Baarishein

3

That was one of the things that made it so challenging for Ritwik to let go of the woman who had shattered his heart like no other was the sheer size of her heart and the depth of her caring nature. Her warmth was nearly infectious, radiating outward to embrace and envelop all those around her, including Ritwik. This warmth was impossible for him to ignore or suppress - it was simply too captivating, too alluring to want to be rid of. It was as if Mishti carried an inner light that illuminated everything and everyone within her orbit, rendering them beautiful and clear. This quality, this magnetism, made it exceedingly difficult for Ritwik to truly close the door on her, despite the pain she had caused him.

Her following words stung him a little bit. She referred to him as Vijaypath's oldest son. He had hoped she would address him by name. His thoughts drifted back to the mysterious Rudraksh, whom his father had mentioned. It was clear this individual held significance for Mishti, otherwise his father would not have inquired about him so readily. And now she avoided using his name or something more affectionate than addressing him as his father's oldest son was noteworthy.

Glancing down at the diary in his hands, he momentarily tuned out the conversation on the other side of the door. Of course, he didn't expect her to never love again as she claimed in her entries- she was still young, and he doubted Waheguru Ji would punish her so harshly for something she regretted, even if she didn't regret being intimate with him in the last night they spent together. Yet, the thought of her having moved on hurt him, the speed at which she seemed to have rebuilt her life stinging a bit more. Though eight months was not exactly rapid, he knew he was far from reconciling what had transpired between them. Moving on was something he wouldn't accomplish any time soon but still, she seemed to have rebuilt her life just fine.

Trying not to be bitter about her potential happiness, Ritwik refocused his attention on the conversation he was shamelessly eavesdropping upon, only to be struck once more by the amazing girl who seemed incapable of killing a bug but still broke his heart. She was lecturing Vijaypath about his food habits but the way she did it was so... gentle, loving, and caring that made Ritwik want to simply open the door and kiss her as he had done so many times before, and ignore all the logical reasoning he had in his head. How she cared about his father touched his heart deeply and judging by Vijaypath's words, it had resonated equally with him too.

But her next words struck an even deeper chord. She was talking about him and Rishabh, her words laced with the same love and affection, yet Ritwik's heart fractured once more at the stark realization of the woman who captured and marked her name on every inch of it. She was crying again and this time her emotional state was far more vulnerable than when she had first entered the room, she confessed to still needing his father. It took Vijaypath several seconds to respond, but upon hearing her muffled sniffles, her voice so broken and helpless, he finally found the strength to at least stand up. However, when his father finally voiced his thoughts Ritwik felt his heart dropping and he almost fell on the floor. Vijaypath seemed to be thankful for having a stroke, he could meet him again. It was Ritwik's turn to finally feel the sting of salt upon his weary face as tears welled. This situation was so sad and overwhelming. His father had a serious health problem but he was relieved to know it had been the means to bring his son back. His son was in a foreign country, trying to glue together as many pieces of his heart as possible until it could faintly beat again. And the woman who had caused such immense pain to him was heartbroken because the man she trusted, the father of the man she deceived was now sick.

It took Mishti a few moments to react, but when Ritwik heard her asking if he had returned, his heart leaped in his chest, even as it was saddened by the pain evident in her voice. While he had moved past his vengeful desires, he found some comfort in knowing she still cared for him. Those three simple words conveyed a whirlwind of emotions, only questioning his whereabouts. She was just confirming if he was indeed back from Ireland but still with just a few letters she showed how much his presence would affect her. Maybe just as much as hers affected him.