Chapter 47: Chapter 47: Satyansh Predicament
Alex stood stiffly, totally shocked.
Near him, Ananya was also stunned with him.
The two of them gave each other a look, their eyes wide open in surprise, as if unable to believe what they just had heard and the absurdity of the situation.
Both of them felt the sudden outburst of sympathy for the miserable Satyansh.
Especially Alex he had always regarded him as an honest, kind and a down-to-earth guy.
No one would have anticipated, however, that, after a couple of drinks, his girlfriend would just blurt out such a truth her intoxicated words making it excruciatingly clear that her heart is still caught up with her ex-boyfriend.
Even her phone password, of all things, was still the anniversary date of her previous relationship.
Not too far away, Satyansh who still was frozen in place, remained speechless.
To him, each word from Sophie cut deeper than the sound that surrounded him. He had the impression that the last 40 seconds had dragged on for a lifetime, every one of them slicing into his chest more deeply.
His face had a neutral look, but his tightly clenched fists and the deep breath he took betrayed his internal conflict.
After a lengthy silence, he at last coaxed himself to say something, his tone low but firm.
"By what contact did you save me on your phone?"
The drunken Sophie, whose mind was already clouded, slurred automatically still thinking of her Ex.
"Love"
Satyansh face hardened at that because he has just checked his number on her phone, it was not named that.
His eyes tightened slightly as he unlocked her phone and searched for those very words on WhatsApp.
In a split second, a contact appeared of a male profile picture, faintly smiling.
That was the "Love".
Alex, sitting nearest, had heard everything clearly. He let out a soft sigh, unable to restrain himself.
"My friend... he really has it tough."
Because he knew Satyansh well from their high school days, Alex could immediately sense what was happening.
To Sophie, Satyansh was nothing more than a dependable backup, someone who would always be there while her thoughts and her heart were with someone else entirely.
It was the kind of thing that made a person’s chest tighten just by watching not to mention how much pain his friend might be feeling right now.
He had known Satyansh over a hundred moments of suffering in life, but these don’t come anywhere close.
Seeing him now, standing there with hollow eyes as Sophie’s intoxicated words tear him apart, Alex could feel a furious helplessness rise within his chest.
Ananya furrowed her brows and spoke softly, sympathy combined with curiosity. "Do you... do you know him well?"
Alex nodded gravely. "Yeah. We attended the same school years ago.
He was always been the kind of person who puts everything he has into someone.
Beneath the surface, though, I can sense...I can see that he’s suffering terribly right now."
Ananya sighed, her tone gentle. "That would be awful. Giving her everything he has, and knowing she’s still caught up in the past with someone else."
"Yes. A Disaster truly. That’s the only word for it," Alex grumbled, shaking his head.
He gritted his teeth, but he knew too that it was a personal issue. No one could step in, no matter how much it felt like an injustice.
In that instant, Satyansh went on to tap on the WhatsApp number and press the call button.
Within seconds, the call went through. His voice sounded rough, heavy, close to choking back emotion.
"Hello, Can you hear me? I’m sharing the live location. Come to Bandra Bar in Lower city and collect Sophie.
She’s drunk... and I don’t wish to handle this’s day her anymore."
He hung up in a rush, handed the phone back to Sophie, and without saying another word, turned and left the bar.
His shoulders shook a little, although he struggled extremely to hold back the tears that are trying to spill out.
And so he vanished into the crowd with his last words ringing in the air:
"I do not mind that you had a past. But I do mind that you are still living in it."
Alex and Ananya stood there stiffly, having just watched the whole wretched scene play out before their very eyes.
"This boy..." Alex breathed. "He’s truly, really miserable."
"It’s heartbreaking too," Ananya showed her concern, shaking her head. "He worships her as everything, but to her he’s only... an option. And all the time, she’s still with her ex."
She went quiet for a moment, then sighed once more. "It really is miserable."
Alex smoothed out his jacket and made up his mind.
"Wait here for a second. I’ll take you home first, then I need to find him. I can’t just leave my friend going through this way
I think I have to speak with him, at least try to draw him out of this hole."
Ananya waved her hands quickly, like ever considerate she is. "No, no. Don’t mind me. I live nearby, just across from the next building.
I can walk. You should go to him as soon as possible; he needs you more."
Alex looked at her doubtfully. "You’re sure? Because I don’t think the building in front is anywhere near your place."
Ananya blinked looking confused, tilting her head in disbelief. "Wait... is not this the entrance to my building?"
Alex pressed a hand to his forehead. He had known this was going to happen.
The reason why he had insisted on taking her home was precisely this, her absolute lack of sense of direction.
"That building," he said dryly, "is an office block. Your house is ten kilometers off, near Dadar.
Don’t tell me you were going to go wandering in and lose yourself again?"
Ananya’s eyes widened in embarrassment, her face reddening. "... Wait, seriously? That’s not my house?!"
Her gaze flashed back to the building, then to him. "Did I... get it wrong again?"
Alex groaned, half-laughing and half-exasperated. "Every single time..."