5. Reunion

Kriti's POV:

I was buried in work, fingers flying over my laptop keyboard, completely absorbed in editing a report. Suddenly, my phone buzzed on the desk beside me and it was Diya, one of my best friends.

At first, I ignored the call. I wasn’t in the mood for distractions, especially during work hours. But a few seconds later, she called again.

With a frustrated sigh, I picked up.

"What now, Diya? Don’t you remember I’m usually busy at this time?" I snapped.

"I don’t care," she shot back, laughing. "And don’t act like you’re some workaholic robot."

I groaned, already regretting answering. "You’re really getting on my nerves. I am busy. What do you want?"

"Oh, right," she said, dragging the words in her usual teasing tone. "But before that, let me ask... Do you, Miss Journalist Queen, have even one minute of free time in your all-so-precious schedule?"

I rolled my eyes. If she were sitting beside me, I swear I would’ve smacked her with my file.

"Diya, don’t push it. I’m this close to blocking your number," I warned, ready to cut the call.

"Okay, okay... Sorry, Madam," she laughed again. "Listen, we’re planning a get-together tonight. Just me, Puja, Mukti, and Priyank. The whole gang."

I froze for a second. "The whole gang? Seriously? What’s going on?"

"We’ve been planning this for two months now," she said with a soft sigh. "But everyone’s always so busy. So finally, we’re locking tonight."

Her tone changed, and I could still hear a hint of sadness. The kind of sadness you feel when you miss your people too long.

I stayed silent, letting it sink in.

"So," she pressed again, "Are you coming or not?"

I smiled a little. "Of course I’m coming. My office doesn’t run till midnight."

"Good," she chirped. "I’ll text you the name and location. Don’t be late. See you soon. Bye."

"Bye," I said, hanging up.

For the first time that day, I actually felt a little excited. It had been months since I saw all of them together. Life became a race after graduation. We all got swept away by our careers, leaving very little time for the people who once felt like family.

But tonight, we’d press pause. Laugh... Catch up.... Be ourselves again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After office hours, I got ready quickly and headed to Lotus Café, which Diya had texted.

It was almost 8 p.m when I entered Lotus Café, and instantly spotted them. All of them were already there, chatting and laughing like no time had passed.

"Look who finally decided to show up,"  Mukti said excitedly as she got up and wrapped me in a tight hug. "How are you, sweetheart?"

"I’m good," I smiled, hugging her back. "How about you?"

"I’m great. It’s been way too long," she said as we pulled away. And it really had because Mukti had been working abroad for a while, so this was our first reunion in years.

Then came the rest... Puja, Diya, Priyank. One by one, they pulled me into warm hugs, asking how I’d been, and for a moment, I felt like I was back in college again.

We found our seats and placed our orders. The air buzzed with excitement as we caught up on each other’s lives.

Then Diya, as usual, brought the spotlight onto herself.

"So.... we have an announcement," she said, glancing at Priyank with a huge grin. "We’re getting engaged."

Gasps and cheers erupted around the table.

"Oh my God! Finally!" I exclaimed, clapping my hands. "You two were the cutest couple in college. I knew this day would come."

Diya blushed while Priyank just smiled shyly. Everyone showered them with love and teasing. Honestly, it was pure chaos in the best way.

Then Diya turned to Puja and Mukti with her signature smirk. "Okay, your turn. Any special someone in your lives?"

Surprisingly, both of them nodded.

"Wait.... you have a boyfriend too?" I asked, eyes wide as I looked at Mukti. "You? Miss Shy and Silent?"

"I know, right?" Diya added, laughing. "She barely said hi to boys in college."

Mukti giggled. "Things change, I guess."

The teasing was light-hearted, and it was heartwarming to see them all smiling like this. But I knew what was coming next and Diya didn’t disappoint.

"And now, the mystery queen herself... Kriti. Have you finally found your prince charming?"

Everyone turned to me with raised brows and mischievous smiles.

"Shut up," I said, narrowing my eyes at her. "Why are you so desperate to know?"

"Because it’s your turn," Puja said, pointing at me. "Come on, spill the tea. You have to tell us."

"But for that, I’d need to actually have a boyfriend," I said with a shrug. "And luckily for me, I don’t."

"You’re joking!"  Mukti gasped. "You mean to tell me someone as perfect and drop-dead gorgeous as you doesn’t have a boyfriend? Like... if I were a boy, I’d marry you right now."

We all burst into laughter.

"I’m serious though," I said once we calmed down. "Even if I did have a boyfriend, I’d probably break up or argue with him every hour. I’m the worst when it comes to relationships."

And honestly? That wasn’t a joke. I did believe that.

"It’s not an excuse," Priyank chimed in, grinning mischievously. "You’re the only one still single. And don't tell us that you are still waiting for that prince you used to talk about all the time."

And then everyone burst out laughing.

I covered my face with one hand, groaning. "Oh my God, please don’t remind me."

In college, I was that dreamy girl and also a hopeless romantic who’d once told everyone that my prince was asleep in a cave, cursed by a witch, and would find me someday. At the time, it felt magical. Now? Just plain embarrassing.

"I think your prince is still snoring in that cave," Diya said with a straight face, and this time even I couldn’t help laughing along with them.

"Okay, seriously now," Puja said, wiping her mouth. "Why don’t you have a boyfriend yet, Kriti?"

I sighed, setting my glass down. "Because I’m not ready. I just want to focus on my career right now.'

Diya raised a brow. "So..... You’re skipping relationships and jumping straight into marriage?"

"Ugh, no way," I said dramatically. "I’m not interested in marriage either. Honestly, I feel like I might just stay single forever."

They all gave me that classic What-are-you-even-saying? look until, thankfully, our food arrived at the perfect moment.

Everyone turned their attention to the dishes in front of them, and I took it as my golden opportunity to escape the boyfriend and marriage interrogation.

But of course, the silence didn’t last long.

"So, Kriti," Mukti asked between bites. "How’s work going?"

"It’s going alright," I replied. "Stressful, but manageable. What about you?"

Before Mukti could answer, Puja suddenly put her spoon down and spoke up, her tone more serious, "Guys... I actually forgot to tell you something earlier. It’s kind of sad."

We all paused, turning to look at her.

"Wh… What happened?" Diya asked, her expression tensing up with concern.

"I lost my job a few days ago,"  Puja said quietly, her voice heavy with disappointment.

"What?" I gasped, shocked. "But… how? You worked so hard to get that job."

The table went silent, everyone's mood shifting instantly. Mukti and Priyank looked equally stunned.

"I was sick," Puja continued, lowering her eyes. "And because of that, I couldn’t complete my project on time."

"Oh God, are you serious?" Priyank asked. "Didn’t you explain that to them?"

"I did," she nodded. "But the CEO didn’t care. He’s rude, arrogant, heartless and a jerk."

We all looked at her, still stunned and then she added, "And that’s not even the worst part."

"What could be worse than losing your job?" Mukti asked.

"He fired Ayan too," Puja said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Wait.... Ayan? Your boyfriend?" I asked, eyes wide.

She nodded slowly. "Yeah. Just because he was the one training me. The CEO said it was his responsibility."

"What kind of monster fires someone for that?" Diya said, fuming. "Forget the job. It’s a blessing you don’t have to work under someone that toxic anymore.x

"I’m not even upset for myself," Puja admitted. "But Ayan. He was working in that company for two years. He didn’t deserve this. The CEO didn’t even think twice."

"If I were you, I would’ve slapped that jerk right across his smug face," I said, clenching my fists. "He doesn’t deserve to be anyone’s boss."

"I wanted to," Puja replied with a dry laugh. "But he’s too powerful for being the son of one of the top industrialists in the city. He’s fired people for even minor mistakes. I could probably only kill him in my dreams."

The conversation tried to shift as Puja forced a smile and commented on the food, but I wasn’t listening anymore.

My brain was spinning with an idea.

What if I exposed this guy?

If Puja was right and if he was really well known and powerful then writing about his cruelty could not only help people see the truth, but finally give me the big article exposure I needed. The kind of article that could make headlines.

And this time, it wouldn't just be about justice rather it could finally prove to everyone, including my boss, that I’m capable of powerful journalism.

"Kriti? Hello? Earth to Kriti?" Diya’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Huh?" I blinked.

"We’ve been calling your name for like a minute," Mukti said. "Where did you lose just now?"

I didn’t answer them, instead, I turned straight to Puja.

"I’m going to expose your boss," I said firmly and Puja’s eyes widened in horror.