THIS SIDE THAT SIDE

Finale: My Paradise

Narrator's POV

Sunaina opened her eyes and found herself back in the same bed that was occupied by her ever since she remembered. The same old walls that were filled with posters from her favorite anime and drama seemed to be welcoming her back. She is really now away from Arjun's world. She clasped her head hard trying to process everything that happened so far. Confused she looked at herself in the mirror only to find her to be wearing the same night gown that she had worn the day she disappeared from this world. She looked around trying to cook herself an explanation for all this but all seemed to have gone to a dead end. There seems to be only explanation- it was a dream from her side. Something that she was using to escape her harsh reality. Her tears started to stream down her eyes again. A day ago, she had everything and now she is back to her struggles. What's more? She doesn't even seem to understand what she experienced so far was a part of a separate reality or a correlated fantasy? Just when she drowned in her thoughts, her phone started ringing. The ringtone was a familiar one. She picked up the phone and the screen displayed Preeti's name.

"Hello?" She received the call.

"Umm...we are back!" Came Preeti's delighted voice.

"So it was true?" Sunaina heaved a sigh of relief to at least get a thin hope that she wasn't going crazy.

"Actually, everything seemed like a dream. I myself am wondering if it's genuine or not. But at least we are here safe and sound." preeti's words didn't make her happy. To her, it felt that a part of her heart was taken away and tossed into some faraway meadow. She couldn't say anything to Preeti because she herself wasn't able to process the whole thing yet. They talked for a while when Preeti disconnected the call to sleep for the night again. Sunaina looked at the clock and realised it was four in the morning. She decided to get out of my bed and check on her parents once to testify the fact that she is back in her own world. She walked towards the half opened door and found her parents sleeping like little babies. Looking at them, she seemed to have found inner peace. Her heart somewhat made her realise that she had missed them badly. She got married without her parents blessings, she didn't get a chance to make them see how great of a guy Arjun is. Her heart started aching on recalling Arjun. From the way he smiled at her as if he had won the world to fight every person who tried to hurt her badly-he did it all without thinking about the consequences. Suddenly her eyes were getting filled up with tears. She touched her wet cheeks and realised how much this was effecting her. "A world without Arjun." Her tears poured out thinking about it more. She couldn't cry at this loss. She couldn't blame anyone because she returned on her own accord. She just stood there like a statue that is sobbing uncontrollably. She knew she couldn't cry in front of her sick parents. She had to cope with this loss by herself.

"If only I could have been united with you forever." She smiled carrying tears in her eyes and went back to her room. She knew the next few days were going to be hard so she decided to go back to sleep again rubbing off her dried up tears and prepare for everything that is going to happen tomorrow.

The next day, Sunaina woke up as soon as her alarm went off at 8 AM. She got up from her bed and looked at the sun that was lighting up her room. "It's morning already!" Sunaina yawned. She had to go back to her routine days again. She looked at the book that was lying beside her- Waking up with you.
"I met you, I married you and I am now separated from you." She said to herself. "But I know you never want to see your Sunaina lost. I will keep working hard and keep pushing myself for you. So wait for me okay?" She kissed the book one last time and got ready for the day.

She started her day by taking a bath in a tub of warm water. She played her favorite k-pop track 'baepsae' by BTS and started dancing in the shower grooving to the music. She wore her favorite blue colored suit and prepared breakfast for her family again.