Page 70 of Since You Came Along

For a while, neither spoke. Meera traced patterns on his chest. Raghav gazed at her, his hand brushing strands of hair away from her face.

‘I’m sorry, Meera. I’m sorry I hurt you. I… I don’t know if I can ever make it right, but I’m so sorry.’

Meera didn’t want to dwell on the pain of the past, not tonight. After everything, being in his arms was enough for now. She smiled, and said, ‘I’m sorry too.’

Raghav frowned, his knuckles brushing against her cheek in a gentle caress. ‘Why?’

‘There’s charcoal on your face.’ Her lips twitched as she showed him her charcoal-smudged fingers.

They both stared at each other for a second and then burst into laughter. Meera clutched her sides as her face lit up with joy and seeing that, Raghav relaxed even more.

‘Good night, Raghav,’ Meera whispered as she peppered his face with feather-light kisses and soon drifted off.

Raghav pulled her closer and breathed in her scent before whispering, ‘Thank God for my second chance.’

Chapter 24

Meera woke up and stretched her hand out, only to find the bed empty. She opened her eyes and looked around the room. The thick blue curtains filtered the bright morning rays into soft streaks of light, bathing the room in muted sunlight.

She sat up and called out his name, but the silence that followed felt heavy. After waiting a moment, she sank back into the bed, her gaze fixed on the ceiling.

Last night replayed in her mind like a surreal dream, making her question whether Raghav had really come home. Her only proof was the closed curtains. The dull throb in her temple reminded her of how he’d spent the night changing the cold compress on her forehead.

Her fingers brushed against the sheets beside her, and she took a deep breath, inhaling his scent still lingering on the fabric. It brought a small smile to her lips. Where had he gone so early?

Her eyes shifted to her phone on the bedside table. A small slip of paper lay tucked beneath the phone. She recognised his handwriting right away, and as she read it, she moved her fingers over the words.

I managed to switch on your phone. Call our friends, they’re worried. I spoke to them already, but they’ll want to hear from you. I’ll call you soon.

- R

Meera dragged herself out of bed and picked up her phone. She padded into the kitchen and the rich aroma of coffee greeted her. She heated a mug for herself, settled at the dining table and called Siya.

Two rings later, she heard Siya yelling at her. ‘You fucking idiot! Where the hell have you been?’

Meera couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘Oh, this is funny to you?’ Siya snapped. ‘You know what? I don’t need this bullshit. I don’t want to talk to you. Bye!’

The call disconnected before Meera could respond, but she shook her head and counted under her breath. Sure enough, fifteen seconds later, her phone buzzed again.

Siya was yelling louder this time. ‘Can’t you call back? If I’m upset, will it cost you anything to make it up to me?’

She laughed to herself and said, ‘You’ve never gone a day without talking to me, so save this drama for someone else. I’m fine. I’m so sorry you guys had to go through that.’

Meera meant it. She couldn’t imagine the panic her friends must have felt, stuck in another city, worrying about her.

‘It was awful,’ Siya admitted, and Meera could tell she was holding back tears. ‘When Abhay called, he was so panicked. I could hear Kusha speaking to Raghav in the background. ThenAbhay said there’d been an accident there. Oh, Mihu! You’re never driving that cursed car again!’

Meera heard the raw emotion in her voice and said, ‘Okay, I won’t.’

‘Hang on,’ Siya said, and the call went silent for a moment.

Two sips of coffee later, Meera heard Swayam joining the call. The overlapping chatter between them was chaotic, arguing over why Meera had called Siya first and not Swayam. Nobody seemed to listen to her.

She let them carry on for a while, her heart swelling with affection for her friends. She could not imagine losing their love, their chaos, and their unwavering support. Her thoughts turned to the stranger who hadn’t been as lucky, and she prayed for her and her grieving loved ones.

When their conversation became too much, Meera disconnected the call. It wasn’t long before they called back. This time Swayam spoke first. ‘Why’d you cut us off?’

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