Page 28 of Since You Came Along (Ever Since #1)

A bhay was in a bad mood when he entered the office later that afternoon. After that phone call with Siya, he felt helpless and at the edge. He wanted to talk to her and sort things out about their past, but he knew she was far too gone for that.

Abhay left a message for Raghav to meet him, hoping to divert his focus. When Raghav entered his cabin, his worry deepened.

Raghav looked utterly drained. His beard was unkempt, his hair dishevelled, and though his formal attire was neat, he carried the aura of a man who’d lost his way.

‘What is it?’ Raghav asked, his voice hollow.

Abhay scrutinised him, a knot tightening in his chest. Last time he’d seen Raghav like this was when Veronica had died and he was trying to bottle everything up inside him. It had taken Abhay weeks to pull him out of that darkness.

‘How are you, Raag?’ Abhay asked, keeping his tone light.

Raghav shrugged and said, ‘Fine. Did you need something?’

‘You don’t look fine. What’s going on?’

‘Nothing.’

‘Raghav, don’t make me drag it out of you.’

‘There’s nothing to say.’

Only two minutes into the conversation, and Abhay was ready to rip his hair out.

‘Look at yourself! You look like a guy who doesn’t know what shaving essentials are, and you sound like a ghost of yourself. Tell me.’

Raghav looked away and didn’t respond.

‘Don’t give me that silent treatment. It doesn’t work on me,’ Abhay said.

‘Raghav, if you don’t talk to me, you’re going to break. You’ve been through this, brother. Don’t shut me out.’

‘There is nothing to talk about, Abhay,’ Raghav replied, his tone detached.

‘Damn it, snap out of it, Raag! You’re hurting yourself!’ Abhay shouted, his frustration boiling over. When Raghav avoided his gaze, Abhay realised his outburst wasn’t working, so he shifted his approach.

‘You’re hurting Meera too,’ Abhay said, trying to get through to him.

‘What do you mean?’ Raghav asked, and it was a crack in the wall Abhay had been trying to break.

‘You’re hurting her. You don’t talk to her, don’t spend time at home. The way you are right now is hurting both of you.’

‘I’m busy,’ Raghav muttered, staring at the floor.

Abhay stepped closer. ‘You don’t talk to her anymore. That hurts her.’

‘I didn’t mean to hurt her,’ Raghav whispered.

‘Then why are you shutting her out?’ Abhay asked.

‘I’m not shutting her out,’ Raghav snapped, his tone defensive, though his shoulders sagged under an invisible weight.

‘Yes, you are, Raghav,’ Abhay said, shaking his head.

‘What did she tell you?’ Raghav asked, the hint of fear in his voice making Abhay scoff.

‘You think she’d say anything to me? She wouldn’t go behind your back. Especially not to me. Siya met Meera today and said she looked upset.’

At those words, Raghav closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, his exhaustion evident. He looked like a man barely holding it together. Abhay placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

‘She’s still in love with him,’ Raghav said, his voice breaking. The pain in his words hung heavy in the air.

Abhay frowned, confused at first, then his mind pieced it together. When realisation struck, he burst out, ‘Have you lost your mind?’

Raghav shook his head, refusing to meet his gaze.

‘She is not in love with Rutvik! That’s rubbish. Where on earth did you even get that idea?’ Abhay asked, exasperated.

‘The way she was looking at him... that smile,’ Raghav muttered, his words drenched in sorrow. ‘I could see it, Abhay. She’s still in love with him.’

Trying to gauge what Raghav was feeling, Abhay poked where he knew it would hurt. ‘So just because she danced with her ex, you’re punishing her? Is that it, Raghav?’

Raghav shot to his feet, his eyes blazing with fury. ‘How dare you? You think I’d do that to her?’

‘Well, whatever you think you’re doing, you’re hurting her,’ Abhay said, unfazed by his anger.

‘Nothing I do matters because she’s still in love with that bastard,’ Raghav muttered, the anger draining from him, leaving only sadness. ‘She smiled at him, Abhay.’

Abhay sighed, regretting that he hadn’t punched Rutvik when he’d had the chance. ‘I think you’re wrong. But let’s say you’re not and she still loves him. Why is that an issue now? You two talked about this before you got married. You even told me back then that you accepted her past.’

‘I know what I said,’ Raghav replied, his gaze fixed on the window.

‘Then what now? What’s changed?’

‘Nothing.’

‘Then why are you treating her differently now?’

‘I’m not treating her differently!’ Raghav exclaimed, his voice rising in frustration.

‘So, what, you’ve lost interest in her? Is she not good enough for you anymore?’ Abhay asked and took a cautious step back.

‘I’ll bloody punch you if you don’t stop this nonsense, Abhay!’ Raghav yelled, his voice trembling with rage.

Abhay refused to back down, and asked again, ‘Then what has changed, Raag?’

Raghav clenched his fists as he looked out the window again. ‘I don’t know,’ he admitted, misery clear in his words.

He fell silent, and Abhay waited, sensing there was more Raghav wanted to say but couldn’t. Finally, Raghav said, ‘I think I’m in lo—’

The door burst open, and Kusha rushed in, her face pale and her eyes wide with panic.

‘Raghav, call Meera!’ she yelled.

Raghav stared at her, confused by her sudden appearance. Kusha urged, ‘Call Meera, now!’

Abhay was on his feet, shoving the phone at Raghav. He turned to Kusha and asked, ‘What’s wrong?’

Taking a few steps back, Kusha frantically scanned the room and grabbed the remote. Her hands shook as she pointed it at the TV, flipping through channels until she landed on a news broadcast. Tears welled up in her eyes as she turned to Raghav.

Breaking news coming to you live from the scene.

Earlier today, at around noon, a collision occurred between a truck and a car in Bandra.

Within minutes of the accident, the car caught fire and exploded.

Witnesses and nearby drivers reported that the truck made an illegal turn into the wrong lane and, because of its heavy load, couldn’t brake in time.

The truck collided with the car’s petrol tank, which led to a massive explosion moments later.

The words spilled out from the screen, cold and clinical, but each syllable struck Raghav like a blow.

The fire destroyed the car’s number plate, according to the police.

However, bystanders confirmed the car was a black Audi A6, driven by a young female.

It is now four in the evening, but the police could not identify the woman.

We will continue to update you as more details emerge. Stay tuned for further developments…

The words faded, dissolving into a jumbled haze in his mind. Only a few phrases cut through the fog in Raghav’s mind, like ‘Audi A6’, ‘young female driver’ and ‘car blast’.

His breath hitched, his hands trembling as he fumbled for his phone. Raghav didn’t come to his senses until he redialled her number and heard it was switched off. Meera drove an Audi A6, but her classes began at four. Maybe it’s not her, he told himself. It can’t be.

Kusha was speaking, her voice a rushed murmur as she talked to Abhay. He dialled on his phone.

‘What are you doing?’ Raghav asked, his voice hoarse as he dialled Meera’s number again, desperation clawing at him.

‘I’m calling Siya. She was the last person who spoke to Meera,’ Abhay replied, and put the call on speaker.

Seconds later, Siya’s voice came through the line. ‘I told you texting was too much for you, so you’re calling now?’

‘It’s not that,’ Abhay said. ‘Siya, when you spoke to Meera, what did she say?’

The urgency in his tone made Siya pause. ‘Um, I told you already. She talked about Raghav, and then we had some normal conversation. Why? What’s going on?’

‘We can’t reach her,’ Abhay explained, his eyes darting to Raghav. ‘Her phone’s switched off. Did she mention any late classes or plans?’

‘No… She said she had two classes till four, but—oh, wait. She said she needed to pick up some things, so she planned to go to Bandra before her classes.’

Raghav’s vision blurred as her words struck home.

‘She can’t… She wouldn’t…’ The words died on his lips. His mind was spinning, grasping for clarity.

‘Maybe her phone is off because she’s in a lecture? Call her university,’ Kusha reasoned.

Raghav nodded and called the university. His hands were clammy as he waited for the line to connect.

When someone answered, Raghav said, ‘Er hi. This is Raghav, Meera Diwan’s husband. She’s a literature professor in your English department. There’s an emergency, and I need to get in touch with my wife. Can you call her, please?’

‘Please hold for a moment,’ the woman said, and that moment felt as long as a lifetime.

‘I’m sorry, Mr Sareen,’ she said. ‘Professor Diwan didn’t come in today.’

His blood ran cold, and his heart plummeted. ‘Are you sure?’ he whispered.

‘Yes, I’m sure. She had two lectures scheduled today. One was delegated to another professor, and the other had to be cancelled.’

Raghav clung to the last shreds of hope and asked, ‘Did she call in sick? Did she inform anyone?’

There was the sound of papers rustling before she responded. ‘No, there’s no record of that. In fact, we tried to contact her, but her phone was switched off. Is everything alright, Mr Sareen?’

Panic clawed at his throat as a suffocating wave of dread swept over him. It was the same paralysing fear he’d felt all those years ago.

‘Oh God, no…’ Raghav whispered, his voice breaking as tears stung his eyes.

‘Raghav, no!’ Kusha’s voice pierced through the storm in his mind. She grabbed his face, forcing him to look at her. ‘You need to think straight at this moment.’

Her determined eyes held his, and for a moment, her words anchored him.

‘But my Meera…’

‘Our Meera,’ Kusha said, her fingers digging into his cheeks. ‘It won’t happen again. Not this time, not to her, do you understand?’

Raghav looked at the TV again and said, ‘It said…’

‘I don’t care! We know nothing for sure. Meera is fine. She has to be. You need to believe that.’

Yes, exactly! They didn’t know for sure it was her. She could be home. Safe and sound. He held onto that sliver of hope.

‘I need to go. I’ll go back home now.’

Kusha nodded and said, ‘Yes, go. We’ll handle everything here. Just let us know if you find out anything. Abhay!’

They both turned to Abhay, who was already typing on his phone. He looked up and said, ‘I’ve booked your ticket. Your flight leaves in an hour. Kusha, call Luv. You will lead the 4:30 meeting, and Luv will take the 5:00 one. I’ll drive Raghav to the airport.’

They rushed to the airport and Abhay hugged him tight before he had to go in. ‘Meera is one of the best people we know. She’s just fine.’

Raghav went through the motions of check-in and transfer on autopilot. Now, strapped to his flight seat, he felt trapped. The belt pressed against his waist, the cabin felt claustrophobic, and his foot tapped against the floor.

Desperate for solace, he glanced at the watch Meera had given him on his birthday. He remembered her radiant smile as he had unwrapped it. That memory burned in his mind.

Abhay’s words from months ago echoed in his mind. ‘ Give her time to open up. You have all the time in the world. ’

Time. Now, he had nothing but the hope that there was still some left. The thought of losing her, of never seeing her smile again, made him choke on a sob. Raghav pressed a kiss to the watch, a tear slipping down his cheek as he whispered, ‘Please, baby, be okay.’

He thought he’d understood grief when he lost Veronica. But this pain was darker, deeper. It was an endless pit of fear and helplessness. If he fell into it, he knew he wouldn’t climb out.

She’d sounded so lost when she’d told him she would miss him. That had struck him like a bolt of lightning. He’d wanted to say it back, but the words had caught in his throat.

The plane landed, snapping him out of his spiralling thoughts. He was on his feet before the seatbelt sign turned off, weaving through passengers and grabbing his bag.

The first thing he did was switch on his phone. As he climbed down the stairs, he dialled Meera. Her picture flashed on the screen, a candid shot from their first date. His throat closed up at the sight of her smile. The familiar “switched off” tone crushed him.

He was about to redial when his phone rang. It was Swayam.

‘Hello?’ Raghav answered.

‘Did you find anything? Tell me it wasn’t her. Please, Raghav,’ Swayam pleaded.

‘Just landed,’ Raghav replied, trying to calm him. ‘I’m heading home. I’ll check there first, then go to the police. Try not to panic.’

‘You should’ve been there! You shouldn’t have left her! What if… what if her last thoughts…’ he broke off, sniffing. ‘Siya spoke to her this morning. Meera told her she should’ve tried harder to be a better wife to you!’

Raghav froze mid-step. ‘What?’ he whispered.

‘She was worried she’d upset you by dancing with Rutvik. She thought she’d let you down. Why the hell didn’t you talk to her?’

‘I didn’t…’ Raghav trailed off.

‘You didn’t what? Didn’t go cold on her? Ignore her? Did you even try talking?’

‘No,’ Raghav admitted, the word stuck in his throat.

‘When you see her today—and you will, because she has to be okay—you’ll hug her and never let her go. I don’t care what’s happened between you two. Whatever it is, you’ll fix it. You owe her that much,’ Swayam said, anguish simmering in his voice.

Raghav swallowed hard. ‘I will. I promise.’

Swayam took a deep breath and tried to stay calm, but his words hit harder.

‘Rutvik made her feel like she wasn’t enough.

Those words haunt her even now. And because of your behaviour, she felt it again.

When you get your second chance, you’ll spend your whole bloody life making sure she never feels like that again. Make it right, you understand me?’

‘Yeah, I do.’

The line went dead, but Swayam’s words became an unshakeable weight on him. The thought of Meera in pain, doubting herself because of him, made him sick. Raghav couldn’t think of a life without her. He wouldn’t lose her too.

Raghav vowed to make it right. All he wanted was that second chance.