All Of My Heart❤️💔

The Misery

When I wasn't working, I spent most of my free time in bed. I rarely spoke to anyone back home. I crawled into bed as soon as I got home from work, ignoring Vikram and Mihika. I didn't even step downstairs apart from getting something to eat. Both Vikram and Mihika tried to talk some sense into me but I didn't listen.
I had lost all contacts with Taani. She had said she would not see me again let alone talk to me. I had also promised myself not to see her ever. She chose someone else. She chose to ignore my feelings. So I chose to forget her. I realized it was for the best. When I didn't attend calls from home for some days, it worried my family members, who sensed something was wrong. Harman Mamu managed to get hold of Vikram's phone number from his friend and called Vikram on his phone. Vikram told him what I was going through and how I was dealing with the heartbreak. Harman Mamu told Maa about the course my love story had taken. She called Vikram and requested him to get me to talk to her.

  "What the hell?" I asked Vikram when he thrust the phone on to my ear.
  "You've a call from home," he said.
  "What?" I said, shocked. Vikram pulled his hand away, and I managed to catch the phone just before it fell.
   "Talk, please," Vikram said and walked into the kitchenette.
   "Wait, what did you tell them?" I called after him, putting a hand over the speaker.
   "Whatever they have a right to know!" Vikram shouted back.

I panicked. So, my family now knew what I was going through. Vikram had told them everything. About me. About Taani. About my heartbreak. I took a deep breath, gathering the courage to speak to them.

  "Hello?" I said.
  "Rey! Meri jaan, are you alright? Where have you been?" Maa asked in a worried tone.
    "Haan Maa, I'm good. I was just busy..." I said, eyeing Vikram.
    "But beta, we are worried for you."
    "Maa, I said I'm fine. Please don't worry."
    "Are you sure."
    "Yes."
    "Acha beta, but please answer our calls."
    "Okay. I'll."
    "Acha now, talk to Vihaan. He is eager to talk to you."

Maa passed the phone to Vihaan, Dad and then Mamu. All of them seemed concerned for me and complained that I had been out of touch for too long. I wondered if I'd really created a mess for myself. After I was done with the phone call, I looked for Vikram to return his phone but he is nowhere to be found. I headed upstairs and before I could knock on his door, Mihika opened it from inside, clad in a nightdress. I hesitated beriefly before looking up at her and then handed her Vikram's phone.  As I turned to walk away, she held me by my hand.

   "You wanna talk?" she asked.

She brewed coffee for both of us while I waited on the couch in the TV lounge. A football match played on the TV in the background but I wasn't watching it.

   "Here you go." She said and handed me a cup of coffee.
   "Thanks Mihika," I told her.
   "Do you know how Vikram and I met?" She asked. "We met in collage four years ago."

I put down my cup on the coffe table.

   "We didn't like each other at first, whenever he was close, I used to run away," she said with a laugh. "But we became friends and that's how it began."

I smiled at her.

   "His parents were against our relationship. They still are. But Vikram is adamant on being with me."
    "But why are they against your relationship?" I asked, curious.
     "Because I don't match up to their expectations. I belong to a middle-class family and his family is much richer than mine," she said, rolling her eyes. "His family thinks I'm a gold digger, out to trap their son for money."

I considered her response, slowly nodding.

    "Vikram says true love fights against all odds. The day his parents realize that his happiness lies with me, and only me, they'll stop opposing our love and accept us."

I stirred the coffee in my cup, the difficulty of their relationship sinking in.

   "Perhaps there's a lesson in there for you, Reyansh."  Mihika said, putting her hand over mine. "You should also realize that maybe Taani is happy with someone else. If you love her, you should prioritize her happiness."

I looked at her, confused as hell.

    "Learn to be happy for her. Find your happiness in hers and move on."

Tears welled up in my eyes, but I tried not to blink.

    "Don't ruin your friendship with her. It's precious, sacred. Appreciate it and never let it go."

I wiped my tears and nodded at her.

   "Go and talk to her, make up with her."

She clasped my hand firmly.
I nodded; the firmness of her grip helped me gather my resolve.

   "Thankyou Mihika. Thankyou." I held her hand back and pressed it firmly.

I changed my clothes in a jiffy and booked an uber. On my way, I kept trying to reach Taani but her number wasn't reachable. Whatever Mihika had told me made sense. Why hadn't I thought of it that way? I had ruined my friendship with Taani because I wanted to create a new relationship with her. How could I forge a new relationship with her if it's foundation— our friendship— had become weak? I had made her hate me. I had said inappropriate things to her. I didn't know if she'd ever listen to me or forgive me but I had to try and apologize to her for my immature behaviour. I had to convince her that I couldn't lose our friendship. That's all I had. It had been a month since I had seen her last and I couldn't wait to see her face again.
I got off the taxi at Willow road, rushed to her door and banged hard. A long, beautiful but elderly woman with plump cheeks opened the door for me. I realized this was Taani's mother.

   "Yes?" She asked.
   "Namaste, Aunty. I'm Reyansh. I'm Taani's friend."
   "Ohhh. You're Reyansh! Taani has spoken alot about you!" She said and patted me on my shoulder. I tried to look around for Taani but there were no signs of her.

   "I'm happy to meet you, finally," she said, smiling.
   "Me too, Aunty. Is Taani here?"
   "Why weren't you at the wedding?" She asked, interrupting me.

Her words felt like a punch in the face.

   "Wedding?" I said, choking back tears.
   "Yes, Taani's wedding ceremony last week. Why weren't you there? All of her friends were there, except you."

A buzz in my ears muted the rest of her words. Someone had hit pause and time seemed to have come to a standstill. My heart sank because I realized I'd lost Taani as a friend too....

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