The Wounded Flower

 The Wounded Flower

I could see her coming running towards me. Like every day, she was late, frustrated, cursing under her breath and tired. Her eyes were gorgeous, one for which you would die, but something had died in her eyes as well. Her face was richly decorated with beautiful features, something that looked like tears were steadily washing away. 

‘Sorry Dear, can’t even promise I’ll try not to be late next time'

‘Well, you are early than you usually are Naina!’ 

She chuckled and muttered something about being able to dodge some punches. Something she would not repeat if asked to.

She finally handed me her purse, umbrella, bag, everything other than the mental load she was carrying, and took the moment to pull her sleeves to her wrist. I pretended not to notice the unusual purple on her arms and the red knuckles. It was better to keep quiet about it than to hear her terrible excuses about how she fell down the stairs while playing with her Atul-‘love of life’-Patil. I still suspect if he is her ‘love of life’ or ‘loss of life’. It wasn’t mine to speculate or ponder, so I got on the bus as usual and started working on documents and papers which reminded me of my own neck-to-neck issues.

I didn’t notice that Naina was sitting by herself on the bus while coming back home. Neither did I notice the tear trickling down her cheek. It neither took a genius to figure out she was crying. We got off the bus together. She faked a smile and I turned away for I had nothing to wait or look ahead for. 

‘Wait, I need a favour’ Her voice firmly yet requesting made me turn around. I tried to keep my guard up, but it was her. It was the same Naina since college. At the end of the day, don’t we deserve each other? 

Naina disagrees though, she believes Atul still has a side which loves Naina forever. I don’t know about him, but she has a side for him which I’d call ‘blind side’.

‘Yes tell me, Naina’. I tried not to sound frustrated and surrendered. I could sense Naina was on the verge of breaking. I could sense she had been planning and wanting to say this for long. I didn’t have my hopes too high for maybe, I was still wrong.

‘I am leaving Atul. Yes, for the final time. Can I stay with you for a few days? It’s the only place Atul may not find me. I promise I will not be a burden. Consider this the last favour I will ever take from….’

‘Naina, come on, it’s you and me, grab your stuff. The only thing is that I wouldn’t decrease the AC temperature below 24 however warm you feel.’ I couldn’t help but let a smile slip in my face. It seemed that the same smile had slid to her face. Maybe this was a new beginning for us, it was also an ending for her though. Has it been a long time coming? Maybe.

I took her bag from her and we walked towards my apartment. I couldn’t see her face in the last bright rays of sunlight but I knew that she was grinning. I could see her slowly walking close to me. Unlike the usual days, there was a new ray of hope in her, a new glow, a new start, like a flower which decided to bloom once again.