𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 : 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠

SIXTY 🐾

Adrija's POV

I woke up from my nap when the room had already turned dusky.

The clock showed it was almost 6 p.m.

The first instinct was automatic.

I picked up my phone to text him.

Then I stopped.

I was a little upset.
Not angry exactly... just tired.

I wanted to talk to him, badly.

But at the same time, I didn't want to talk to him right now.

I didn't trust my voice to sound normal.

So instead of texting, I put the phone down and went straight to my mother.
"Mumma," I said softly,
"can I cook dinner tonight?"

She looked at me with a little surprise but smiled.
"Of course. Why not?"

I just wanted to divert myself.

Keep my hands busy so my mind wouldn't wander back to the same place again and again.

I cooked quietly, focusing on the process the chopping, the stirring, the familiar rhythm of the kitchen.
After that, I came and sat beside Mumma.
While we were talking, my sister called.

Soon, it was the four of us Mumma, me, Didi, and the baby smiling, laughing, sharing little things.

For a while, the heaviness eased. I felt a bit better. Lighter.

But I still hadn't messaged him.

Dinner was simple.
I wasn't really hungry, my appetite had quietly disappeared somewhere during the day.

Still, I ate one Chapati only because I didn't want my parents to notice anything wrong or ask questions.

After dinner, I went back to my room.
No message from him.

And I hadn't sent one either.

A small, bitter thought crossed my mind Maybe he forgot he has a girlfriend.

I shook it off and opened my phone again, this time scrolling through wedding pages.

I started looking at a couple of matching wedding outfits imagining us standing together, smiling, choosing them side by side once he came.

But again, the same thought returned.

He's not coming.

I had wanted to register our wedding at the temple together.

I had imagined us filling in the details, standing there side by side, sharing that moment quietly before the rituals.

Now, I realised I'd have to do it myself tomorrow.

I kept engaging myself in the chaos tab open, thoughts overlapping but my mind refused to shift completely.

So I called Trisha.

I told her everything.

About the meeting.

About him not coming.

About how I understood, yet still felt this ache I couldn't name.

She listened patiently and said softly,
"It's okay. You're allowed to feel this way."

I agreed. Because it was okay. Feelings don't always need logic.

Later, with no messages from him still, I finally texted him a simple "Good night."