Page 67 of Since You Came Along

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 triedto 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 4:30meeting, 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!’

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