It wasn't unwilled, but it was unplanned.
She didn't expect a nuptial knot at 19.
He didn't expect a spouse by his side at 23.
Undoubtedly, a circumstantial relationship, with both not knowing anything about the other.
Will love find its way while h...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Exploding emotions are volcanic eruptions. After a major upheaval, it is not uncommon for a person to be adept at emotional avoidance. This behaviour post-trauma is manifested as dissociation. Instead of confronting these overwhelming, and excruciating emotions that take over the person, they bury them deep within themselves. They tend to live away from their surroundings, their reality and themselves. But this is merely ephemeral. Magma stirs beneath their ground, shaking them with the trauma from time to time. They choose to bury their head in sand to the imminent inevitable. Unaware to themselves, the magma of emotions rises within, with time. It takes days, weeks, months or even years, a plume ascends into the sky with a deafening sound, and the lava pours out in a pyroclastic flow of unattended anguish and unshed tears. Exploding emotions are, hence, volcanic eruptions.
When her Dadi uttered those words, every cell in Annika painfully stirred. She had numbed down everything over the four years, and now, it all came all at once. She was shot with thousands of arrows. Her eyes had adagio pooling of tears as Annika sat still. Padmini raised her hand; quite similar to how Harsh had. The hand approached Annika's head.
She could feel her blood flow in her body bringing in all the latent molecules of agony. She watched her Dadi place her hand-hand that resembled her father's- over her head with tears that tormented to break the barriers she had put for years.
Lalitha's tough love didn't work. Virendar's shield didn't work.
It only took a touch.
A touch so close that gave her space to dissolve in grief, felt like the fragrance of home, brought the forgiveness that was left ungiven, and told her what she had yearned to hear in secret.
In her catastrophic catharsis, she collapsed. Her clogged throat brought in hiccups, and now her tears were down a freefall. She squalled there while she clutched her heart. Padmini hugged her as Annika cried for the first time in these four years.
By now, everyone had come. Rajendra, Virendar, and Lalitha sat beside Annika as she cried. Annika brought her knees close to her while she wailed. And everyone there let her cry.
It was heartbreaking to watch her cry, yes.
But this was necessary.
This was her cocoon cracking. This was her gradually getting her wings. This was her metamorphosis.
That being said, it was heartbreaking to watch her. Shivaay tried to be strong as he sat there. But watching her curled in tears was not bearable by the heart that loved her. Soon, he was crying beside her too, but in silence. He made sure his tears didn't catch her attention.
Annika began hysterically muttering something. Virendar made her sit, while Lalitha held her hand. Padmini rubbed her back as she tried to lull Annika.
"I can't... I was... Can't be forgiven... No... I don't deserve to feel okay... I hurt... No..." Annika frantically said shaking her head.
"Chikoo," Lalitha softly said, but it did not seem to reach Annika. "Chikoo, listen to me." Her sturdy tone quietened Annika.
