Page 35 of Since You Came Along

Meera turned back to face him and answered, ‘Because we already know what happened in each other’s past.’

Raghav shook his head, his brows furrowed as he said, ‘We know what happened, yes, but not how or why. We’ve never talked about how it changed us and the things that still haunt us. We don’t know enough about each other’s past, Meera.’

Meera felt a tightness in her chest, and for a moment, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything. She realised he was right. ‘We should have talked about all that, huh?’ she whispered, more to herself than to him.

‘We still can. What do you say?’

The words lingered in the air, and Meera hesitated, unsure of how to respond. ‘I don’t know,’ she trailed off.

Raghav asked, ‘What if our situations were reversed? Would you not have wanted to be there for me, or are you telling me I can’t talk to you about things that bother me?’

‘Of course not. You know you can talk to me about anything, Raghav. I am always here for you.’

Relief flickered in his eyes and he smiled to himself, amused by how easily he could read her.Soon, we’ll finish each other’s sentences, he thought.

‘Then isn’t it a two-way street?’ he asked.

Meera paused, mulling over his words. He continued, ‘I want us to talk and with no hesitation. Be it about the past, present or the future, I want you to know you can tell me anything you want to.’

She nodded, still playing with the ring on her finger. Raghav just hoped she would trust him enough to let it out.

‘How about I go freshen up, and then I’ll bring our dinner?’ Raghav asked. ‘It’s pleasant out here.’

Meera teased him, ‘Yeah, if you want to share it with the mosquitoes.’ Then, she wondered out loud, ‘I thought men don’t like to talk about exes of their partners.’ From the way she said it, he realised she was speaking from experience.

Raghav chuckled and said, ‘I don’t know about other men, but I don’t think like that. I’m your friend first, Meera. While I’m a part of your present and future, I want to know about your past too. And I’d like to share mine with you.’

‘I’d love to know about her,’ Meera said sincerely.

They brought their dinner onto the balcony and settled into the quiet of the evening. Raghav sat down on the recliner while Meera took a seat on the swing.

He sighed, knowing how difficult it was to revisit painful memories. So he spoke first, to give her a moment to gather her thoughts.

‘Veronica and I had known each other since kindergarten,’ he began. ‘She was my best friend for the better part of my thirty years. She took after her mother, aunty Jenna, who runs an NGO and dedicated her life to helping underprivileged people.’

He smiled as he remembered the times he and Abhay had helped find lost pets for Veronica, and how she would cry happytears each time they returned home. He shared that with Meera and made her smile.

As she leaned forward, resting her chin on her palm, Raghav could see that she was listening. Her curiosity encouraged him to go on.

Raghav took a deep breath, the memories stirring emotions he rarely shared. ‘She loved buying artificial rings and bought one for me too. When it got tight, I started wearing it on a chain around my neck. I took it off when we got married,’ he said, and Meera nodded. He knew Meera wasn’t the kind to pry, but he wanted her to know.

Raghav continued, ‘Once, when we were young, Nica fell and fractured her ankle. I held her hand, and we both cried when she got the plaster cast on. Even Abhay doesn’t know about that.’

‘It’ll be our secret,’ she said with a smile.

Raghav laughed at that. It reminded him of the other secrets they shared. Abhay and Luv didn’t know there was always a secret stash of cookies for Raghav hidden away in his gym bag. If they ever came to know, he wouldn’t get any of it.

He thought of his parents, and added, ‘Mom loved Nica. She was always at our home. My parents were so happy when we got together. Mom always teased me, saying she couldn’t believe someone like her was with me.’

Meera let out a small laugh, and Raghav grinned. ‘Nica never let it get to her head, even though she was so out of my league. She was studying to be a child psychologist, and volunteered at shelters when she could.’

Meera nodded, beginning to piece together why Raghav had loved Veronica. Anyone would want to be with a generousperson like her.Life had been so cruel to him, she thought. He’d found a love most people only dreamed of, only to lose it so tragically.

His voice grew gruffer, tinged with raw emotion. ‘Even with our silly fights and differing personalities, she was someone you’d never let go of.’

Meera could see he was trying not to cry. She couldn’t imagine the pain of losing someone you love. She was content knowing that her relationship with Rutvik wasn’t meant to be. But what happened to Raghav was pure agony to live with.

Meera said, ‘You never really told me what happened on the day of the accident.’

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