Sweet 'n' Sour | ✔

thirty-eight

38. Nazdikiyon mein bhi aap khoye se lagte hai. (Even when so close, I feel like I've lost you.)

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- priya -

Aditya was ignoring me. And in a way, that almost made me feel like a stranger, like two awkward roommates forced to share a room.

I hated every bit of it. I'd do anything to reverse the time just so I could tell him the truth when I had the chance and not when it was forced out of me. I had hurt him, hurt him so much. And I can't ever forgive myself for that, yet I don't know why I expect the opposite from him.

I wished to melt in his arms as he soothed my hair, murmuring it was all okay and everything is fine. But I know it wasn't, and it wasn't getting fine anytime soon.

But I had hope.

Our honeymoon.

It'll be just us on the trip, away from the everyday humdrum, in a country where we could rely only on each other. Maybe something positive will come out of this. I can hope, and I was desperately clinging to it.

As of now, I was busy packing our bags. I was almost done with the task. I had to hurry because the kitchen awaited me. Aditya's mom said she wants to prepare something nice since we'll be out for the next ten days. She wanted to do it on her, insisting I take rest for the early morning flight, but the woman had been up and running since morning to prepare homemade snacks for her son. The least I can do is help her out for dinner.

I had packed two suitcases and a duffel bag. I know a lot, but I packed a lot of my sarees, in hopes I'll be able to melt some of his anger by flaunting around in colors he likes to see on me.

Aditya's suitcase isn't fully packed for the trip. I hadn't touched his underwear section. I don't have any problem, since I've washed them a few times when he had hurried off to the office late in the morning like his tail was on fire but judging the current situation, I didn't think he would like me touching his private stuff.

Just as I was stuffing the last of a rolled towel in the second suitcase, the door opened, revealing my handsome husband. I shot him a small smile, hoping he reciprocates. He didn't, instead, his gaze narrowed on the suitcase, before meeting mine in question.

"We have an early flight tomorrow so I thought -"

"We're not going anywhere," he declared, closing the door behind him and putting his laptop bag on the desk.

My stomach dropped.

"Wh-Why?" I managed to ask despite disappointment and sadness hollowing me from within.

"My leave request wasn't approved," he stated nonchalantly, draping his wristwatch on the dressing table. He was lying. He had to be. He was so excited about the honeymoon, and now suddenly he didn't get the leave approval. I call it a load of crap.

"But the ticket-"

"Refundable," he looked at me blankly. "Both tickets and the hotel booking. I've already cancelled them and transferred the money back to Bua's account."

My jaw fell slack. "And you didn't bother asking me?" I stood up, unbothered by the bunch of folded clothes that tumbled down from my lap.

"What were you going to do? Threaten my boss?" He walked past me, kicking aside the clothes fallen on the floor to get to the bathroom. "And it's not that communication is your forte anyway, Priya," he chuckled humorlessly, stepping inside the bathroom. I flinched as he slammed the door shut.

I clenched my jaw to stop the tremble of my lips. Kneeling back on the floor, I began picking up the scattered clothes. Tears fogged my vision but I did my best to not let them fall, in the end, they spilled down anyway.