For You

Chapter 59

Life is hard, losing someone is harder.

But having your heart ripped out by the one person 

you really care about, slowly kills you inside.

"Shyam! Arre come inside beta!" Mrs Sharma greeted him and took him inside by the arm.

Shyam could feel Ajay's gaze on his back as sharp as a dagger. His eyes looked for Amrita. She was in one corner, dressed up prettily, and looking around everyone with a plastered smile. The moment she saw him, her eyes faltered but recovered quickly. He groaned inwardly, as he realised what that meant. So Amrita didn't get a chance to explain to Ajay as well.

Ganesh Chand got up from the lounge and hugged his son affectionately.

"Beta I am so happy for you and Amrita. I only wish Deepa was here today. And Vijay too. But everyone else is here and that's good enough. And I met Ajay on the train. He missed the train yesterday it seems,  because of all the chaos at the moment. The moment I told him about the good news, he was speechless with joy."

Shyam looked back at Ajay, but was spared the fury in his eyes. Ajay for some reason, was looking down.

"Ammu, Shyam both of you come here. Please take blessings of Ganesh Ji and your father." Mrs Sharma asked them.

Amrita and Shyam took the blessings of Ganesh Chand, Brijesh and then Dr Sharma and Mrs Sharma.

Brijesh blessed them both wholeheartedly.

"I hope you both find happiness in each other's company for the rest of your life. Finish your education quickly, and pick a suitable job that will help our region here. You both are such fantastic students. Now I want to see you become fantastic citizens and help our country. That is my dream as your father, as well as your teacher."

Mrs Sharma too blessed them to have a fantastic future together. Vidya was not her usual bubbly self, and but was smiling and happy for her sister and Shyam.

Ajay felt as if he is going through a nightmare that he wanted to desperately wake up from. From the moment Ganesh Uncle told him of the impending engagement between Amrita and Shyam, he was in a state of shock and denial. How was this even possible? His soulmate Ammu and his best friend Shyam... How and when did all this happen? Didn't he just leave 4 days ago, happy and content in his love and friendship? What happened so suddenly that he had been dealt with such a nasty blow, that pierced not just his heart but his self-worth and esteem as well?

Did he offend or hurt either of them? Is this something that happened suddenly or ... or...?

He couldn't even bear to think of the alternative. The very thought that Ammu could have been in love with Shyam for a long time, while still being with him, was so abhorrent that he refused to acknowledge that possibility.

But nothing made sense. Some vague memories of Amrita and Deepa Aunty's conversation came to his mind, and also the sudden guilt that he saw on Ammu's face few days ago, when he walked into her room. She was sitting with her arm over Shyam's shoulder. No... that can't be. He refused to believe it.

What did he do to deserve this? And having now to pretend in front of everyone that he was happy for both of them, was eating his heart away.

To say that he felt used and betrayed was an understatement. He barely spoke a word or two throughout the day. Everyone being happy, and engaged in long talks about past and future events spared him the necessity to join them.