The Last Love Letter

Chapter 28

Akash was taken aback by what Subah said. She said she didn’t have a boyfriend. Did that mean Rohit and Subah were not together? The woman before him seemed perfect for his best friend.

Today, for the first time, Akash had seen her vulnerable side. This beautiful woman was hiding more than she showed the world. She was like an iceberg, just a fraction visible and the rest underwater, out of sight. What had happened between her and Rohit? Rohit had mentioned that they’d been out on one date and were meeting again soon. No woman in the world could ignore a man like Rohit. Not that he bothered much about dating. In fact, the only time Rohit had shown real interest in a woman was when he had met Subah. Akash decided to check with him first thing after leaving here.
‘You sound philosophical, Subah.’

‘Philosophical or not, I spend a lot of time thinking about people and their behaviour, desires, attitudes, weaknesses, etc. I’ve seen the strongest people with major flaws and the weakest almost perfect. The world is a trap where everyone suffers. Sometimes I wonder what we’re doing here, everyone in need of something from each other and no one happy. Happiness, strangely, is known only to the animals.’

‘And happiness, to borrow your words and rephrase them, is when you remember less and forget more.’

‘Yes, you could say that. Look, we are all prisoners of our past. The past makes us real. It slows us down, yes, but it speaks to us and shows us the right path, doesn’t it?’

‘So your past is stopping you from feeling what you want to feel about certain people?’ It was a direct question, but given these circumstances of deep human introspection, Akash wanted her opinion.

‘I did fall in love once, if that’s what you want to know, but he turned out to be a…’

Her voice trailed off, and Akash saw her wordlessly continue to speak. Her eyes had turned moist, and her gaze was unfocused. He waited for her to stem the tide of her emotions.
The waiter came and cleared the empty cups. Akash motioned for the bill even as he waited for her to reply.

‘Thank you for today. I really appreciate your time.’ She had chosen not to, and Akash thought it best not to prod her further.
They got up and started to move towards the car park.

‘You’re welcome. In fact, thanks for suggesting that we have coffee together, because it has helped me understand you more deeply.’

‘And what have you understood about me?’

‘That I haven’t understood you at all.’

Both laughed at the same time as they reached the car. The tension of the serious discussion erased, Akash dropped her home, waved goodbye and started back.

While on his way, still thinking about the conversation they’d had at the coffee shop, he connected to the Bluetooth on his phone at a traffic signal and called Rohit.

‘Hey Rohit, how’re you doing?’

‘Great.’

‘Yeah, same here. Okay, tell me, how’s it going between you and Subah?’

‘Nothing. We haven’t yet met again.’

‘But you said you were going to see her.’

‘I tried, but she said she was busy.’

‘I think you need to try harder. I just had a meeting with her. She’s someone who appears to be hurt deep down. She didn’t say that, but that’s the impression I got.’

‘You met her? Where?’

‘For her Mumbai exhibition, which is just around the corner. Today, I got the impression she was a bit down. Look, why don’t you call her again and invite her out? My gut feeling is she will agree. You two will make an amazing couple, trust me.’

Rohit laughed on the other end of the line, and Akash felt good hearing his best friend laugh. ‘Sure. Just thought she was putting off having a date because when she said she was too busy to take time out for dinner, I suggested coffee. But she didn’t have time for that either.’

‘Everyone eats dinner. Just invite her. Keep asking until she agrees. I know she will.’

‘You sure?’

‘Well, call it a gut feeling.’

When Akash entered his apartment ten minutes later, it was around 3 in the afternoon and Sara had just gotten back from school. She jumped on him as his mother looked on. Akash helped her with her shoes, listened to her stories from school, and soon they were at the dining table eating the lunch prepared by his mother. Halfway through, as he was listening to Sara, he thought of Nisha. How much he missed her. He pushed his chair back, walked into the bedroom and looked at the picture of his wife over the bed. Nisha smiled back at him from the picture. He felt a small hand touch him from behind, and without breaking his gaze, he held Sara’s hand tightly.
‘Dad, I miss Mummy too.’