Chapter 6

AADHI

After that incident, everyone fell silent. The smiles on everyone's faces had disappeared. It was all because of me. It was all because I couldn't handle a simple jump from the cliff.

It was all because I couldn't swim. I felt like I shouldn't have come. I was angry at myself. A tear escaped my eyes as I recalled the incident.

I was left alone with Shivani to take care of me. Harsha went to get me something hot to drink. Ruby stayed with Karthi and tried to comfort him.

It made me sad to see him sitting there, looking guilty. I stood up and walked toward him. They noticed my approach.

Ruby forced a smile and asked, "How are you feeling now, Aadhi?"

I knew it made her sad to see Karthi like this."I am okay, Ruby. Karthi, can I talk to you for a minute?"

He looked surprised that I asked him and said, "Um... Yeah, sure... Aadhi, I am really sorry for what I did. It was so stupid of me. Please forgive me, Aadhi."

He kept apologizing, not even looking at me. It made me feel bad for him."Hey... hey... Karthi... look at me... It's okay. You don't need to apologize, okay? I just panicked, that's all. It's my mistake, not any of yours, okay? You don't need to feel sorry. Please don't be like this. This look doesn't suit you," I told him, smiling.

He still didn't look convinced, but he smiled. "If you still feel bad, you can get me ice cream," I said, winking.

He chuckled a little, maybe thinking about my silliness. Regardless, he nodded. I felt good after making him smile. I sighed in relief and turned to look at my husband.

I could see that he was upset, and Nija was trying to talk to him.I decided to go and talk to him on behalf of Karthi, but Karthi caught my wrist and said, "I will go and talk to him first." I nodded and smiled at him.

Meanwhile, Harsha brought me a coffee. I sipped my coffee while watching them. I didn't know what they talked about, but my husband looked convinced, and they were hugging each other. It made me smile.

After that, everyone decided to end the tour here and go back home because I wasn't feeling well.

I was shivering and feeling a little cold, but I convinced everyone that I was okay and we could continue. So, everyone decided to have lunch before we went to the beach.

Ugh, the beach again. At least I am with friends this time.

While having lunch, everyone was back to normal except my husband. Everyone was talking with someone, but he was unusually silent.

He only smiled or nodded at whatever someone asked him. But I could feel his eyes on me. I didn't dare to meet his gaze, so I avoided him, mostly talking with Harsha.

We had become close friends in a short time. Even though he seemed silent and unapproachable at first, I found him to be quite funny, kind, and caring once I got to know him.I felt warm whenever I was with him.

When we arrived at the beach, I didn't feel like getting into the water. They didn't pressure me, understanding that I might not feel well.

I just walked away from them since I wanted to be alone. I made myself comfortable sitting on the shore.

The sky was orange. The sun was starting to set.It looked like the sun was drowning in the ocean just as I was drowning in my sorrows and pain, but its rays struggled to go beyond the ocean, insisting that there was still hope.The scenery was mesmerizing. As I was lost in the view, I closed my eyes, remembering something that happened before.

I could feel him sitting there with me, holding me tight. I could hear his heartbeat while enjoying the view, leaning on his chest. I remembered how I felt safe and content at that moment.A tear escaped my eyes. I wanted to feel like that again. I saw a familiar figure playing with the waves and turned to smile at me. When I opened my eyes, everything was gone.I wondered how I could remember and feel everything as if it were happening right in front of me.

I thought I had gotten over that pain, but when I heard the name Abhi again, everything came back like a tsunami wave, destroying everything in its path and leaving only pain.I felt like someone had torn open my scar, which was still healing. I wanted to scream, cry, and let all the pain out. But something blocked the giant wave inside me, preventing it from escaping.

Suddenly, I felt someone sitting beside me. I didn't turn right away. I might get caught in this vulnerable state. All my life, I had been fragile.

I didn't want to show any of them how weak I was. I should be strong. I should face this pain with confidence.

Even if I couldn't get over it, I wouldn't let anyone see how broken I was.I turned to my side to see who it was. Harsha was sitting there, not wanting to disturb my thoughts. I smiled at him when he looked at me.

After a couple of minutes, he asked, "What are you thinking, Aadhi?"

"I am not thinking; I am just enjoying the view," I lied.

"You know I can easily tell when you're lying and when something is wrong. Something is bothering you, Aadhi, I can see that. What is it? You know you can trust me, right?" he asked with concern.

I just smiled at him and turned back to watch the waves. He didn't say anything for some time."Aadhi, what is your favorite color?" he asked suddenly.

I looked at him, surprised. *Why is he asking this now?* But he was looking at me expectantly, waiting for an answer.

So I said, "I don't have one; I like every color. It depends on my mood."

"Okay then, what is your weakness?" he asked."Ice cream," I said, grinning.

"I can see that!" he chuckled, looking at me and grinning.

"Great, I was thinking about getting an ice cream just now. I'm not going to ask if you want one because I already know the answer," he said, winking.

My mood completely changed when I heard about ice cream."I will go buy one for you. What flavor do you like?"

"I will come with you," I said, trying to get up. He offered his hand to help me.

I searched for the others to ask if they needed anything. But they were busy playing with each other, laughing, and swimming.

I didn't want to disturb them. We could get something for them when we leave. We started walking toward a shop.

I got a chocolate flavor and was surprised to find that Harsha preferred that flavor too.While walking back, I didn't know why, but I said, "I trust you," while licking my ice cream, not looking at him.

"I know," was all I heard from him. We were in comfortable silence for some time, enjoying our ice cream.

Unexpectedly, he asked me, "Have you been in love, Aadhi?"

His question startled me, and I choked on my ice cream."What? Um... No... Why are you asking?"Oh, God... How did he know?