Beginning of The End

XII

"Saying no doesn't make you a bad person, Virat."

He steadily averted his eyes from her towards the jade plant at the corner of the room. He had always liked the atmosphere of her place- it filled him with a strange sense of belonging. No wonder he spent hours in here.

Cream walls with a grey marble slab pressed against it. The bronze of the antique singing bowl seemed dull, but Maya said that she liked some parts of her life that way- unpolished and original.

She had gotten the bowl from Tibet, he remembered, from the backpacking tour last year. That was another reason he felt so comfortable around her; their ideas of a relaxed time were quite similar, if not the same.

Maya was an eccentric sort.

The abstract piece of art hung on her wall was proof enough. She'd found the painter in Seville, sitting at the café where she liked to have her breakfast.

Virat could not understand anything about the painting. To him, it seemed like a splash of purple over a dark blue canvas and a stroke of maroon here and there. When the afternoon light would stream through her window and fall upon the canvas, he knew the specks of gold along the blue would come to life.

There was a glass jar beside the singing bowl where she kept her notes, folded away, all sixty-two of them. Virat knew this well because he had seen her bent over the coffee table, scribbling her affirmations into them just last month.

And he remembered that time when he had been helping her paint one of her jars but ended up-

"Are you even listening to me?" Maya's voice rang through the room, and he dragged his eyes back to her instantly.

She rolled her eyes at the sheepish look on his face and shook her head, seeming exasperated. "No, I was listening to you. Of course, I was." He nodded repeatedly and trying his best to seem convincing, but she just raised an unimpressed brow at him.

"Okay." She nodded her head, wrapping the beige cashmere around her shoulders, and rubbed her palms along her arms. "Then tell me what I just said." She said with an urging tone, looking at him expectantly.

"You just said that saying no doesn't make me a bad person," Virat spoke slowly, trying to recall the exact words she'd uttered and grinned when he saw her roll her eyes. "See, I was listening. You just love to doubt me." He huffed.

"No, Vi, I said that a minute ago. Where are you lost?" She looked at him searchingly, a concerned tinge to her voice that made him steal eyes from her once again. "No, no, no. We don't do that anymore." She said urgently, and he shook his head before facing her.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry I got distracted. What were you saying again?" She looked like she wanted to protest, but seeing the earnest look on his face, she drew herself back.

"You don't have to say yes to everything, Virat. Sometimes saying no is fine. It's okay." Maya said in the softest voice she could muster, trying not to let her desperation seep into her voice. She didn't want him to get the idea that she wanted to keep him away from his friends. But Maya wanted him happy too. She didn't like seeing him this way, detached and desperate almost.

He looked conflicted, and she could see the hesitation dancing on his face. He scratched his beard nervously and cleared his throat before finally shrugging in response. "How can I say no to him?"

She opened her mouth to speak but realized he wasn't done yet. He was just searching for the correct words. He was fidgeting with his fingers, pinching the skin on his wrist between his nails. But when he saw her eyes on her wrist, he instantly stopped the movement and wiped his palms on his thighs.