cross road

Chapter 20

Raghav sat quietly at the dining table, eating his food, his gaze drifting between the plates and the people around him. His family, sensing the distance between him and the others, tried to engage him in conversation, but their efforts met with little success. He responded in monosyllables, and even that was half-hearted. Seeing this, they assumed he might be drained from his recent travels, unaware of the deeper unrest within him .

Mitul, sitting across the table, didn't even look in his direction. The silence between them was thick, an unspoken tension that neither of them had been able to bridge since the last fallout. Mitul had not uttered a single word to Raghav after everything that had happened in the past. If it had been any other day, Raghav might have tried to break the ice, perhaps initiate a conversation to ease the discomfort. But today, he simply didn't have the energy for it.

His eyes briefly flickered towards Pallavi and Mitul, who seemed to be in their own world, laughing softly at some shared joke or memory. The bond between them was evident, and it made the distance between him and Mitul feel even more pronounced. The old Raghav might have been driven to speak up, to attempt a reconciliation, but this version of him, worn down and withdrawn, simply couldn't muster the strength. Not today.

He ate in silence, wishing the hours would pass quickly, longing for the solitude that awaited him beyond the walls of the house.

After the meal, as everyone cleared the table and tidied the kitchen, Pallavi volunteered to help her mother, offering a hand without hesitation. Mitul, after a brief exchange of pleasantries, said his goodbyes, citing that his mother was waiting for him at home. He left quickly, and the house settled into a quieter rhythm. Raghav, feeling the exhaustion of the evening, retreated to his room on the first floor.

Lying on his bed, Raghav kept his hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling, trying to quiet his restless thoughts. The day had been a blur—his family's attempts at conversation, Mitul's cold distance, and the unsaid things hanging in the air between him and Pallavi. He longed for peace, but his mind was far from calm.

Just as he was starting to drift off, a knock echoed softly at the door. Thinking it was his mother, Raghav lazily called out, "Come in."

To his surprise, the door creaked open, and it wasn't his mother who stepped in. Pallavi entered quietly, locking the door behind her. The soft click of the lock caught Raghav's attention, and he straightened up in bed, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

He watched as she moved closer, her steps deliberate but quiet. He couldn't help but smile internally—what is she up to now? His tone shifted as he asked sternly, his curiosity piqued, "What are you doing here?"

Pallavi didn't waste any time. She moved closer still, her voice low as she leaned in, her eyes darting around the room to ensure no one could hear them. "Speak slowly," she whispered urgently. "No one knows I'm here. Your entire family thinks I left for home, but I sneaked into your room."

Raghav raised an eyebrow, the surprise quickly turning into amusement. "You're getting bold," he remarked, his tone laced with a hint of admiration but also a touch of disbelief.

Pallavi gave him a pointed look. "I'm serious," she said, glancing toward the door once more before stepping closer to the bed. "I'm taking a risk here."

Raghav's expression softened, though his voice remained firm. "What is it that you want from me?" he asked, his gaze narrowing slightly at her

Pallavi stood still for a moment, and for the first time since entering, she hesitated. "I need to talk to you," she said finally, her voice more uncertain than before.

Pallavi stood there, her shoulders slumped, her gaze fixed on the floor as she spoke. "Look, I'm really sorry for what I did the last time we met," she said, her voice soft but sincere. "I should have been thankful to you instead of fighting with you. I already feel so alone here... and if you stop speaking to me, it will only make things harder."

Her words hung in the air, a quiet admission of regret, and Raghav watched her carefully. He could see the vulnerability in her, the weight of the unspoken things she was carrying. His chest tightened as she looked down at the ground, the flicker of guilt in her eyes pulling at something inside him.

He let out a deep sigh, feeling the weight of their strained relationship. "I understand, Pallavi," he said slowly, his tone gentle but laced with his own frustration. "But you act so randomly. One minute you're open, the next you hide away. And you keep hiding something. It's... confusing."

Pallavi looked up at him then, her expression filled with uncertainty. "Raghav, I don't know how to tell you this," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "There are so many things I've left in the past, things I don't want to share with anyone. Can you accept me as I am now, without needing to know everything about my past?" She paused for a moment, her eyes searching his, and then she added, "Even if I wanted to, I can't... or maybe I don't want to share it. Everyone has a past. Tell me, Raghav... can you share your past with me?"

The question hit Raghav hard, the weight of it pressing down on him. He hadn't been expecting it, but it made him pause. Can I share my past with her? The answer came to him almost immediately—No, I can't. He wasn't ready to reveal the parts of his life that still haunted him. His ex, the way his past mistakes still echoed in his decisions, and he also does not want her to know the intervention in Mitul's life that had ruined his friendship with him and ruined mitul and sneha's relationship—it all felt too raw, too close to the surface. If Pallavi knew about those moments, it would change how she saw him.

He had his own scars, his own things he didn't want anyone to see. And that's when it hit him—Maybe Pallavi doesn't want me to know her past either.

A quiet understanding passed between them, and for the first time, Raghav truly saw the weight Pallavi was carrying. He couldn't force her to open up about things she wasn't ready to share. Just as she couldn't ask him to expose his past. The idea of exposing his weaknesses to her, letting her see the worst parts of himself, made him uncomfortable, but in that moment, he realized—she didn't want that either.

Raghav's eyes softened, and he nodded slowly, his voice calm but with an undertone of reassurance. "I get it, Pallavi," he said. "We all have things in our past that we can't or don't want to share."

Pallavi looked at him, her shoulders relaxing slightly, as if the tension she'd been carrying had eased just a little. She gave a small, almost imperceptible nod. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice barely audible but filled with gratitude.

Raghav gave her a slight, understanding smile. "You don't have to apologize for anything. I don't need to know your past, Pallavi. I just... I just need to know who you are now. That's enough for me."

For a moment, the room was silent except for the soft rhythm of their breathing. There was an unspoken agreement between them now—a mutual understanding that some things were best left unsaid. Raghav didn't press her further, and Pallavi didn't ask for anything more from him.

Pallavi turned toward the back door, her hand resting on the doorknob. Before stepping out, she paused, glancing over her shoulder one last time. Her lips curled into a playful, almost teasing smile, and she said, her voice light but filled with a touch of drama, "I think it's my turn to use this back door to go to my own home."

Raghav raised an eyebrow, an amused smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "You always have to make an exit like that, don't you?" he said, his tone a mix of light-hearted sarcasm and fondness.

Pallavi winked at him. "It's part of my charm," she replied with a shrug, the sparkle in her eyes hinting that her mood had lightened. "Good night, Raghav."

Raghav nodded, his lips curling into a smile that softened the usual edge to his expression. "Good night, Pallavi."

With a final glance, Pallavi opened the door and stepped out, her footsteps fading down the hallway, leaving Raghav in the quiet of his room. Raghav watched her go, a feeling of relief washing over him. Maybe things between them wouldn't always be easy, but for the first time in a while, he felt like they had reached a kind of understanding. It wasn't perfect, but it was real. And that was enough.