38. Nazdikiyon mein bhi aap khoye se lagte hai. (Even when so close, I feel like I've lost you.)

•°•
- priya -

Aditya was ignoring me. And in a way, that almost made me feel like a stranger, like two awkward roommates forced to share a room.

I hated every bit of it. I'd do anything to reverse the time just so I could tell him the truth when I had the chance and not when it was forced out of me. I had hurt him, hurt him so much. And I can't ever forgive myself for that, yet I don't know why I expect the opposite from him.

I wished to melt in his arms as he soothed my hair, murmuring it was all okay and everything is fine. But I know it wasn't, and it wasn't getting fine anytime soon.

But I had hope.

Our honeymoon.

It'll be just us on the trip, away from the everyday humdrum, in a country where we could rely only on each other. Maybe something positive will come out of this. I can hope, and I was desperately clinging to it.

As of now, I was busy packing our bags. I was almost done with the task. I had to hurry because the kitchen awaited me. Aditya's mom said she wants to prepare something nice since we'll be out for the next ten days. She wanted to do it on her, insisting I take rest for the early morning flight, but the woman had been up and running since morning to prepare homemade snacks for her son. The least I can do is help her out for dinner.

I had packed two suitcases and a duffel bag. I know a lot, but I packed a lot of my sarees, in hopes I'll be able to melt some of his anger by flaunting around in colors he likes to see on me.

Aditya's suitcase isn't fully packed for the trip. I hadn't touched his underwear section. I don't have any problem, since I've washed them a few times when he had hurried off to the office late in the morning like his tail was on fire but judging the current situation, I didn't think he would like me touching his private stuff.

Just as I was stuffing the last of a rolled towel in the second suitcase, the door opened, revealing my handsome husband. I shot him a small smile, hoping he reciprocates. He didn't, instead, his gaze narrowed on the suitcase, before meeting mine in question.

"We have an early flight tomorrow so I thought -"

"We're not going anywhere," he declared, closing the door behind him and putting his laptop bag on the desk.

My stomach dropped.

"Wh-Why?" I managed to ask despite disappointment and sadness hollowing me from within.

"My leave request wasn't approved," he stated nonchalantly, draping his wristwatch on the dressing table. He was lying. He had to be. He was so excited about the honeymoon, and now suddenly he didn't get the leave approval. I call it a load of crap.

"But the ticket-"

"Refundable," he looked at me blankly. "Both tickets and the hotel booking. I've already cancelled them and transferred the money back to Bua's account."

My jaw fell slack. "And you didn't bother asking me?" I stood up, unbothered by the bunch of folded clothes that tumbled down from my lap.

"What were you going to do? Threaten my boss?" He walked past me, kicking aside the clothes fallen on the floor to get to the bathroom. "And it's not that communication is your forte anyway, Priya," he chuckled humorlessly, stepping inside the bathroom. I flinched as he slammed the door shut.

I clenched my jaw to stop the tremble of my lips. Kneeling back on the floor, I began picking up the scattered clothes. Tears fogged my vision but I did my best to not let them fall, in the end, they spilled down anyway.

The next one hour was spent unpacking everything and putting it back in its place. I pulled the stool across the room, the one I had dragged from the kitchen to get the bags down, and used it to put them back up. It wobbled a lot, but even that wasn't enough for Aditya to come and hold it. He had his earphones plugged in as he tipped his head back, eyes closed and loud music pounding through the headphones.

I couldn't believe I was looking at the same Aditya who wouldn't leave my side unless I had to go to the bathroom or kitchen. When at home, he would either talk to me about his favourite things or send me heart-melting smiles while reading his books. This is not the Aditya I was used to, and it scared me that there was a possibility I would have to get used to it.

I walked out of the room, heading in the direction of the kitchen. A delicious aroma wafted through the air. Dinner was almost ready. I felt bad when his mom started gushing about how much she has made and most of it was Aditya's favourite. I didn't tell her we weren't going, mainly because I was embarrassed and Aditya had made the decision alone, so it was on him to declare it to the rest of the family.

Dinner was a strained event. Just like how it used to be when Aditya and Meghna had a fight and were on non-talking terms. It was then I realised Aditya is the life of the house, his smile makes everyone smile. I was so furious at Meghna for stealing it from him, and now I'm the candidate of the same blame.

"Subah cheh ki flight hai- (you've an early flight at six am-)" his mother began hesitantly before she was cut off bluntly by him.

"We're not going." He met her eyes for a second longer, then went back to focus on his plate.

What followed was stunned silence.

"Why?" His mother probed.

"My leave request wasn't approved," he shrugged.

Her brows furrowed together in confusion. "But you didn't use any of your paid leaves for this year-"

"Well, it's the beginning of the year, Ma," he deadpanned. "The company has a lot more to do than send off their senior developer on a honeymoon to Bali. It can wait, work cannot." He stated in a tone that brooked no room for argument.

"But-" his mother went to protest, being held back by her husband. He shook his head, jutting his chin at her plate to focus on the food. When our eyes locked, I saw clear pity on his face for me.

He connected the dots. Indeed a lawyer. But I was embarrassed, so I looked away, meeting Avinash's eyes instead. Although his face was blank, leaving no chance for emotions to deceive his thoughts, his eyes searched mine with an intensity that made me feel open and vulnerable. They are smart people, I'm sure they knew something was wrong.

Lowering my head to the plate, I played around with my food, losing the appetite I didn't have in the first place.

Post dinner, I was in the kitchen, washing the load of dishes. His mother joined me moments later, wordlessly taking on the task to clean the kitchen counter. We worked in silence but I knew she was dying with concern and curiosity.

"Is something wrong?" She asked softly.

I swallowed, doing my best to not burst out in tears. When I didn't answer, she got the gist and sighed.

"Don't talk to him regarding moving out anymore," she came to stand beside me to wash her hands. "It'll only worsen the things between you," she mumbled.

I nodded, internally grateful.

"It's not a huge thing, right?" She asked sounding worried. "You two will be okay, na?"

I forced a smile at her, nodding in response.

She breathed out in relief. "Give it some time. That's how marriages are. A little bit sweet, and a little bit sour." She smiled at me in a way a mother would and I felt tears brimming my eyes.

It's been so long since I missed my mother. I had stopped mourning my parents years ago. They sometimes made it into my memories, but never like a loss, rather a happy phase of my life. Yet that evening, as I stood before my mother-in-law, I strongly wished it was my mother instead. "Oh, no, don't Priya," she wiped my tears gently and the more she wiped, the more they flowed out. "oh, mera baccha, (oh, my child)" she cooed softly, pulling my head to her bosom. "Hota hai, beta, shaadiya aisi hi toh hoti hai. Bahut saara pyar aur bahut saara jhagda. (It happens, child, that's how marriages are. Loads of love, and loads of fights.)" She sighed, running her hand down my back. I sniffed against her warmth, her clothes smelled of our regular detergent and strangely, it made me feel at home.

I pulled away a few minutes later. She tucked the wayward strands that escaped my loose braid behind my ear, patting my cheek lovingly. "Everything will be fine. Just give it some time." She said in a hushed voice.

I nodded slowly.

"Now you should go and rest, I'll do -"

"No, please, I'll do it. You've been running around the house since this morning, and in the end, it was for nothing. Your knees need rest. I'll clean this up." I said in an insisting manner. There was no way I was letting her work in the kitchen tonight. Honestly, she had done more than enough to last a week.

Finally, she relented. Giving a last pat on my shoulder, I watched her retreat from the kitchen. Turning back around, I resumed washing dishes. It felt awkward to cry in her arms, but I knew my tears weren't stopping the moment I saw the motherly smile on her face. It's been so long since anyone looked at me like they genuinely care about me, anyone who's not Aditya or Preeti.

By the time I was done, the house was doused in darkness. I turned off the lights in the kitchen and made my way toward our bedroom.

Aditya was fast asleep on his side of the bed. I quickly changed into a loose tee and pants, joining him on the bed under the thick blanket. He had his back on me, yet I still faced him, wishing he feels my longing and turns to pull me into his arms.

In the end, I slept alone and cold.

Things didn't get any better. In fact, they only got worse. Aditya was growing distant, he barely talked to me, smile was long forgotten. We stopped spending time, stopped flirting, his kisses that once I took for granted now sounded like a far-fetched dream, and his proximity, intentionally it never came, and unintentionally it was always cold, deprived of its usual familiarity or warmth.

I did my best to initiate normal conversations with him. They saw a dead end after receiving monosyllabic responses. It didn't help that I was bad at making conversations.

Before, he used to take me out every weekend at least once. This time we barely talked to each other. Everyone was aware of the growing tension between us and it had started to make me feel awkward around the other family members.

Neelam bua had called me after the day he cancelled our honeymoon. She asked if something was wrong. I said no, but of course, she didn't believe me. After all, I had no explanation to justify his decision. Thankfully, she didn't pry into it much and just told me to take it slow, give it time, and things will eventually come around.

I used to think my patience is commendable. Not with Aditya. I couldn't stand his silence anymore, the reason I had started snapping at my employees. I never did that. It made me so guilty I personally went and apologised to them later on. But it happened again, and again, and again. Even a little bit of imperfection was enough to set me off, so they only sent Sheena to deal with me. I was so ashamed.

I hated people who let their personal life affect their professional ones. Yet here I was, pea of the same pod.

But I couldn't give up on him. I missed him desperately, everything about him. The way he smiles, the way he winks after using one of his cheesy lines, his charming grins, those darned dimples. I hadn't seen them for a week now.

I knew he was angry, and I knew he would rather slit his throat than talk to me, but I wasn't letting that happen.

So that evening, I told Jatin Kaka to take me to his office. I was planning to pick him up. He wouldn't ignore me in front of his colleagues, would he? He had been ignoring my texts so far, but I knew with people around, he won't treat me the same. I mean something to him, no matter how hard he wants to make me believe otherwise.

"Aditya sir," Jatin Kaka pointed out just as my car entered his office premises.

I smiled at the sight of him, which later dropped when he turned his head expectantly, as though waiting for someone. That's when Pari came into the view, grinning up at him brightly before she said something to him. She looked sheepish, to which he chuckled and shook his head. The two then walked towards the parking lot, settling inside her car and driving right past me. He didn't even notice my car? Or he did but chose to ignore it?

"Let's go home," I whispered, trying hard to hide the waver in my voice.

Jatin Kaka nodded silently, turning the car around to drive back home.

I stared out of the window blankly, my cruel head replaying the memory of his smile over and over again. I hadn't seen him smile like that for a week now, yet it took her a few words and a sheepish look to bring that back on his face.

My car followed up with theirs almost immediately. I stayed seated inside, all because I didn't want to catch their attention and let Pari see him ignore me openly in front of her. I don't think I would be able to handle that level of humiliation and hurt. Once they had disappeared inside the elevator, I stepped out too and wished Jatin Kaka good night.

Dad was watching sports in the living room, like always. Surprisingly, Avinash was present too.

"How was your day, darling?" Dad asked me softly, lowering the volume of the television.

"It was good," I forced a smile, which immediately turned genuine and excited when I realised they were watching basketball. "What's the score?" I dropped the bag on the table, sitting on the other end of the couch that Avinash had occupied.

Dad went on to brief me about the teams and the score, a light in his eyes that I'm sure matched mine. Then we three watched the rest of the game together.

"Arey, change toh karlo- (Arey, at least change-)" Aditya's mother came, looking at the three of us in disappointment.

"Later, please," I shot her a pleading look.

She shook her head with a soft sigh and left after handing me a glass of water.

I lifted it to take a sip, pausing mindlessly becaus the leading team was about to make another point. "Pass! Pass! Pass!" I begged the player, he was tackling and dodging the others swiftly, but if he doesn't pass the ball, it wasn't making through the hoop.

"God damnit pass!" Avinash growled at the screen.

"I know right! I don't understand why he isn't passing the ball!" I groaned, equally frustrated.

Then like a miracle, as if he heard us, he finally passed the ball and they made another point.

"Oh thank God!" I chuckled.

"That was so close!" Avinash looked at me, raising his hand for a hi-fi. I returned the gesture just as enthusiastically.

"Mujhe bhi, Hi- Fi! (Give me a hi-fi too!)" Dad demanded, stretching his hand toward us.

I giggled, reaching out to slap my hand against him. Avinash chuckled, doing the same before we focused back on the game.

It ended with the leading team winning. I swear that was a celebratory moment for the three of us along with the people in the court. We sat in the living room for a while, just discussing the game and passing comments as if it was us on the team, we would have had an easier victory. Dad was excited to have another sports freak in the family, his words not mine. I said I only get like this for Basketball.

"Then every Friday, we three are watching basketball together!" He declared.

"Definitely," Avinash nodded.

"Yeah, sure," I shrugged with a smile.

"Agar tum teeno ka ho gaya ho toh chalo, khaana lag gaya hai. Priya jaake change karlo jaldi, go! (If you three are done, then let's go, the food is ready. Priya, quickly go and change.)" Mom instructed sternly.

I nodded hastily and picked up my tote bag, hurrying towards my room. When I stole a glance at my watch, my brows shot up in surprise reading the time. I didn't even realise it had been an hour already.

I pushed open the door, realising I was smiling until it froze at the sight of Aditya immediately meeting my eyes with his blank gaze. I swallowed nervously, closing the door behind me and walking up to the cupboard, all while extremely aware of his eyes following me. I grabbed a t-shirt and loose pants before heading inside the bathroom to change. When I exited, he was not in the room. I heaved a sigh of relief.

During dinner, I kept mostly to myself, eating quietly. Well, that is until Mom said something that made me cough involuntarily.

"Ma, anyone but Shlok bhai," Aditya cut in sharply.

"Why? What's wrong with Shlok?" She asked defensively. "Yes, Reshma didi is a little bit too much, but it's not like Preeti would have to live with her after marriage. He is well settled in Bangalore."

"Ma, Sameer is still courting her." He stated.

"But they haven't said yes to each other yet. I'm just saying let's keep our options open." She shrugged. "And Priya, I know you may think my suggestion is horrible-"

"Because it is." Dad interrupted.

"True. Better live a life of a virgin mary than marry into the Singh family." Meghna shuddered for extra effects.

Mom ignored the two. "But Shlok is a darling. He is young, capable, and he has his own two bhk apartment in Bangalore. It's not easy nowadays to buy your own house in metropolitan cities." She justified.

"Ma, I said no," Aditya answered. "Anyone related to Reshma Bua, is a no."

I was actually relieved he was taking the charge, and a little happy that he understood I couldn't say no to his mom's face. While I haven't met Shlok yet, his mother gave me enough nightmares to last a lifetime. I'd rather keep my sister unwed her whole life than send her off to a place that is anywhere near Reshma Bua.

"You're too," Mom shot back smugly. "We all are."

Aditya sighed in frustration.

"Mom, seriously, stop," Avinash said sternly. "Shlok might be a nice man, but he is a mumma's boy."

"Like you?" Meghna chuckled, clamping her mouth shut when Avinash shot her a glare.

"Bhai is right Mom. God forbid Preeti marries him and gets into an argument with Reshma Bua, Shlok bhai won't think twice before siding with his mother. She still buys clothes for him, handles his maid, and keeps tabs on his daily life. Preeti is my friend. Spare her from the horror of Reshma Bua." Meghna scrunched her nose in disgust.

A weight lifted off my chest seeing almost all of them were on my side.

"Fine!" Mom surprisingly gave up. "No more Shlok." I heaved a relieved sigh. "Then how about our Avinash?"

This time it was Avinash breaking into fits of cough.

"Mom!" Aditya snapped. "Can you stop this matchmaking?"

She glared at him. "What did I even say to get you both so worked up?" She looked between the brothers. "He is thirty-three now, he has to get married soon."

"Stop," Avinash grunted, swallowing a glass of water.

"Nahi tujhe problem kya hai? Tu aaj bata hi de! (No, tell me what's your deal? Tell me right away!)" She demanded from him.

"Mom, Preeti is a kid."

"She will be married by the end of this year. I don't think that would have been possible if she was still a kid. Her age exceeds the legal threshold for marriages in our country." Mom snapped.

"Well, she is a kid for me. She is only twenty-three. It's a ten-year age difference!" He snarled.

"So what? Isn't Aditya younger than Priya? They are getting along just fine!" She shrugged.

Ouch.

He glanced at me, then back at his mother, and shook his head. "I'm not marrying Preeti or anyone for that matter." He stated with finality.

Her brows drew together. "Why? You're thirty-three, Avinash! Even -"

"Is it necessary to bring this up while we were having dinner?" Dad interrupted meekly.

"Aap chup rahiye. Aapka bada beta apni shaadi ki umra gawa raha hai aur aapko khaane ki padi hai! (You shut up! Your son is wasting his prime age and all you care about is food!)" She snapped harshly. "And you! What's your problem with marriage?" She regarded Avinash with a look that left no room for excuses.

"Nothing," he said through gritted teeth.

"I don't care. I'm going to start looking for potential suitors for you." She declared.

His head snapped to her in shock. "Mom!"

"Then tell me what's the reason!" She shot back harshly.

"Fine!" He stood up aggressively, causing the chair to topple back in response. We all flinched. "It's because I love someone!" He roared angrily, rendering all of us speechless. "I've been in love with her for over seven years now! And I don't plan on loving anyone else. I can't." His voice wobbled in the end. "Now before you say anything else, let me tell you one more thing, she is already married." Meghna gasped and my jaw dropped. His mom looked nothing less shocked. "And happy," he glanced at all of us, his eyes flickering to me twice before he looked back at his mother. "So stop," his voice thinned, eyes brimming with unshed tears. "Please stop," he begged her and then stormed off to his room.

"Iski tragedy toh devdas ko bhi sharminda kar de, (His tragedy would put devdas to shame.)" There she goes, making an insensitive comment.

"Meghna!" Mom snapped, glaring at her hard. She shrunk in the chair, looking at her plate with pursed lips. "Sab galat ho gaya. (Everything went wrong.)" Mom rested her head on her hand. "Kisi ko pata tha iss baare mein? (Did anyone know about it?)" She asked us. "Meghna?" The woman shook her head in response. "Priya? You worked with him for two years, na. Did he mention any woman?" I shook my head too. "Adi, you?" He stayed quiet, pulling everyone's attention towards him. "You knew?" Mom asked in an ominous voice. "Since when?"

"When I told him to get married so I can get married without any hindrance," Aditya answered.

"And you didn't bother telling anyone of us?"

"It was his secret." He shrugged.

"Wow, you protected his secret, but not mine?" Meghna jabbed.

"Meghna, will you shut up!? This is not about you!" Mom scolded her.

She sealed her lips shut but shot Aditya a glare anyway.

"Saat saal? (Seven years?)" Mom mumbled under her breath. "What is it about that woman that has my son hooked on her even when she is already married?"

"Is he like waiting for her to get a divorce or something?" Meghna wondered aloud.

Made sense, actually. Maybe he knows she is going through a rough phase in her marriage and is simply waiting for her to call it off so he can start pursuing her. He is a confident man, I don't understand why he didn't court her before she got married. Or did he fall for her when she was already married? No, that sounds wrong on so many levels.

"Meghna! Just shut up!" Aditya gritted out angrily.

"What!?" She snapped back. "It's possible!" She deadpanned.

True.

"Well, it's not." He countered. "Didn't you hear what he said? She is happily married." He reminded sharply.

Ah, right.

"Oh yes, true." Meghna sighed.

Mom unceremoniously got up and headed towards Avinash's room, Dad followed shortly after.

That left us three awkwardly on the table. Aditya put his untouched chapati back in the casserole, finished off his rice and dal, and left too. Meghna did the same, wishing me a good night and muttering something along the lines of a dramatic family under her breath. I heaved a sigh, looking around at all the untouched food on the table. I don't know whether to clean it up or not since nobody had a full dinner. Forcing myself to finish everything on my plate, I cleared the dining table and covered the unfinished plates, leaving them in their place.

Aditya was on his phone when I entered the room. There was a horde of washed clothes on the bed that I looked at disappointedly. So much for lending an equal hand in household chores.

I began to fold them, sorting mine from his and maintaining separate bunches. After I was done, I arranged them neatly in the cupboard before joining my husband on the bed.

"Aditya," I called out curiously.

He spared me a glance, as though doing a favor on me with a sliver of his attention.

"Do you know who she is?"

His thumbs typing across the screen stilled. "Who?"

"The woman Avinash is in love with?" I asked softly. "I mean, I worked with him for two years, but I never took him as a romantic person. It honestly shocked me when he said he has been in love with her for seven years. That means he probably met her at the time we began working together," I concluded. "Do you know her name?"

"Tumhe bada interest aa raha hai uski love story mein? (Aren't you so interested in his love story?)" He remarked sarcastically.

"I was just asking," I justified for no reason.

"Why?" He asked back. "She is already married. In fact, it's her husband that needs to be worried about having another man in love with his wife for seven years."

"Well, it's not like he is trying to break them up!"

Aditya tossed his phone aside. "Aren't you getting too defensive about him?"

I gasped. "Aapse toh baat karna hi bekar hai! (It's a waste of time talking to you!)"

"Ha toh mat karo! (Fine, then don't!)" He hissed.

"Ha toh nahi kar rahi! (Fine, then I won't!)" I got down from the bed, heading to the door.

"Ha toh jao! (Fine, then leave!)" He shouted.

"Ha toh jaa rahi hoon! (I'm leaving!)" I glared at him over my shoulder.

"Niklo phir! (Get out then!)" He retorted childishly.

"Bilkul bacche hai aap! (You're such a kid!)"

"And yet you're the one throwing a tantrum!" He scoffed.

My jaw dropped in response. Rolling my eyes, I left the room, slamming the door close behind me. I groaned soundlessly, fisting my hands in the air in frustration. I never thought there would come a day when I'll indulge myself in such an immature, childish argument, but here we are. Life indeed has new surprises everyday.

I stepped out into the balcony for some fresh air, coughing loudly when the smoke invaded my lungs instead.

"Shit sorry!" Avinash crushed his half-lit cigarette on the banister. He went to toss it over the balcony when I stopped him.

"Don't! Kids play in the compound."

"Oh," he paused. "But a cleaning lady comes-"

"Every alternate day," I completed.

"Oh," he whispered. "Toh iska kya karu? (So what do I do about this?)"

"Um, throw it in the dustbin?" I suggested.

"Mom will kill me if she saw this,"

And yet he was smoking in the balcony, where not only mom but literally everyone could see him.

"Give it to me, I'll discard it for you." I stretched out my palm towards him. He hesitated. "Don't worry, I've done this numerous times for my uncle." I smiled to reduce his discomfort. He finally dropped it in my palm.

"I will," he pointed his thumb inside, hinting he was calling it a night.

"Sure, good night." I smiled, stepping away from the door to let him leave.

"Good night." He murmured and walked past me.

Given the air was already filled with toxins outside, I went back to my room. Aditya looked up immediately when I entered, his gaze narrowed on the half-used cigarette clutched between my fingers, and then his eyes widened comically before he scrambled off the bed towards me.

"Yo- You smoke!?" He choked on his own breath.

"No!" I scowled. "This is your brother's. He was tossing it off in the compound. Kids play there. He was scared your mom would find out so I suggested I discard it," I said, heading towards the bathroom.

"Don't flush it out! Are you cleaning that thing if it chokes!?" Aditya asked dramatically.

"Well, then what do you suggest?" I placed a hand on my hip.

"Wait here!" He snorted, striding back into the room only to reappear with a lighter. Now it was my turn to widen my eyes comically.

"You smoke!?" I gasped, watching as he snatched the cigarette from me, burning it down to ashes in the toilet. "Aditya!" I demanded an answer.

"Marne ka shauk nahi hai mujhe! Agar tumhe yaad na ho toh mein yaad dila du, Asthma ka mariz hain tumhara pati! (I don't fancy death. If you don't remember then let me remind you, I'm a patient with Asthma.)" He scoffed, pulling the flush down.

I couldn't help but chuckle at the way he said it.

"Kitni besharam ho yar tum. Has kya rahi ho? (You're so shameless. What are you laughing at?)" He snapped.

I chuckled some more. "Sorry, it's just the way you said it. It sounded funny." I shrugged.

He rolled his eyes and stalked back inside the bedroom. I followed timidly after turning off the bathroom lights.

We climbed the bed from our sides. He reached out to turn off the lights but stopped when I placed my hand on his arm. He looked at me over his shoulder, a frown present on his face. I remember the way he had smiled at Pari, causing my heart to clench again. Is it so hard to smile at me now? Am I that repulsive.

I miss him.

I miss him so much.

God, I really miss him.

"Please," I tugged at his sleeve, even though I knew what was coming my way.

He swallowed, his eyes softening.

I scooted forward, my hand sliding up his arm to hold his shoulder. I felt the trepidation roll into me in waves as he watched me keenly, not saying a word.

Then he suddenly pulled away causing my hand to fall alone at my side.

I gulped hard at the rejection.

"Stop acting normal, Priya. When nothing is normal." He whispered, turning off the lights and sliding lower to lie down.

"Can't - Can't we try?" I asked in the darkness, thankful they hid my tears from him.

He didn't speak for a while and when he did, "I'm not ready yet," a tear rolled down my eyes.

Even when we know the severity of lies, why are we not immune to the greed of them?

I know you guys just want them to sort it out but patience, relationships take time.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Don't forget to vote and comment. Makes my day.