ADHURI KAHANI: A tale of an amnesic bond

5. MEMORIES BRING BACK

INAAYA'S POV

I rang the doorbell, and within a few moments, Ishani came and opened the door for me. She went to sit on the couch after opening the door. I stood there, removing my shoes before entering. She was on a call with someone, and I didn't have the energy to face any questions from anyone, so I didn't disturb her and let her be.

I was about to turn towards my bedroom when I heard Ishani say, "Yeah... she is here." Curiosity took the best of me. I turned to Ishani and raised my eyebrows, asking her who was on the call.

"Maa," she said.

I went to the couch and sat there beside her, folding both my legs because I know for a fact that Mumma would want to talk to me and know how my first day at work was, and I do not want to ignore her... NEVER.

As I had expected, after talking to Ishani for a few minutes, Maa wanted to talk to me, so Ishani handed her phone to me. She asked me about a lot of things. She is a curious person. I told her everything, leaving out the details of me meeting my best frien-... ex-best friend after seven years.

This is a happy day... Yes, this is a happy day. I got the job, and it was my first day today, so it is a happy day

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Happy day? Was it?

I questioned myself... After talking to Maa, freshening up, and having dinner with Ishani, where I tried my best to hide my overwhelming emotions, here I am in my bed, ready to sleep... or am i? The bed is everyone's comfort place, and night is for sleeping, but for me, the combination of both is for overthinking, be it about something that happened years ago.

Happy day. Happy day. Happy day. Happy day. I repeated in my mind, as if it would help me forget what happened today, as if my mind would skip the memories of what happened today if I keep repeating it. I chuckled at myself. Stupid.

Was it ? Was it really a happy day?

The events of today lingered before my eyes, vivid and haunting, as if I had once again stood before him after seven excruciatingly long years of absence. The haunting memories of our encounter played on a loop, each replay deepening the ache within. His gaze, once a window to shared memories, now held an unfamiliarity that sent shivers down my spine.

As midnight approached, the room echoed with the silence of unanswered questions. The unknown aspects of his life, the layers of mystery that time had woven around him, left me grappling with an unsettling sense of loss, making my sleep vanish.

The ghost of what was, what could have been, and what remained unsaid, haunting me in the quiet moments between breaths. As the world slept, I found myself tangled in the threads of the past, wrestling with the echoes of a reunion that had unraveled more questions than it had answered.

FLASHBACK

I tapped my feet on the ground with anticipation, wondering what was going to happen. My gaze was fixated on the computer screen before me. Mumma, dada (father), Idhant bhaiya, Ishani - everyone was standing, while I was sitting, surrounded by their gazes, also fixated on the computer screen. My stomach twisted with nervousness, and I could feel everyone in my family was nervous as well, even if I couldn't see them.

"Don't worry, beta! Even if you don't get it, I have enough money to send you abroad."

My father tried to cheer me up in an attempt to clear the cloud of anxiety that was surrounding everyone.

"Of course! What's all this money we earn for then?" Mom joined in.

Idhant bhaiya was about to team up with Mom and Dad, but I cut him off.