Optimistic About Opal - #ATOZCHALLENGE – O (2026)

 

“You get the best beef burgers in this outlet, Akash. They may not be as good as they are your side, but you won’t regret it.”

“No problem, Alisha. But if the meat isn’t as per my liking, I will surely have an opinion on it and you might get to hear it till her flight arrives, tomorrow night. Works?”

“Baap re, I’m scared. Let’s order a veg burger instead. Let’s pin the criticism on the green dot, then.”

Akash dramatically nodded his head in a traumatized no. His expression growing graver with each nod.

“No points to you for overacting. Come. Let’s go. This is the only evening we have. Tomorrow, Opal will be back and we won’t be able to do our hangouts.”

Opal was Akash’s girlfriend, a self-proclaimed South Delhi fashionista who liked to sport famous brands in clothes and jewelry. She was the daughter of Shrutika Kataria, a rags-to-riches socialite single-mother who had built her own brand of rings.

Fate led her to cross paths with a Hyderabad-based engineer who worked as a research consultant in a prestigious firm in Gurugram. Alisha was his colleague at work, at their Gold Course Road office in Gurugram.

But why did Opal have an issue with his hangouts?

He wasn’t the problem. It was actually another person. Opal, being a business woman in a cutthroat industry was highly competitive. She couldn’t take it that any other person was close to Akash. Especially, when she maintained a cautious distance.

However, she had a childlike innocence that was both endearing and irritating in equal parts. This could be attributed to her already flourishing mother who made sure Opal was protected in every sense and all her needs were met. She was her blue-eyed heiress, and the only family Mrs. Kataria had. Mr. Kataria had always been a mystery. He had been long gone.

Coming back to the present, Akash took a wholesome bite of the lamb burger at Between Breads, a popular hangout in South Delhi.

“These are goooow, but Hyderabadi mutton burgers are way butter.” He owed the garbled syllables to a mouthful of meat. He still managed to roll the r’s like a native south Indian.

“Okay, I’ll trust you on that. And yes, you owe me one apricot dessert when we travel down south.”

Akash licked all his fingers clean after the last morsel of burger. He’d made the most of this moment before Opal would return the next day. Her idea of dates would be some upper crust café in South Extension, the kind of places Akash hated.

“They don’t evun serrve reaaal food. It is sooo expennsive and you will still be hungry.” The authentic south Indian in him emphasized all the syllables that made him emotional.

“What made you date Opal if you guys are so different?” Alisha asked quizzically.

“She’s cute. And her smile is like the sunshine. And she’s the person I really want to look after.”

“Would you be happier if you adopted a dog, bruh? You can nurture pets too, you know. It doesn’t have to be a well-healed South Delhi socialite. Just imagine. You are enjoying a burger and she’s sitting right here wagging her tail, feeling happy for you.”

“Tera shaadi se phele tu doggie ke saath bhag jayegi. (Before you get married you will elope with a dog) You pet fixation strongly suggests so.”

“Totally, nobody has ever done such a thing, at least not in these parts. But seriously, you guys are different like chalk and cheese. What keeps you together?”

“I don’t know. I take relationships seriously. If I choose someone, they mean the world to me.”

“Yeah bruh! You are a real gem. Just a little unhinged when it comes to emotions. But you won’t ever have a tiff with me. Your subconscious won’t allow it.”

“Itna connnfidence khaa se lati hai? (Where do you get so much confidence from) If I am angry, I am not good to have around.”

“Whatever! Like they say about your favourite animal. Barking doggos seldom bite. They way people are going these days, a dog analogy is actually a positive one. It just means your loyal and mindful. And yes, if I were to trust anyone blindly in the team, it would be you.”

Akash went numb on hearing thsi. He seemed to choke a bit with emotions.

“It feels good to hear this from a team member. When someone expresses doubt about me it just feels hurtful. I cannot explain but it breaks me a good deal from within. And yes, Alisha I want to thank you for what you just said.”

“It’s okay macha. You owe me pastry at Vengers. The score is settled.”

“You know, when we go to Vengers, I always feel like picking up a Decadent Chocolate Truffle for Opal. But then she goes on about sugar and calories, and then stashes it away. Eventually, the Kataria women devour the same, but I will never get acknowledged.”

“You know this is a red flag, right? Did you ever talk to Opal, A? Does she know how you feel?”

“You know Alisha, there is this competitive streak about Opal, but she overdoes it. Everything doesn’t have to be a competition. Sometimes one has to show some goodwill. Do something to make someone feel better, not just keep proving yourself all the time.”

“I see, A. So, she tries to live up to Mrs. Kataria. Basically, she’s the Miranda Priestly in her life and believes strongly that mean girls build fortunes. So being a mean girl automatically makes her win Shrutika Kataria’s approval.”

“Yes, and I dare ask what she can do for my approval. I do not want to create any divisive conflict between myself and them. She shouldn’t have to choose between me and her mother.”

“That’s so thoughtful of you, Akash. Opal is indeed very lucky. And I love how you are braving the competitive streak that seems to be clouding her ability to connect emotionally with you.”

“What should I do? We have our disagreements. And my way of showing my disapproval is long spells of silence. People notice the distance between us. And because you and I bond, her competitive streak makes her intervene inappropriately and stop us from interacting.”

Alisha gaped at what she just heard. Opal’s insecurities had manifested into trust issues.

“She’s conditioned to being the SoDel socialite that middle-classy things like giving you wifey vibes and reigning in her tenacity might just be out of her league.” Alisha winged her arms.

“But she’s the one for me. Even if life will be a bit of a roller coaster, we’ll be in it together. Someday, she will learn to deal with her trust issues.”

“Mrs. Kataria will need to deal with her trust issues first. Opal idolizes her so much. If the idol shows a change of heart, it will be a matter of time till Opal concurs too. Did you try to curry with your …ummm… would-be mother-in-law?”

“Mrs. Kataria has mostly been a single mother. I do not know her backstory, but she doesn’t like male entities. She’s never going to like me.”

A heart emoji popped up in Akash’s messenger.

Then a few more.

“Opal hearting you again?” chucked Alisha. “Is it a good sign. What does your gut feel tell you, A?”

“Yes, she is happy. Oh GOD! Mrs. Kataria is okay with our alliance. Opal said she would make it public that her mother repeated an outfit. So, in order to save herself a social media ridicule, she agreed to the alliance.”

“Congratulations! Your women may have a few loose screws, but Opal is surely a go-getter. Look, I don’t know how you will survive these two imperious women, but you look like the loyal kind. I hope someday, Opal will make it a norm to stand up for you each time, like she did today.”

Cheers to that! Their shikanjis clashed.