First Date to Forever

Ghost of past

Three days left !
Sujay woke up with a sudden realization that he had only 3 days before he leaves . He had so much to do within these 3 days ... He needs to start packing , he needs to make sure he has everything for the 4 months he will be there , he needs to meet his extended family for dinner which they have planned and most of all he needs to see Shonali as much as he can within these 3 days ....who knows how things will be after 4 months ! 

The house felt eerily silent today.
'Well it's always quiet but somehow it holds a different void today ..' Sujay wondered .
He called up Jeet to let him know he will be there to pick him up in 20 minutes and made his way towards the dining table to grab breakfast.

"Good morning Sujay ! " Sujay's father was already sitting at the dining table . Sujay's mother was there too occupying another seat. Breakfast was already served and it looked like they were waiting for Sujay. A sense of dread filled him... 'They can never be in a room together without bickering and here they are having breakfast together! What is happening? '

"Good Morning Dad .. Maa.." he looked at both of them curiously and settled in one of the empty chairs opposite to his mother.

"Well we have something to tell you .. "

After 30 minutes a visibly disturbed Sujay was waiting for Jeet .
"What's wrong ? " Jeet asked the first thing as soon as he settled in Sujay's car.

"Nothing " said Sujay and drove towards their college in silence.

Jeet knew better than to poke Sujay when he is not in a mood to talk. He knows Sujay takes his time to open up when something is bothering him.

There were a thousand thoughts running through Sujay's mind , a thousand questions. He could not believe what his parents told him this morning. A part of him always knew it would come down to this , but how can he accept it ?

Should I tell Shonali about this ? Will she understand? What if she leaves him ?

His mind wandered off to his last relationship.

*Flashback*

"Vedika !! Where were you ? I tried calling you so many times ..." an exasperated Sujay was pacing up & down in his balcony for the last two hours trying to reach his girlfriend.

"What do you want Sujay ? I don't need to tell you everything or give you every detail of my whereabouts all the time ! " Vedika replied in an annoyed tone .

"No no , you are taking me all wrong Vedika .. I was just worried! Of course you don't need to give me updates, it's just that it has been 2 hours since you left for home and I wanted to know if you reached safely. I got worried when I got no response and your phone was switched off... "

Vedika let out an annoyed sigh "My phone battery died Sujay , that is why it was switched off .... And I stopped on my way to pick up some stuff from the grocery store that's why it took me so much time . Are you happy now ? Do you want exact time stamps for each event?.. "

Sujay was stunned at her last statement. Of course he did not want to keep a tab of her day , he was just worried for her safety....

"I am tired of this Sujay .... I am really tired now ! " Vedika said in a low voice .

"It's okay Vedika , please rest , we can talk tomorrow..."

"No , I am tired of US ! Tired of you being over bearing , of you panicking everytime something is amiss ...."

"I don't understand Vedika .... I was just worried for your safety ...."

"Not just today Sujay ! You have to be the one to drop me and pick me up from everywhere, you always have to help me even when I don't want you to as if I am not capable of doing anything on my own..... If I ever get angry at you or we have an argument you just go overboard with your apology and guestures to make up for it ... I just , I ..." Vedika sounded distressed.

"I am sorry Vedika if you feel that way , I just want to ensure you are safe that is why I always insist on driving you around wherever you go , I help you not because I think you are not capable of doing things on your own , but because I get to spend more time with you and also try to make your life easier in the process ..... And for my apologies and guestures, I just want you to feel loved and pamper you ... I am really sorry Vedika if all this bothers you ...." Sujay never knew his acts of showing love towards his girlfriend were being perceived as overbearing....

"See this again , I may sound stupid right now for being annoyed at things girls would love for their boyfriends to do .... But it is suffocating me Sujay ! It feels I don't have any freedom anymore,it feels I cannot even breathe without you being around !! " She sighed.

"I know I understand why you act like this at times Sujay .... I know your parent's relationship has created an impact on you , and you do not want to end up like them ..... But Sujay this is not how it should be !" Vedika finally said what was on her mind since long ... and immediately regretted it.

Sujay felt like he had been hit hard on his chest. The mere mention of his parents and their relationship with each other..... his fear was coming true!  He tried so hard to not let them affect his outlook towards relationships and companionship that he ended up doing exactly that.
He could see clearly he was trying to hold Vedika too close to him and did not realize it was suffocating her...

"I am sorry Sujay , but until you come to terms with the reality of your parent's relationship, you will not be able hold any other relationship with the justice it deserves. And I am so sorry I do not have that patience to wait for you to make peace with your situation and give me the relationship I deserve...."

"Are you breaking up with me Vedika ? " Sujay asked in a slow voice knowing very well what Vedika meant. He just wanted her to confirm in words.

Vedika let out a sigh .. " Yes Sujay , as much as I adore you , we are too young to handle these complexities. You have too much to figure out about yourself , your perspective towards life and relationships . I am sorry Sujay , I just want to enjoy my college life with my friends , do things a 20 year old is supposed to do. I am not ready to be as committed as you expect a relationship should be .... I hope you understand Sujay...."

She did adore Sujay , she really did. He was very understanding and a perfect gentleman. Even for a guy in his 20 , he always ensured that she was comfortable, he never forced or expected her to be physically intimate , he believed in talking things out , he would always listen to all her little stories and his little acts of affection every now and then had made her fall in love with him ....but with time as their relationship grew so did his insecurities and she started feeling burdened trying to keep it together. Somewhere amidst this turmoil she completely forgot to live her college life and enjoy the carefree student phase . For him this relationship was a lifelong commitment but she was not ready yet to make lifelong decisions so early in life.

*Flashback ends*

"What if Shonali too thinks I am being persistent because of my parents relationship? Should I tell her everything? What if she leaves me too ?  " Sujay had a million thoughts on his mind. He still had to wrap his head around the news his parents gave him , and to top it all he had to leave in three days .

He was feeling completely restless, he dropped Jeet at the college gate , told him he just remembered an urgent task and left to meet one person he knew would never leave him.