Broken (Wattys2016)

CHAPTER 19

Two weeks had passed since they had returned home from Jay's wedding. Aarav hadn't done much ever since he returned home. From the very next day he resumed office and would silently do his work in his cubicle. He tried to avoid Raima as much as he could and just concentrated on his work. It was on the fifth day that Raima had got too pissed from all the avoiding that she landed up at his doorstep and fought with him. He was not even in good terms with Raima ever since. There seemed to be some sort of bitterness every time they talked. As they fought that evening at his place, he did realise that she had a lot of hate for Aaliya and that some of the things that Aaliya had said about Raima earlier were definitely true. All he ever thought about was Aaliya and if she'd be upset and crying because of him. He'd always pick up his phone and dial her number but the minute he heard the first ring, he'd cut the call. He wanted to say so much to her, but every time he'd hear the ring, he'd cut the call as he felt a loss of words. He was confused of what to say because for the first time in such a long time, he was not sure of what he was feeling and doing. He should have done this long back. To his surprise, Aaliya never returned his missed calls.

On the other hand, Aaliya had decided to occupy herself so that she wouldn't even get a minute to think about Aarav. The very next day she had enquired about a dance and yoga class and had joined them the next day. She'd wake up at six thirty in the morning and go for a jog in the park for an hour before attending her yoga class at eight in the morning. She'd come home around ten, take bath and eat her breakfast before sitting down to write. In the afternoon she'd have lunch before attending her dance class at four in the evening for an hour just to return home to teach some students for an hour before she'd start writing again. Aaliya had started writing a new story; she had even abandoned the manuscript that she had started writing once she had returned from Australia. In these two weeks, Aaliya had just managed to write two chapters as she would write and delete sentences again and again, not feeling satisfied with what she had written.

It was on the fourth day of February when Aaliya had returned home from her yoga class did she find the newspaper lying outside her house. She picked it before unlocking the front door and walking in. It was when she threw the newspaper on the dining table that a paper slid out of the newspaper. It definitely didn't look like a pamphlet but more of a note. Aaliya picked up the paper and opened it just to see a familiar handwriting that only very few people could understand.

"Dear Ally Aaliya,

I'm going on a business tour to San Francisco and by the time you'll be reading this note, I'll probably be on the plane to San Francisco. I'm going there with my boss, Mihir and Raima and it's a three day business trip. I'd be going to Hawaii after that with Raima and will be back before our final divorce hearing.

I'd be available on my phone and you can email me if you want to? I'm not going underground like you; I'll revert back to your calls and emails (if you contact me that is?")

Take care. I lov

Take care, I'll be back soon."

She folded the paper again and kept it on the table before going to the washroom to take bath. She had promised herself the day she had returned home from Jay's wedding that she wouldn't waste another tear on Aarav and that she was happy by herself. She didn't shed a single tear as she stood under the shower. In fact the thought didn't even cross her mind once; she didn't allow it to. She used to play songs on full volume on Sushant's stereo as she took bath and would always sing songs just to divert her mind; and it worked. It was around noon that she was through with her breakfast and bathing and decided to do something that she had been avoiding from a long time. She slid into her shoes and a furry warm coat before locking the main door and walking towards the Vinayak household. She was glad that their house was just a few doors down because the cold was still bothering her even when she was wearing two sweaters along with a coat. When she saw their door, she made a run towards it. She opened the wooden door and entered before closing it behind her and walking in.