence, trying to process these complex feelings that erupted inside her. 

"No pressure, but in about an hour you have your speech coming up, so we have to get you all ready by then…But, I have something I'd like to share, now that I'm leaving. The only reason I didn't so far is because I thought it was inconsequential", he smiled wistfully.

She nodded.

"There hasn't been a day I haven't thought about you." He paused for a couple of seconds. 

"I know it's wrong. You have your life here and I'm still figuring my place after my divorce. I know we haven't spoken much about those parts of our lives. But, don't worry, I have accepted my fate and have no expectations from you, only gratitude".

"You've made me feel things I haven't felt in a long time, you made me feel alive again", she admitted.

"What if I tell you I felt those things too?" He gazed deeply into her eyes and found a wealth of unspoken emotion.

"Don't go?", she made a humble request.

"You know that's not possible".

He came so close he could smell her hair and tucked her hair behind her earrings.

"Oh! You're so beautiful", he brought his lips close to hers. 

10 years of marriage. 3650 days of hard work. 87600 days of sweat. 1 moment of weakness. 1 chance to be young again. 1 more strong rush of adrenaline. What is she going to choose?

What would you choose?