New Beginnings (OS) - Page 7

👍🏼

btw, the sculptor Anuj we all know can generate one & only dumb sculpture 😳🤓 but your Anuj is quiet something ❤️

This is nice and you actually made it progressive in everyone's life in this story.

I'm loving reading this series, Pompy. It's grounded with a pragmatic realism that's eminently relatable.

Awesome ! Brilliant writing again ! I like how Anuj is being portrayed a normal person with friends other than family and super happy to learn that he is valuing Mayas friendship and has decoded to move on from Ma fully. Lol.

Can't wait for Maya to realize her feelings or that extra push from Anuj towards her . 😍

Part: 3.5

Later in the day, Anuj called up his friend Sohit and asked him to meet him. Sohit could sense something was off in Anuj's voice and immediately agreed to meet.

Sohit: What happened?

Anuj: I need your help. I want you to be my divorce lawyer.

Sohit: Are you sure about this? Have you thought it through?

Anuj nodded.

Sohit: Fine, I will handle all the legal proceedings. Have you told Maaya?

Anuj: (Shook his head) No, nor will I.

Sohit: Why? There's no reason to be guilty anymore.

Anuj: It's not that. I don't want anyone to blame her. I don't want her to be branded as a home wrecker. It's my problem. She has suffered enough already. I think it's best if she doesn't know.

Sohit: You won't tell her about how you feel?

Anuj: As of now, no. Once this divorce goes through, I'll think about it. Moreover, I don't know if she feels the same about me. I don't want to ruin our friendship or make things awkward between us.

Sohit: What if she finds someone else? Doesn't it bother you?

Anuj: Her existence alone is enough for me. Life is no movie where we need to necessarily get all things right by the end.

Sohit: (facepalming) You and your idealism.

Anuj just laughed it off.

Sohit: By the way, what makes you like her so much?

Anuj: I don't have to be the "understanding guy" all the time. I can just be myself, and she accepts me for who I am. She is someone I can just be silent with and still feel comfortable.

Sohit: How is it different than being with Anupama?

Anuj: When I was with Anupama, I was self-destructing. I was miserable, and I didn't know how to fix it. But since I've started talking to Maaya, she's helped me see things differently. She has saved me from myself, in a way.

Anuj paused for a moment, and murmured to himself, "Is that what she meant?"

Sohit: (confused) What?

Anuj: I've been thinking about something Maaya said to me. I didn't get it then, but I think I do now. She said with love comes only one thing: honesty. And honesty is different from loyalty. Although I was faithful to Anupama, I could not be completely truthful with her. I was always worried about how she would react to my thoughts and feelings. I was so focused on being loyal to her that I forgot the importance of being honest.

Sohit: I never knew that you had to deal with all these.

Anuj: It's okay, even I didn't realize.

Sohit: What's next? Have you found a place to stay?

Anuj: Not yet. I am staying in a hotel till I find a place.

Sohit: Okay, I will start the proceedings and let you know the further steps.

Maaya sat at her desk, surrounded by textbooks and notes, but her attention kept drifting to her phone. She tried to focus on her studies, but every time she glanced at her phone, her heart sank as she saw that there were no new messages or notifications. She sighed and tried to force herself to concentrate on her work, but her eyes kept wandering back to her phone.

As the hours ticked by, Maaya became more and more restless. She knew she needed to focus on her studies, but she just couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. In this last month, there hasn't been a day when Anuj did not text her. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and grabbed her phone. She was about to send him a text but stopped herself from hitting the send button. "What am I doing?" she thought to herself. "I can't let myself get hurt again." Memories of her past flooded her. The hurt, the pain, the disappointment, it all came rushing back to her.

"I can't let myself get caught up in this again," she whispered to herself as if trying to convince herself of the truth in those words. She had been hurt before and the thought of going through that pain again terrified her. She picked up her phone and started scrolling through her messages, rereading their conversations and reliving the moments they had shared together. As she looked at the picture of the sculpture, she felt a warmth spread through her chest, and she couldn't help but smile. But then the fear and doubt crept back in, "What if I'm just setting myself up for more heartbreak?" she thought. Tears streamed down her face. She wondered, "How did it come to this? Wake up, Maaya. Don't fall in this trap again"

She looked at Choti, who was sleeping peacefully. She had learned the cruel way that love could be a double-edged sword, bringing both joy and pain. And so, after much reflection, she made the decision to keep her feelings for Anuj to herself.

This is a short update. I have moved to another city, setting up my new room. The next part would be little delayed.

Congrats on the new beginnings !!

Really like how the story is going and everyone healing at their own pace.

It's okay. Take your time🤗

And it was such a wonderful update. Two broken people mending each other's hearts and weaving new hopes without intention ❤️

Ahh you portrayed the vulnerabilities of Maaya! Her behaviour on not getting a text from Anuj seemed very realistic, you draw from observations quite well.

And I also liked how Anuj has started learning lessons from his failed relationship.

Keep writing at your own pace, it's all so lovely so far!

I really appreciate this scenario for Anuj Kapadia having a friend like other normal people and not his wife's greedy ex-inlaws being his only social circle apart from sporadic guest appearances by Devika/Dheeraj.

It's a small but important detail which lends a lot of relatability ❤️

Wonderful story dear!! Keep writing 👍🏼🤗