Snapshots

Unforgivable (III)

3rd Person POV:

Deepika pulled up in the driveway of a quaint brick house in a little known place on the outskirts of Delhi. This place held a lot of happy memories for her. It reminded her of the vacations her family used to go on with her childhood friend Pallavi's family, the countless mischiefs the two of them got up to, the carefree laughter, the bonfires they used to make at night, the songs her father used to play kon his guitar that all of them sang along to, the hikes they'd go to, the pure enjoyment of those few days. Now that both she and Pallavi had their own jobs and their parents were past the age of frolicking, those biennial holidays had stopped occurring. But this was still a place that felt like a safe haven for her. This house, belonging to a distant relation of theirs who never visited, was therefore the place she sought out that day.

Now, Deepika was normally rarely confused. She was logical and was mostly led by her brain, not her heart. But this was different. Today, she felt so emotionally overwhelmed, she couldn't even decide what she wanted to do. She had only managed one shaky phone call to the person who understood her best. Pallavi. To her, she wouldn't have to explain very much. She didn't even question her when she implored her with a voice choked off repressed emotion to join her at the 'house'. Pallavi knew something was wrong. And Deepika knew that she would know what to do and have her back whatever happened.

Pallavi stood at the entrance of the house, concern overwhelming her. The Deepika who got out of the car was not someone she had expected. She looked utterly devastated. Her clothes were rumpled, her hair disheveled, her eyes were sunken and bloodshot, dried tear tracks still visible on her cheeks. She carried her laptop bag and a saddle bag, possibly containing her belongings. Pallavi's heart sank. Deepika looked broken. And she wasn't one to break easily. So when she did, she broke hard.

"I..... It's over. I ended it", Deepika whispered, almost inaudibly.

Pallavi held her tightly as her childhood friend collapsed against her.

~_~

The sound of the front door opening roused Virat for the second time that day. Or it may have been the next day. He didn't know anymore.

He was on the kitchen floor, surrounded by empty bottles and glasses. The dim light seemed too bright, and his head pounded mercilessly.

"Virat?" A familiar voice called from the doorway.

Through blurry vision, he saw his brother Vikas, his manager Surya, and Anil and Rohit, his closest friends crowd around him, all looking visibly shocked and disapproving.

"Virat what is this?" His brother reproached. "You screw up and then you cope by getting drunk? Have you lost your senses? Only a coward would show this kind of attitude. You're not a coward, nor an escapist."

Virat looked down in shame. "I... I didn't know what to do", he whispered. "I still don't."

"Well, I thought that would have been pretty obvious by now", said Surya. "You might want to fix this mess right now if you want Deepika back instead of sitting on your ass getting trashed. Stop acting like this is not a big deal."

Virat didn't quite know why, but something inside him snapped at that comment. He shot to his feet, surprising himself when he managed to keep steady, and slammed his hands down on the table.

"You think I don't think this is a big deal?" He hissed. "You think I don't value Deepika enough? You think I don't want to fix this? Oh, you have no idea what she was to me. I literally have hundreds of girls who would kill to be in her place. You know why I didn't choose any of them? Because they'd kill. Deepika would sooner gladly give up her place than killing anyone. She'd put everyone above herself. She'd sacrifice each of her own wishes and desires to see someone smile. She takes the time to convince me to give pictures to fans when I'm out because she knows it'll make their day. She's probably the only girl without an ounce of selfishness in her and I went and said such a thing to her. You think that's not tearing me apart? Every time I think of her, which is fucking all the time, I see the betrayal in her eyes, and my heart breaks again. She knew what was best for me and she immediately saw through that bitch's plan, and I being the pathetic fuck I am, turned it against her! She gave me her everything and I threw it all away! You think that's not eating me up? Oh what I wouldn't give to take back those moments. I want to throw myself at her feet and beg and grovel for her forgiveness but I don't deserve it. I don't deserve a second of her time. Maybe she's better off without me, but I.... I can't... I don't...."