11
WILDEST DREAMS

May

The car revved up to life, Aastha and Abhishek trying to catch their breath as they had just run from the stadium.

"I'm texting di that we've taken their car," she mumbled and he nodded, driving away. In those few moments, the separation, the hurt, the pain...they seemed to forget all of it, completely overwhelmed and wanting to get away from the insanity of their situation.

And who better than your almost divorced life partner to run away with?

"Abhay?"

"Hm?"

"Where are we going?" Abhishek stilled, blanking on an answer as he kept driving.

"Abhishek?"

"I...don't know, Aastha," he fumbled and she sighed.

"I'm hungry," he said, "You hungry?"

"...yeah,"

"Then let's find a restaurant,"

"What if the paps find us?"

"They won't," Abhishek assured, shaking his head.

"How do you know?" She countered. "They'll find us and then everyone will hate on us for randomly leaving the team and going on our own," she frowned and he sighed.

"Calm down, we'll just find a quiet, deserted restaurant," he gently offered and she nodded.

"You're...right," her voice was soft and faint, barely audible. A silence creeped in, but a comfortable one, not a 'we have so much to say but can't' kind of silence. Aastha played the radio before tilting her head, resting it against the window.

Bade achhe lagte hai.

The song played on the radio, a station which prominently played only older songs. Aastha immediately snapped her head, looking at Abhishek whose eyes were fixated on the road.

He seems unfazed.

She turned her head, resting it against the window again. But what Aastha didn't notice was how Abhishek's jaw had clenched, his grip on the steering wheel tighter and he inhaled sharply.

While Aastha was looking at the unfamiliar Hyderabad roads he sneakily stole a glance of her, noticed how a loose strand of her hair gently caressed her cheek, how she smiled ever so softly on seeing a children's park. He swallowed, heart clenching as the familiar song played.

"Abhishek..." Aastha started, turning her head and Abhishek was startled, quickly looking away.

"Yeah?" He asked, fixing his eyes on the road.

"Do you know Hyderabad roads that well?" She asked and he cleared his throat.

"I don't, I just want to get away from the main, busy area and then we'll just eat at some restaurant and go back," he said. "I guess," he quickly added and she nodded.

"Should I just...search on Google?" She asked and he nodded. Aastha turned away, burying her face in her phone, irked at how her husband won't even look at her.

"There's one nearby...Aashirwad. Seems legit,"

"Oh okay, put on the GPS I guess,"

"Do you want to go somewhere else?" She pointedly asked. "Stop the car and look through then,"

"Uh...what? When did I even say that?" He asked, bewildered.

"Whatever," she mumbled and he left a sigh.

"Baba, put on the GPS na," he said, his voice sweeter this time, a smile making its way on his face.

"Yeah okay," she incoherently mumbled as the two fell into silence again. The only audible sound was of the song playing on the radio in a soft volume.

While Abhishek stole quick glances of Aastha, she couldn't look at him. It felt too painful. She found momentary serenity in watching the rustling leaves of the few trees on the roadside. The winds were blowing, and Aastha even spotted a saree lying on the pavement, and what she could infer was that the cloth was hanging to dry but had flown away by the winds. She softly chuckled and her husband squinted her eyes, looking at her from the corner of her eyes.

But he didn't say anything.

"Left le idhar se," (Take a left from here) she instructed, looking at the road ahead. He nodded, complying. He drove ahead for five minutes when they heard an automated voice.

"You have reached your destination,"

Even if limited, the restaurant luckily had parking space. The two got out, awkwardly marching into the almost deserted restaurant. It was quite late at night as well, and it made sense for no one to be at a restaurant.

As the two sauntered in, an elderly man, dressed modestly, spoke in Telegu, standing behind the counter. Aastha and Abhishek awkwardly glanced at each other, Abhishek gesturing Aastha to speak with the man. She squinted her eyes, blinking.

"Tum bolo," (You speak) she whispered and he shook his head.

"Nahi, tu jaa," (No, you should talk to him) he whispered back, nudging her arm.

The uncle spoke something in Telegu again, a little annoyed at their silence.

"Uncle...sorry, we don't speak Telegu," Aastha softly said, walking up to him. Her platform heels clicked on the floor, pony tail swaying as she marched.

The uncle nodded, the two chatting about dinner while Abhishek stood a little away, arms crossed over his chest, staring at the vague reflection of the ceiling fan on the tiles.

"Okay," Aastha came back to Abhishek. "We'll get some rice with curd, that's all what's left," she said and Abhishek just nodded.

"Let's sit then, uncle's getting it for us," she said and he complied, the two sitting on the opposite ends of a table.

The awkwardness of the entire situation came crashing down in those moments as the couple realised how they had ended up at a restaurant at almost midnight.

A faint clutter of utensils in the background, the old model of a television playing the post match show of the IPL, the loud whirring of the fan— was this the green screen to change everything that went wrong for Aastha and Abhishek?

"Abhay," Aastha asked as the uncle kept two plates of rice and quickly walked away.

"Yeah?"

"What did we just...do?" She asked, daring to lock eyes with him. He couldn't, tearing his gaze away, focusing on the curd rice in the steel plate. "What are we trying to escape?"

He cleared his throat, not wanting to answer what he was escaping from.

"I...I don't know," he resigned, eating some rice. Aastha sighed, sensing his hesitation to talk. But something in her was screaming at her, gnawing at her, pestering her to indulge in conversation, to take a step.

"I think...I'm trying to run away from the fact that...everything's changed, and that...nothing is the same anymore," Aastha affirmed, taking in pauses as she ate rice. With each word she spoke, Abhishek felt his heart hammer in his chest.

"I think I just really, really miss everyone, and I think...that sometimes...." She paused, looking at him, who was still staring at the white food. Aastha shook her head, sighing. "Kuch nahi"

She gave up, chugging down some water, trying to use the cool liquid to calm her racing heart. Abhishek was toying with his spoon, the metal gliding on the soggy rice. An entire minute of silence passed and Abhishek cleared his throat, looking up.

"I was trying to escape the fact that in a few months I would no longer be married to you," he stated, "It sucks," he added, mumbling.

Aastha's pupils dilated, and she stilled, bewildered on how to react.

What did this man just say? The same thing you were about to say a minute ago. Another part of her mind chimed in.

Abhishek stared at Aastha, whose eyes were all around the room but him, features stressed, unable to hide the conflicting emotions passing through her. He sharply inhaled, rubbing his palms underneath the table as a shiver ran down him. He blinked profusely, while Aastha tried to craft a response in her brain.

"I mean...I just wonder, you know?" He spoke up again, trying to slice through the tension, voice softer, almost a hushed whisper, "I just wonder where it all went wrong,"

Those exact words seemed to strike a chord with Aastha whose left hand curled into a fist in her lap, swallowing.

"I wonder about that as well," she confessed, biting her lip.

"So...you can't pinpoint on one reason as well?" Abhishek almost laughed. Why were they even separating?

"What are we doing Abhay?" There was an exhaustion in Aastha's voice as she dropped the spoon in the empty plate. "Do we want to go back on our decision? Or are we just...getting over emotional? Are we just...clinging onto each other unhealthily? Like some parasites?"

Abhishek remained silent. He swallowed down the remaining morsels of the food in his plate, getting up to pay and thank the kind restaurant owner. Aastha shut her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose as regret flooded her. I should have stayed silent.

Aastha got up, quietly following him back into the car. The questions Aastha fired at him were still swirling in Abhishek's mind, making his stomach churn with anxiety. You could say that the questions cling onto him like...parasites.

Their hotel was closer to the restaurant than the stadium, the ride eerily silent, sans the radio which was playing on their way to the restaurant, sans the secret glances. The two reached the hotel, parked the car and entered, hoping that no one would spot them. They'd deal with everything tomorrow.

But, just as the two were about to part ways in the hallway, the elevator pinged, revealing Nitish and his family. Aastha and Abhishek awkwardly smiled at them, wishing quick a good night before getting into Abhishek's room. As the door of their room shut, they could still hear the faint sound of their conversation.

"Wait for five minutes and then go," Abhishek whispered, kicking off his shoes as he stepped into the washroom. Aastha just nodded, standing right by the door to listen to their fading sound. But it didn't happen. She could hear everyone's voices loud and clear, as she realised her own mother-in-law and father-in-law had joined in into the interaction. She rubbed her finger nails against each other, anxiety rising.

"Tum gayi nahi?" (You didn't go?) Abhishek asked as he reappeared, trying to seem casual, trying to ignore his screaming heart which was trying to convey: she wants to talk to you. She doesn't want to leave as well.

Aastha exhaled, shaking his head.

"They're all still out...I think they met Mummy Papa," she whispered, now stepping away from the door, closed to Abhishek, suddenly shivering as she arrived right below the air conditioner and its chilly winds.

"Oh," was all he responded, heart sinking in disappointment. "Well...uh..." Abhishek cleared his throat, trying to gather courage to speak up. "About today..." he started, but she panicked, cutting him off by placing her finger on his lips.

"Let's just say that we were drunk and we were stupid. Let's forget this Abhishek," Aastha mumbled, not wanting to overwhelm herself anymore for the night. He looked at her, wrapping his arm around her finger and gently pulling it away.

"How can I forget?" He asked, smiling ever so slightly, "It's impossible to forget anything about you," he whispered, his gaze intense, thick with emotions...and longing. Aastha blinked, trying to make sense of the entire situation. They were at the stadium, then...they just ran off, dropped some truth bombs in a quiet restaurant and now...they were in the same room, standing dangerously close to each other.

But Aastha's mind went hazy, her legs wobbly as she stood on her tiptoes, leaning in scintillatingly,

"Then don't forget," her voice was barely a whisper, her sentence almost cut short by Abhishek wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer into a kiss. Holding onto each other like they never let go.

and when we've had our very last kiss,
my last request it is—
say you'll remember me
standing in a nice dress,
staring at the sunset baby

They say never forget who was at your lowest so I guess I'll never forget Aastha and Abhishek 😭

Anyway, how was the chapter? Did it feel realistic, ooooor was it like...slight suspension of disbelief but nothing too unbelievable? Hopefully. Let me know what you think, stay tuned to know what happens next☺️🌻

P.S.: I genuinely love Wildest Dreams so much, I've always wanted to write on it!