Solacing Yob of her's

Echoes of Silence

The train ride was agonizing, passing in a silence so thick it felt like miles between us, even though he sat right beside me. I was too angry to be the one to speak, and he seemed too decent to break our silence in a public place. When we finally reached the city that morning, I felt an urgency I'd never felt before to reach home. As soon as we arrived at the station, I grabbed my bags and shot him a quick glance. He followed me quietly, booking a cab for us, and we reached my apartment in what felt like the longest half-hour of my life.

The elevator ride was almost unbearable. In the enclosed space, our silence grew heavier, almost pressing down on me. As we neared my floor, I clutched his elbow, gripping his shirt, feeling the fabric between my fingers as if to ground myself. "Are you ready?" I asked, my voice barely more than a whisper. He didn't reply, just met my gaze with an unreadable expression.

When the door to the apartment clicked shut, he suddenly fell to his knees, the sound echoing in the quiet space. "I am sorry, Divi," he murmured, his voice breaking. "I shouldn't have left you... I am so, so sorry."

The sight of him, so vulnerable and raw, pulled at everything I had kept bottled up. I rushed to him, sinking down, wrapping my arms around him as he clung to me as though I might disappear. My heart ached at the familiarity of his warmth, the way he held on so desperately. A year's worth of tears and unanswered questions poured out, and I let them fall, unable to hold back.

"Why did you leave me, Abhi? For a whole year... where were you?" My voice cracked with each word. "Why didn't you answer my calls? What happened that kept you away? We were fine nothing happened between us, and yet you left."

He held me tighter, his silence painfully loud. I could feel the warmth of his tears on my shoulder, each one adding to the questions swirling in my heart. The answers felt so close, but still out of reach, locked away behind the same wall he'd built a year ago. I stood up, unable to sit still with the storm of emotions surging within me while his silence is hitting hard. Walking to the drawer, I opened it and took out the picture of us that I had tucked away after he disappeared from my life. A picture I couldn't bear to see, yet couldn't bring myself to throw away. It was a memory of us, framed in happier times, when everything seemed so certain and real.

Holding the picture, I turned to him, my eyes blurred with unshed tears. "This... this is all I had of you, Abhi," I said, my voice trembling. "This is what I looked at every time I doubted myself, every time I questioned my worth because of your silence." I handed him the picture, the weight of its memories too much for me to hold anymore.

He took it slowly, his fingers brushing the frame as if it were fragile, like the remnants of our bond. His face fell, the impact of what I'd been through settling over him like a shadow. "Divi, I...I never wanted you to feel this way," he whispered, his voice breaking.

"Every time I see a picture of us," I began, my voice barely steady, "I used to feel proud to be beside you, to share those moments, those memories." I paused, trying to control the ache surfacing with every word. "But this past year, Abhi... all I could think of was-what was my fault? What did I do to deserve this silence from you? You took away more than just your presence. You took away my pride... my self-respect."

The words hung in the air, heavy and raw. His face dropped, the weight of my hurt finally reaching him. He tried to reach for me, his hand hovering as if he didn't deserve to touch me anymore. His eyes were filled with regret, but regret alone couldn't erase the pain of the past year.

"Divi, please," he whispered, his voice cracking. "I never wanted to hurt you."

I looked away, feeling the emotions I had kept buried surface in a rush. The memories, the nights of waiting, of wondering, of questioning myself, all of it was flooding back, and he could see it, feel it, in my silence.

My voice broke through the stillness, sharp and demanding, piercing the silence that had lingered between us like a heavy, unbearable weight. I could feel my heart racing, pounding against my chest as I looked at him, waiting for a response, any response that could make sense of the void he'd left in my life.

"I want an answer, Abhi! What happened between us that you left without even a glance?!" I could barely contain the frustration and pain in my voice, each word spilling out with months of hurt I'd kept bottled up. But he just stood there, his gaze fixed on the floor, his silence cutting deeper than any words could have.

I took a shaky breath, fighting the tremor in my voice. "Answer me, Abhinav!" I shouted, unable to bear his silence any longer. The name felt foreign on my lips, an echo of a person I thought I knew.

His shoulders sagged, his eyes finally meeting mine with a sadness that mirrored my own. He grasped my hands firmly, grounding me with his touch. His words, however, did the opposite, they threw me into chaos.

"You need reasons, or me?" he asked, his voice raw and steady, but his question made my heart lurch.

I pulled back slightly, stunned by his calmness. "I want the truth, Abhinav!" My voice trembled with frustration and confusion, yet I clung to anger as if it could shield me from the pain.

His eyes met mine, holding a sorrow that I hadn't seen before. "The truth is... I never left you, Divi. You asked me to go. I'm just following your words."

For a moment, I could barely breathe. His words hit me with a force that felt like the ground was slipping beneath my feet. I searched his face for some hint, some clarity in his gaze. His eyes held mine, unwavering, and suddenly I felt lost, trapped between memory and the present. How could I have asked him to leave? I couldn't remember anything that would have pushed him away, nothing strong enough to separate us.

I stumbled back, my mind spinning as I tried to piece together his words. "Why would I ask you to leave, Abhi?" I asked, voice barely a whisper. "If I truly told you to go, then why would I be left suffering, waiting every single day for a sign, for you to come back to me?"

His eyes softened, and he took a step closer. "Divya," he murmured, "sometimes we say things without realizing the weight they carry. Maybe you didn't mean it, but your words... they felt final. And I thought that's what you wanted."

My heart raced, and a cold dread crept over me. I couldn't remember ever saying anything that would drive him away, nothing that could possibly cut this deep. "But Abhi, I don't remember saying anything like that." I stated.

My mind spun, tangled in confusion and disbelief. No, no... I could never say that. I tried to remember every conversation, every argument, but nothing made sense. Why would I ever ask him to leave me? The thought felt foreign, absurd. He has to be lying, I told myself, clinging to a fleeting hope. But as I searched his face, his eyes met mine - calm, steady, and without a trace of deception. My heart sank.

He wasn't lying.

But then... why would I say something like that? It was as though my memories were betraying me, turning shadows over the truth I desperately wanted to understand. I closed my eyes, fighting the flood of emotions that churned inside me. There had to be something, some reason, some missing piece that explained this mess between us. Before I could open my eyes, darkness whelmed me and the last sound I heard is "Divvyyyaa!!".

"Abhi..." I murmured before I collapsed.