Sigh of Relief

The captivating brown eyes held so much pain, hurt, and perhaps guilt. The long brown hair cascading down her shoulders framed her face well. Her pink lips that seemed incapable of any movements just enhanced her beauty. Before I could finish my daily observation of her, my head told me to get back to work. I resumed my work, greeting the customers with a smile and taking their orders, all the while sneaking discrete glances at her. And just as the clock stroke 7 she left the café with her book, stepping into the darkness of the calm and peaceful night.

This was a normal routine. She came to the café at 4 pm, ordered black coffee, sat at the table on the right corner overlooking the window and observed the streets outside for three hours. And I was always entranced by her beauty, aura and what not. She radiated an aura of mystery. A deep mystery. And that aroused the beast of curiosity in me. I observed her every day for one hour during my break but couldn't unravel anything. There was never a change of emotions on her face. She always held a sombre expression and her eyes an inexpressible pain which pained my heart every day. 

But all that changed one day. She entered the café and ordered her usual. When I handed her the coffee, she smiled, and that's when I realized her eyes lacked the pain it always held. However, it did not hold happiness either. It held some sort of relief and some sense of freedom. But for some reason, my heart wasn't satisfied. I had a feeling that the loss of the pain was a result of something bad. I returned her smile and went back to my work, cautiously sneaking glances at her, more often than I ever had.

I waited for her the next day, but she never came. The same happened the day after. When she didn't come for the fifth time, I inquired about her to my colleagues. Aakriti, the head chef, handed me the newspaper. I was confused, but she gestured me to go on and read it. And my heart shattered when I did. There was a picture of her and a long paragraph beside it, but the only things I could see was the word 'suicide' and her photograph.

Kindly note that this is just a fictional story. It does not intend to promote such acts.

Thank you for reading!

Appreciation and constructive criticism are welcomed.