Let's meet again for the first time.
Her mother shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "Who will marry you now, when people get to know you were left by Vikram?" Before I could even process what I was doing, the words left my mouth.
"I wil...
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AARAV'S POV
I sit at my desk, staring at the pile of paperwork. I have a lot of work to do but my mind keeps drifting back to this morning. Anika, in her red saree, looked like a vision. I shake my head in an attempt to focus on the task at hand, but the memory of her delicate features and the way the fabric hugged her figure, the way her hair flew gracefully, the sunlight highlighting her, won't leave my mind. Her beauty is undeniable. I can't believe I had even resorted to hiding behind a pillar in the dining room just to watch her without being noticed. I shake my head, frustrated with myself. What's wrong with me?!
My phone rings, pulling me back to the present. It's Bhabhi.
"Hello?" She says, "What can I do for you Bhabhi ji?" I ask. She rarely calls me because she doesn't have to, I am usually with her when I am at home, now that Aditi has gone to college. She has grown up a lot on me, I genuinely love her. "You didn't come for breakfast." I can hear the disappointment in her voice. How do I tell her that I wanted to, and I could smell the sandwich, the one I missed so much, but I didn't want Anu to think this is over. I hate her, at least when she wasn't with me, I could pray for her welfare, wish that wherever she is she be happy, but she's with me, and now all I can think of is these twelve years and the amount of pain she has caused me. I tried making that sandwich so many times but it never tasted like hers.
"I had work Bhabhi." I respond. "Aarav" She sighs, "I am sorry if it sound like I am lecturing you, you are older than me, so you know better than me but.." She pauses for a moment, I don't respond, "it's just that it was her first day, and everyone weren't really enthusiastic too. Things are a little tense and so it's your duty to stand by her now. She's your wife. I don't know what's going on between you two, I don't want to know.." Her voice breaks, "but just thinking from her perspective," She sniffles, "makes me so sad, she must feel so lonely."
I feel a pang of guilt, "you're right bhabhi." I whisper. Thinking about Anika and how she must be feeling, alone and lonely in a house where everyone seemed distant, made my heart ache. I had been so focused on my own hurt and anger, I had failed to consider her perspective.
I let out a sigh, my fingers drumming on the desk in frustration. I knew Bhabhi was right, as much as I didn't want to admit it. Anika was my wife, and she was in my house, and it was my responsibility to stand by her.
"I am so tired of crying." She chuckles, "but I can't help it." She sighs. "Okay Aarav, I think I want to sleep, I am tired." She says, "okay bhabhi. Don't stress okay, I will make everything okay?!" I say, "I know you will." She whispers sleepely. I cut the call, dialing Anika's number. She answers after a few rings. "Do you need something?" I ask, my voice distant. There's a pause.
"Nothing," She says. "But maybe you need freedom from me." She chuckles, her laugh sounds forced.
"Yes I do." I reply, my voice heavy. No I don't, I think to myself but don't say it out loud, It was true, I had longed for freedom from her, from her memories, I fought with it for twelve years but hearing her say it out loud stung. I wanted to tell her that she wasn't a burden, that I still cared for her more than I wanted to admit, but the words stuck in my throat.
"If you need something, call me. You have my number," I say finally, ending the call before she could respond. Because the Anu I know is fiery, fierce, she will have sassy comebacks and that makes me speechless and I look dumb. I have to find that bastard, end this thing. Vikram needs to pay, for what he did to me. And for this situation he has landed us in.
As I hang up, I can't help but think about how much I have loved her since I was 14. When I was 16, her family decided to shift to another city. The news broke me. She was my backbone, my best friend. I didn't know how to live without her. But she promised me she would stay in contact, she would call me everyday and that gave me hope, thinking I would not loose her entirely after all. I never told her how much I loved her, I didn't had the guts to tell her. I sat by the landline for a year, every day after school, waiting for her call. But nothing. No response from her side. I didn't know her address or her landline, it might have changed as they moved, so I had no means of contacting her. The silence on the other end, the emptiness that followed, it was like a dagger to my heart each time.
And now she's back in my life as my wife. Am I expected to forget these 12 years, the pain I went through? We were never in a relationship, but the heartbreak I felt was real. I lost my best friend and the person I loved all at once. I became so lonely. It felt like a part of me was ripped away. I haven't been able to forget or forgive her. I'm glad God sent me to her marriage so I could save her from Vikram, but I hold grudges. She knows that too, and so she has to suffer. She has to understand how it feels to be hurt by someone close. Not that she thinks of me as someone close because if she did, things would be different.
I couldn't help but wonder how she felt. Did she even realize the pain she had caused me? Did she understand how devastating her silence had been? I knew holding grudges wasn't the best solution, but I couldn't help it. The hurt and the loneliness I had endured for so long had left deep scars on my heart, and I found myself using every opportunity to make her suffer.
˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ Author's note: Sorry for not updating yesterday! To make up I am giving you guys double update today, hope you'll like it! Love:)
