Residues

Chapter 20

I felt I needed to give Suhani a bit of time to cool down. So I went to the office and thought I will drop by in the evening. She opened the door for me in the evening. And was surprised to see me.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"Let's have a talk?"

I walked in. She did not close the door. "Get out." She said. "I don't want to see you ever again." I turned to her. I was going to let her speak. Get all her frustration and pain out. "Just get out," She said.

"You and Rihan have been broken up for more than five months."

"Yes. I know." She sounded calm. "Yet... He is Rihan. And you know him as my Rihan. Then how could you?" There was the pain of betrayal clear in her voice. I actually felt guilty. She is right in her own sense.

What was my excuse?

"Aren't you with someone else though," I asked. "So why do you still care?"

"We broke up." And it was like she poured ice into my brain. She broke up?? So, she is single now...

I was not at a point where I was completely sure that Rihan won't go back to her. It was Rihan and Suhani. They were always Rihan and Suhani. Suhani and Rihan. They were always a set. Will five months matter in 13 years long strong bond??? Will two weeks matter?

"Also, Sid and I broke up because of Rihan." I looked up at her. "That day when Rihan came to pick up his post, he saw me with Sid. I felt so guilty that Sid could not understand. He got angry that I still care about Rihan too much. Things were a bit rocky for a while. Since I called Rihan at the time Papa fell ill. And Rihan visited Papa, as my boyfriend... I came to tell you we broke up. I did not know who to go to. You are my best friend." She looked down.

And I felt bad for her. I was surprised that I felt bad for her.

"But you stabbed me in the back. Didn't you? I can't even..." Tears fell from her eyes, "picture him with any other girl. But I thought, I knew he would eventually move on. But why is it with you? Why is it not some other woman?"

"Why do you care, after throwing him out of your life like garbage? I took care of what you threw away. I took it home, and polished it and repainted it... You know how much he cried. How many days...weeks... months it took him to smile even..."

She was looking at me.

"Oh... It's my fault." She said as she realised something. "I asked you to take care of him. If I knew it will turn out like this, I would have never.... I trusted you." The last part was a sting to my heart.

"Look, I did not come here to have this TV Serial type drama with you. I was concerned about you as a friend. And I felt I owed an explanation to you." I took in a breath. "I love Rihan. I did not love him when he was your boyfriend. I hardly knew him. But then you abandoned him. And for the past five months, he was my best friend, not you. So, I loved him as a friend first. And now I come to love him as a guy.

It's okay if you think of me as a bad backstabbing bitch. It's okay even if we can never be friends again. Because you cannot take back what already happened. The rest is up to you. And Rihan... I cannot do anything about what you guys want to do. If he comes back, then that is it. So..."

I walked to the door. "Take care..." And I was out.

When I got back home, Rihan was waiting outside my door. I walked to him. He had something in his hand. A packet. He saw me a turned to me.

"You met her?" he asked.

"Hm. What is in your hand?"

He held it up. "Glow in the dark stars. Let's stick them to your bedroom ceiling." He smiled brightly.

"Rihan..."

"Hm?"

"Suhani broke up with Siddharth."

I saw his smile fade. His eyes going blank for a second. But all this was only for a second. He was away from me somewhere only for a second. Then he forced himself to be back. "Oh... Okay. What went wrong?"

"You."

"Me?"

"He got jealous of you."

He looked away from me so that his eyes do not get caught by me again. "let's head in." He said.

I watched him stick the glow in the dark stickers to my ceiling. It took a lot of effort. To move the chair, he stood on, from time to time, so as the stickers are evenly placed. Now I felt bad that I asked for something with so much effort.

But it seemed like he was glad that he had some physical thing to do, so as he need not think so much alone... But I knew he was still thinking. His mind racing back to the open door at Suhani's...

13 years is not a short time.

What is the right thing to do? I should let go of him, right?

Chapter 20.5

Ha! After all that... After hurting me...

Just five months?

They were done in just five months.

I could not keep a smile out of my lips.

Also...

The glow in the dark stickers is a hell lot of effort...