Falling Out

It was pouring cats and dogs in Nainital. Shikayna was sitting on her balcony in the midst of night fatigued by the momentarily unoccupied mind of hers. She was a dusky, tall and a perfectly fit woman in her twenties, and was known for her sharp wit and communication skills. It was not in her repertoire to leave her mind deserted. She kept sitting on the chair with blank eyes looking at the dark and wet blanket which covered the earth. The persuasive urge had her by the neck now and she ran her hands through her pocket and found the friend which she needed the most. She lit the cigarette and put it in her mouth. While blowing it off she wished that the empty feeling would get out with it. Time had the speed of a tortoise when she heard the notification sound and took out her phone.

"Hey!It's been a week since I have been in Delhi and you never reached out ."wrote Avinash.She got startled and scared reading this. It was extremely improbable for her to forget about the one person she SHOULD'VE remembered about. It had never happened before.

"Hi, I am sorry, I have been so busy at work".

But she was lying. This was the first time which felt like years now that she was so relaxed. She had cherished every moment of this week of December. She had forgotten how sitting idle and alone felt like. The new normal for that particular week felt abnormal. She had a habit of finding Avinash sitting next to her. They both had lately tried hard to strike up a conversation and talk for hours like they used to but had failed miserably. She felt she was responsible for it.

"It's alright Shoo, I understand". He texted back and went offline. A relieving breeze blew all over her body. She wasn't ready to accept it. A few hours passed by and she was still smoking incessantly. She soon realized that those past hours were meritless and might just have been the smoke but she felt sleepy. It was 5 a.m. but she needed some rest. Avinash would be in the city in two days and then maybe she could go out and have dinner. She closed her eyes and was soon asleep.

Four hours passed by and she woke up suddenly with her eyes wide open. She had dreamed of something and was tempted to write it down in her dream journal but couldn't do it as she was already running late for work. She was rushing through the stairs and her hangover made her groggy and clumsy.

A long day at work had wringed the energy out of her when she came back to her house, dog tired only to find that the door of her apartment was open. Startled at first, she found out that Avinash had come back from his trip early. She saw him sitting at the dining table. He was tall, pale and creative. He had kind eyes and was considered to be very popular among women, back in their college days.

She went inside and hugged him, and he told her that he had made dinner. They both started eating. "Hey, I need to talk to you about something," said Avinash.

"Yeah, go ahead, I am listening."

Shikayna took out a cigarette and lit it up. Following the already present awkward silence was the anger of Avinash. "Shoo, I don't think you should do it here, we talked about this for heavens' sake", he said trying to control his temper. "Is that what you wanted to talk about?", she replied sarcastically.

"You know what I am talking about".

"Yes, Avinash guess what, I know but I cannot help it," she replied again with a sense of embarrassment in tone and bravery at the same time but tried to hide it.

"You told me you wouldn't smoke again and here you are. I guess you like smoking more than me.". His voice rose this time. "I am sorry Shoo, but you have to stop this".

Tears filled in her eyes and he saw a drop falling on the ground.

"Hey, Shoo I... I am so sorry ...I know it has been a week since we met last time and I yelled at you.... I.... can't I am sorry."