Unkept Promises

Chapter III

Ameena gave out a deep disappointed sigh as she looked around the room full of overly dressed people. Everything felt very different than how she had imagined and hoped the party to be.
"May be I had way high expectation for this night..." she thought and kept looking at Subash and everyone else talk. They were talking about someone who owned something but they thought he/she did not deserve it, Ameena had lost the track of conversation long back. All she was thinking right now was how to get out of there unnoticed.

Immediately a thought came, "They all are so consumed with their gossips and fighting so hard to get the spotlight, I wonder if they will even notice me leaving. May be I can even walk right past them and they might not even bother."

"OK let's try", she stood up from the sofa. Everyone busy trying to speak one after another which Subash rarely gave them chance to. She started walking towards the door and really no one noticed nor called out. She turned back and everyone seemed equally busy in themselves. She felt like she was the Joker in a deck of card, its presence or absence made very less to no impact on anyone.

She looked at Subash in the middle of everyone, who was clearly enjoying all the attention. He would often look at the fancy mirror which as per him was brought by his father from his latest trip to mainland China. It hung right at the side where he was sitting, "...may be that was the reason he had chosen that spot" she thought because she had noticed him looking at the mirror, to his reflection quite so often. She also noticed that he did so mostly when someone else talked. He would stare at mirror and smile to himself. Ameena wondered if he was doing it unconsciously or if he was self-obsessed.
"He is that beautiful, why would not he stare at his own pretty face?" she tried to justify for him in a way.
He was again talking about something he recently got and for the first time he did not look attractive. Ameena looked at him and saw just another guy with nice hair and nothing more.

Ameena opened the door and walked out. However a small part of her was wishing someone to call out for her or ask why she was leaving or even stop her, but no one did. A part of her was happy she was away from the shallow talks and crowd so full of themselves but another part of her, the one which was hopeful and excited about tonight was sad. It was sad because her years of dreams had come to a bitter realization. First time in many years she thought of Subash and she did not feel happy or excited or hopeful. She felt like a big chunk of emotion was snatched out of her and she did not know what was is it that she was feeling right now.

She walked out of Subash's big house and on to the footpath.

She felt directionless as she walked away from his house, from him. She kept thinking, what was she supposed to do if not hope to fall in love with Subash, what was she supposed to think of if not dream about beautiful future with Subash, what was she supposed to get up every morning for if not in the hope to see Subash? She felt like she was forced out of love and she was not ready for it. She loved dreaming about being in love, secretly making love wishes and picturing herself and Subash in every romantic novels she read. She could not feel same way about Subash and it was upsetting.

She removed her new shoes and started walking towards riverbank. Once she reached there, she again wondered how many times she had dreamt of walking on this bank holding Subash's hand. Now as she walked there, cool breeze flowing past her fingers was reminding her that she was alone, it was reminding her of his absence.

Full moon was brighter than usual and river flowed smoothly making trickling sound as it did, soft rustling sound of tree leaves made everything seemed perfect but she was alone, physically and emotionally.

She just stood there listening to the sound of water with mind completely silently. After few minutes she saw something move from the corner of her eyes, startled she looked that way and saw Rubin. He was once again holding a small kitten in his hand.