Gehraiyaan.

Chapter 07

Advik's calling. Advik's finally calling, after all the days of merely existing in a corner in my life.

It doesn't even take me a second to answer his call and breathe a sigh of relief.

"Navya?", his voice is low and somehow, it pushes me to the edge of tears. "What took you so long?", I question, hopelessly. "It's just been 4 days", he utters, casually. "It's been 'just' four days for you. It feels more than that to me, Advik", I scoff.

"I feel like we're complete strangers right now, you know as if you're drifting somewhere so far away and I cannot get a hold of you", I smile, weakly.

"Don't say that. You know I hate listening to things like that! I'm not going anywhere, you aren't and we aren't, okay? It's a phase and it'll pass. Navi, we've seen worse than this", he pauses. "Right?", he nudges and I simply breathe out.

"Remember, in college, the time we almost broke-up because our parents found out about us? We didn't talk for four months", he laughs at the memory.

"We were young and we got caught. But why are we going through the same thing as adults, when everything's confirmed with everyone's consent?", I question. "It's just a phase, Navya, it'll pass", he repeats. Honestly, he can do much better than just telling me the same thing!

Here's one thing I absolutely hate about Advik - he's is a gigantic believer of - you go through everything for a reason - and when he cannot explain something, he sprinkles the phase into every problem like salt. He needs to understand that life is more than simply that.

"What's happening on your side?", I ask him. "I'm still talking to mom", he replies. Why does it look like he's convincing her from scratch?

"And what is she saying?", I throw another question. "Just be honest, Advik. A bitter truth is better than false hopes", before he comforts me with his lies, I tell him and he sighs. "She'll understand", he vaguely replies. "What do you mean by she'll understand?", my voice trembles, right away, and he reverts with daunting silence.

"Advik, what does that mean? Can you stop playing around for once?", I cry out in agony and lean against the wall. "I've been holding on for so long, and I know that it has been just four days. But only I know what I've been through. You have no idea about the pain. The doubts. And the number of people I have to answer. I feel like everyone's laughing at me because I always talked about you, and us. And all our plans. But all of a sudden, you're gone. You're not even there beside me. You don't know how that feels", I vent out.

"Navya", he calls out, calmly and shakily. "I'm not having it easy, either. I'm trying, trust me", he tells me. "But nothing seems to be working!", I say back.

"Everything will be alright. If you trust me, stop crying. Please. Do you really think I'll leave you alone? Do you really think I'll quit fighting for us? If we don't make it through, Navi, trust me - I'll take you with me. I'm not going anywhere without you", he assures and it honestly calms me down a little. 

"You're all I have, by the end of the day, and if you give up on me - there's no one I can turn back to. I know it's extremely frustrating, but I need time and I promise you, Navi, I'll fix everything for us. I know I'm not worth it, but trust me blindly this one time", he pleads and his words stir guilt in me for doubting him and his intentions.

"Advik, I love you", I whisper. "I love you more", he utters back before we end the call.

His words and simply the echoing of his voice fills my heart with relief and contentment. Everything's going to be okay, and I can simply feel it. Good days aren't too far and everything that Advik and I are going through will meet its end. We'll be fine and there will be a way.