A Coffee at Dawn

Chapter 21 : Brother!

"Hello," Payal screached from the other end. I wanted to dial Nishanth, instead felt the need to talk to her.

"Mr. Busy bee! Its my pleasure to have been remembered by you, or shall I say, I am fortunate to have received your call," she chuckeled at the end.

After a sigh, "how have you been?" I asked her. I didn't remember when was the last time I had spoken to her.

"I am good, just a little stress from the family end. You know how it is for a girl when she reaches this age," she trailed.

Her words pricked the right places inside me. Aarti too went through the same and the stress had taken a bad toll on us. I swished the thought away and hummed at her line as she continued.

"From few months now, it has been rocky, if that is the word to describe," I hummed at it.

"Leave this, its greenary in another month," her voice spoke the glow on her face. Well, I did not get that much.

"So how have you been? Heard very little about you from Nishi as well," she questioned.

"I am good, now at home," I could here her yell a what as I uttered home.

"Yes, yes. I am home, and this time forever," I told her.

"That is the news of the day!" She exclaimed.

"Nishanth did not tell me this was coming," she paused.

"Well, because he doesn't know himself" I could again hear her yell a what at me. I hummed at it.

"Okay, I don't know what your plans are for the night, may be I don't even want to know, I just want us to meet," she demanded.

"Tonight?" She said a yes and I went on a pause for a while, having second thoughts about the meet.

"No second thoughts Mr Sharma, it is fixed. We shall go out for a dinner, Nishi would love it. I am all excited now!" She hung the call. I threw the phone on the bed and put my head back.

Second thoughts when it is related to meeting Nishanth? Definitely marked a change. I found it easier to stay back at home in a closed cage than move out and my other fellows. I missed them, but when it came to meet, silence is what I would want to choose. This was a part of the cycle. I knew I would fall aloof and I would distance myself from all. I had nothing much to do in this.

*Mithu*

The chaos in the head was disturbed by her sweet sharp voice. It sneered through the darkness within to wake me up from the obscure. I stayed there dumb. The need to respond to her voice yearned with in, all I could manage to do was to stare at the ceiling trying to trace the source of the voice. I missed her smile, the glitter her eyelids hid every second. It was only her voice that I was left with to hover around.

Staying in the dark was not my choice, but I couldn't defy myself if this was what that gave me solace. People said, with time we could accpet everything; in my case, with time, I could see losing myself. I had to pick something from the past that could revive me back. I wanted to start a passive life; all new.

Shower your life and devote it to one, in the long run, all you shall be left is a huge void which can never be filled, no matter what.

It was evening when Payal confirmed the timings and the venue. I wished I could go all excited to meet them, things had changed. I preferred the nomadic life now than being the vigilant Mayank I was years ago. I left home at seven to reach the restaurant. She had also informed me that Nishant knew nothing about my arrival. One side of the was waiting to meet him while the other held me back. At places, I felt the second half dominated over the first.