ℂ𝕆ℂ𝕂𝕋𝔸𝕀𝕃𝕊 𝕎𝕀𝕋ℍ ℂ𝕌ℙ𝕀𝔻

𝟲𝟯

𝚂𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚜 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚁𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚜
>>>>–––– 💘 ––––<<<<

Avi and Ananya reached home in complete silence. The air in the car had been stifling, thick with emotions that neither of them had the strength to voice. Ananya kept glancing sideways at Avi, worry carved into every feature of her face. But Avi sat there like a machine-expressionless, rigid, not even blinking more than necessary. When the car came to a halt at their home, he stepped out and walked in like a robot.

Ananya followed him, her heart pacing faster than her steps. She wasn't even aware she had been tailing him until he suddenly stopped outside the bathroom door. He turned around casually, his eyes meeting hers for the first time since they left the beach.

Yenna?

(What?)

he asked, almost too calmly.

Ananya blinked, caught off guard.

Uh... nothing

she muttered, unsure why she was even standing there.

Yedachum venuma?

(Do you need something?)

Avi asked, his voice still quiet and neutral. When she shook her head, he merely nodded.

Give me a minute. Na first'uh freshen up pannikiren - been sweating all day. Aprama nee po

(Give me a minute. I'll freshen up-been sweating all day. You can take your turn after.)

Ananya simply nodded, unsure how to respond. True to his word, Avi came out after a while, wiping his hair with a towel and gesturing toward the bathroom. She watched him walk off and then entered the shower herself, her thoughts a tangled mess. Standing under the stream of hot water, she let it run over her shoulders, hoping it would wash off some of the worry gripping her.

Is he okay? she wondered. So much had just happened-Mithra disappearing, the fight at the beach, and now... this eerie calm from Avi. It didn't feel like detachment. It felt like something else, something heavier. Is he even processing any of this? she asked herself. Or is he just shutting down?

When she came downstairs, towel-dried and dressed, she spotted Avi sitting on the living room couch, the soft flicker of the TV casting pale light across his face. But it wasn't the television that caught her off guard-it was Avi himself. He looked statuesque, unmoving, shoulders stiff, his gaze locked on the screen but far away from whatever was playing. It was the kind of stillness that didn't come from rest, but from someone trying not to fall apart. She paused for a heartbeat, uncertain, then quietly walked over and sat beside him. He didn't glance her way. Didn't flinch. Just sat there, like a soul suspended mid-thought.

Ananya cleared her throat softly.

Avi

she began, but then stopped herself. She didn't want to make things worse. Still, she felt like she owed him something.

I'm sorry

she finally said.

Avi frowned slightly.

Yen?

(Why?)

Yennala dhan idhellam start panuchu. Na mattum anniki-

(Because all this started because of me. If I hadn't-)

He cut her off, a hint of irritation lacing his otherwise calm voice.