Remains of a Lost Heart - Part 9

As crazy as it might sound, I was at Niagara this weekend and also college work has been keeping me completely tied up. I am seriously trying very hard to keep the parts coming on time. I am going to try harder for the next one. Read and enjoy the next chapter in their lives.

Chapter 9 - Guilt and Voices from the Past

They saw each other on webcam every day and as the days went by, they only missed each other’s company more and more. The three painful months of separation went by and Divya returned. She called him as soon as the flight landed. It was to take her another half hour to get home. He had waited three full months, but, the last half hour was even more torturous than all the time apart. He walked from corner to corner inside his apartment. She called him the moment she arrived.

He met her at the sidewalk in front of her apartment. She got out of the cab and ran straight into his arms. The cab driver had put her luggage out behind her and had left by the time they decided to get indoors. He picked up the bags and they went inside. He had a little hop in his step. She was smiling wider than usual.

“So are you jet-lagged and all that?”, asked Arya as he helped her unpack. “Not really…actually I don’t know. But, I am kinda hungry…what do we do for dinner?”, she asked rubbing her tummy. He asked her to stay back home and he went out and got some sandwiches for both of them. They both had their sandwich and they sat next to each other catching up on all the lost time. He was telling her about his new job when she fell asleep leaned up against his shoulder. He carefully set her head down on a pillow, pulled a comforter over her and locked the door and left quietly.

The next morning, he woke up early and went over to Divya’s place to wake her up. He went into her room and saw her asleep. She lay there curled up inside her pink world. Like most of the girls she had a very pink room filled with stuffed toys. The biggest one, a giant panda in the corner, was Arya’s gift. Strands of hair were grazing her cheek gently. It looked like they were fighting the fan in the room in their own way, moving back and forth. A little ray of sunshine brightened a part of the room. He went and kissed her on her forehead. She woke up with a smile. He felt like he was in paradise. He muttered, “This must be how it feels to be in heaven.” She mumbled in a muffled early morning voice, “You know you’re the sweetest thing. Love you. Now get the hell out, I’m gonna sleep” and she giggled and kept her eyes tightly closed. He just looked at her and smiled to himself. He ran his fingers down her face and kissed her gently on her forehead and then her nose. He almost kissed her perfectly formed lips and withdrew. She woke up.

They had a long day planned up ahead. They had to meet number of professors regarding their coming semester. They went back home late in the evening and crashed early. She was still jetlagged from the trip to the east. She was still getting used to being in the Bay Area. Arya crashed at her place. They slept cuddled up in each other’s arms.

The next morning they woke up when Arya’s alarm rang loudly and continuously enough to perturb their blissful torpor. She brushed and made coffee as Arya was brushing. “So, considering we have been practically living together, why don’t we actually move in together? Anyways, the lease on both our apartments are going to expire in a fortnight and I am sure our current roomies will understand” she asked out of the blue. Arya was gargling and he almost spat all the water on himself. He was taken aback.  He had to say something and had no clue about what the right thing was. He raised a question, “Do you think our parents will agree?” She nodded and said, “They know about us anyways and we will be married in a couple of years. Mine will be ok. I am sure your parents will be ok too. They are pretty forward.” Although she was saying the truth, Arya freaked a little thinking about the pace of things. He came out clear and said in an honest tone, “I know that it’s the greatest idea and all that. But, somehow it is scaring me a little. Can you give me a day to figure things out sweetums?” She looked at him, smiled and said, “Loverboy, take your time. There’s no pressure and all. Was just thinking it will be awesome fun!” He nodded passively and they got busy with the day. It was late in the evening when they came back home. They were both tired. He went to his place and changed. The new semester was starting the next day and he had to get up early and wake her up.

He sat down and thought about how his life had changed in such a short while. It wasn’t very long back before he thought he couldn’t live without Nisha. That’s when it struck him he hadn’t told Divya anything about her. It just never came up. He did not care about her past and neither did she care about his. He was in a dilemma about whether or not he had to tell her. Over time the thought just skipped his mind. He suspended his senses and embraced sleep.

“He woke up to a ringing phone. He did not know the number that it came from, so, he was going to silence the call and sleep. But, something suggested it was important. It was Nisha. She had called from India. He was still dumb-founded and he could not comprehend what she was saying. All of a sudden he hid his phone behind his back as Divya stormed into the room. It was impulsive and he had no clue why he did it. Divya was fuming with rage. He sat there guilty and dumbfounded.”

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P.S: Even if this were a NY times bestseller..... Your comments and feedback is extremely valuable to me. Love y'all followers :)