Short Stories collection

STILL IN LOVE (2)

Beneath the pain

After party at Samay's apartment, late at night.

The city outside is silent, bathed in the soft glow of streetlights filtering through the window. Samay has just returned home after a long, exhausting day one that had been both professional and deeply personal. The party, the confrontation with Aradhya, everything still weighs on him, but he is too tired to think straight.

He drops his keys on the table, rubs his eyes in frustration, and walks toward the kitchen, craving something to drink. The apartment is eerily quiet, except for the faint sound of a car horn from the street below.

Suddenly, the door creaks open. It's Sunita, his mother, stepping into the room. She's carrying a plate of food for him, just like she always does when he returns late from work. The gentle, maternal gesture is familiar, yet tonight it feels heavier, as if there's something more she wants to say.

Sunita:(softly, walking towards him with the plate) 

"Samay, you're still awake? Eat something. You haven't had dinner."

Samay doesn't reply at first, his mind lost in a swirl of emotions. But when he notices the plate in her hands, he sighs and sits down at the table.

Samay:(distracted, his voice flat) 
"I'm not hungry, Ma. I'm not in the mood for food."

Sunita sits down beside him, placing the plate on the table. There's a quiet pause before she speaks again, her voice more serious now, a trace of something like concern in her tone.

Sunita:"Samay... I need to tell you something."

Samay looks at her, sensing the shift in her tone. He lifts his gaze to her, his face a mixture of curiosity and confusion.

Samay:(frowning) 

"What is it, Ma? Everything alright"

Sunita takes a deep breath, as if gathering the right words. Her eyes meet his, and for the first time in a long while, Samay sees something in her eyes—something that reflects the pain, the weight of the past.

Sunita:

"Do you remember that night, after everything happened? The night you left, after... after that incident in Raizada Mansion?"

Samay's jaw tightens. He remembers the anger, the hurt, the feeling of betrayal when Aradhya had rejected him in front of her parents. He had left the Raizada mansion that night, humiliated and broken, without even thinking. But hearing her name again makes something stir in him, a knot in his chest that refuses to loosen.

Samay:(voice growing tight) 

"What about it? I don't want to talk about that night, Ma. I've moved on. It doesn't matter anymore."

Sunita's face softens, and she places her hand gently on his. She looks at him, her expression serious but full of love and concern.

Sunita:

"It does matter, Samay. Even I thought that it never mattered but I was wrong until now when I know that was not just a mere attraction between two teenager but you really loved her and still do. It matters because of what Aradhya did that night... and what you never knew."

Samay feels a flash of irritation, mixed with something else—curiosity. He leans back in his chair, unsure of where this conversation is going.

Samay:(irritated) 

"I don't want to hear about her, Ma. What happened is in the past. She didn't love me. End of story."