CHAPTER-1
The night sky always had a knack for embracing darkness but today it seemed darker, much more darker than usual. Having not one star visible to the naked eye added to the bone chilling ambience around.
Or maybe it was just inside her somewhere deep down soul projecting in the outside world.
"Are you sure about it?" He asked sitting opposite to her in his long brown dining table.
" I don't have any other option Neil",she sighed. Pain was evident on her face and he could see through her sarcastic smile how tough it was for her.
" you know na I won't mind if you stay here", he asked immediately realising how stupid suggestion it is.
" you want me to stay under the same roof with my long lost boyfriend's not so favourite brother?", sarcasm was visible in her tone.
"Owwwwchhhhhhhhhh........I thought we have become friends" he said in a dramatic way putting both his hands over his heart and stretching the word for a little longer.
" that doesn't change the fact that you are my boyfriend's brother"
"Yeah the 'boyfriend' who woke up one morning and simply disappeared. Or should I rephrase....dumped you and moved on with someone else. Who knows?",he regretted immediately. . He didn't said it intentionally. Reality just involuntarily came out of his mouth.He didn't know why but discussions about Kabir always woke a strange sort of envy in him. Or maybe he was yet to figure out this feeling.
But Damn he has touched the most wrong nerve at the most wrong time.She was selling the house the holds the memories of her love to his brother. The place where she spent the happiest moments of her life with her man or atleast that's what she thinks just to cope up with her finances and instead of empathising her he scratched her wound.
At that moment he wanted to slam his head hard against the wall or dig a hole into the ground and disappear till this pathetic feeling of repentance subsides. He wished real life had a 'undo button' knowing reality is meant to suck.
"I'm sorry Minni. I didn't meant....."
"He didn't disappeared. He left a letter" she reasoned though her mind knew Neil was right somewhere yet her heart lingered onto that single ray of hope.
"And what that letter said", he asked already knowing the answer.
"He must have his reasons Neil. I believe him and you are no one to question that.", her blunt tone pierced right into Neil's heart causing an ache.
"Yeah. I'm no one to question my 3months long friend's boyfriend's letter that asked her never to contact him again. Right. Who am I?", he taunted.
"Have you brought those documents?",he continued.
"Yeah.", Minni passed a blue file across the table.
Tears rolled down Minni's cheeks as she took the pen and signed those agreement papers trying hard to stop that tear drop that was already threatening to fall onto the papers.
Neil noticed and all he could feel was helplessness. He moved his eyelids to the file to divert his attention and to give Minni some time to compose herself back again.
His eyes moved from the top to bottom scanning the printed page carefully until his eyelid sticked to a line. He read it again and again.
"All okay?"
"your DOB. 26th Oct 1995..."
"Yeah. That's when I was born.", she noticed some stange features forming on his face. It was agony. She has touched his wrong nerve unknowingly.
"What happened?", she asked.
"Nothing. It's getting colder. You should leave now", his no non sense tone was obvious.
"Wait is it.....?, she raised her eye brows.
"It is Anaya's Birthday too. Isn't it?", she finally guessed.
"You should leave now Minni."
"Yeah so that you could continue with your diary", Minni mocked in the same way he had done but this time it was intentional.
Little encounters with Neil had made Minni knew how he writes in a diary to let her dead wife, Ananya know every little detail of his day. She has even found him sometimes talking to himself or maybe to his wife. Who knows?
"How long are you gonna keep ypur feeling bottled Neil and act like a happy-to-go jerk? It's not gonna work this way Neil"
"And how long are you gonna keep lingering to a dead relationship Minni. It's not gonna work this way.", he mocked back.
Minni was quiet or maybe in short of words. She knew he was right but she still believed in her and Kabir. She believed that he hasn't ditched her. He has his reasons to be away for somedays and that he will return and explain it all to her and then they will have their happily ever after. Kiddish. Isn't it? But for Minni that was her reality and in no way she was giving up on that single ray of hope.
"We are strange. Isn't it? We say we are friends yet don't trust each other with our fears.
We know our heart and mind are battling yet won't let each other know insecurities.
We know we are both in agony yet won't share it.
Strange our relationship is. 'We are not totally out of it nor totally in.' Isn't it?"
"Maybe someday you'll open up to me and I'll confide in you too", she completed.
"Or maybe NEVER.", both certainty and honesty was evident in his voice.
To be continued.....
Edited by A_Cosmic_Dust - 3 years ago
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