Page 11 of Wicked Trap

“All right. I’ll see you later, Sameer.”

Waving him goodnight, she went towards the lifts.

Luckily, one of the lifts was on the ground floor. She took it and went to the fourth floor where her apartment was located in the corner.

As she reached it, she noticed that the lights were turned on in the apartment across from hers, and there were men carrying furniture out of the place. Her neighbor usually went to bed by seven thirty. She rarely saw her neighbor, but whenever she did, the older woman always greeted her with a kind smile.

“Hello, Mrs. Vasudev,” Tanvi greeted.

The old woman smiled. “Hello, dear. I didn’t get a chance to speak to you, but I’m moving tomorrow.”

Tanvi’s neighbor had been living in the opposite flat for many years. “Oh. That’s a surprise.”

The woman laughed. “Oh yes. It’s a surprise for me too. An investment company bought the entire apartment complex last week. With the profit I made for my flat, I gave an advance to a flat closer to where my daughter lives.”

“Wow. That’s great.”

Tanvi was happy for her neighbor. But she was also quite surprised that the apartment complex was sold. She supposed it made sense that someone would want to buy it since most of the people living there were renters. She also hoped that the new owner of her flat wouldn’t expect her to vacate.

“I’m going to miss you, Mrs. Vasudev.”

She would miss her sweet neighbor. The old woman had been the best neighbor anyone could have. She was always smiling, quiet and non-interfering.

Tanvi hoped whoever would move into the apartment next would also be the same way.

“I’m going to miss you too, dear. Do come visit me at my new place.”

Tanvi smiled. “I will, Mrs. Vasudev. I’ll call you once you settle in.”

She would definitely visit the sweet woman who rarely had any visitors. Only twice a year, the older woman visited her daughter for a couple of days before returning home to a somewhat lonely life.

“Let me know if you need help with the moving or anything, Mrs. Vasudev.”

“No need, dear. The investment company was kind enough to offer complimentary moving services as well.”

Tanvi was glad for the generous gesture.

Wishing her neighbor all the best once again, Tanvi went to her apartment. Opening the door, she stepped inside and turned on the lights.

The place was tiny and functional. Despite her father’s strong objection, she had moved to the place a couple of years ago. And she had stood her ground since then.

Pictures of her mother adorned the apartment living room walls along with her mother’s favorite antique items. They made her feel at home.

Letting out a deep sigh as exhaustion from the day’s events was beginning to seep in, she hurriedly took a quick shower. She washed off the dust and grime of the day, especially when she got thrown into the jail cell.

Putting on cotton pajamas, she went into her tiny, mostly unused kitchen and pulled out a plate to serve herself dinner.

“I need to learn to cook,” she mumbled to herself as she sat on her couch to eat her meal.

She was getting sick and tired of eating takeout. Once in a while, Mrs. Vasudev sent her delicious homemade food. And a few other times, she had home-cooked meals at her friends’ homes. But otherwise, she mostly relied on takeout.

“You should get a boyfriend who can cook.”

She recalled Rashmi’s teasing words whenever she often complained about not being able to learn cooking or having a homemade meal.

But getting a boyfriend was a bigger nuisance than somehow managing to eat the takeout meals. A boyfriend would mean commitment. She had too many things going on in her life, and she couldn’t afford a meddling boyfriend who would question everything she would do.

She already had a father who questioned her and wanted her to change her lifestyle and herself.

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