Living In Oblivion

46

Wiping the sweat from her neck, Avanti tossed the tissue into the dustbin. The sun mercilessly scorched the horizon, and Gurugram had been burning with relentless heat for weeks. Summers were the sole reason she despised Gurugram. High temperatures had never impressed her, and she deeply missed her hometown.

Moreover, when she agreed to stay in the flat, it didn't mean she would rely on Divit for expenses. While she allowed him to help temporarily, she was determined to put in all her efforts and manage on her own with hard work.

Avanti decided to resume tutoring, this time focusing on senior students and teaching them physics. A single batch was formed, comprising four boys, one of whom was the same kid she had taught four years ago when he was in sixth grade.

O how fast time pass by!

She often wondered, what has truly changed. Or if anything had changed at all. And then one glance at Divit, she would succumb to pain, her chest tightening with a sharp thought, if they have lost a lot of time.

Her fingers danced lazily across the keyboard as she wrote an email, her eyes darting to the corner of the screen to confirm the date. Realization struck, and a lump formed in her throat. She looked away, pressing the pen lightly between her lips and sinking back into a pool of bittersweet memories on her swivel chair.

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Anant. Happy birthday to you," she sang, giggling as Anant laughed and blew out the candles on the cake. With the knife, he fed her a piece, and Nandini wished him well, embracing him in a warm hug.

"Thank you, Avanti," Anant kissed her forehead, playfully poking her nose with cream on his fingers. She smacked him, wiping the cream off her face, and the room filled with their laughter. After cleaning up and changing into their sleepwear, he pulled her closer, and she rested her head on his shoulder. She was beaming, genuinely wanting to make him happy, and his constant joy warmed her heart.

"When did you do all of this?" His voice was husky, tired from the chaos of the day.

"Well, I have time," she enunciated each word dramatically, giggling softly.

Divit laughed. "Of course! What else do you do all day? Before, you used to go to school, and now you stay at home. Of course, you have all the time," he teased her.

Smiling softly, she tried to suppress the burning sensation in her throat.

"But still, thank you, Avanti. Thank you," pecking her cheek, he held her close, slowly drifting to sleep.

Left alone, she stared at the ceiling with a bitter feeling in her heart.

"Avanti...?"

"Avanti...?"

"Miss Bisht...?"

A faded whisper interrupted her train of thought, and she straightened up, blinking away the lingering ache. Her eyes shifted to Zubaida, who towered over her, screaming about the delayed reports.

Nodding in acknowledgment, Avanti refocused on the computer screen, staring aimlessly, momentarily forgetting her task as her mind wandered through memories of the past.

As Zubaida left, Avanti exhaled, burying her face in her palms. It was Anant's birthday today. Glancing at the time, she saw it was one in the morning. She was working night shift this week. The day had just begun. So many good and bitter memories she had with him.

It was strange how effortlessly we humans grow accustomed to the presence of others in our lives, regardless of the roles they play. Love or hate, like or dislike-these emotions are inevitable and for the time to decide. But memories are created, sweet or bitter, doesn't matter— but memories are created.
_______________________________________