Until I Found You

3. Hurt

It had been a lazy Saturday for Ram, Priya and Pihu.

The three had spent the entire day in the living room- playing board games, listening to songs, watching funny videos on Ram's laptop, and just idly sprawling over the couch, cracking jokes and laughing.

It was now evening.

Having put down Pihu for her nap with great difficulty, Priya walked out of their room and closed the door behind her softly.

At the same time, Ram entered the living room holding two cups of coffee.

"Balcony mein baithe?" he asked.

With a nod, Priya followed him outside.

They got seated cross legged on the floor, the light evening breeze adding to the pleasant March weather.

The two silently sipped on their coffee, enjoying the weather and each other's company.

"Tum miss nahi karti usey?" Ram's question broke the silence.

"Kch," Priya clicked her tongue, understanding that he was referring to Krish.

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, half convinced.

"Sach mein," she replied meeting his gaze, "Kabhi kabhi thodi yaad aati hai, thoda bura lagta hai. But mostly not."

"Kyun?"

Priya sighed, her eyes now fixed on the steam swirling out from her cup.

"Bohot problems hone lagg gayi thi humare beech. I think somewhere along the way, we fell out of love."

Her face fell as memories of the past year and a half flooded her mind. She felt uneasy in her chest recalling their daily fights. It had been the toughest period of her life, and thinking about it made her heart feel heavy all over again.

She took in a deep breath to compose herself.

"Phir bhi, maine bohot koshish ki, so that humara rishta bana rhe. Lekin ek point ke baad mujhe realise hua, ki iss sab ka koi fayda nahi hai. He...ju-just stopped...care-caring."

Seeing Priya falter in her speech, Ram reached out and placed a hand on her knee. He hated to see her like that.

Priya cleared her throat, wanting to get rid of the lump forming there.

When the tightness in her throat eased a little, she resumed,

"Kaafi der lagi mujhe, yeh samajhne mein ki usey meri toh chorho, Pihu tak ki parwah nahi. But as soon as I realised it," she paused briefly, "I wanted out. I asked for a divorce, aur usne mana bhi nahi kiya."

"I'm sorry," Ram whispered, his eyes turning watery listening to the hurt in her voice.

Priya glanced at him, and was stunned to see tears brimming in his eyes.

"Tum ro rhe ho?" she asked, blinking back her own tears.

He tore his gaze away.

"Pagal," she said softly, placing her hand on top of his.

After a minute, she spoke,

"It's okay, Ram. Jo hua, achha hi hua. Ab toh main bhi uspe aansu nahi bahati. It's alright," she gave his hand a gentle squeeze, "He's my past, and that's it. Mere present aur future mein uski koi jagah nahi."

Ram looked at her, in awe of her strength and resilience. Despite everything that she had endured, her eyes showed no regret or sadness. The way she had gathered herself and kept herself together after such a devastating episode only increased his respect for her.