Marked By Darkness

Chapter 28- The Painful Truth

Ruhi's POV...

The past three days had been a restless haze, a constant battle between my thoughts and unanswered questions. Sounak hadn’t said anything about meeting me. Should I ask him again?

I tapped out a hesitant message, my fingers lingering over the screen.
"Sounak, do you have time for me?"

Fifteen minutes crawled by before his reply appeared, each second dragging like an eternity.
"Sorry, Ruhi. I don’t have much time. My flight was booked yesterday."

My heart sank as I read the words.

"When is your flight?" I typed back, trying to keep my emotions from spilling over.

"In five days, at 7 pm," his response came, brief and indifferent.

I stared at the screen, frustration simmering beneath the surface. “Sounak,” I muttered under my breath, shaking my head. “Why won’t you just talk to me?”

"I can’t believe you’re leaving without meeting me properly before you go," I typed, my hands trembling.

His reply came quickly this time. "You know how hectic everything has been with the move and getting settled in a new place."

Hectic. The word grated against me, a weak excuse wrapped in practicality. I drew in a deep breath, trying to stay calm.
"I understand that, but it feels like you’re avoiding me," I pressed.

A pause. Then: "It’s not like that. There’s just so much going on right now."

I clenched my jaw, my fingers tightening around the phone. My reply came fast, driven by the storm building within me.
"You could have spared a little time for me, Sounak. We haven’t even talked properly in days."

"I’m sorry if you feel that way, but you know how crazy things have been," he shot back, his tone distant even through the screen.

The tension in my chest tightened further. "Is it too much to ask for a simple conversation? Just a few minutes of your time?"

The phone buzzed in my hand. His response carried the weight of exasperation. "I didn’t mean to upset you. It’s just that there’s so much to figure out right now."

I shook my head, the frustration spilling out in the words I typed. "Complicate things? You mean you didn’t want to complicate your new life in the US."

"No, that’s not what I meant, he responded quickly," almost defensive. "I just thought it would be easier for both of us if we didn’t overthink things."

I closed my eyes, the tears finally spilling over. "It hurts, Sounak. I thought we had a stronger connection. That you would at least want to see me before leaving."

His reply came after a long pause. "Of course I care, Ruhi. But sometimes life doesn’t follow a script. Things don’t always go as planned."

I sighed heavily, my voice breaking as I muttered to myself, “And yet, I’m the one left with the pain.”

"Why is this so painful for you?" he asked suddenly.

I stared at the screen, my vision blurred with unshed tears. "It’s nothing. Forget it."

"Tell me, Ruhi," he insisted, the tone of his message shifting.

The lump in my throat tightened. "You’ll never understand," I typed, my heart heavy with the weight of unspoken words.

His reply was almost immediate. "I understand everything."

I closed my eyes tightly, pressing the phone against my forehead. “No, you don’t,” I whispered.