Chapter 73: Chapter 73: Priyanshi And Navya
Outside Mumbai University’s east gate at the morning, two young women are waiting for their cab to come.
One of them, Priyanshi whose ponytail is bouncing lightly in the morning wind is continuously typing quickly on her phone.
A smile is curving on her lips as she leaned against the iron gate.
"Hehe, security brother, don’t forget to sign for my package today too. I will pick it up later," she typed cheerfully, her thumbs flying over the screen.
Her close friend Navya, who had recently graduated and was preparing for an interview at a big law firm, noticed Priyanshi’s grin and raised her brows at her.
She could already sense something fishy is going on here.
"Wait...wait is that you Priyanshi, did you just give that love sick like smile, Really Am I not imagining things right?" Navya asked, her tone dripping with curiosity at the unknown security guard her friend is currently talking to.
Her eyes are sparkling like she had stumbled upon a juicy secret.
Without hesitation, Priyanshi handed her phone over.
"See for yourself," she said softly, but she could not able to hide the mix of pride and shyness in his voice as she watched Navya read the messages.
Half a month earlier, Priyanshi has no knowledge about the courier desk near the Tech Park.
So, while receiving the delivery for the first time she had simply asked the gate guard, Alex, to sign off one of her deliveries.
That single request, however soon quickly turned into a habit everyday.
Soon after that she had added him on WhatsApp. Their initial small exchanges simple, but soon those ordinary things slowly became a daily routine.
Strangely, it was a routine that left her feeling a kind of comfort she had not expected from someone after so long.
Navya frowned as more and more she scrolled through the chat.
"Strange... you always have a person sign your courier for you between three and five every afternoon.
Why only him? Isn’t there already a proper courier office nearby?"
Priyanshi’s cheeks flushed as she bit her lip.
"Isn’t it obvious? This guy is really too handsome," she confessed in a low voice, her blush betraying her excitement.
Navya smirked knowingly her laughter bubbling in her throat.
"I knew it! There is someone But be careful, if Shiv hears about this, that poor guy won’t have a peaceful day again."
At Shiv’s name, Priyanshi’s smile vanished instantly her mood turn to sour.
"Ugh, don’t bring him up. I already told him no, but he refuses to give up. It’s so annoying," she said with frustration.
Quickly changing the subject, her eyes brightened again.
"Anyway, that guy, though is a security guard... but let me tell you I am not exaggerating if I am saying he’s super handsome."
"Really?" Navya asked with a doubtful glance. "Handsome enough to impress you?
Don’t forget you were the most popular girl in our Law department at that time. Even the basketball captain from another department didn’t manage to win you over.
Now you are pursuing a security guard, I am worried about you!"
Priyanshi blushed harder and pushed her friend lightly.
"Go away don’t belittle him," she muttered, half embarrassed, half amused.
But deep inside, her heart fluttered with a strange excitement she couldn’t ignore.
Yes, although Alex was only a security guard, but he carried himself with that quiet confidence, a calmness, and a natural charisma that stirred her in ways no one else ever had.
And secretly, Priyanshi couldn’t deny it anymore.
Just thinking of him made her strangely eager for the next day because the next day meant another excuse to see him again.
Her phone buzzed again. She quickly glanced at the screen.
It was a new WhatsApp notification from Alex, the reply of her earlier message.
Alex: "Okay, by the way, buy me some cherries. I’ve been craving them lately. Remember to get the imported ones. I’ll transfer the money later."
Navya peeked over her shoulder and gasped.
"Imported cherries? Oh my God, he’s actually making you buy fruit for him? And even the imported ones at that. This guy really has expensive taste!"
Priyanshi typed back eagerly: "Alright, but I have an interview today. If I go buy them, it might take some time and I might miss my ride there.
Didn’t you have a car? Why don’t you pick us up instead?"
After a pause, Alex replied: "Sure, I’m not busy today anyway."
Priyanshi: "How are you?."
Alex: "I’m fine, thanks. And you?"
Priyanshi: "Me? Ugh, I feel nervous about the interview today."
Navya couldn’t stop laughing.
"Haha, He really is shy, he is typing so conservatively."
Priyanshi rolled her eyes at her friend yet couldn’t stop the smile on her lips from coming.
"Stop teasing him. I think it’s sweet."
Navya grinned.
"Fine, fine. But let’s go check the market. I want to see these imported cherries myself, that he dare to ask by friend to buy ."
.....
The two friends walked to the fruit stalls near campus.
Vendors shouted loudly, bargaining voices echoed around them, and the air was thick with the scent of ripe mangoes and guavas.
Finally, they reached the imported fruit section.
And froze at the sheer price of the fruits there.
A single small box of cherries was marked at $24.
Navya stared in disbelief.
"He’s just a security guard right? And yet he dare to eat fruit this expensive?
That’s nearly twenty-five bucks for one little box!"
Ordinary cherries were far cheaper, but these imported ones were marketed as organic, fresh from overseas, and naturally sold at a premium price.
"Unbelievable," Navya muttered. "Even a guard can afford to eat cherries like this, while me a graduate with a degree, can only stand here and drool at the sight of it."
Priyanshi gave a half-laugh, half-sigh.
"He really knows how to enjoy life.
Even though he’s just a security guard, he never acts like he’s missing out on life. And honestly, this isn’t the first time he has asked me for imported fruit.
Every time, it’s something ridiculously expensive."
Navya shook her head, chuckling.
"Haha, this guy’s lifestyle is really something else. Meanwhile, I slog through study notes every day and can’t even think about spending this much on fruit. Honestly, it makes me a little jealous."
Still, in the back of her mind, she wondered:
Do security guards really make that much money? Enough to keep buying imported fruit like this? That’s odd, Is it too late for me to consider changing my career now?