The Seven Phases Of Marriage

11. SM Automation

The chemistry lab in her twelfth standard lasted for over a month.

Avni was apprehensive during the lab when the instructor warned them to be careful. The experiment involved Phenol, a weak acid that's slightly harmful.

She carefully performed the experiment but time wasn't in her favor.

One of her classmates was heating the acid in a water bath and liquid spilled on her hand just below her elbow.

"Don't overreact, for heaven's sake! It's water," The guy exclaimed as Avni hissed in pain.

The skin in that area started becoming white, and everyone surrounded her. The instructor panicked, questioning her about how it happened, but she chose to remain silent.

The instructor was applying burnol when the most unexpected happened.

Santosh stood at the door coming from the Physics lab for water. Avni glanced at the door, hearing his friend's voice, and she smiled as soon as his face came into vision.

The confused look on his face, unable to comprehend what was happening, remained unforgettable.

The black mark on her elbow still didn't fade after seven years. It always reminded her of the guy who blurted out, "Don't stand near the sink. I don't want to burn you again," and Santosh too.

Avni smiled sadly, recalling the incident. She is surprisingly not angry with the guy even after he blamed her for his fault. Santosh being there when she was in pain remained to be one of her sweet memories.

Avni's face remained expressionless, observing her finger that didn't burn like every other time. She is used to mildly burning her skin, accidentally touching hot vessels while cooking.

Avni was pouring milk in a glass when she heard Siddharth shouting, "Avni, You coming?"

She quickly wiped away the forming tears and covered the distance between the kitchen and their room with a heavy heart.

"I can't breathe, Siddharth. Please stay by my side," Avni implored with glistening eyes and hugged him tight, unable to control her emotions anymore.

Emotions probably become uncontrollable when a person has a shoulder to lean onto.

A part of her felt guilty for marrying Siddharth, and the other couldn't let go of Santosh's memories. What an irony! Santosh means happiness, and his name only brought tears along from the past few years.

Siddharth couldn't comprehend what changed her mood all of a sudden. She was smiling before he marched upstairs, finishing his dinner.

Siddharth could sense her broken state and pale face. The worst part is he knew the reason behind it. He wasn't angry but deeply hurt -Avni's tears stabbed his heart, and he could do nothing.

He wrapped his arms around her resting his hand above her head. She cried inconsolably, feeling safe and secure. His hug was promising and soothing.

They stood there for none knew how long. She cried more and more as time passed unusually. His T-shirt became wet with her tears, but she didn't care, fisting it in her palms. That moment he realized how deeply Santosh must've hurt her and the intensity of her love.

Siddharth didn't feel bad that she loved someone else like before. No! He made peace with that.

The day he said yes to her, he got himself ready to accept 'Santosh' in their life. The only reason for his agreement being his mother's affection towards Avni that day. But equations did change over time, and she began making her place in his life.