Page 64 of Since You Came Along

‘Hey! I’m trying!’

‘Shut up. And don’t take cough syrup. You drive to work, and you’ll get sleepy if you drink it.’

There was a beat of silence before he said, ‘You remember.’

Siya realised she’d slipped too much and quickly changed the subject. ‘You’ve been in Delhi for a week? I didn’t know,’ she muttered. She didn’t care, or so she told herself, but the thought of not knowing unsettled her.

‘There’s a lot you don’t know, Siya.’ His tone was casual, but it carried a weight that made her pause.

She chose not to respond and curtly said, ‘Talk to Raghav. Knock some sense into him and let him know he’s lucky it’s not me he has to deal with.’

‘I’ll be sure to pass on your message,’ he replied with a chuckle.

A loud car horn blared as a vehicle sped past her cab, and Abhay asked, ‘Where are you?’

‘I’m on my way to the airport. Off to Bangalore,’ she replied, her gaze drifting to the endless stream of traffic outside the window.

Abhay was silent for a moment, and just as she was about to hang up, he said, ‘Reach safely, Siya.’

‘I will,’ she whispered, unnerved at how much she missed the nickname he had for her.

With a sigh, he added, ‘Is it too much to ask that you text me once you land?’

Siya hesitated, her hand pressing against her chest. She realised she wanted to text him, to talk more. But she couldn’tbecause she knew how slippery a slope it was. It could take her back to where she once had fallen.

‘Yes, it’s too much,’ she said, her voice firm. Before he could respond, Siya ended the call.

Chapter 22

Abhay 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.

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