Arranged Roommates

|32| Less Burdened, More Relieved

She pressed her lips together, before saying, "I just wish that he wasn't so selfish. I wish that I didn't have to go through that time of loneliness and I wish that I just had someone to hold onto. And I wish I could erase that night of his graduation party from my life. But...most of all, I just...wish that my body was adequate enough to carry my child."

She broke down in fits of tears, with her whole body heaving from the aftereffects of all the past agony. "Oh god, I am a mess." She plucked a few tissues out of the dispenser and clumsily cleaned her face. The girl who was sitting on the farther corner of the cafe and the couple sitting a table away from us gave looks of sympathy to the girl sobbing in front of me.

I stood up, placing a few notes of cash on the table to cover the bill and the tip. "Let's take a walk along the beach. Come on."

I tapped her shoulder, as she got up. We started walking towards the beach that was on the side opposite the cafe. I could hear sniffles coming from Tara beside me but I gave her the time to gather herself instead of starting a conversation again.

Pulling my shawl tightly around me to cover my arms from the cool, humid Mumbai breeze, I took small steps on the warm yet chilly sand of the dusk-timed beach.

It was a peaceful evening on the beach. Gentle waves lapped at the shore, their rhythmic whispers merging with the laughter of children playing in the sand building little delicate castles. The salty draft of wind carried the scent of the sea, mingling with the subtle aroma of nearby beachfront cafes and street-side food stalls.

The time seemed to be too steady, in contrast to the chaos of thoughts enveloping the air around us.

Tara whispered, in a voice barely audible, "I am surprised that Aryan didn't tell you about this before your marriage."

If only she knew about the unconventional nature of our marriage. It was a scam, at the best. We were strangers before, and even now... Even after living with each other for so many weeks, I was not sure if I could even classify ourselves as friends.

But friends help each other out, right? Just like I was helping Aryan right now.

So we were friends, I guess.

A friend on whom I had a crush.

How very convenient, my brain taunted.

In response to Tara's remark, I just shrugged. "I want you to know that I am not here as Aryan's Room-"

The wiring in my brain seemed to catch on my words before I could let them out.

I cleared my throat. "I am not here as Aryan's ugh...Aryan's wife."

That felt weird to say.

But I still continued, "I am here as your friend. So, rest assured I wouldn't pick sides. I wouldn't judge you. I just want you to know that I am here for you. Because it must have been difficult for you to bottle everything up for so many years. So I am here for you if you want a shoulder to lean onto." I finished my little speech with an exhale, not being sure if I overdid it.

I wasn't exactly the kind of person who you would expect to console someone in a situation like this.

I glanced beside me at her and she had an unreadable expression covering her face. And then she cracked a small hint of a smile. Just a barely there, smallest of smiles.

That's a win.

"Thank you."

"I think it would be better if you can, you know..." I trailed, thinking of my next words. "You can talk to Aryan. Clear some things up. Because this thing, this past, it's consuming both of you."