Wait



It was raining that afternoon. She loved the rains, they can be diabolically haunting and at the same time arouse love or a maddening desire. And the continual rains in the past month had initiated a phase of unaccounted gloom. Or maybe her own melancholy was reflected by nature.

She was not overtly attached to him, or so it seemed at the beginning. However, as time passed, their affection deepened. There couldn't have been two people anymore different than them and yet together, yoked by some inexplicable bond. Perhaps she wasn't completely conscious during those moments but even in her current state, one thought possessed her, to be with Harsh. She could hear him calling her. Naina.... in his soft hypnotic voice. His voice always comforted her but today it induced a sense of restlessness. She grew increasingly uncomfortable reminiscing the time spent with him. Those memories seemed an eternity away.

A tear rolled down her cheek as the gravity of her situation dawned upon her. She gazed at the empty ceiling for sometime, waiting for Harsh. Never before did she feel so calm as she did in that serene moment, doing nothing, simply waiting.
                   *            *           *           *
He was sitting on the same bench where they first met. However hard he tried he could not resist going back. It had become his weekly pilgrimage. Every time he went there he could see Naina smiling, walking towards him. Only she never came and never would.

One year had passed since he last saw her. One year since her month ordeal had ended taking away her last breath. He wasn't even permitted to meet her one last time for he was held responsible for everything that had happened. Naina had left the world without even saying a goodbye. If only he hadn't given in to her wish to drive. The noise of the crash still rang in his ears every morning when he woke up. He had miraculously escaped unscathed and yet scarred for life.

That lonely bench provided him solace. Harsh could never forgive himself neither could he ever forget Naina. He usually waited until someone came searching for him and took him home. His family was convinced that he has lost his mind in this futile wait and there were talks of consulting with a psychiatrist. Indeed his obsession had reached maddening heights. His love, combined with guilt had overpowered his rationality. Acceptance was hard and escape into this alternate world where Naina was coming for him seemed easier.

Fate repairs her ravages, with the gentle passage of time. Fate repairs her ravages-but not all. A scar remains as a reminder of the wound. A withered flower does not bloom again, a new one grows in it's place but never the same.

Week after week, he was back there but this visit was different. He did not expect her to come. This time he knew that she had gone and there could be no union between Harsh and Naina in this life. Perhaps a better world awaited them in afterlife. Tears in his eyes, he walked towards his house as Naina watched him go. Finally, she could rest in peace.




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