Page 72 of Since You Came Along

‘I’m better. What about you?’

‘I will be,’ he said. Before she could ask what he meant, he continued, ‘Did you take the medicines I left for you? Did the fever break?’

She smiled and said, ‘Yes and yes.’

‘Good. If I ask you to come to an address, can you manage that?’ Raghav asked hesitantly.

‘Of course. Tell me where,’ she said, already reaching for a pen and pad from the bedside drawer.

He gave her the address, and she jotted it down. Before she could ask why or what this was about, he said, ‘Can you be there in half an hour?’

‘Sure,’ Meera replied without hesitation.

Just as she was about to hang up, Raghav said, ‘Meera, please don’t drive.’

She almost protested with the reason she’d given everyone, but stopped herself. Abhay had warned her earlier on the call that Raghav would be worried for the next few days.

‘Okay. I’ll take a cab. Where exactly should I meet you?’ she asked, her tone softer now.

‘Just get there and call me. I’ll be nearby.’ He paused, then added, ‘And come safely, Meera.’

She agreed with a smile.

Chapter 25

The December afternoon in Mumbai was warm, a stark contrast to the Delhi weather. As the cab drove through the traffic, the afternoon sun glared down at Meera through the open window.

The cab pulled up at her destination. It was a quiet part of the city, with only a faint barking of a dog breaking the silence. Meera called Raghav, and he answered immediately.

‘Hey, where are you?’ he asked, the faint sound of the barking dog carrying through the call.

‘Close to you,’ she replied, looking around.

‘Yeah, I see you. Turn around.’

She turned and spotted him a short distance away. As she walked towards him, she took in his appearance. Raghav always looked effortlessly good, no matter what he wore.

While his shirtless look was her favourite, the long-sleeved maroon t-shirt he wore today with blue faded jeans looked good on him too. She reached where he was and took his hand when he offered.

‘Hey,’ Raghav murmured, his eyes scanning her face as if to confirm she was alright.

‘Hi. So, where are we going?’ she asked, tracing her fingers along the back of his hand.

‘We’re already here,’ he said, turning to his left. Meera followed his gaze and saw a set of tall iron gates. Her eyes moved upwards to read the engraved name. St Paul’s Cemetery.

He tugged her hand, leading her forward. She noticed the gates were closed, but an elderly man sitting just inside rose at their approach. He greeted Raghav by name and opened the gate with a respectful nod.

‘Thank you,’ Raghav said, shaking the man’s hand. The old man acknowledged Meera with a kind smile, and she returned it.

Once again, Raghav clasped her hand and guided her down a narrow path. Stones of varying shapes and sizes marked the graves. Her heart raced when she sensed where they were going.

They reached the middle of the path, and Raghav took a sharp turn, leading her down a grassy lane between the graves.

Finally, he stopped, and Meera felt nervous. He turned to her, his expression unreadable. ‘Come,’ he mumbled.

He led her forward, and as her gaze followed his, she saw the headstone. Her breath caught. It washergrave. Veronica Alvarez was engraved in bold, golden letters onto polished black marble.

Meera felt an unexpected wave of emotion. She’d wanted to come here before but had hesitated, afraid of intruding on something sacred. Now that she was here, she wished Raghav had told her. She would have brought flowers.

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