Solace

|63|something or nothing

After this I'll try to keep the updates a bit more frequent, I'm trying to, it's just that somedays I can't write, I loose focus.

Happy Reading!

I urge everybody to drop their thoughts about the story, so much action is around the corner.

***

Things could be beautiful even in the most mundane moments. It was raining heavily, the clouds thick and dark, turning the early morning into a soft grey blur. Everyone else in the house was asleep, but I was awake, standing by the window, watching the rain soak into the empty road.

There was a strange kind of peace in it. Not the kind that heals—just the kind that keeps you quiet.

For days now, life had been… fine. Comfortable. Safe. Convenient.
And yet something was missing—something I could feel but couldn't name.

I pulled the shawl tighter around my shoulders as a chill crept in with the damp air. The tea in my hand was still warm. I took a slow sip, letting it settle in my chest.

It wasn't that we didn't talk anymore.

We did.

But only about the necessary things.

His mother's doctor appointment.

Whether I had eaten.

If he had an early meeting tomorrow.

That was all.

Nothing about us.

Nothing about what stayed unspoken between us.

I finished the last sip of my tea and walked back into the room, the empty cup warm in my hands. My mind drifted automatically to the day ahead—college, the files I still had to submit, the small list of things waiting to be done.

The rain outside hadn't softened. It drummed against the windows, grey light spilling into the room.

I should wear a suit today, I thought.

The weather felt like it demanded something heavier, something that could hold me together.

I placed my cup on the round table near the window, my eyes lifting on their own to the bed. Vaibhav was still asleep, lying on his side, his face relaxed in a way I hadn't seen in days. He looked… peaceful.

I moved quietly to the wardrobe and slid the door open. After a moment of searching, I pulled out a dark blue suit almost black in this light and laid it out on the pouffe.

A little while later, I stood in front of the mirror, dressed and ready. The fabric felt cool against my skin, crisp and neat, like a version of myself I could hide inside.

That's when I saw him.

Not directly, but in the mirror.

Vaibhav was sitting up now. He yawned, stretching his arms over his head, his T-shirt lifting slightly at his waist. I felt my gaze flicker there before I quickly looked away, suddenly too aware of him.

I focused on my reflection instead
on smoothing my hair, on fixing the fall of my dupatta, on pretending I hadn’t noticed him at all.

"Good morning."

His voice was still rough with sleep.

"Good morning," I replied, turning to face him, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

"The weather's bad," he said. "Has been raining since midnight."

"Mm," I murmured.

He moved closer to the edge of the bed. I picked up my phone and plugged it into the charger, then reached for my laptop, the one I'd been working on late into the night—and connected that too. Small, practical movements. Things that didn't require looking at him.