Sweetheart under the moonlight

The distance between hearts

~Viraj~

I stood still outside the door. A part of me was angry for the way she behaved. But a part of me could sympathise with her. And without wasting much time, I rushed out to find her. It was so late at night and I was genuinely worried for her. I was too concerned for her, thinking where could the poor girl even go. She had told me that she had no relatives in the city. I felt guilty, because at this hour of the night, she was out in the roads, just because of me, with nothing but just an aching heart. I searched for her in every place possible. I wanted to contact the police, but I was too scared to approach them.

I spent the entire night looking for Maithili. Finally, when I no longer had the strength anymore, I returned home. I assumed she was safe, wherever she was. But I had thought she'd let me explain things. I thought that she was an understanding person. How stupid of me to think that a stranger would believe in me when my own people didn't! How foolish of me to still hope despite being proved again and again that this "hope" had always led me to destruction. And after recollecting all these, I was just filled again with lots of hatred for Maithili. I was the one who helped her when she was almost dying. I was the one who gave her shelter. I took care of her. I did all I could. But even after all this, she couldn't even just listen to me once? I hated her.

But without Maithili, there was a void in my house. I noticed that she had arranged everything neatly and properly. It reminded me of her. The bed still smelt of her. But I wasn't missing her. She was just an ordinary girl who stayed just for two days. We barely talked. She didn't mean anything to me. Still, her absence was killing me.

~Maithili~

I had nowhere to go except my own house. I entered it with fear. Everything reminded me of that incident. It felt suffocating. But I had to be strong. So I called the maid and asked her to clean up everything. And then the house was clean yet it was killing me. I had to start leading a normal life again. I prepared for myself a cup of coffee and took the newspaper to read it. I was stunned looking at the headline that said "Man saves life of a child, despite being hurt in the process". There I saw Viraj's name. Viraj has saved someone's life! He has not killed anyone! And I didn't even listen to him once. I felt ashamed of myself at the moment. I wish I could turn back time and fix everything. I knew I had to apologize to him for my behaviour. So after completing my work and taking some rest because I was still too weak, I went to meet Viraj.

I reached his apartment at around 8 p.m. But the door was locked from the outside and he wasn't there. I felt too guilty of myself. I need a fresh breath of air. So I went to the terrace. There, I saw Viraj lying down on the ground and simply watching the night sky. He looked like an innocent child. Though I was hesitant, I went closer to him and asked "So you like the moon?". I was just trying to start a friendly conversation. "Naah, I like the sky. It reminds me that the world is such a big place". He then stood up and looked at me. "Are you fond of the moon?", he asked. "Yes. It reminds me that despite living in such a big world, you can still be alone", I gently said looking at him. He didn't say anything. There was silence for sometime when I finally said "Viraj, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for reacting that way without knowing about the truth. I'm sorry for having troubled you so much". He was still quiet. "Okay", he ultimately said. Just an okay? I wasn't expecting that.

"Viraj, I really didn't mean to...."

"Leave", he said. "You don't need to give clarifications".

He started to make his way out of the terrace. "Viraj I'm really sorry", I said, in a way as if I was about to cry. He didn't say anything and left. I wanted to talk to him. But his behaviour made me feel angry and upset. I had no other option but to leave.

~Viraj~

It had been two weeks since I had last seen Maithili. I don't know why but I was still holding a grudge against her in my mind, though my heart really wanted to talk to her and forgive her. It wasn't her fault entirely though. Maybe I just overreacted. Moreover, I had been down with fever since morning, so I decided to visit the doctor. There, I saw the doctor who had treated Maithili. He came towards me and asked "Where is Maithili? She hasn't come for the check-up since the past two weeks. She has not taken her medicines either". I didn't know what to say, since it was my responsibility to look after her till she was better. "She had been out of town for some work, doctor. I'll bring her here within a week". The doctor nodded and went away. I told the doctor I'll bring her within a week, but how could I? I didn't even know where she lived. But I was concerned for her. Was she okay? Was she again in some trouble? I didn't know anything except the fact that I'll have to find her. I forgot I even had fever, and rushed out of the hospital after taking some medicines for Maithili.

I was glad that it didn't take me long to find her address. I hoped she still lived there. I reached the building where she lived. But I was surprised to see an old woman there. She asked me why was I there. I told her that I was looking for a girl named Maithili who lived there. And to my disappointment, the old lady said that Maithili had moved out of the house two weeks back and has shifted to Goa.

I left for Goa. I knew I had to find her at any cost. I left all my work behind. I din't know where she lived in Goa, so I'd have to search for her in every corner of the city. I was concerned for a girl who had just become a part of my life by an accident. I was worried for someone whom I had initially hated. I still did hate her, or didn't I ? I myself was confused.