𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧 & 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞

DHRUVI

"You are not going Office today " Atharva said to me .
" Why ? What happened? " I asked him confusely.
" You are not well you should rest that's why " He replied.

His concern felt suffocating, like a blanket I couldn't shake off. "I'm fine," I insisted, trying to brush off his worry, but he wouldn't relent.

"Why are you pretending like you care?" I blurted out, unable to contain my frustration. But then, in a voice barely above a whisper, he said something that caught me off guard. "I don't need to pretend, Dhruvi."

His words hung in the air, leaving me speechless. Did he really mean that? Did he genuinely care about me? It was a revelation I wasn't prepared for, and it left me feeling vulnerable.

Before I could process his words, Auntie chimed in, urging me to stay home. She mentioned something about my family coming to see me, which only added to my discomfort. I hated being the center of attention, especially when I wasn't feeling my best.

As if that wasn't enough, Atharva mentioned calling my friends too, further amplifying my unease. I never asked for this much attention, and the thought of everyone fussing over me made me want to crawl into a hole and disappear.

I tried to mask my irritation, but inside, I was seething. Why did they have to make such a big deal out of this? But as much as I wanted to push them all away, a small part of me couldn't help but feel grateful for their concern. Maybe, just maybe, I wasn't as alone as I thought I was.

*****
ATHARVA

As the evening settled in, I found myself in my study room, accompanied by Anmay and Aisha. I couldn't explain it, but I felt the need to share my thoughts with them, to seek their perspective on the mess I had created.

Aisha seemed reluctant to leave Dhruvi's side, but she agreed to join me nonetheless. I knew she was a true friend, willing to sacrifice her own comfort for mine.

"I've made so many mistakes in the past, but I want to make things right," I confessed, feeling the weight of my words pressing down on me.

"It's not entirely your fault, you know. Nandini and the others manipulated you," Anmay offered, his concern evident in his voice.

"But he's not entirely blameless either. He should have seen through her and focused on Dhruvi," Aisha interjected, her frustration palpable.

"He's not some fortune teller who could foresee all of this. And he trusted Dhruvi. He made space because..." Anmay trailed off, but I knew what he was going to say. I didn't want to dwell on the past anymore.

"Just give me some ideas on how to keep her with me," I pleaded, desperate for a solution.

"So, you're not going to divorce her now?" Anmay questioned, his tone laced with curiosity.

"No, I can't. I can't bear to be apart from her anymore. I want to be by her side until the end of my days," I confessed, knowing deep down that I meant every word.

"Are you on periods?" Aisha's sudden question caught me off guard, and Anmay's laughter only added to my confusion. "What?" I asked, unsure if she was serious or joking.

"I mean, are you on your period or do you have bipolar disorder? Your mood swings are all over the place! One minute you don't care about her, and the next minute you're saying you want to be with her," Aisha explained, her words making me feel like she had pierced through my inner turmoil.

Anmay, ever the voice of reason, chimed in, "Listen, she needs to know what's going on if she's going to help you."

I felt a mix of frustration and embarrassment at being dissected so openly. But I knew they were right; if I wanted their help, I needed to be transparent about everything.