Living In Oblivion

52

Yawning, Avanti sat up straight as the train screeched to a halt. She pulled the thick curtain up to glance outside, but it was still dark. Dehradun was just one stop away, so she quickly collected their belongings, checking under the seat for her shoes.

Divit was already outside the compartment, pulling their luggage towards the door. Avanti wore her shoes and wrapped a stole around her neck before walking out, taking a final glance at their seats.

"You took the charger?" Divit asked, leaning against the wall with their luggage resting on the opposite side.

Nodding, Avanti walked over to stand beside him. As they stood close together, they let silence triumph over the chaos that resonated within their hearts. Avanti felt nervous about meeting Divit's parents. The entire arrangement scared her. Given her strained past, she knew she would be judged based on the shallow norms of society.

On another note, she didn't know his parents, and it would be too early to judge them based on how other people of their generation perceive the concept of moving on and growing up. Although her situation wasn't necessarily about fighting against the chains of patriarchy, the loneliness that accompanied it was still relevant. For years, she had dealt with sympathetic stares, judgmental glances at her chest, calculated stares whenever she spoke to men, the lack of fear from the opposite gender upon realizing she was alone and independent, and the persistent advances she received in an attempt to alleviate her loneliness because they thought they were helping.

And later, she had to deal with the feeling that she was somehow in the wrong. Wrong for being a divorcee, wrong for being an independent woman, wrong for being beautiful, and wrong simply for being a girl.

The chaotic sounds ringing in her ears grew louder, drowning out the gentle waves of wind that made her hair dance. With doubts and nervousness clouding her mind, Avanti leaned against the compartment, gripping the iron handle.

Slowly, Divit's warm hand curled around her fingers, providing her with a shield of warmth. She didn't look up but tightened her hold on his firm grip. As the train screeched to a halt, they quickly retrieved their luggage.

The station was nearly empty, and the recorded announcements of scheduled train departures and arrivals rang clearly in their ears as they hurriedly made their way out of the station. As the cold breeze hit Avanti's slender frame, she shivered, tightening her shawl around her.

"Didn't I tell you to take off your jacket?" Divit chided Avanti as they stepped outside the station, simultaneously dialing his brother's number.

"I'm fine," Avanti replied dismissively.

"Clearly, you're not," Divit retorted.

Ignoring his comment, Avanti asked, "Where is your brother?"

Muttering incoherent curses about his brother, Divit checked his phone and dialed Milind's number again. But as his eyes caught sight of his late father's old car, he noticed Avanti picking up their luggage and descending the three steps. A knot formed in Avanti's stomach as she followed him closely.

After parking the car, Milind jumped out and walked up to them with a wide smile on his face. Beaming at the sight of his brother, he enveloped him in a warm hug and said, "Bhai."

"At least try to be on time for once, Milind," Divit chided, though his face mirrored the same warmth. They broke the hug, and Milind took charge of the luggage, relieving Divit of his backpack. It was then that Milind's eyes fell upon the petite girl standing behind his brother.

"That's... the friend?" Milind inquired, turning to Divit with interest.

"Yes. She's Avanti. My—" Divit turned to Avanti for a brief moment, which infuriated her with the silence.