My Favourite Unfinished

Chapter 21

December 14, 2019.
The night of improper goodbye.
(Aadhvita's POV)

I kissed her so desperately, she must have caught onto the fact that it was the last.

I really, really hoped it wasn't though.

When she first landed her gaze on me, I felt so special, because... There were a lot of pretty girls in that classroom but she looked at me.

Her eyes were on me. And that thing made my heart flutter for the first time in my boring life.

I wasn't allowed to get close to boys, or hang out much time with my friends, and I had to ask permission for everything after mom died.
I felt like I was in a cage.

And when I proved my worth, I was hellbent on moving out of that house and go somewhere else to study. Anywhere is fine, just not there anymore.

My dad agreed to that, thanks to my stubbornness.
But now, I am scared.

You are so stupid, Aadhvita! Can't you just check your belongings for once!? Always in a hurry... Now suffer the consequences.

I was furious with myself, if only I hadn't left my phone...

Did he check it though? It's fine if he didn't but if he did...

My mind was swarming with so many possibilities, bad ones.

What will he do with me? I worked so hard to get where I am now.
Okay... Okay... If he did check my phone, all I have to do is listen to his scoldings and lectures.
But what if doesn't stop with that?
Okay... He can take my phone away, seize it or whatever...
He can make me move out of that house, change colleges, unis... I can just find a way or two to come back here and meet her again.
Just... Let it not be so severe that I won't be able to contact her...

I took a deep breath and walked in, and I was greeted with my dad packing bags.

Yeah... I am dead.

"Papa.."

"Oh! Aadhvita Sahani! You are here!", he chuckled mockingly, "Come come help me pack bags... Come"

I just stood there, silent, fear coursing through every vein in my body.

"Aadhvita!", he yelled, "Don't make me say it again. Come and help"

"Papa... Please just—"

"Just what?", he cut me off, "A girl? Seriously? And more importantly, that's what you are doing here? Han? Kya kar rahi ho tum?"

"Papa I am sorry! Please please... Let me stay", I said my voice trembling.

Why was I apologising? I had no idea.
Sure, I understood my dad's perspective too, as a parent, he will definitely be worried but that doesn't mean he can steal my life away.

I just loved a girl. That's it.

"You are sorry? Sorry for betraying me? I would have considered if it was a guy, Aadhvita... But a girl? Seriously?"

No you wouldn't have.

"What's wrong with that!?", I snapped.

"What's wrong with dating a girl, you mean? Kissing a girl? Who knows what else you did!"

"Papa I didn't do anything...", I said crying.

"We will talk once we are back home", he was still packing everything.

"No... Please...", I walked towards him, "Please... Please do anything you want, I will take it just don't make me go... I built a life here... Please..."

"That's good! You built a life here in America, you can build it even easily back home, in India. It has top colleges too. Let's go and build it there yeah?", his tone was harsh, too harsh for me to handle.

He continued, his tone edgy, "Or... Maybe you want to stay here because of your girlfriend..."

That's a major part of it, that's why I stayed silent.

"Does your silence means a yes, Aadhvita?"

Thats it, I don't care if it's too much.

I dropped knees and sat on ground, holding his feet, "P-please... Please please please! Please please please..."

"What are you doing!? Get up, Aadhvita! Get up now!"

I was sobbing, "Papa please... Take my phone away, change my college, change my city but please... Please please don't make me go back home"

"What are you planning? Are you thinking that if you stay anywhere here in America, you can meet her whenever you want?"

He knows me too well. What the hell.

I held his legs now, clinging to it.

"Please...", I was begging, grovelling.

He shook his head, "No"

"Please..."

"You can't stay here without my financial help. This house's rent itself is more than 6000$ per month, there is no way you can earn it even if you work unlimited shifts with all that academic stress on your head. And the college fees... how are you gonna pay that? Are you gonna starve to death? No right? So in conclusion Aadhvita, You. Won't. Survive. Here. Not without my help. So... If I stop paying for your expenses, you are a goner. And... You don't like depending on people, do you?"

He was mocking me, I knew it.
He knew I didn't like depending on anyone and that I was working that hard just to be independent and live my life.

How am I supposed to argue with that, papa...?

I didn't wanna give up, and yet... That was the only option I could see then.

I am able to live here because everything was on my dad's expenses. Literally every single thing.

I didn't know my life would just... fall apart in two hours.

And this isn't some kind of movie where a main character could work their ass off and stay with their love, leaving home.

This is real life and I was nowhere near a main character of a dramatic show.

I couldn't survive and it was the harsh reality that dawned on me in that moment.

He took my phone away, as expected and deleted every single social media app and account that had a possibility of me contacting her.

My dad won.
And we took a flight back to India.

I didn't talk to my dad properly after that, he was there, I was there. And that's it.

I just wanted to say a proper goodbye to her, but I couldn't.

I hope you don't resent me, Ami...