Last Stop: Love

11. Freedom at midnight

Irfan wasn't really sure if he was alive.

It seemed highly probable that he died and went to heaven, because nowhere in his wildest dreams had he thought he would find love on a train ride. He was in a state of pure euphoria. A resplendent smile resided on his face refusing to wane.

He kept stealing glances at Meetha as she leaned back on the seat and looked out the window. She was sleepy, he could tell. Her eyelids were drooping softly, her breaths a steady cadence. He felt like he could get used to this sight.

Meetha's phone rang, the iPhone's default Marimba ringtone piercing the silence. She sat up as she reached into her purse hurriedly.

She seemed disturbed as she looked at the screen. Irfan was concerned. “What happened? Who is it?”

She turned the phone screen towards him. It read ‘Ajith’.

Irfan's lips pursed in contemplation. Meetha looked at him for answers.

“Deep breaths, Meetha. Do you want to take the call?”

“I.. I'm not sure.. I think.. I want.. to..”

The ringing ended abruptly, and Meetha shuddered. Irfan placed his hand upon hers. “Hey.. It's okay.”

She jumped as her phone rang again. “I.. I wanna talk to him,” she managed to utter this time. Irfan nodded in approval. When she attended the call, Ajith's annoyed voice called out her name loudly.

“Meetha!?”

“Y..yes..”

“Where are you, Meetha? I'm standing in front of your house, and it's locked. Are you back at your dorm? Couldn't you have informed me?”

“Ajith..”

“Yeah, I'm me!”

“Ajith, I saw you today. In your office café.”

“What are you talking about?” The annoyance in his voice grew.

“With another woman,” she spoke through gritted teeth.

“You should have called me if you were gonna come visit.”

Meetha glared at the phone. She simmered in silent anger at his imprudent comment. Irfan watched her intently. He badly wanted to intervene, to give that idiot on the phone a piece of his mind. He held his patience, knowing it's not his place. This fight was between them.

“Meetha!? Why can't you talk properly on the phone? Where are you now?”

Ajith's voice, once smooth like honey, now felt like a bee-sting. Meetha's anger was reaching boiling point, waiting to erupt like a volcano. She tried to control, yet some of her wrath slipped into her words.

“Ajith, listen very carefully while I say this; This is over; we are over. You cheated on me. You broke my heart. I don't want to see you anymore. Get out of my life.”

Ajith let out a haughty laugh in disbelief.
"Do you even know what you're talking about, Meetha? What do you mean, we're over?”

Meetha's eyes prickled with a subtle moisture, a hint of tears gathering in the corners. His nonchalance to her emotions cut deep, and left her wondering where it all went wrong. How could she have thought this guy was her future? The mere thought seemed repulsive.

“I mean every word of it, Ajith. I hate you. I hate you so much! Get out of my life, you cheat!” Her raised voice roused a few passengers, and Irfan faced them with an apologetic smile.

She cut the call, switched off her mobile and threw it on the berth. She quickly buried her face in her knees. Her body trembled with suppressed sobs.

“I'm... I'm so sorry…” Her voice cracked as she tilted her head from her knees. “I swear, I'm not usually like this…” she tried to explain, her words hoarse and wet with tears.

She closed her eyes and breathed shakily. Irfan watched as she quietly recovered, collecting herself by taking voluntary deep breaths to calm her raging heart. She stared at her mobile phone lying near her feet on the berth.

“I think that went okay,” she tried to be brave as she faced Irfan.

Irfan assented earnestly. “You are the bravest, strongest person I've seen. You handled it very well, Meetha. I'm proud of you.”

“That's very kind of you. Thanks Irfan.“ A tear made it to her cheek.

“No, I'm serious. You were clear, concise and confident. I really hope you find closure.”

“Too tired to think about that. I'm gonna put it off for tomorrow. Besides, I have an inkling that he won't leave me alone anytime soon. If I know Ajith, he will definitely make this ugly.”

“No he won't. Meetha, next time, we'll be prepared.”

“Huh..”

With a shrug, Meetha went back to her restful slumber as he stretched his back and neck, relieving some tension. He checked his phone, seeing that there was roughly half an hour until they reached Hyderabad.

With a sigh, he sat back in his seat and observed Meetha as he pondered her predicament. He admired her remarkable courage, and the way she told off Ajith with such resolve. He admitted to himself that he could never be this collected during such turmoil. He felt proud of her, again. He promised himself that he would do his best to ease her pain, to support her in whatever ways she needed.

He smiled at her sleeping form.

When the train pulled up at the final destination in thirty minutes, Irfan patted Meetha softly on her shoulders.

“We're here, Meetha. Welcome To Hyderabad.”

As she opened her eyes, Irfan's pleasant face swam into view. His gaze, warm and adoring, enveloped her, making her feel like the sole anchor of his attention. His eyes shone with a soft, starry light, as if all its wonder was from her. Meetha felt a lump in her throat.

It was as if life had handed her a twisted gift: a cheating boyfriend. It was a wake-up call to reevaluate her worth and reclaim her life. The cheating was a blessing in disguise, a push to break free of him and step into a brighter future, a future she suspected was standing in front of her. She realised that sometimes, the universe's plan is better than our own - even if it takes a little heartache to get there.

With a soulful smile, she rose from the seat and followed him to the doorway, to the prospect of an unfolding adventure.

***