Amor Fati - Our Love, Our Fates [COMPLETE]

Part 15 - Companionship

Early Morning, Next Day

It was chilly outside. Rohini slipped her hands inside the pockets of her jeans and shivered. She stamped her feet impatiently, waiting for her Father to join her. Madhukar Nayak was much better now, but there had been a distress call from Dipti a while ago. Ritwik was unwell and had been crying for his Grandfather non-stop, refusing both food and medicine.

Rohini pulled up the hood of her jacket and paced around. She was going back with her Father. Roshan had offered to drive her car back home this evening. Rohini was relieved; with Poorvi and Roshan around, she felt confident and all warm and comfortable inside.

Nikhil was however not to be seen. Rohini glanced up towards the balcony, hoping against hope that Nikhil would be there. She had wanted him to speak further last night, but one look at his face and Rohini knew that he had put up an invisible wall around him, impenetrable, unforgiving. His eyes seemed distant, plagued with pain and Rohini knew that it was time to retreat.

Nikhil had surprised her the previous evening by opening up a bit about his childhood, his family. And Rohini had happily let him talk. She knew how therapeutic sharing could be, and she was all willing to lend him her ear. She had heard earlier from both Poorvi and Roshan how introverted Nikhil had become in the the recent years, too guarded with his thoughts, words and emotions.

She understood him at some level.

...

Nikhil stepped out onto the balcony as the car pulled away. He had hardly slept and his eyes burned due to lack of sleep, and something more. Emotions that held him back; emotions that stopped him from revealing more of himself ... to the one person he felt he could share with easily. He remembered the look in Rohini's eyes - calm, patient, understanding and then disappointed as he had pulled on the iron cloak around himself.

Nikhil could not face her today morning, though he had noticed her glancing up a couple of times towards the balcony, consternation and worry clearly etched in those brown eyes. And he felt exhilarated at the thought that all that concern was for him ... all of it. He smiled despite himself.

...

Late Evening, Same Day

Rohini was surprised to find Nikhil outside her apartment, her car keys dangling in his fingers.

"I thought I would drive your car back ..." he hesitated, his voice sombre and deep.

"It's a long drive. And I know you dislike driving" Rohini said as she moved to let him in. Slipping out of his sneakers, Nikhil padded inside, looking all around "I don't dislike driving. I am just not crazy to jump for the steering every time I am inside a car"

Rohini smiled as she led him inside, noticing him checking out her apartment.

"It must be a small slice of your place" she said thoughtfully, as she went to the kitchen to get water. She returned to find him standing in front of her bookshelf, a portion of which also housed her collection of vintage classical music, in form of vinyl records.

An old HMV phonograph, mounted on a wooden base, completed the musical aura of that corner, making his skin tingle.

He turned around as he heard her footsteps.

"You have an incredible collection here" he indicated towards the records, and the books.

"Yeah, a bit of something I love. The phonograph and some of the records are gifts though. I have just added to the collection." Rohini handed over the glass of water to him, as Nikhil settled down on the couch, his feet extending beneath the coffee table.