• • • Indian Arranged Marriage • • •
~ You're the peace I crave in this chaotic world. ~
He was three, when he held her little finger for the first time. He didn't know, what future held for them. But he did know that he wanted to hold onto this lit...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
My eyes teared up again, listening to the words. The pain behind my best friend's voice so evident. I don't have to see her face to know she was at her worst when she was singing this. Suhana always had a melodious voice, like her grandfather. But unlike her grandfather, she never used that melodious voice.
I laid curled up in a ball on the floor. It was still early in the morning. I received this audio an hour ago and I was yet to find the strength to get out of the room and face my best friend. My heart clenched, I gasped to breathe through the tears, my clogged nose and throat.
There were light taps on the door, I turned the music down. "You coming, Ahaa?" Bhai said from the other side.
I gulped down and sniffed in the pillow trying to clear out my voice. "I pulled all nighter with Suh... I am sleepy. No work for me." I called out trying to sound as sleepy and normal as possible.
"You sure? You... don't sound so good? Are you down with cold again?" He said again and I bit down on my lower lips to stop myself from crying out loud, why do they care about me so much?
"Go away, big brother. You don't wanna mess with the sleepy me." I said after a beat of silence, he chuckled lightly, a smile stretched over my lips too. "Okay. Sleep. I'll let Mumma know to not disturb you." I heard his footsteps fading away. The sudden silence around me too hard to handle.
I pushed myself up from the floor and got under the covers on the bed. Playing the audio again, I put it beside my head on the pillow. My eyes closed... the tears in my eyes stopped falling after some time but the pain in my heart... didn't stop hurting.
The next time I woke up that morning was by light rustling from the other side of the door, and the way my heart fluttered a bit, I knew who it was. I waited for something from him. But I got nothing. I looked down to see the shadow of him still there.
Quietly, I got down the bed making as little sound as possible. I walked closer to the door and sat down there, my back touched the door. My eyes welled up with happy tears as I saw the little paper come beside me from the other side.
Get ready... I'll drive you to work.
I chuckled softly reading the words on the chit. He will not say 'sorry' directly. I stood up from my spot and found a pen and notepad. Going back to the place, I settled down again.
Leave me alone.
I wrote down and slid the paper back to him. I heard him shuffling around for a second and then the chit was pushed to me.
Stop crying and I will. --HIM
I'm not crying. I never do. --AHAANA
You cry... a lot! You cried when I passed 10th grade. --HIM
It was a miracle! Everyone cried that day. --AHAANA
I rolled my eyes after sending the chit. I felt my back heating up for some reason... maybe his back was touching the exact place from the other side? Or maybe it was the silence and little laughter with him after so long? Whatever it was, it calmed the raging turmoil in me.
