give it some thought. I know there will be a lot of consequences and drama when our families find out that the younger brother-in-law wants to marry his sister-in-law. I’m ready to face it, Anu. It’s my decision. Now, I want to know your decision. If it’s a no, okay, no problem, I can understand your problems, so if it’s a no just let me know and I’ll vacate this house, no problem. I’ll wait till day after tomorrow evening.”
My voice was a strange mix of steadiness and vulnerability. The weight of the last few minutes settled on my shoulders again. I couldn’t bear to stay any longer. I left the place, retreating to the supposed safety of my bed. I lay there, my mind reeling, the silence in the room amplifying the turmoil in my heart. Now all I could do was wait, and pray that my clumsy declaration of love hadn’t ruined everything.
I couldn’t sleep properly on that night. Negative thoughts kept on coming into my mind that she will reject my love, my brother will beat me, my parents will curse me. I have tried my level best to sleep, but I coulndt. Atlast I managed to sleep at around 4am only.
Day 6
When I woke up I checked my mobile and by seeing it is already 11am I just jumped off my bed and went to wash my face. We use to have breakfast at 9am and its already 11am, I rushed to her room door and knocked on it. “Anu I’m sorry, just now only io woke up. Please give me 10mins, I will prepare food”
In return she told “hmm”. Ok even I don’t want to ask the reason I just left to the kitchen and made the brunch. I just kept the food plate infront of the door and left to my room and had the food. We didn’t spoke in the night also. the house is filled with dark silence, something that we see in some Hollywood horror movies. That night also I couldn’t even sleep properly. I kept on thinking that how she is gonna react? How do I react if it’s a no?.i went to the fridge and took the vodka bottle and had a couple of drniks and slept peacefully.
Day 7
Again same routine happened. Prepared the food and kept the plate infront of her room. I got the call from the doctor at 4pm and he told that if she feels ok now she can come out of the room as her 7 days quarantine period is over, I said thanks and hung up the phone. I went directly to her room door and told
Me: Anu. Are you there?
Anasooya: ye
Me: the doctor called now and told that your quarantine is over so you can come out now
Anasooya: ok. But Vinay, we need to talk
Me: hm
I expected this, anyway I have to face it na. so, I have already packed my bags and made my mind ready to accept the big No from her.
My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic drummer in the silence that followed. I busied myself straightening a nonexistent crease on my jeans, anything to avoid looking at the closed door. The air in the hallway felt thick, heavy with anticipation.
“Come in, Vinay,” she said, her voice softer than I expected.
I took a deep breath and pushed the door open. The room was bathed in the late afternoon sun, highlighting the dust motes dancing in the air. Anasooya was sitting on the edge of the bed, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. She looked tired, but her eyes were clear and held a depth I hadn’t noticed before.
“Thank you for everything, Vinay,” she started, her voice wavering slightly. “For staying, for taking care of me…”
“It was nothing, Anu. You would have done the same for me.” I wanted to keep my voice neutral, to not betray the turmoil raging inside me.
She looked up, meeting my gaze. “No, Vinay. I don’t think that’s true. Vishal never would have.” The bitterness in her voice was a sharp sting.
A knot formed in my stomach. Mentioning Vishal, even in this context, was a stark reminder of the awful truth.
“He’s gone, Anu. He doesn’t deserve any space in your head, or in your life.”
She looked away, staring at the wall. “I know that. Logically, I know. But…” She trailed off, unable to articulate the invisible chains that still bound her.
I moved closer, stopping a few feet away. “Anu, about what I said… the other day…” The words felt clumsy, inadequate.
She finally turned back to me, her expression unreadable. “Yes, Vinay. I’ve been thinking about it.”
A wave of hope surged through me, quickly followed by a crushing fear.
“I… you know my situation, Vinay. You know everything. I’m… broken. Badly broken. I don’t know if I can ever be whole again.”
“Anu, you’re not broken. You’re strong. Stronger than anyone I know. And you deserve to be happy.”
“But what about the divorce? What about what Vishal did? The whispers, the judgments…”
“Let them whisper. We’ll build our own life, a life where none of that matters. We’ll create our own truth.” My voice was firm, unwavering. This was the promise I wanted to make, the life I wanted to offer her.
She reached out and took my hand, her fingers interlacing with mine. Her touch sent a jolt of electricity through me.
“Vinay,” she said, her voice barely a whisper. “I… I don’t know if I’m ready for love. Not yet. But… I don’t want to be alone either.”
My heart sank. It wasn’t a yes, but it wasn’t a definitive no either. It was something… in between.
“What do you mean, Anu?”
She took a deep breath. “I mean… I’m not ready for a relationship. Not right now. But… maybe… maybe we can take it slow. Get to know each other better, as just… friends. See where it goes. If… if it goes anywhere. But at the same time what my parents will think of me? Their daughter is in relationship with her brother in law. What about your parents? All of them will think that iam a bad lady”