Dawn

Chapter 20 - Petrichor

Jis jung mein tera ho rutba

(the battle in which you wish for victory)

uss jung ka khud main toh Junaid piya

(I am but a soldier in that war myself)

Petrichor

[noun]

the scent of the earth after rains (indicating relief after a long spell)

Imlie glared at the man sitting next to her who smirked as though all was right with the world. He reached over picked up the piece of sliced apple from her plate and cheekily offered it to her, shrugging nonchalantly and biting it off himself when all she did was scowl harder at him, hoping to scare him away.

All this achieved, unfortunately, was a raised eyebrow and a slow lazy smile which made her feel like butterflies had been let loose inside her belly.

What had happened to him overnight? Imlie was getting whiplash with all the different facets of Aryan she'd seen in such a short time.

This morning, Imlie had opened her eyes to the brightness streaming in and sighed. Another day.

She was someone who used to be up at the crack of dawn with all the energy of a hummingbird. Lately though, her nights were spent overthinking her current circumstances, and missing the khadoos, insensitive praani that occupied her mind 24/7, which meant that her mornings were no more as welcome as they used to be.

The days stretched endlessly for her. School was closed for a short duration and she had stayed away from Bhaskar Times after her row with Aryan. She'd aimlessly wandered the house since then during the hours that he was at work, hiding away in her room to avoid him when she knew he was back.

She'd gotten up and ambled to the bathroom for a shower, hoping that getting dressed would make her feel a bit better. She may have nowhere to be, but she could at least look prepared for another day of pining and listless lounging. Maybe she'd join Kaki Ma on a shopping trip for the new baby, she'd thought.

She knew even then, that being with Kaki ma wouldn't fill the void in her. An Aryan shaped void. Over the last few months, they had gotten used to each other's presence but she had never expected to feel such a deep sense of loss over their fall out.

Liar, a voice scolded her internally. She was deliberately refusing to acknowledge the depth of her feelings for him. Being pushed away had hurt, but staying away hurt just as much. She didn't know how to get over this.

Seeing him face to face last night had been a surprise. She had missed him so much. His warm voice, his closeness. When he'd put his arms around her, she had wanted to forget it all and melt into his embrace, seeking the safety of his presence after days of being denied the quiet strength he carried.

If she were being honest, his apology had taken the edge off the hurt she'd been feeling. She'd heard the sincerity behind his apology.

But she was terrified of being hurt again.

And Aryan, she realized, held the power to hurt her deeply.

On a whim, she'd picked her peach pink kurti and dark jeans that had been added to her wardrobe by an insistent Arpita Didi, taking just a few seconds extra to line her eyes with kohl, darkening her lashes to try to seem more awake. It wouldn't do to look lackluster with Kaki Ma or Didi around. Imlie knew that Didi was aware of her breakdown but had been thankful that she hadn't been asked for an explanation. Kaki Ma on the other hand was blissfully oblivious, and Imlie wanted to keep it that way.