Indian Wedding Tales

P A Y A L : part III

Rahil's eyes held my gaze as he brought my hand up in the air and he bent to place kisses on my knuckles. I wanted to make my hands free but I didn't have the energy to fight back anymore.

"Trust me, Payal, nothing is going on between us. I would never cheat on you!" Desperation spilled from his voice. "Not physically and not even emotionally!"

I did not know what to say, my cries had reduced to soft sniffles and my eyes felt heavy and painful. I gulped trying to wet my parched throat and look away. After a few moments of silence I willed myself to speak something.

"You know to move forward, you have to let go of the past"

A sad look crossed his face and I pulled my hands back, I got up from the bed and walked to the other corner unable to face him.

"I'm trying," he said in a tired voice. "I'm really trying"

Oh, are you? I wanted to scream back.

"Payal, she's like a habit to me" Rahil clutched the hair at the back of his head. He sighed before frowning hard. "She.... She...I don't love her. I swear, I don't!"

I tried my best to put on a face that showed that I believed him but honestly I didn't know what it looked like to him.

"Let me show you, Payal" He ran to his side of the bed and grabbed his phone.

"I've never contacted her myself. You can check for yourself."

He thrust his phone into my hands and urged for me to check. I didn't want to but for his sake, I sifted through the calls exchanged between them. True to his words he hadn't ever called her, all the calls were made by her.

"But when she calls..... I want to dismiss it! I really want to but..."

"You can't," I finished for him and watched another wave of guilt and self-loath fill him. He let out his frustration on his hair and fell back on the bed, his muscles tensed.

"I spent four years in that relationship and I'm spending more time trying to get over it."

Four years.... Perhaps I didn't know what a relationship like that could do to a person. Rahil sounded genuine about his dilemma, maybe I should have more faith in him. He would never hurt me like that.

I took a hesitant step towards him and sat beside him on the bed.

"It's okay" I whispered.

"I don't want to hurt you," his simple confession made the hair on my neck stand up and my heart contracted in my chest. "I know how I can stop that from happening now"

He gave me brief look before unlocking his phone and deleting her number. I was shocked.

"Rahil..."

"The man who loved her died a long time ago but I guess my habits of her never went away. Now is the time to end them" He looked me in the eye and I was overwhelmed with the intensity of emotions in them. "I can't lose you"

After that when he pulled me closer and wrapped his arms around me, I let him. We fell back on the bed basking in each other's warmth and eventually fell in a deep slumber.

I woke up tangled in Rahil's arms. My feelings were a mess right now and I wasn't sure how everything would turn out but I knew that I needed to trust and be with him now. Carefully, picking his bicep from around me, I slipped out the room noticing that it was very dark outside.

How long were we asleep?!

With cautious steps, I walked to the hall to find Mom and Dad cleaning up the sofa.