He says he is lonely, Horribly lonely Because of this love, he feels for her. She says she is lonely too but she doesn't say why?

ASHER'S POV

I adjusted myself on the couch, while I saw her fiddling with her books on the desk. She is still the same, even after years..she still reminds me of that stupid girl who used to fantasize about her life from those fictional romcom books. Hardly do people realise that it's very difficult to have that deep love written in books found as real. Until someone really wants to turn your long awaited lovely dreams into realities. If life was dreamy and fantastic and real as written in the book, there were no need for writing any books on the perfect love life then.

I can see her hair strand disturbing her, while she is busy fiddling with her stupid chores. She has been like this from the time I have known her. Definitely we were literature batch benchmate...but this annoying girl ignored me every while, as if I wasn't sitting next to her. And I....I used to stare at her every now and then trying to study all the little details of her. One could find solace in her large intimidating eyes, they were capable of captivating everyone's attention if they want to, she never did all those makeup stuffs but still always had those intense perfectly laden eye makeup. I don't know if she ever got compliments but if we weren't on enemy terms I would have died for her looks.

She is still very same, but now she puts a lot of kohl in her eyes , red tint on her lips, and have grownup a bit in size too. She definitely focuses more on her self care and it's probably because now she is not a college girl, she is grown up and married. I think married woman love dressing up a lot.

Suddenly I realise there was noone standing in front of me, where was she? I stood up and the moment I reached the study table, I found all the stuffs kept the way it has been since past one week. So yet again I was hallucinating about her being here while she was away. Within a little span of time, I have started to grow concious about her, I started to feel something for her and yet this feeling is unknown.

Surprisingly she is going to stay with her mother for a little more time. Aunty is soon going to find a deep peace in the eternal sleep. Her death and somewhat made Ira worried to hell. She is not ready to accept that her mother will leave her very soon. Life is beautiful but death has always been a painful truth. The moment we are born, a death sentence is charged upon us. We don't know the reason, why? It's just that it's the only truth of our life. But when we come to know that someone close to us is dying, dying daily in bits and pieces, someone we always wanted to be close too. Then it pains us more than it can ever be expressed.

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LAST WEEK

"IRA...Ira......" And suddenly I stopped. I found her sitting in the back garden of our house, surrounded by large forest trees, and deep valleys.

"I was searching for you....and you are here. What is this behaviour..you have got such a nice home and you decided to spend your time in this cold dark forest" I was acting as if I was pissed seeing her there, instead I was smiling from inside. It became my habit to tease her and she would reply with a stupid irritated tone the next to counter attack me

But today, she was not speaking. Neither she got pissed, nor she snapped back at me. I mean today she didn't even care to look back and see that I was standing behind her.

Was she fine? A voice that came inside from my heart.

Stepping a little close towards her, I heard her silent sobs. Something broke inside my heart..huh?! What happened?...why was she crying?

Were my words or teasings that became the cause of her sorrow.

I stepped in close and sat beside her. Seeing her eyes focussing on the valleys. There was emptiness in her eyes, tears were welled up in the corners. It gave her eyes a bloodshot look and eyelids were puffy, Her Face looked red and blotchy which has traces of dry tears.Which means she was not upset because of me..she had been crying for a long time.

"Ira... something happened?" Finally I got the courage to question her.

The next moment she was looking at me. But still wasn't answering.

"Ira...tell me please? Why are you crying? Something happened? Amma said anything or Abba...what's the reason that you are here sitting all alone and weeping?" I spoke in a worried tone. Her state was giving me panic attacks..as if the next moment she is going to speak something horrifying.

"Ac..actually....Amm..Am..ummm" and she started crying again. She has got a lump in her throat because she wasn't able to speak, her voice was cracking..she was rubbing her nose to prevent the snot running down her face. What a terrible state she was in...and the reason still unknown.

"Ira..if you will not tell? How will I know what happened? Ira please tell me..you are scaring me now? I have never seen you like this before? This isn't you?" I was panicking.

And the next moment she hugged me, and was weeping in my chest. For the first time in a while we were this close that we can feel eachother's heart beating against eachother. It took me time to hug her back, but for the sake of her weeping and gloomy self I hugged her back. I didn't knew the reason, she was not speaking. We were sitting in the middle of the forest engulfing eachother in a hug. While I was trying to find the reason for her distorted self..she was busy finding comfort in my hug.

After a while I asked her again.

"Ira..please tell me the reason..I can smell something is wrong with you?" I asked in a low tone.

"Ammi is dying Asher" and she started crying again.

"What..? How and when did you come to know about this?" I pushed her a little away and asked her.

"I..I....I came to know about this today itself. Our family doctor called me to inform me about her deteriorating health..when I asked him since when is Ammi suffering from this...he told me since she was in a hurry to marry me. She was knowing the truth..she didn't tell me...she wanted me to settle. And she was  fighting the battle alone against that incurable disease. Now she just have ten to twenty days left for her survival. Asher....what will I do without my Ammi" and yet she broke down.

"Don't be negative Ira..I am there...with you in this you are not alone" and I pulled her in a hug. Brushing my lips on her hair.

"Asher....why all this happens with me only. Why it's always me? My dad never loved me, he left me and my ammi....only I know how me and my ammi have come this far on our own, then I never got understood by people...noone tried to..I was flawed and who isn't but people always tried to break me down...and now ammi is dying...who will be there for me...for whom will I live....I wanted to make her feel proud...she is dying and now I can't tell her the fact that we are acting..it's a fake nikaah...you and I are not together...how will I tell my dying mother that the daughter she married thinking got settled in life....is not yet settled. Her daughter is married but yet not ......let it be Asher...how will I deal with all this. What have my life been since the time I was born, it was just about sorrow...you know person like me never had those little happy moments, never. The only person who loved me and I loved will be gone...and I will be alone again." And then she stopped. She had so much pain inside her....but before I could have said something she pushed me away and ran inside our house.

What was that behaviour all of a sudden! I wasn't the reason for the mishaps in her life. I know I was not a reason for which she could smile..but somewhere she was not happy being here.

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The same evening she left to her Ammi's place without even sparing me a glance. And here I am yet again thinking about her even after a week. Was she fine? Should I call her? But how will she react? Will she pick my call.

I don't know.

But it's a week since I heard her voice. Something about her presence in my life made me feel comfort but since the day she isn't here...this house haunts. She was the reason I felt like coming back from work early. Her presence did wonders to my whole existence. She is not here but still she has covered all the corners of my head.

She was different and a little too different for me to understand her. Was there something this heart had started to feel for her. But what was she going through these days? Was I in her head or heart somewhere.

Ours case was just like "HE SAYS HE'S LONELY, HORRIBLY LONELY BECAUSE OF THIS LOVE HE FEELS FOR HER. SHE SAYS SHE'S LONELY TOO but SHE DOESN'T SAY WHY?"

I heard the guy in the movie say this dialogue, isn't it a little bit same for my situation currently. But love? I don't think there was love.... probably it's just care because we live together.

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Ahh! Life without pain wasn't life either. I switched off the television, and tossed in my bed..gently sniffing in her pillow...just in case her scent gave me the calm to sleep peacefully tonight. Because since the days she has left i wasn't able to sleep properly at nights.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far.

I am so excited to see these two falling for eachother.

Lots of love.

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