When I Was Your Man

Seven - It's Not Right, But It's Okay

It's Not Right, But It's Okay

When he was sure that Ishita was sleeping, he entered the living room quietly, bringing a blanket along with him. Seeing her tear stained face made him want to kiss her pain away. He wanted to tell her how much she meant to him and how much he loved her, but he couldn't because that wouldn't bring back the old Ishita.

He covered her in the blanket and gently pulled back hair that was lying on top of her eyes. She looked so angelic when she slept. Yash fell to his knees and placed his head on the armrest, stroking her hair to comfort her. He had no idea when he fell asleep, but as soon as he heard her stir, his head shot up and he left the room. He closed the door behind him and stayed awake for the rest of the night.

The next few days passed by in a painful blur. She would make breakfast, lunch, dinner, clean the house, and do any other pending chores. She didn't argue. She didn't retaliate. She didn't even hesitate.

Yash didn't know how to bring back the old Ishita. Treating her like the old Yash did was not working. It seemed to him like she was falling deeper into her depression. It was only one day, when he received a letter in the mail that he knew what he would do. The letter was a formal invitation to a college reunion party for the year.

Yash decided that he would take Ishita with him  and make her face Dilip if he was there. She wouldn't be able to run away from him forever. Ishita needed to move on, she needed to give her relationship a closure, and this reunion would be the perfect time to do it.

"We're going to this," he told her that night before bed.

Her mouth opened in shock. "No."

Yash felt himself start to smile because she finally said something against him, but he covered it up with a smirk.

"What do you mean no? We're going means we're going."

"But... I can't."

"You are. End of discussion."

Then he left the room. The party was that weekend. The next day, Yash bought her an elegant red gown for the party. He wanted all eyes to be on Ishita. He wanted Dilip to notice who he left. And above all, he wanted her to feel beautiful.

When he gave the dress to Ishita, she looked at him with dead eyes. "What's this?"

"Can't you see? A dress. You're wearing it on Saturday."

"I... I can't go."

"We've already finished discussing this."

He then walked off feeling her sullen eyes on his back. He desperately wanted to tell her that he would be there for her and she didn't need to be scared, but he couldn't. She had to be independent again, not dependent on him, on Dilip, or on anyone else.