Baarishein

3

The first word in the journal sent a jolt through him. It triggered a memory – not of the script, but of the voice etched in his soul. While others might hear only the surface similarity between Mishti and Pragati, he knew their voices intimately as his heartbeat. He could differentiate even the subtlest nuances - Pragati's, a touch higher and sweeter, carried a delicate melody contrasting with Mishti's lower, earthier tone. His heart lurched as he recognized the telltale tremor in the voice - she was crying. Despite their brief time together, the depth of their connection spanned lifetimes. It felt as though he'd known her for a lifetime, a paradox he couldn't explain, yet undeniably true. Those details can't be learned in just a few weeks, but that's what happened somehow.

Rooted to the bathroom floor, he couldn't bring himself to leave. Thoughts of being outside the hospital drifted through his mind, the lack of privacy there would prevent him from fully processing the emotions he knew would surface upon reading her words. His father was currently admitted in one of the hospital's premier rooms, a luxury they could afford. The spacious bathroom provided the privacy he wanted, allowing him to gather himself before facing Vijaypath again. This solitude would also alert him when his father awoke, granting him precious time to compose himself.

What he didn't expect was for Mishti to be there. Hearing her voice again sent his heart racing, and he knew if he weren't already seated, his knees would surely tremble, perhaps explaining his inability to move. Unsure of how to react or what to say, his mind and heart were flooded with a whirlwind of emotions, leaving him struggling to simply breathe. But he knew for sure he was relieved. After his father revealed Mishti's unknown whereabouts, it crossed his mind and crushed his heart just thinking about the possibility of never hearing the voice he had grown to love, there she was, steps away in the spacious, white-tiled bathroom. But still, he remained rooted to the spot, unable to move.

He glanced down at the journal in his hands, unconsciously tracing the open page with his fingertips. As he became aware of his actions, he pondered whether his heart had momentarily imagined he was caressing the woman in the next room - the woman he still loved, though he wanted nothing to do with loving her. His mind and heart remained at odds regarding her.

Shaking off his initial shock, he began to comprehend the full meaning of her words. Mishti had a strong intuition about his father's condition. As an intuitive person, she trusted and embraced her innate gifts and qualities, even in moments of vulnerability. Her sixth sense was sharp and something she had always relied upon, and now it had led her here. Mishti was one of the warmest and most caring individuals he had known, openly expressing her emotions and devotion to those she loved. And proof of the latter was the fact that she seemed to be connected to his father. Ritwik couldn't understand how they created such a strong bond. As far as he knew they didn't have a chance to know each other that much while she was still pretending to be her sister. And even then it had been only a month after all. He couldn't find any reasonable explanation for his case - other than a deep and exquisite love – for knowing Mishti so well in such a short time. But his father certainly didn't share the same sort of feelings with the woman who changed his life forever. Yet, she remained the sole person he had contacted in the past eight months, and here she was, guided by her intuition and her genuine concern, checking on his father's well-being.

As his father responded slowly and weakly to Mishti's inquiries, making it almost impossible for Ritwik to understand the words he was saying, one of them seemed to jump into his ears. Rudrakash. Who was this person, and why was his father asking Mishti about him? How could Vijaypath know of this individual, when Mishti had never mentioned him in her diary entries, the only man referenced being her former fiancé, Ruhan? But her answer had been even more unsettling. She admitted she had not brought this Rudrakash person, stating it was not appropriate, her tone implying it was a very poor idea. Before Ritwik could dwell further on the identity of this mysterious figure, he was once again distracted by Mishti's words, as she confessed to praying for his father's well-being each day.