Disha's PoV

He hadn't contacted me or even bothered trying for over four years. Yet here he was, standing in front of me, very much real and very much alive. "Papa?"

"Disha-" He started, swallowing the lump in his throat before forcing himself to speak, "How are you?"

"Happy," I responded blankly, yet my heart soared, he'd come! He'd come to see me after all these years. Papa nodded solemnly, "I deserve that."

"Disha, beti, I'm sorry about all those mistakes I've made but what matters is that I'm here! I'm here and I'm here to stay." He promised, taking my hand in his own. "I'm not going to go anywhere.."

"But..." Hurt flashed in his eyes, as he forced himself to look at me. My mouth went as dry as the sahara as I echoed the word, "But?"

"Your mother..." He started, my vision blurred slightly as I noticed that Papa didn't have his ring on anymore. "She... she passed away."

At that moment I felt blank, not the crushing amount of sadness but simply nothing. A second ticked by, then another, followed by another, and finally, my heart dropped. Memories flashed by, the familiar smell of indian spices that defined my home, the cheers whenever someone played well in a cricket match, but one person was missing in these memories. Mumma. 

"Beti-" He reached out to touch my cheek, I flinched away before snapping, "Don't. Don't touch me."

"You could have at least called me!" I practically screamed, white flash fury running through my veins. "I lost my mother. AND I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW."

"I'm sorry-" He started once more, I cast one last hateful glance at him before turning away. "Just leave, you've always been good at that."

I stalked into my apartment before crumpling into a little ball the moment the oak wood front door shut. Why?

My day was going perfectly fine, so why?

I let my tears seep into my shirt as I cried. The sobs that were racking through my body echoed across the small apartment. I'm a cry baby yes, I'm more sensitive than most. I numbly picked up my phone, scrolling through my contacts. A Name stood out to me, I closed my eyes taking a deep breath and pressed the call button.

A Person that promised that to be there for me till the end of time.  A Person I'd drifted away from. A Person who stayed silent through my torment but offered comfort.

Arjun Chopra.

***

Hullo, everyone.