Meera wrapped her arms around her intimately, trying to feel the warmth as cold winds of Singapore touched her. She was now in the designated office in which Sampath had his meeting and being his P.A, she accompanied him.
They were given a cabin to wait until the meeting panel gets assembled. Sampath had some work and he left leaving her behind. She stood at the window of the cabin which overlooked the entire dark city allured with lights.
She looked at the nearby traffic being heavily accustomed but the vehicles were driving according to the lines unlike the people in India who just surpass each other to reach their destinations.
She then faintly noticed her illumination on the window’s shield. Her face was slightly lightened as if it was glowing. Her eyes were slightly normal unlike the always happened red distended eyes occurred due to her long quiet cries. As of a impulse, her fingers extended towards the glass, caressing her features.
She sighed, closing her eyes while placing her palm firmly on the shield as if balancing herself with it’s strength. Tears flowing from her eyes. Whenever she feels she is alone, her inner strength crumbles to vestiges. She wanted to build herself but the scars she had from past wouldn’t want her to resurface again. She was scared of being alone.
She squirms when she feels someone wrapping something around her. Instant warmth crept into her body while she turns to look at that someone. Her gaze rests on those honey brown eyes and lost in it’s depth.
He raises his thumb and swipes the then falling tear away from her while she closes her eyes in reflex. Even after closing her eyes she could feel his proximity, making her heartbeat rapid.
“Don’t stop.” She raises her gaze towards him with a confused look while trying to understand his context.
“Don’t stop them, let it flow. I am there for you.” He rests his forehead on hers making her breath deep.
The eerie of silence was then broke with her sudden outburst. Yes, she tried to control herself but couldn’t. How can one fight against them in controlling the emotions? She let it go but was angry that it was him who is witnessing her breakdown.
“What do you do when the only one who can make you stop crying is the one who made you cry?” She whispered trying to not break but failed at the end. She forwarded towards him wrapping her arms around his torso. He gulped his tears before pulling her more into his chest placing a chaste kiss on her forehead.
“Years back I loved you because you made me strong and complete. Now why are you breaking me Sampath? Every moment I try to gather myself but this feeling of being alone is eating me alive. Burning my soul into ashes. I am my own weakness now. I want to feel strong Sampath, again.” She muffled but was loudly reverberated across the room.
“Tears shed for another person are not a sign of weakness; They are a sign of a pure heart. You are my only one Meera. I am sorry for everything you are going through. It’ hell for me to even see you like this, Meera.” He says trying to hold his tears back and he does eventually.
When the strength in her decreases, her sobs turn into sniffles and finally she stops herself. She slightly lifts her head and looks at him trying his best to not break. His face held lot of pain she couldn’t bear. The sudden urge to ease him grew in her.
Sampath tries to hold himself from tears. Not because he hated to cry but he didn’t want to add sorrow in her pain. He should now be her strength instead of a liability. When his strength of being stoic was ending, he immediately disentangled himself and rushed to the washroom attached to that cabin.
She stands still in her place looking at his retreating self. She knows that he was scared to cry in front of her as to not break her more.
And they say Men don’t cry
****
Ridhima walks across the resort towards the beach. She blinked her eyes at the scenery in front of her as the glimpse was surreal. The pale crescent moon shone like a silvery claw in the night sky. The endlessly convoluted waves reaching for the shore fighting among themselves as to who will reach first. The resemblance of stars on the ocean was simply magnificent.
“Bhabhi”
She turned towards the voice which was now very familiar to her. There she was, Sanjana striding towards Ridhima trying to reach as fast as she could.
Ridhima smiles at her before propping down on the sand such that her spread legs could be soaked with the coming waves. She then felt Sanjana propping beside her with heavy and short breathes due to her violent run.
“I was searching for you. Bhaiya said you were here. Are you fine, Bhabhi?” Sanjana asks lowly while resting her head on Ridhima’s shoulder. Ridhima smiles at her actions and moves close to her.
“Came for fresh air.”
“Filmy, isn’t it?” Sanjana says in almost wondering tone looking at the scenery.
“Hmm! Truly it is. So soothing like Arijit Singh’s songs.” Ridhima smiles softly.
“Wow! Such a dreamy comparison. So romantic of you, Bhabhi. Am afraid if my Bhai is the same with you.” She straightens herself to face Ridhima.
Instant blush creeps on Ridhima’s cheeks while recalling her Romantic Vansh.
“Words can’t fill the depth sometimes, It’s the actions which define the feelings of him towards me. Being Romantic is not at all necessary when we are together. Even his one touch can make my knees go weak.” Ridhima says while smiling at her.
Sanjana looks at her surprised. A layer of tears start brimming in her eyes while a smile extends on her lips. Ridhima frowns at her sudden change and lifts her chin up trying to read her expressions.
“Why?” Ridhima points at her tears which were on the edge of falling.
“He suffered Bhabhi. At the age when children play with their peers to the age when Students go travelling. We didn’t have normal upbringing Bhabhi. It was always our brothers who made sure we would never go to sleep hungry. They used to work day and night to make sure we could have a roof when we sleep at night, food when we were hungry, money when there was necessity. Their hard work made us stand where we are right now. They are more than brothers to us Bhabhi.” Sanjana breaks down while revealing her thoughts, with slow whimpers. Ridhima gives a faint smile before enveloping her into her arms.
“You all are strong. I know it all, Sanju.” She says while coaxing her up.
“You are also Bhabhi. Even you were alone right? You stood on your feet without anyone’s support. You are rousing for three of us Bhabhi. It was true that Siya wished you to be our brother’s wife. You were the only one who could make him smile, stay and sleep peacefully. You are the best.” Sanjan says, her voice held with admiration. Ridhima smiled at her.
“Now don’t get me emotional, okay. I love you.” Ridhima places a soft kiss on her forehead and both burst into laughs.
Sanjana’s smile fades away when she goes into some thoughts. Ridhima notices this but remains silent.
“She is behaving indifferently.”
Ridhima’s eyes brows grooves into confusion listening to her. Sanjana pauses, turning towards Ridhima she takes a deep sigh before saying further.
“I am afraid, Siya is behaving indifferently.” She says while trying to maintain her doubt strongly. Ridhima freezes at the strange information received. Her mind whirling with all the thoughts of Siya.
“Like” She whispers. Sanjana wipes her forehead before staring ahead.
“She is having constant headaches which she usually doesn’t have. She is forgetting things frequently and I am afraid because it is increasing with days. She is getting tired frequently. She roams around her room at night instead of sleeping. She is feeling nauseous now and then. Putting all these together I still can’t decipher if something is wrong with her, Bhabhi. I am afraid. Is she alright?” She completes looking in Ridhima’s eyes finding them getting glistened.
“I…She is alright, Sanju. You know nowadays she is just stressing herself and having these problems. We have already consulted doctors too. It’s just…. she will be fine.” She completes not knowing what else to tell. She lied to not make Sanjana worried. Right now the first thing for her was to talk with Vansh about the issues.
“Yes Bhabhi, I think I am a bit too frightened about her. But what to do I love her that much to even think of her being in any menace.” She says smiling lightly at Ridhima who is lost in her thoughts.
Sanjana heaves, thinking that she made Ridhima worried with her now raised issue regarding Siya’s condition. She already knew everyone is too conscious about Siya that they will be so lost if something happens to her. That was the most imperative thing which was stopping her to reveal it in front of her brothers.
“Bhabhi, let me show you this one.” Sanjana shrieks catching Ridhima’s attention completely. She fists out her phone and scrolls through something before placing it on Ridhima’s hand. Ridhima gets perplexed and looks at the phone only to find a photo on the display.
Ridhima narrows her eyes at the person on the screen before widening them in reflex. An immediate smile breaks on her lips followed with a lunatic laughter. She throws her head back and laughs out loudly clutching her stomach which was now paining. Sanjana too laughs at her reaction.
“What the hell is this?” Ridhima says in between her laughter shoving the phone at Sanjana who wipes the tears flowing from Ridhima due to her fanatic laughter.
“He is your husband dammit! At least don’t laugh.” Sanjana tries to maintain a poker face but bursts into laughter again.
“When did he even take this picture, It took me seconds to even unearth that it’s him. He looks too adorable in this. Aww! My baby.” Ridhima caresses at the screen swiping it in the process. Another photo comes into the display making Ridhima stop slightly. She tries to swipe it back to the previous photo but stops when her gaze falls on one person making her smile fading away completely.
“Who is this?” She shoves the phone to Sanjana pointing at one person on the screen, Sanjana gets baffled at her sudden change but then reveals her about that person she asked for.
****
Ridhima opens the door ferociously, making it hit the wall with a loud thud. Vansh who was working on the laptop, sitting on the recliner past the bed, turns towards the sudden noise. His gaze falls on Ridhima who was with a blank expression on her face.
“You came.” Vansh smiles profusely before shifting his gaze towards the screen.
She tries to speak but words were dead as her heart was filled with numerous questions and doubts. She didn’t want to sound like a maniac so she chose to remain calm and composed.
She hums in response before closing the door and locking it. She walks towards the closet before tossing her blazer back into it.
“You remember Pratap uncle?” She said trying to maintain a sense of calmness in her tone. From the corner of her eyes, she could see that her Vansh immediately stopped his work and looked at her in hurry, his face held some panic. She picks out her clothes before turning back completely and facing him.
He opens his mouth to speak but fails as her question hit him like a sudden jolt.
“You call him as your Papa, right?” Her this question makes him utterly stunned. Her tone was something like stony, held no emotions.
“I think I have asked you something.” Ridhima raises her eyebrows looking at him pointedly breaking his reverie.
“Yess…He is some family m-member.” He smiles nervously gesturing his hand in air as if it is nothing.
“Hah! He is your family member.Family member as like your father right?”
She roared the last words so intensely that it made Vansh flinch. This was the first time he saw her like that, she was shouting and it was obvious with the nerve popping out from her neck.
He stands without more ado and tries to walk towards her but she raises her hand at him making him stop.
“Lie. Am I being treated with lies, Vansh?” Her eyes were red shot and her tone turned octave pitch.
“Ridhima, I….
“He is your father and you kept this incognito from me?” She walks towards him but still maintains some distance.
“Ridhima, please calm down. It’s not like that. There are some reasons for everything happened. I will tell you everything. Just give me a chance.” He tries to reach towards her but she steps back straight away.
“So you choose to lie.” Her tone held how much pain she was right now.
It’s right that it is said that one lie can break the strongest trust we have.
“Ridhima, please listen to me.” He says while trying to not sound croaked. His insides were breaking to see Ridhima’s hate filled tone towards him.
“They don’t know about him?” She asks pointedly and he immediately understands that she directed it about his siblings.
“No, they don’t. Only Sampath and I know about him.” He says and her face relaxes but her confusion doesn’t seemed to fade away.
“If you tell truth, you don’t have to remember anything. I know it’s with something from the past but trust is what I want to have for me. You trust me?” She stops looking at his eyes which showed his emotions crystal clear.
He immediately strides towards her pulling her into his embrace and this time Ridhima didn’t stop him because even she wants him to show her how much he trusts her.
“More than anyone, Always and forever, My trust for you is simply my life that is complete with you.” He says and feels her relax in his arms. Moments later, her hands travel across his torso moving herself more into him. He smiles faintly and places a kiss on her forehead.
“I taught you will hate me, Ridhima.”
“I have known what love as a feeling is because of you and believe me when I say; My love for you is as lofty as sky and as subterranean as ocean.” She goes on her toes and places a chaste kiss on his lips.
“It’s high time I change the whole thing right.”
Believe me when I say;
It’s just a filler chapter but is the access to the next sequences. It’s time I speed up things on this story.
Tears are the strongest weapons of humans. When flown at different situations, they held different influence. Tears are never the signs of weakness so cry if it is helpful in making you become strong.
The last two weeks tested my mental solidity to the peaks yet I failed to let it out. The cries I have heard on the death beds of many cities reflected the crisis we are going through. Heart wrenching is just a phrase and the scenario is much worse. People are dying. Never did we dream about such inhuman things that we are going through right now.
We are in grave danger. My country, my people are suffering with the nominal virus.
Stay safe and healthy. Follow the protocols and together ensure that we are survivors.
When humans suffer, humanity survives.
“It’s high time we change the whole things right”
……..Will get back soon ……..