RishBala OS: From Strangers to Soulmates

One shot

All the young people were enjoying their night by dancing their heart out. The gateway pub was buzzing with loud music, all people enjoying themselves by getting drunk, flirting, dancing and doing all the crazy stuff.
Rishabh sighed sadly seeing everyone's happy face, it felt like he was the only one with screwed up life. He can't help but curse his fate for always ending up hurt. He loosened his tie and folded his shirt sleeves in frustration before gulping the drink hoping it would give him some kind of solace. Rishabh chuckled humourlessly when the drink didn't help even a bit in reducing his hurt or to forget that.
Rishabh sat at the bar playing with his glass of drink thinking about his fucked up life.

Hearing a sniffing sound, Rishabh turned to see,only to find a lady in her late twenties trying to control her sobs but her trembling hands and tear filled blood red eyes gave away. Rishabh didn't bother to ask anything not wanting to intrude her space. Rishabh sat there gulping his drinks looking around the people. It was like he and the lady next to him was the only two who were miserable in the whole world. Rishabh slightly turned to take a look at her only to find her gulping the drink after drink. Now Rishabh was concerned for her as she looked like someone getting drunk for the first time. And the amount of alcohol she is taking for a first time experience is too much.

Seeing she is alone, Rishabh tried to strike a conversation so he softly asked her,"first time?" .

To which she wordlessly nodded and gulped the drink in one go making Rishabh to stare at her.

Rishabh looked at her, who was now on the verge of emotional breakdown. He wanted to ask her to stop drinking knowing she is taking risk by drinking
Senseless when she is on her own.

Rishabh softly asked her," will you take a walk with me?".

Madhu for the first time looked at the person who was trying to talk to her. Rishabh cursed himself for making fool out of him by asking something like that. He don't know what came to him to ask her that. Madhu scrutinized him before answering him.

Madhu looked into his eyes and told a very soft,"yes".

Rishabh literally sighed in relief when she didn't mistake him.

Rishabh got up from his seat and payed for his drink. He got a bottle of beer for himself before moving out. Madhu payed for her drinks and followed him. Both were little unsteady in their steps. Both silently walked busy in their thoughts.

Madhu looked at the stranger with whom she is walking, she told yes to him because she noticed concern for her in his eyes. Yes, she fucking noticed the concern for her which no one cared to show her for years now. She wanted that concern for her. So she decided to give it a shot which is very unlike her.

Madhu softly tugged his hand sleeve making Rishabh to look at her questioningly, she signalled him to give a sip in his beer. Rishabh smiled and gave it to her. Both took a sip from the single beer bottle alternatively without talking anything in a surprisingly with ease considering they both were nothing but a mere strangers to each other.

Both unknowingly strolled towards the beach, they wordlessly sat in the sand with decent distance between them. They sat there staring into nothingness, thinking about their life. Tears fell from madhu's eyes when she remembered the happy time she spent with her husband in the very same beach. Happy time, atleast that's what she believed till today.

Rishabh looked at the stranger sitting beside him, his heart went out to her seeing her broken. She was clutching to her mangalsutra like her life dependent on it. Rishabh turned his gaze towards the sea.

Rishabh started speaking just starring at the sea without even bothering whether she listened to him or not,
"Our marriage was a love marriage, dips, I mean dipali, the love of my life".