The Pain of Waiting
Author Pov: ????
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The mansion was quiet-too quiet for Aarav's liking . The kind that made something inside him twist and burn.
Aarav stood near the balcony of his room, hands gripping the railing so tightly his knuckles turned white.
He kept glancing at the gate.
Every time he heard a sound - a car, a bicycle, a distant bell - his heart jumped.
Only to fall again.The clock on the wall glowed:
7:00 PM .His jaw flexed . Meera still wasn't back.
"Where the hell is she?"Aarav hissed under his breath.
At living room:????
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Riddhita lounged on the sofa, scrolling casually. His parents discussed the final packing. But something was wrong. Aarav walked down the stairs with the storm in his eyes.
Riddhita looked up and frowned.
"You're scary today,Bhai"
"Don't start again idiot."Aarav shot her a glare.
She raised an eyebrow. "Someone didn't get their food today, huh?"
Aarav snapped instantly-louder than he meant to. "Don't joke about that!"
Riddhita blinked at him.
"What's your problem? I didn't say anything wrong-"
Aarav slammed his hand on the table.
"Just shut up, Riddhu!"
She jumped.
His father scolded sharply.
"Aarav! Why are you shouting on her . She is your sister and how can you talk her like that when you are leaving tomorrow"
Aarav looked away, chest heaving. He didn't want to be angry at them. He wasn't angry at them.He was angry at one person.But that one person wasn't here.
Aarav went his room.A hollow ache he didn't want to name.He grabbed his phone.
No number.
No message.
"She can't disappear like this. Not today. Not before I leave."He whispered to himself:
"Why didn't you come back, Meera...?"His heart twisted painfully.
He went Riddhita's room suddenly.
Riddhita was using her phone, adjusting her hair for a photo.
He stopped in front of her, voice low but dripping with fury.
"Did you call her?"
Riddhita blinked. "Wh- who?"
"MEERA," he snapped.
She shook her head. "I... I didn't. Why would I-"
"Exactly," he hissed. "You never think."Riddhita stepped back, hurt forming in her eyes.
"Aarav, what is wrong with you? It's just Meera. She's a-"
"Don't."
"Bhai... why are you acting like this? She's... just the maid."
"Say that again."Aarav turned, eyes burning.Riddhita froze.
Downstairs :??????
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He came down again.The maids froze when they saw him.
Sumitra stepped forward.
"S-sir... should we serve dinner?"
Aarav didn't look at her.
He was looking at the gate.
"No."
"S-sir?"
"I'm not eating." His voice was low, tight, exhausted.
Riddhita approached.
"Bhai... sit. Please. Eat something."
"I said no! Stop forcing me!"He snapped at her again-
Riddhita stepped back, hurt.
At 11:00 pm :????
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He couldn't take it anymore.
Aarav grabbed his jacket and stormed out of his room.He was done waiting. If she wasn't coming back .
He grabbed his bike keys. "She has to come back. She has to."
He wasn't leaving the country tomorrow until he saw her.Until he brought her back. Until she stood in front of him againwhether she wanted or not.
He would drag her back if he had to.
He reached for the door.But before he could open it-
"Aarav."
His mother's voice cut through the silence.Aarav froze.Janvi stood at the bottom of the stairs, arms folded, eyes calm but knowing.
"Where are you going?" she asked softly.
He didn't answer.Because he knew his mother.She would see right through everything.
"Aarav... it's 11 PM. You have a flight tomorrow morning. Why are you going out now?Janvi stepped closer, her voice gentle, too gentle.
"I... I'm just going to meet friends ."Then he lied.
"I'm your mother, Aarav. Do not insult me with such a weak lie.You're going to look for Meera, aren't you?"She exhaled slowly.
Aarav didn't move.Didn't speak.
"Don't do something foolish, Aarav. She is a maid. Our employee. Not..."
She hesitated.
"Not something your heart should be tied to."
"I'm not tied to her."He whispered Aarav's throat tightened.
"Then why are you leaving the house at 11 PM the night before your flight?"
He had no answer.Janvi stepped closer, touching his arm.
"Aarav... tomorrow, you go abroad. Your future is waiting. Our business, our name, our responsibilities-everything will depend on you."
Aarav's eyes darkened, but he stayed quiet.
"Don't lose focus because of some... emotional attachment. You can't afford that."Janvi continued.
Aarav's chest tightened painfully.He hated that she called Meera "some emotional attachment."
"I'm just going to bring her back."He whispered.
Janvi sighed. "You shouldn't."
"I have to."Aarav looked away.
Janvi studied him for a moment... and understood he wouldn't stop.
"Fine. Go."She stepped aside.
Aarav looked at her, surprised.
"But remember this-
When you return in the future... you will only have your family and our business.Not this... whatever you think you're feeling."Janvi added, quietly.
He didn't argue.He just nodded once.
Then walked past her.He walked to the gate, each step furious and desperate.
The guard opened it instantly.Aarav swung his leg over his bike.
The engine roared loudly in the silent night.His hands gripped the handles so tightly the veins on his arms stood out.
"I'm coming to find Meera and when i will find you , you will regret it"And with a roar .He sped out into the darkness.
At Meera House: ?? ??
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The old wall clock clicked its way into another lonely minute.
Tick... tick... tick...
Meera sat on the cold floor. The tiny room felt even smaller at night. Her only pillow lay against her chest, hugged so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
Her tears were silent-she had learned to cry without sound since she was thirteen.
"Why... why do I feel like this?Why does he make it hurt even when he's not here?" she whispered into the pillow.
The pillow absorbed another tear as she buried her face into it.A soft breeze slipped through the broken windowpane, making the faded curtain sway. That movement drew her eyes to the wall above her bed... where her mother's old photograph hung.
The edges of the photo had curled. The colors had faded.But her mother's smile... that gentle smile... was still alive in the picture.
Meera slowly crawled closer on her knees until she sat right beneath it.
She lifted her hand and touched the glass frame gently.
"Ma..."Her voice was barely a breath.
"Are you seeing me? Can you hear me? Because I... I don't know what to do anymore."Her fingers trembled as they slid down the picture.
"I thought I was getting stronger. I thought I could handle everything alone. But why does it feel like I'm breaking again? Just like before... just like when you left me."
She rested her forehead against the wall, right under the photograph.
"Ma... he's leaving tomorrow. Aarav.
I should be happy, right? I should feel free. He's always rude. He's always hurting me.
So why does it feel like someone is pulling something out of my chest?"
A tear rolled down her cheek and dropped onto the floor.
"I hate that I care. I hate that it hurts. I hate that I can't stop thinking about him."Her voice broke into a sob she couldn't hold back anymore.
After a long moment, she wiped her eyes with the end of her dupatta.
Her breath shaky, she reached for the small diary lying near the corner of the room.
It was old, the cover torn, corners bent, pages yellowed.But it was the only friend she had left.She opened it and took the pen from the spine.The page was blank.She stared at it for a long time before whispering,
"Okay... fine. I'll write. Maybe it will stop hurting."
She began writing slowly:
"11:00 PM. Another night alone.
The world sleeps.
But I can't.
I feel like my heart is tied to someone who doesn't even want to hold the other end of the rope."
Her handwriting trembled.She kept writing-long, uneven lines filled with the fears she never spoke out loud.
After a few minutes she suddenly stopped.Her pen froze above the page as she whispered,
"Why did I write his name...?"
Right there, in the middle of her thoughts, she had written it:
Aarav.
She stared at the name for a long time before dragging a line through it-slow, painful, shaky.
"He doesn't care. He shouldn't matter."She placed the diary aside and pulled her knees close again, hugging herself tighter.
"Ma... I'm so tired."
The room swallowed her voice whole.
She pressed her forehead to her knees and closed her eyes. Meera... alone in the dark... let another tear fall, whispering to no one:
"Why does it always hurt so much at night?"
The clock struck 12:30 AM:????
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Meera couldn't breathe anymore.She pressed her palms against the floor and whispered,
"I can't... I can't stay inside this room tonight."She grabbed her thin shawl, wrapped it around herself, and stood up.
"It hurts... it hurts so much, Krishna..."
She looked up at the tiny picture of Lord Krishna she kept on the samll table .The paint was chipped, the frame old, but her eyes softened when she looked at it.
She knew the night outside wasn't safe - not here .
Men sat on the roadside and smoked.
Drunk voices echoed in the alleys.
Stray dogs barked at shadows.
But she didn't care.
"You're the only one who listens," she whispered.Everyone leaves... but you won't leave, right?"The silence felt comforting for a second - then suffocating.
She stood up, her legs weak.She grabbed her old, thin shawl and wrapped it around herself.
"I just need a walk," she muttered.
"I need air... please, Krishna, keep me safe."
Then she opened the door.
She stepped out and without realizing she forgot to lock the door.
Aarav stopped his bike with a harsh brake.The engine cut off.He ran his fingers through his hair, annoyed.
"Why the hell am I here... at this hour?"He muttered to himself, jaw clenching.
He looked around.
The alley was dark.Narrow.Filthy.
Stray dogs sniffed at trash piles.
A drunken voice echoed somewhere far away.
"This place is a joke... and she lives here? Seriously?"He stepped forward, the anger rising with every second.
"Idiot... idiot... why do I even bother?"He cursed under his breath.
His boots splashed through a puddle of dirty water as he reached her tiny house.
For a moment... he just stood still.He didn't expect it to be this bad.
The walls were cracked, like they were about to collapse with one strong push.Water dripped from the tin roof.The paint had peeled off years ago.A small bulb flickered weakly over her door.
"...God."There was shock in his voice.
Shock he didn't want to admit.He stepped closer and touched the door.
His fingers brushed against the old wood.It felt fragile.
"She actually lives here..."
His voice broke a little, almost hidden.
He pushed the door.It opened.
So easily.
"She didn't lock it!?" he snapped, anger bursting out of him.
"At freaking midnight!? Is she stupid? What if someone-"He cut himself off.
He stepped inside.
The smell hit him.Strong. Humid. Damp.He covered his nose with his forearm.
"Damn it-"His eyes stung.
He looked around the small one-room house, disgust and confusion mixing in his chest.
"THIS is a house?
No-
This is... nothing."He walked further inside, his voice low, disbelieving.
"How does she breathe here? How does she sleep? How does she... live...?"
His eyes scanned everything.
Old pillow on the floor.Diary open, pages fresh with ink.Her shawl fallen beside the bed.The cracked bathroom door.A single cup on the table.Aarav swallowed hard.
"She was here," he whispered, touching the diary.This ink... it's not dry yet."
He took a step back, felt something inside him clench violently.
"Where did you go, Meera...?"His voice wasn't angry now.It was scared.
He stormed outside immediately, frustration exploding out of him.
"MEERA!" he shouted into the alley.
No answer.His breathing grew faster.
He looked around until he spotted a drunken man sitting against a wall, humming.
Aarav walked toward him.
"Hey!" he barked.
"You. Look at me."
"Huh? Oh... rich boy... what you want?"The man blinked and lifted his head.
"The girl who lives in that house. Did you see her?"
The man squinted, confused.
"Meera? The little one? Quiet girl?"
Aarav's jaw tightened."Yes. Her. Where is she?"
"Ehhh... why? You her boyfriend?"The man's lips curved into a sly grin.
"Just. Answer. The question."
"Money first."The man held out his hand.
Aarav grabbed his wallet and shoved money into his palm, not caring how much."Now TALK."
The man pointed down the road. A dark and Empty road.
"She went there. Ten minutes ago. Walking fast."
"Alone?"Aarav's stomach dropped.
The man nodded lazily
He didn't even thank the man.
Didn't say a word.He turned to the road.The cold wind hit his face.
His voice broke out before he could stop it."Meera... what the hell are you doing?"
His feet moved first.Then faster.
Then faster.Then he ran.
He shouted her name into the night -
"MEERA!"
The darkness swallowed the sound.Until he found her.Because for the first time in his life.Aarav felt something terrifying:
He cared.
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Hope you like the episode.
Please comment what do you think about this chapter.
Many of you think aarav use bike when he was 17 . Is it's was . Because he is now 18 +.
And if you any questions just ask me and share me about this story.
And i will upload the the next part when you all give me 40 votes.
Iam sorry for increasing the vote. Because i need some time to think and write..
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