Tej Pov
From the morning, the whole house was filled with the smell of samosas, kachoris, gulab jamuns, and other dishes. Aunty told me to get ready for tonight the celebration of their marriage anniversary. Like always, I wasn't excited about anything. The noise, laughter, and colors around me couldn't hide the emptiness I felt inside.
The thoughts of Aria kept wandering in my head. When she comes, will she talk to me or ignore me again? Things between us are not normal. They are complicated tangled with silence and unspoken truths. She knows it, and I know it too, but none of us has the courage to say it aloud.
I don't want to answer her questions about why I visited her apartment, stayed for two days, and then disappeared without a word. I know she never believed my story about how Gaurav and I met. She will ask again, and what will I say this time? That he's my brother? That I kept this truth from her all along?
Why did we meet like that? Why not earlier, when life was peaceful and unbroken? Sometimes I think maybe God sent her to me when I started doubting my own feelings, when I needed someone to remind me that I could still feel. But now, all I want to say is — "I want to love you, but something is stopping me."
I want to hug her, to whisper I love you, but deep inside, I'm cracked. I can't even handle myself; how could I ever take care of her? How can I love her when I still struggle to love myself? My heart wants her, but my fears keep building walls around that desire.
"Tej, beta, come eat something!" Aunty's voice pulled me back to reality. I looked up from my thoughts, startled. "Where were you lost?" she asked, holding a plate. I smiled faintly but said nothing. What could I tell her that I was thinking about her daughter? That would be foolish.
After breakfast, my phone rang. It was Aria. She said she was coming home for her parents' anniversary and asked me to pick her up from the railway station. I only replied, "Hmm," and cut the call quickly. My heartbeat grew faster, though I didn't know why.
I grabbed the car keys it was their new car, Aria's family car. While driving, I realized I hadn't even asked Aunty's permission. But I kept going. I was excited to see her, maybe too much. It felt silly, but that's how love works we lose control over ourselves. When our mind keeps circling one person again and again, that's why lovers say, "Love is a kind of madness."
I reached the station, scanning the crowd. And then, her voice came from behind. "I'm here." Her tone was soft, trembling slightly. When I turned, I saw her eyes swollen and red, as if she had been crying all night. I pretended not to notice.
We sat in the car quietly. She looked out the window while I started driving. The silence between us was heavier than any words. After a few turns, she suddenly said, "Left."
"What?" I asked, confused.
"Take the left," she repeated, her voice low but clear. I didn't question her. I didn't dare. I just followed. Maybe because sometimes silence speaks more than answers ever could.
The cold air rushed in through the open window. Her hair flew gently in the wind. I kept my eyes on the road, but my thoughts were all around her her scent, her presence, her quiet sadness. She looked like the most fragile thing in the world, yet so beautiful.
Inside my head, I spoke words I could never say aloud. You take all my wounds, Aria, the ones that kill me slowly every day. I'm afraid of losing you, the way I lost my parents. I can't go far with you — what if we fall? You barely smile anymore. You wear a mask that hides your pain, and it hurts me to see it.
"Stop here," she said suddenly. I stopped the car near a silent river. The area was empty, peaceful the kind of quiet that suited both of us. She stepped out slowly, walking toward the railing without looking back.
I stood for a moment, then followed her. She was staring at the water, lost in thoughts. The reflection of the sky trembled on the river's surface, just like our feelings uncertain, deep, and wordless.
"Stop pretending you care about me," she said suddenly, still looking ahead. Her voice cracked, but it carried a strange calmness.
"I'm not pretending," I said softly. "You know that."
"Then what are you trying to do?" she looked at my face.
"I'm trying to survive." without looking at her.
For a moment, she said nothing. Then she turned around and walked back to the car. I followed silently. We drove home without exchanging a single word. The silence between us was louder than ever.
At home, she picked up her small bag and went inside. I went straight to my room. My mind was restless. I kept replaying every word we said, every pause, every look. What did I say wrong? Which word of mine hurt her?
Aren't we both just trying to survive, Aria? I murmured as I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling. I could hear Babu teasing her downstairs, calling out some name I'd never heard before.
For months now, Uncle and Aunty had been talking about Aria's marriage. I never interfered in their family matters, but the thought of it made something inside me ache. I don't know if she knows about it or not. If she does, I can't tell if it breaks her or brings her peace.
She's going to marry someone someone who might give her what she's searching for. Love? Or care? Maybe both. Maybe neither.
I closed my eyes slowly, trying to calm the storm inside my chest. Whatever was happening downstairs, I didn't want to be a part of it. Their happiness, their world I never deserved to belong there.
Sleep took over me slowly, until a loud knock echoed at my door, pulling me back from the edge of dreams.
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