Living In Oblivion

39

Sprinkles of dust flew in the air, forming a pattern, collected together, diving into a spiral and then the lines blurred, providing a hazy vision.

His reflection in the mirror grew clearer as the once-blurred lines turned into dust, revealing a stark image of himself. Scars adorned his naked body, deep and dark, a testament to his past. He couldn't help but see the ugliness within, the weakness that had consumed him. His desperate attempts to hold on to Avanti made him question his own self-worth.

How weak he felt!

Was he forgiving ? No, he wasn't. Did he have the capacity to forgive? No, he didn't. While he had a habit of moving on with a flick of a switch, he had learned to remember the things that hurt and those that didn't as he matured. However, the time for questioning his decisions had passed. It was now time to decide how far he was willing to go. He refused to jeopardize his self-respect any further.

He respected her, but he also respected himself. He had no intention of entertaining the thought of having her back in his life. Gradually, the blurred lines reclaimed the boundaries of his mirror, fading away once and for all, leaving him gasping for air. He hurried outside to grab some water, gulping down the entire bottle. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he leaned against the countertop, scanning his surroundings in an attempt to detect her presence. But it felt as though she was gone.

In a rush, he returned to his room to prepare for work.

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Rubbing her hands together, Avanti rang the bell again, standing outside the door calmly. She tucked her thick gloves inside her hoodie, finding some solace from the freezing temperature outside.

As the door opened, she straightened up, noticing the gray eyes transitioning to shades of brown upon recognizing her. The elderly Mrs. Bharadwaj blinked, offering Avanti a small smile and stepping aside to let her enter.

"Avanti, come.....god how, come, please have a seat" Mrs. Bharadwaj smiled again.

Avanti returned the smile and sat on the couch, feeling somewhat awkward.

"Vibhuti!" Mrs. Bharadwaj called out, heading to the kitchen to fetch some water. "Vibhuti, come out, look who is here," she shouted once more.

Avanti accepted the glass of water, expressing her gratitude before placing it on the table.

"Aunty, there's no need. I'm here just to see Uncle."

"He's coming-"

"Subhadra, who is--"

Vibhuti stopped abruptly, frozen in his tracks as he laid eyes on Avanti. A small smile formed on her lips as she detected his old eyes welling up for a few seconds. Vibhuti swallowed hard, taking a step forward to pick up the glass from the table and drinking its contents in one go.

"I will get some tea," Subhadra said, thinking it best to leave them alone.

For a long while, they sat in silence. Avanti couldn't bring herself to look up, while Vibhuti's eyes never left her. Finally, she mustered the courage to speak.

"You still look so young, Uncle," She reked, offering a small smile

"You still look so young, Uncle," Avanti finally spoke.

Vibhuti chuckled, followed by a sigh as he averted his gaze. "What brings you here now, after all these years?" he inquired, bitterness lacing his words.

Avanti flinched inwardly but didn't show it. She felt the bitterness in his words, a stark reminder of the pain she had caused. "I'm sorry.

"Uncle? You still have the audacity to call me Uncle?" His voice was curt yet calm.