If Only

Chapter 13

(Jay POV)

This must have been the most peaceful day, because the nightmare is over.

Pass or fail, atleast it's over.

I came out of the exam room after completing the last exam.

I am now in peace.

The lobby looks quiet and gives solitude vibes because it's only me.

Since my intelligent friends are still writing their exam, must be busy writing the optional questions instead of realizing that they can leave them out.

I put my stationary back in my backpack and see Isha coming out of the room.

"How did yours go?", I asked.

"Average", she replied.

"What about you?", she asked.

"Better then what I thought", I said.

We waited there for the rest.

We chitchatted about another ten more minutes.

"So how are you holding up?", I asked.

"Fine. Why?", she asked.

"I mean you know the other day, you were is some kind of phase so I didn't bother to ask you since I thought it would be inappropriate of me to ask you what is troubling you. Since, you haven't told anything yet, though it's been a week ago I was a bit worried about what happened", I replied.

"It-it's just I don't know. I keep fluctuating between my moods. And you remember the guy from the cafe right?", she started to which I nodded.

"He came to me few weeks ago and said he won't bother me unless I call for him myself", she sighed.

"What is wrong then? Now you are free. You don't have to be scared and get stalked, so why? ", I asked.

"I know. But, I have this feeling that makes me want to be near him. He feels like home for me. Whenever I sense he is around I feel safe rather than be scared of him. I don't know but I feel like he did so many things for me so that I don't have to struggle. It sounds so foolish of me to think like that but I can't help but feel it that way", she continued.

"It's fine. We don't know what the destiny holds just wait for it's call. Maybe, your gut is trying to tell you something", I replied patting her shoulder.

"I don't know what to believe Jay. I trusted way too many people in the past that I had hard time trying to blend along with people later. I struggled to make friends. If only Aditya hadn't approached me during our junior college days I would still be alone. But with this guy, I want to be near him, tease him, pretend to not like him around me when deep inside I am craving to be by his side", she admitted.

It is evident that she is not fine right now not because of what she is talking but because of the change of her personality from golden retriever energy to black cat is so clear to us.

We didn't want to make it hard for her and gave her the space she needed right now.

But now it's difficult, the Isha everyone knows is always bubbly but the one we know is a scared little girl trapped in her own head wanting an escape, wanting freedom, wanting tenderness.

We can offer the affection she needs but that feeling of warmth and safety can be given only by one person who we call them as soulmate.

Maybe if she finds someone who can give her that she might open up to us even more.

With every word she has ever told right now makes me want to believe that the guy who was following her is the one who can offer that feeling to her.

It might sound delusional but whatever has happened till now didn't make sense until she told me the things she was feeling.