Chapter 73 - Things gone wrong (1/2)

|Innaya|

I stood dumbstruck as I watched Eshan opening the door wide for me to get inside. How did he come to know that I was outside? I didn't even knock. I didn't ring the doorbell either. Then, how? Did he have some sort of inner powers? I felt ridiculous even to have thought something like that. Inner powers? Seriously? I must be going insane with the number of absurd thoughts I was having lately.

”Get inside, Innaya. It's cold out there,” Eshan spoke, curling his finger around the bag in my hand as he tugged at it. I noticed that he didn't touch me. His hesitant gesture caused a painful lump to form in my throat and broke the stunned desensitized form of mine. I loosened my grip on the bag. Eshan took it from me, turned, and walked inside, leaving me to make my own decision. I slowly followed the retreating back of my husband and shut the door behind me to block the cold wind.

After I entered inside, I stood at my place, not knowing where I was supposed to go. Eshan returned beside me after a while, and he draped something around my shoulders. I felt warm.

My eyes found the reason for the sudden warmness, and I found it was a brown shawl. If it hadn't been for his gesture, I didn't know for how long I would have stood there. I was surprised for I hadn't expected him to be as nice as he was being.

I didn't even realize that I was shivering until he wrapped that shawl around me. The heavy rainfall that had been greeting Mumbai every now and then had ceased, but it had left its chills in the air.

”Eshan,” I mumbled, glancing at his figure moving away from me. Was he leaving me? I wrapped myself up in that shawl and crossed my hands around my stomach, feeling dejected.

Eshan stopped in his steps. Without turning back, he replied as if understanding my unsaid question, ”I am getting you some tea. Have a sit.”

”Eshan, wait. I don't want tea.” I went closer to him as he stopped in his tracks, hearing me. I quickly reached in front of him. His gaze was stuck at the ground. My heart ached at the way he refused to look at me.

I missed the deep emotions with which his eyes would look at me, earlier.

I missed his loving staring sessions that would warm my heart.

I missed everything about him. I missed everything about us.

I missed the way we were - together, beautiful and content.

I gulped the lump in my throat. It wasn't time to dwell on those things. I had brought dinner for him, and indulging in past issues might result in him not having it. Thus it was better if he ate first. ”I have brought dinner for you. Would you -”

”Get it on the dining table.” He pointed to his right, as he strolled forward. I quickly nodded, ecstatic that he was willing to eat. I hadn't noticed the dining hall earlier because of the thick curtain separating the other side from the view. In the morning when I had been here we ate our lunch in the living room, and at that time the curtain was closed.

I rushed back to the couch where Eshan had kept the bag, grabbed it, and followed Eshan.

My eyes welled up as I reached the dining room. My eyes traced the wooden dining table. It was the copy of the one I had back in the Bangalore— brown, circular, with the only difference being the number of chairs. This one had only two chairs. I knew better than assume it as a coincidence.

I smiled at the attentiveness of my husband. My smile didn't fade even for a moment when I was arranging the plates for us. Two months. I was going to have dinner with him after the whole two months. I couldn't be happier than this.