Rishtey

Chapter - 8

Vineet stepped aside, inviting Anamika inside. She walked in slowly, and they both settled down, an unspoken tension filling the air. Words eluded them as they both glanced around, avoiding each other's eyes. Finally, as his gaze landed on her, Vineet noticed subtle changes he hadn’t anticipated. Anamika seemed leaner, and her usually bright face was pale and drawn, as if she'd cried countless times alone. Her hair, though neatly comb looks rough, her dress loosely hung down her body clearly depicting she didn't gave even one thought before selecting that dress for herself as if she just wanted to cover her body be it with anything.

A pang of guilt struck him, piercing through the mess of emotions he had tried to ignore. Seeing her like this, he felt the weight of his actions press down on him, heavy and undeniable. He had been so consumed with his own feelings that he hadn’t thought about what she might have been going through. The silence between them grew deeper, thick with unspoken regrets and lingering memories.

As the silence stretched on, Anamika’s gaze drifted, eventually falling upon a newspaper on the coffee table. The bold headline caught her eye—a familiar name and face staring back at her from the page. Her heart clenched as she took in the headline, a painful reminder of how far he had drifted into a world she no longer felt a part of.

Noticing her eyes on the paper, Vineet quickly reached over and grabbed it, his fingers tensing as he folded it away. It was an instinctive move, one he couldn’t explain—perhaps a reflex to hide the parts of his life she might not understand or, worse, might see as a confirmation of her worst fears. For a moment, their eyes met again, filled with questions neither dared to voice, as the gulf between them grew heavier in the silence. No matter how worse the things have been between but he never wants her to know that part of his life where he's already behind a woman, that he's already looking someone and has almost forgotten her.

After a few more seconds of silence, Anamika took a steadying breath, gathering the courage to break the silence. Her voice was soft, almost tentative, as she asked, "How have you been, Vineet?"

Vineet, slightly caught off guard by the warmth in her tone, looked at her carefully. “I… I’m alright,” he replied, though he knew it was far from the truth. There was an awkward pause, as if they were both testing the waters, unsure of how deep they could tread without stirring painful memories.

She nodded, her fingers tracing invisible patterns on her lap as she continued, “I mean, with all this… work and everything else. Are you… are you happy?” Her voice faltered slightly, the weight of the question almost overwhelming her.

Vineet’s gaze shifted to the floor. Happy? He wasn’t sure anymore. For all the goals he’d chased, the relationships he’d forsaken, and the person he’d become, was happiness really within his reach? Seeing her now, looking worn yet dignified, he felt a pang of something he hadn't allowed himself to feel in a long time—guilt, regret, even a longing for simpler times.

“I suppose I thought I was,” he answered carefully, unsure of how much to reveal, “but maybe… maybe I haven’t been asking myself the right questions.”

Anamika just listened, taking in his words, her own heart heavy with the weight of the past, wondering how much had changed between them and how much, painfully, had stayed the same. But then, she wasn't there to feel weak or lend her shoulder to him nor to ask for his, she was there to clear out things, to choose herself.

Anamika’s hands clasped tightly in her lap as she gathered the nerve to ask, “Do you… need any help, Vineet? I mean, with… with Vandita. I got to know she's not ready. If you want I can..you know talk to her.” She proposed.

Vineet’s eyes flickered with surprise at her offer. For a moment, he was silent, absorbing her words, as though he couldn’t believe she would still consider helping him. There was something raw in her gaze, a vulnerability she tried hard to keep hidden, but he could see it—he knew her too well to miss it. She has died a hundred dead before saying those words, her heart is on fire, he can clearly see that.