I'd love To Be Your Last

Chapter-4

The sun hung low in the sky, casting a golden hue over the lavish wedding venue. Flowers adorned every corner, and laughter echoed through the air, creating a stark contrast to the turmoil that churned in Amudha’s heart. Today was Ayaan’s wedding day, the day she had imagined so many times when they had been together. Yet here she stood, feeling like an outsider.

As the ceremony unfolded, Amudha felt her breath quicken, her heart pounding painfully in her chest. She watched from a distance, surrounded by the guests celebrating the love that was supposed to be hers. Each vow exchanged was like a dagger, twisting deeper with every promise he made to another woman. She fought against the rising tide of emotion, feeling sick to her stomach.

With trembling hands, Amudha excused herself from the crowd, whispering an apology to no one in particular. She needed air—she needed to escape this moment that felt like a funeral for their love. The rooftop of the venue seemed like the only sanctuary available, a place where she could breathe without the weight of expectation bearing down on her.

As she stepped onto the terrace, the cool breeze washed over her, but it did nothing to quell the storm inside. She leaned against the railing, staring blankly at the horizon, tears streaming down her cheeks. She had thought that with time, the pain would dull, but instead, it felt sharper than ever. How had it come to this? How had her life spun out of control, leading her to this moment where she was merely a spectator of the life she should have had?

In the midst of her despair, she was unaware of Arul, who stood at a distance, taking in the scene before him. He had come to the wedding to support his sister-in-law, the groom's brother's wife, but he hadn’t expected to find a familiar face amidst the festivities. The girl he had met at the café—the one with the eyes that spoke of hidden pain—was now standing alone, lost in her sorrow.

He felt an inexplicable pull toward her, a connection that went beyond their brief encounter. He turned to his sister-in-law, who was animatedly chatting with other guests, and asked quietly, “Who is she?”

His sister-in-law paused, glancing over at Amudha with a frown. “That’s Amudha. She and Ayaan were supposed to be together…until everything changed.” Her voice softened, a hint of sympathy threading through her words. “It’s a tragic story. Ayaan was in an accident three years ago. He lost his memories, and now he’s marrying someone else.”

Arul’s heart ached at the realization. He understood loss all too well, and the sorrow that hung in the air around Amudha resonated with his own grief. He felt compelled to reach out to her, to help her bear the burden of her pain, but he hesitated, unsure of how to approach a woman so clearly lost in her heartbreak.

Without thinking, he began to follow her, moving quietly across the rooftop until he reached the edge. Amudha stood there, tears flowing freely, her shoulders shaking as she cried. It was a sight that tugged at Arul’s heart, stirring something deep within him. He had felt so alone in his grief, and here was a woman who seemed to understand the weight of that loss.

“Cry, Amudha,” he said softly, stepping closer until he stood beside her. “Cry as much as you want. Let it out. You don’t have to carry this burden alone.”

Startled, Amudha turned to him, her eyes wide and filled with tears. She hadn’t expected anyone to find her here, especially not someone who would understand her pain. But there was something in his eyes—a depth of emotion that mirrored her own—that made her feel seen in a way she hadn’t felt in years.

“What do you know about my pain?” she whispered, her voice trembling as she wiped her eyes, but the tears continued to flow. “You don’t even know me.”

“Maybe not,” he replied, his voice steady. “But I see it in your eyes. I know what it feels like to lose someone you love. The weight of it can be unbearable. Sometimes, you just need to let it out.”

Amudha’s breath hitched as his words resonated within her. She wanted to push him away, to keep her pain to herself, but she also felt an overwhelming need to share it with someone—anyone—who might understand. “It hurts,” she confessed, her voice cracking. “It hurts so much to see him marry someone else. He was supposed to be mine.”

Arul nodded, understanding flooding through him. “I lost the love of my life, too,” he said quietly, the words spilling from his heart before he could stop them. “She was everything to me, and now I’m just trying to figure out how to live without her. It feels like the world has moved on, and I’m stuck in place.”

The rawness of their shared experiences bonded them in that moment. Two souls, grieving in their own ways, standing together at the edge of despair. Amudha turned to face him fully, her heart aching with the weight of her sorrow. “How do you keep going?” she asked, searching his eyes for answers she desperately needed.

“I don’t know if I have the answer,” Arul admitted, a sigh escaping his lips. “Some days are better than others. But I know I can’t forget her. I can’t let her memory fade. So I carry her with me, even in the darkest moments.”

Amudha felt a flicker of understanding spark within her. “You carry her with you?” she repeated, letting the idea settle in her heart. “Maybe that’s what I need to do. Maybe I need to carry Ayaan with me, not as a reminder of what I lost but as a part of who I am.”

“Exactly,” Arul said, his voice gentle but firm. “We honor their memories by living, by finding joy in the little things, even when it feels impossible. It’s not easy, but it’s the only way forward.”

As they stood together, two strangers bound by grief, Amudha felt a sense of solidarity envelop her. The tears continued to flow, but they felt lighter somehow, as if shared sorrow was lifting some of the weight from her heart.

Arul shifted closer, offering her a comforting presence as she cried. “Let it out,” he encouraged softly. “Cry for your loss, for what could have been. I’ll stand here with you as long as you need.”

And so, in the dim light of the rooftop, two souls cried for their losses—one silently, the other loudly—finding solace in the understanding that they were not alone in their pain. In that moment, amid the celebration below, they began to forge a connection that transcended their individual heartaches, a connection rooted in shared sorrow and the hope of healing.