Chapter 4 — The Kindness She Didn't Know How to Hold
(Ananya's POV)
The headache started like a whisper.
Just a dull pressure behind her eyes while she was working on her laptop. Nothing unusual. She had lived with stress headaches for years — exam seasons, result seasons, expectation seasons. But this one was different. It didn't stay quiet. By evening, it had grown into a slow, heavy throb that pulsed with her heartbeat.
Left side first. Then behind her eyes. Then settling like a tight band around her head. She closed her laptop and pressed her fingers into her temples.
"Okay... okay... it's fine," she whispered to herself. She knew this pattern. If she caught it early — ginger tea helped. Hot, strong, slightly spicy. It usually grounded her body before the pain became unbearable.
She stood up slowly and walked to kitchen. Opened fridge.
Milk.
Curd.
Half lemon.
Two carrots.
No ginger.
She froze. Memory hit. Yesterday supermarket.
Milk, bread, curd. No ginger.
"Stupid..." she muttered under breath. The pain pulsed harder, like punishment for forgetting something so small but so important. She opened spice box.
Dry ginger powder. No. Not same. Fresh ginger worked better. Always. She leaned both palms on kitchen counter and closed her eyes.
Options.
Go down and buy?
No. Head spinning. Light sensitivity already starting.
Swig painkiller?
Empty strip in drawer.
Of course.
Perfect.
She exhaled slowly. Then her mind did something she hadn't planned.
It showed her a door. 3B. Elsa aunty.
The thought itself made her stomach tighten. Asking help meant... being seen needing something. And she hated that feeling.
But the headache was rising fast now. Sharp spikes behind eyes. Slight nausea. She pressed fingers into eyelids.
"Just ginger... Just ask ginger... Not big thing..." she told herself.
Still, she didn't move. Five full minutes passed like that. Then another pulse of pain hit — sharp enough to make her hiss quietly. That was it.
She grabbed dupatta, wrapped it loosely, not even thinking about mask. Walked out. Locked door. Turned. Stood in front of 3B.
Her heart was beating faster than it should for something this small. It felt bigger. Like standing in front of possibility. Like standing in front of being cared for. And she didn't know how to receive that.
She took one deep breath. Another. Raised her hand. Pressed the bell.
The sound echoed louder in her ears than usual. Footsteps inside. She braced automatically.
Door opened. Not Elsa aunty. Thomas uncle. He opened the door fully, and the first thing he did was smile.
Not surprised. Not questioning. Just... warm.
"Hello, ma," he said naturally, like she had come here hundred times before.
Her throat felt dry. "H... Hello... Uncle..." Before she could even gather words —
