LOYALTY

Anticipation

One thing Jaison had the guts to admit was that he didn't like it when she was upset. Her crying uncontrollably in her brother's arms was a sight he badly wanted to erase from his mind. The pang he felt when he heard her sob scared the wits out of him.

She had started to affect him. Strongly!

And that scared him.

Once before he had given that right to someone, the right to be so important to him that no one could ever hurt him more than her. Where did that lead him?

To a point where he longed for death as the only salvation.

But at the moment he kept his insecurities and what ifs aside and focused on her. Solely on her.

They had returned from the airport after Aryan's flight took off. She hadn't spilled a single word since then. When they reached home she even asked to sleep alone for the night.

Unwillingly, he agreed.

If staying alone for sometime would clear her head, he'll give it to her.

He lay sprawled on the bed as his eyes stared at the ceiling above. He hadn't given much notice to the other rooms in the apartment. Now when he had the chance he looked around the guest room.
It felt so.....foreign.

The untouched dressing table, the book shelf, the neat bedsheets. The room was not occupied with much, had more space to it, he should have liked it. But it felt so unwelcoming like every accessory in the room was telling him to leave, like he didn't belong there. The unused and almost new bed was suppose to provide him more comfort but the coldness to it made him agitated.

He looked beside himself.

Empty.

The way the bed used to sink when she layed beside him, the way her warmth crept under his skin in an oh so additive manner, the way he involuntarily used to turn to her resting his palm under his cheek to silently admire her face.

He suddenly missed the feeling.

He didn't know such gestures could mean so much.

Tossing on the bed, changing postures he somehow tried to make his way through the night.

                              ...............

Akira seemed to be better than the night before.

Just like him, she too wasn't able to sleep for a second. But her reasons were different. She simply sat on the bed hugging her knees as she rocked her body. She tried her best to grasp onto the good in the situation. But there was hardly any good in it.

She was thinking about it through her own perspective. She remembered the time when she was in a dilemma and her mother helped her out. She clearly remembered her words.

Whenever you feel like someone did you wrong, just once, just once put yourself in their shoes and think from their point of view. You'll get your answer.

Her brother clearly did nothing wrong but she was having a hard time digesting the fact that he'll be oceans away for who knows how long.

But when she looked at it through his eyes, she understood. This was the only opportunity he had to prove himself. He got it out of his own hardwork, letting it go would be the biggest disrespect to his struggles, tears and yearning to stand on his own feet.

She smiled, proud.

Akira had forced Jaison to leave for office while he tried his best to stay behind. For him, she was acting to be okay. For her, he was treating her like a child. But the woman's stubbornness won.
He had to leave.