I Am Guilty

40. Crossing Limits

Arjun had a strange dilemma explaining it to Mitra that he had to go back home. It was a relief that neither Mitra nor Kunal refused and they readily accepted the fact that he wanted to go home.

He sat quietly in Kunal's car as the car sped towards his home. Mitra was eerily quiet the entire ride and Kunal was lost in his own thoughts. The fact that Arjun had tried to give up on his life had shook them both to the core.

The car stopped in front of his home and Arjun stepped out, followed by Mitra. Arjun blinked when Kunal did not turn off the engine.
"You are not coming in?" He asked looking at Kunal.

Kunal held his gaze for a mere moment and looked at Mitra.
"Call me if you need anything."

He turned the car around and sped away. Arjun parted his lips and looked at Mitra.
"He is upset." He whispered.

"Let's go in, Arjun. You need to rest." Mitra replied.

Arjun sighed and followed her with tired steps. It was hard time for him to pacify his mother. She had not disclosed his sickness to anyone in the family, but she was worried for him and was not at peace until he convinced her that he was actually fine. He looked at his wife in hope to help him convince his mother, but the haughty woman decided to ignore him and let him handle his worried mother on his own. What did he do to piss off both Kunal and Mitra at the same time, he did not understand.

Mitra sighed and had to intervene. She assured Sapna that Arjun would be fine after a nice meal and a rest of few days. The poor woman rushed away to prepare a nice warm meal for him. Arjun looked at Mitra who walked out of the washroom after a splash of water. He know there was an elephant in the room and it had to be addressed.
He knew that she knew. She knew that he knew that she knew. It was getting more and more awkward. He was saved by his mother who brought lunch for him. He was never so thankful to her. Sapna asked Mitra to go down and eat, while Arjun had his lunch. She did not protest and that hurt more. Arjun tried to push away the heavy feeling and decided to focus on the food. He was hungry and when his mother fed him small morsels, he did not want to let the small joy slip. He wish he could have these moments treasured.

Arjun was in deep slumber when Mitra stepped in after the lunch. She looked at his strong frame and her eyes welled up. She did not have the heart to stay angry at him, but she was hurt, rather she was terrified.

It was early evening when Arjun finally woke up and looked around. Mitra gathered her patience and smiled at him. He blinked at her when she brushed away the hair and placed a soft warm kiss on his forehead. He immediately held on her arm when she was about to get up. The vulnerability was not lost on her.

"Go freshen up. I will get you a coffee." She whispered and stood up to fold the sheets on the bed.

"MItra, I am sorry." He replied.

She did not look up at him and answered, "say that when you mean it, Arjun."

Arjun was taken aback. "Why would you say that? I really mean it."

She was calm and composed while he was burning in guilt. She folded the sheets neatly and placed them in a corner of the bed.
"Let's not talk about this now. You are not well. We will talk about this when you are in correct sense of mind."

The cold in her voice cut deep. He was looking forward to an ugly row. It would have felt better to have been blamed by her. Procrastinating the consequences was not something he was looking forward to. She was quiet only because he was unwell. He did not like that she was controlling herself. His heart dropped to his stomach.

He licked his lips and quietly walked away to the washroom. A warm shower could help him pacify his thoughts.

He could feel a start of fever as a shiver ran though his spine when the warm water cascaded down his body. With a mind to sleep it off, he came out, fully dressed in a white full sleeves t-shirt and off-white track pants. Mitra was about to step out of the room to get a coffee for him, when the door was suddenly burst open and Veena walked in unannounced and uninvited.