Enough

8

As they prepared to step into Mehra Mansion, Pragya held her breath. Abhi's doctor had advised that returning to familiar locations could trigger the return of related memories. What could be more familiar to Abhi than his home?

Moreover, his last experience here was being attacked. What if coming back here brought back the trauma? Pragya wished there was any other way to bring him back into the house. Walking through the front door felt risky and inauspicious. 

Then again, he was holding her hand for support. They had never entered the house together, holding hands like a real couple. Maybe it wouldn't be a familiar experience for him after all.

At Abhi's other side, his new attendant Ronnie was looking around with obvious delight. Behind his thick-framed glasses, Ronnie's eyes were wide with wonder.

"Sirji, you have a really nice house!" He shifted the gym bag on his shoulder. "Very very nice." He pinched his fingers into a circle, signalling a-okay.

Abhi laughed good-naturedly. "Wait until you see the inside."

The double doors swung open. Taiji and Mithali Bhabhi stepped out to greet them with an aarti thali. Bright draperies decorated the hall behind them - the same bright fabrics that had been used during Pragya's griha pravesh.

No one had warned her of this, and with a pulse of alarm Pragya looked for Raj Bhaiyya. He was standing with Tauji in the entranceway and gave her a calm nod. It wasn't enough to reassure her; the whole scene was so reminiscent of their wedding day, she couldn't help but worry it would trigger negative memories for Abhi.

Taiji completed the aarti, and Abhi accepted it with uncharacteristic patience. To Pragya's relief, he showed no sign of being disturbed. He walked into the house cheerfully, and she was finally able to let out a breath.

The next minutes passed in a whirl of greetings and hugs, as every family member and all of the house staff rushed to welcome Abhi back. Pragya kept anxious watch over every interaction, on alert for any sign of his memory coming back.

Thankfully, nothing bad happened to Abhi. When they were finally able to head up the stairs, Ronnie followed behind them.

Abhi's hand slipped into hers again. She didn't know why he felt the need for support as they climbed up the staircase, but it was a short enough journey that she decided it was better just to let it happen.

"Home at last," Abhi said, grinning as he turned the handle to his bedroom door. "I feel like I haven't seen my room in -" He stopped abruptly as he actually saw his room.

With a jolt, Pragya remembered that he would have been expecting to see it as it was before she moved in. She should have put back his bar in the corner and taken away her mandir and books. She scolded herself for not thinking to have Robin change those things back, hadn't the doctors warned her Abhi needed comfort and familiarity?

Abhi walked further into the bedroom, his hands on his hips as he surveyed the changes. "Looks about the same," he concluded. He raised an eyebrow at Pragya. "But why haven't we changed that old portrait of me? Don't we have a wedding picture we can put there instead?"

Pragya was saved from answering as Ronnie piped up, "Sirji, I'll just leave your bag here and get my things from the car, if that's ok?"

Abhi nodded. "Sure, and have Robin show you your room, too. I'm just going to nap for now, we'll call you when we need you."

We. Why did that send a thrill down her spine?

And did he think she was going to nap with him?

As the door closed behind Robin, Abhi headed to her bookshelf in the corner. He ran his fingertip across the spines of her books. He let out a low whistle. "Wow, Chashmish. Now I know how you got chashma."