GAURI
I walked lifelessly on the empty road towards the bus stop, suitcase in hand and the burden of my deeds on my shoulders. Not a single tear fell. Not a single word came. I just walked, still alive but dead on the inside. There was a hollow feeling inside of me, like my soul had already left and now it was just my body remaining, carrying the weight of my wrong doings. There was so much I regretted. So much. I couldn't think of all the people I had hurt in my life. Those I claimed to love and those I had once loved. Those who had loved me regardless of the monster I had become. I barely recognised the person I had become. I hurt them all. I couldn't face them anymore and I couldn't even face myself. So I had decided to leave. Go far, far away from here. I arrived at the bus stop and sat down on the empty bench. I stood the suitcase in front of me and gazed onto the road. Completely empty. Not a single soul in sight. Good. I couldn't face anyone anyways. I closed my eyes. Still no tears came. I wanted to cry and scream so badly. Just let it all out. But I couldn't even do that anymore. Like I deserved the pain I was in right now. I shut my eyes tighter and imagined Yug's face. His brown eyes and brown hair. The deep dimples in his cheeks. I ruined so many peoples lives to get him. Even his. Yet here I was all alone. Without him and without everyone else I loved. I didn't at all regret not getting him. No. That wasn't what was eating me up from the inside. I regretted hurting my best friend. My sister. My Kali. I had become so blind over my obsession that I had badly hurt the one person who had dedicated her whole life to protecting me. How could I have been so selfish? I tried to kill her, killed her unborn child, stole her husband from her and what not. I'd harmed her in ways one could only imagine. Yet she saw innocence in me. She saw the best in everyone. She was just like that. I didn't regret not being with Yug right now. I regretted disappointing the one person who had complete faith in me. I heard the honk of a bus and opened my eyes. The bus had arrived. I had no plans on where I was going or how I was going to survive. I just needed to get away. I didn't even think about where I would live in such a big city like Mumbai. I stood up and grabbed the handle to my suitcase. I pushed away the thoughts and walked towards the bus. I climbed the stairs that led me inside, struggling with my heavy suitcase. Once on the bus, I walked to an empty seat in the second last row. I put my suitcase under my seat and slid into the seat next to the window. The bus was almost full and I was surrounded by the noise of people talking. It helped me relax. No one knew me here and no one was here to judge me because of the horrible person I am. I was deep in my thoughts but I felt someone sit down next me. I didn't bother to look.The bus slowly started moving and picked up speed quite quickly. The last time I had been on a public bus was with Kali. When I snuck off to Patna and almost got kidnapped. I smiled at the thought. She saved me that day just like she had saved me from the beginning. And then there was me. I did nothing for her. Instead I took everything away from her and let her empty handed. This morning I had decided to return it to her. I found out Naina was my daughter yesterday. But I let Kali keep her. That was the least I could do. Besides I wanted my child to be proud of her parents. Not sink down in shame. Yug was always Kali's. I could see the love for her in his eyes even when he was with me. The bus suddenly took a sharp turn and I darted sideways into the arms of the guy sitting next to me. My head hit his chest. I would've fell on his lap if he hadn't held my hand in his. I looked up at him. Our faces were so close that I could feel his slow breaths on my neck. I looked at him for a while and he stared right back at me, a surprised expression on his face. If I were in this moment two years ago,I would've said he was cute. Not that I didn't think so at the moment. My mind pushed away from the guilt of my reality and I simply stared at him. Right into his beautiful brown eyes.
"Are you okay?.." He asked, still staring at me. My right hand was still resting on his chest and my left hand still in his. I blinked back to reality and pulled away from him. He gave me an awkward smile.
"Yeah I'm fine. Sorry" I said quietly. I turned back to the window.
"So where are you going?" He asked. I looked back at him. He asked me the one question I was trying to avoid. Sooner or later I had to think about it but not right now.
"Mumbai." I bluntly answered.
"Oh same here. Looks like we're in this together." He said, smiling. I looked at him again. For some reason that statement made me smile. Like i wasn't alone in my misery for a second.But for a second only.
I tried to avoid having a conversation with him for as long as I could. An hour passed by and I just stared out the window.
"You seem like you're in deep thought. What's on your mind? It looks like something's really bothering you. You can, um, talk about it to me. If you want." He said after a while. I turned to look at him, surprised. Again he smiled and I had butterflies in my stomach. I had never been nervous around anyone for my whole life. This was new.
"Um no. Nothing's wrong." I said, still gazing out the window. I had tried to stop thinking about it. Now the thoughts came flowing back. I felt a tear roll down my cheek. I let it because I wanted to let go. I kept my eyes on the road outside the window, feeling his eyes on me. Rain now starting to pour down hard outside. A memory came to me. Me and Kali when we were around 7. Playing outside in the rain. I missed Manji maa. Even though I wasn't as close to her as Kali, I still missed her when she first left. I had started to cry hard in the rain and Kali comforted me. I didn't even think once about her silent tears. The ones that always blended in with the rain. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I snapped back to reality and realized I was sobbing out loud. The guy sitting next to me put his hands on my shoulders and turned me to face him. I tried to stop crying, sobbing but now the tears just wouldn't stop. I kept my eyes down while he looked at me with what seemed like worry in his eyes.
"Hey are you crying... It's ok. It'll be okay." He quietly said.
"No it won't. I ruined everything. It'll never be okay again." I said taking deep breaths to calm myself down. I looked up at him.
"Yes it will. It's always be okay in the end. I don't know what you're going through so I can't say much. But I'll say this." He moved his hands from my shoulders and cupped my face in his hands. He slowly ran his thumbs over my cheeks to wipe my tears.
"You have to be strong. Your strength is the only thing that will keep you going. Things happen and you always get through them. Trust me. Everything will be okay. YOU will be okay." He smiled and though tears were still flowing down my cheeks like the rain outside, I smiled too and nodded lightly.
So here I was. Gauri Jha. On a bus off to Mumbai with no idea of what the future held for me. Regrets and worries surrounding me and a boy sitting next to me who might've just stolen my heart. But this time for real.