IshRa SS || 24 Hours || Part 4 and note on pg 12

04:30 AM

She had to catch an early train. She would be going to Delhi after five years and she was a nervous wreck. She shouldn't be, though. It is not like she will bump into Raman Kumar Bhalla. No. Never. He will never take the train. She laughed. That man is such a paradox that she wouldn't be surprised if he did take the train.

She stopped laughing and sat down on her bed. Raman. Although it has been five years, she still remembers each and every feature of his face. The way he frowns, the way he smiles, the way he used to look at her, that absolutely takes her breath away. The way he would watch her sleep when he has no idea that she knows, she knows he is watching her and it keeps her at peace, knowing there would always be someone watching over her. The way he would sulk and pout when she plays hard to get. The way he would whine when she ignores him and pays more attention to the kids. The way he would smile, watching her with their kids. Just the way he is. Him. His soul. Him. Raman. Her Raman. She remembers everything. Even the awful side of him, the terrible side of him, the side of him she tried to love. The side of him that made her leave him and the kids five years ago.

She chucked him and thoughts of him out of her mind and continued to get ready for her train, which she would miss if she spent more time reminiscing her life, like she used to everyday for the past five years.

05:05 AM

Complete with a royal blue suit and no makeup, she steps out of the house. All these years she had been trying to avoid going back to Delhi, the place she once called her home, her solace. It had become a place with so many depressing memories, even thinking about it makes her shiver. She used to love Delhi, everything about the city. The traffic, the people, the infrastructure, her clinic, her home, her family, her life.

After so many cancelled dental conference, so many cancelled appointments, she decided to go to Delhi on the insistence of her friend, Mani. He was right, though. She can't hide from Delhi forever. She will have to visit that place once even if she doesn't go back to the house, she will have to go to Delhi and so she decided to woman up and face her past. At least with baby steps.

She hails a cab and instructs the driver to take her to the railway station.

05:30 AM

Like always, Ishita is early. She had no trouble find her train, even though she doesn't remember the last time she travelled on a train. She was having anxiety by then. She knew she was being ridiculous, because there was no need for her to be anxious. But like every other woman, she had an instinct, and her instinct told her something terrible was going to happen. Or maybe it was just her nervous playing games. She was comfortable in her seat as it was the first class lounge. The seat opposite her was empty and she hoped someone normal and sane would occupy it. She didn't want to spend so many hours in a train with a stranger who would annoy her and make her more anxious.

05:45 AM

When her train partner for the long train journey did not show up, she decided to put on her eye mask and rest for a while, since she was already tired and she had a long journey ahead. There was still 20 minutes left before the train would move, so clad in a hoodie, she pulled the hoodie above her head, and went to sleep.

6:00 AM

she slowly opened her eyes to murmurs she could hear. Of someone arguing and someone else trying to calmly speak to the riled up person. She internally rolled her eyes, and went back to sleep.

6:10 AM

She only opened her eyes again when she felt the train moving. Pulling off her hoodie and removing her eyes mask, she looked at her watch and saw that the train must've left five minutes ago. She could feel a presence in front of her, facing her. As she drew her face from the watch to the stranger sitting in front of her, she knew. She knew why she had always trusted her instinct. Because sitting in front of her was no stranger. No. It was Raman. Her Raman. Scratch that, it was the Raman who used to be hers, equally staring back at her with utter disbelief.

To Be Continued..