Mysterious Oberoi

8

"Place the curtain over that direction." I pointed at the worker decorating the engagement venue. Rubbing softly towards the piece of white cloth wrapped around my forehead.

"Aachal, why don't you take some minutes of rest?" The concerned friend was roaming around me with a look of alarm. She hadn't left my side after I had gain consciousness. My frequent assurance had went useless. Maybe because she knew me better than the world surrounding us. She knew I wasn't fine! She knew my assuring smile was fake, meaningless.

"We don't have time to rest." I shook it away. Spying at the venue. Craving for perfection. Maybe not my life but my profession could be perfect. "The event is going to start within few hours. And not to forget it is the first function of the most awaited wedding." I was busy blabbering not making an eye contact with her.

"Stop it!" She grabbed my elbow, forcing me to stare into her orbs. "Calm a little... allow yourself to breath... rest... cry..." her words getting softer after each word. "There is nothing wrong to be vulnerable. Broken apart... lost! It's all fine! And I don't need to voice those words to you." She expressed pleading me to forgive myself. "It wasn't your fault!" She voiced those words at last. Understanding the inner dilemma, I was facing.

I stared at her a minute longer. My mind blank but soon a tear started descending my cheek. "It's difficult!" I expressed, the inner sadness. "To see the world moving on. I am forced to breath but the people important to me are pulled away. As if my love, my pain means nothing. It's getting difficult to keep believing in good. To act positive when life feels like a chores. Nothing to hold dear to. Because my love would pull breath out of them." I shook my head, tears kept rolling down. "I am scared not for myself but for the people around me. It feels dangerous as if I am having some sort of bad vibes that can harm others. Burn them!" Those words were rolling down without my brain processing it. Deep down it felt real but I was never superstitious. But rather shouting at my blabbers Diya stared at me a minute longer.

"I would suggest you give your brain some rest." Diya shook her head at the end. "We had come to a new place! You love travelling places, why don't you treat it as a vacation? Enjoy your stay! Roam places, meet new hobbies. And about the work I will handle it. As you said, I had handle it for a year."

"That's not happening! I am in no mood of vacation and..."

"Deep underneath you crave to disappear. Maybe not in a physical sense but in mental. Aachal, your brain need rest, peace to work. Burdening it with work isn't going to turn up any help but allowing it with some less intense moments will." She blinked at me. "And I had said it before and will repeat it once again... allow yourself to live." She was requesting me, a realisation taking place in my heart that maybe I had forgotten to live. I was just surviving.

___

I wasn't going to take Diya advice if I wasn't messing the work up. I couldn't concentrate! The flashes of Mayur would rewind in my brain. Accepting my defeat! I had walked out of the resort, planning to have a walk around the streets of Kerala. Slowly the street lights were brightening the darkening path. Maybe I was getting used to darkness.

The resort was built in a deserted area. Not a sound of soul other than rusting of leaves due to the heavy wind blowing around me. Not a sign of human! That was a reason Mr Oberio had chosen the resort from the list given to him. Anaya wasn't much pleased as she was aspiring the wedding function to go viral. And I won't be surprise if some pictures would be leaked to media. I couldn't make myself to trust the woman. It was beyond me how was Mr Oberio going to trust her with his child?

Through I consider him cruel, lack of manners and kindness but he cares for his daughter. His actions had indicated it to me. I wasn't provided with an opportunity to question about the attacker but it seemed rest of the staff members and even the bride was unaware of the circumstance. But still the biggest fear was the culprit roaming freely and he could harm Riddhi. The culprit! Who was he? And why was he after the innocent soul? And why was he wearing that jacket? The familiarity it held! Was its co-incidence or planned?