Broken but Alive

16

  Shraddha was lying in her bed, eyes wide open. Her siblings had left for work and she heard her parents quarrel for hours. 'Only if I could talk', she thought trying not to break. She did not know what to do, as nobody hired her for jobs. Now she had lost interest in her hobbies. Aaryan and Alia worked to care for and provide for the family. But she was a failure. Her mother would always accuse her no matter what she did or what happened to her. She felt terrible when Meena thought she was with a man, a lover, who didn't even exist. What humiliated her the most was that it happened in front of the ones that meant her world. The only relief she had was thinking about how everyone stood by her against her mother. They trusted and believed in her. Siddharth could have hurt her, held her captive or done whatever he wished but he chose to be a man of his word. A man who respected good women. He had no intention of hurting her or anybody else. A gentle soul, in the disguise of a beast. That was Sidharth Mishra to Shraddha. Her phone rang breaking the silence looming in the atmosphere. 

"Shradds, how are you feeling?", it was Aditya checking on her.

She gave a thumbs up, still lying down in her bed. Aditya was immediately concerned. 

"Shraddha? You're not okay, what happened? Is there anything I can do to help? Do you want to go outside? I can take you anywhere", he was worried looking at her sad face.

She sat upright and nodded a no. 

"Okay, you know what, I'm sending Vikram home. You need company right now. Who else can do it better than him. I'll see you soon okay. Shradds...", he gently called her name watching her eyes come back to the video. "Its not your fault baba", he said and all the pain inside her broke into pieces, making her cry her heart out in front of him. "Shraddha please don't cry. I wish I was there beside you right now. I'm sorry I am not. Please, you are not alone. I'm there for you... we're all there for you. Whatever your mom said is not true okay. Please Shradds. Listen, you'll be fine and... I love you", he said catching her eyes meet his through her tears. He ended the call with his charming smile that worked like magic on her.

She kept the phone aside, his last words echoing in her ears. She and Aditya knew what he said was words that came form a family friend and not a lover. They felt it and it stitched her broken pieces together. Slowly the quarrel died down. She got down from her bed and tiptoed outside her eyes darting around for her parents. She saw her mother mumbling to herself in the kitchen and her dad sitting outside on the veranda. She embraced him tightly. He kissed her on the forehead, as she sat on the hammock beside him. 

"Papa", she called holding his hand.

"Beta, what happened to you that night? We were all worried. I thought I'd never get you back", his eyes welled up.

She smiled and began writing, what felt like an essay about the new friend she had met. She knew this was bound to happened. After a few minutes, she handed the notepad to her dad, whose eyes rushed through every line. Once he was done, he held her close for a while.

"He is a good man. God bless him for keeping you safe. I want you to show this to your mother, siblings, Ranbir and your friends. They should know the truth. You should clear their minds before it goes wary. 

She nodded her head in return knowing her father was right.

"We need to get Alia and Ranbir married before its too late. Just our close family and friends. Nobody knows about Sidharth and what he did to you, even if the word was out, we will protect you from everyone who comes at you. Don't you worry", her dad kissed her on the forehead again. 

She sat there enjoying the cool breeze, without letting go her father's arms. The peace helped her clear her mind. But, Sidharth had a place deep in her subconsciousness. After a while she was in her room when her phone rang again, an unknown number was calling her on video. Without a second thought she picked it up wearing a million dollar smile. She waved her hands at the person on the other side of the call who was equally happy to see  her.

"Hey Shradds, good morning, having a good day?", he asked.

She nodded her head, "what about you?" she asked.

"Perfect. I was thinking about you after dropping you home. What have you done to me and this house, especially the kitchen? When I come here, I feel you are somewhere around. I miss your presence. You said you would come anytime you wanted to right? You are always welcome. The doors will always be open to you Miss Shraddha", he said.

She bowed her head feeling thankful. "I missed you too".

"You missed me too?" That was the first time he had heard someone say that to him. Someone whom he became instantly attached to. Someone who was a part of his world. Someone whom he couldn't stay away for long. "Thank you for saying that and... I love you", he said.

She stared into his eyes, he was handsome and kind and everything she wished for in a man. "You love me? As in like me so much or really love me?" she waited.

He laughed out. "I like you so much Shraddhs. You are a wonderful friend. My only family".

"You want  a real family? You, me and our kids?" she joked.

"Hmm... is that what you want? Me? Our kids?", he raised an eyebrow.

She noticed his smile had disappeared. "I wasn't joking about it. I never saw you that way and I'm pretty sure you didn't too. But, if you ever think about having a family, I hope my face comes to your mind. Until then, we can be friends without the intension of falling in love. You have my word", she confirmed she didn't want to loose a wonderful friend.

"You have my words Shradds", the smile appeared back on his face. "Tell me, how's everyone?"

"Great and who am I talking to? Are you a white hat or a black hat at the moment?", she made a funny face.

"I work for the CIA. Shhh... don't tell anyone", he kept his finger on the lip.

She laughed and he watched the little child in her. They went on talking for two hours, laughing and sharing things until it all ended and she felt better than ever before. What she didn't know was that Vikram was near her room, listening to them speak.