Isha got ready for work and was about to head about when she was stopped by her mother.

“Ishu! Ruk toh zara! Ye maine kachori banayi hai. Jaake Pooja aunty ko de aa.”

(Wait! I made these kachoris. Give them to Pooja aunty.)

Isha nodded and took the casserole of freshly made kachoris from her mother’s hands. She swiftly walked towards the house opposite to theirs.

She rang the doorbell. It was opened a minute later by Pooja. 

“Isha! Aaja aaja!”

(Come come!)

“Nhi aunty bas jaana hai. Mai aapko ye dene aayi thi. Mummy ne kachori banayi hai aaj.”

(No aunty I will leave. I just came to give you this. Mummy made kachori today.)

“Arre waah! Khush ho jaayenge tere uncle. Paani toh peeja beta.”

(Oh wow! Your uncle will be very happy. Have water at least.)

Isha shook her head as she handed over the casserole. 

“Nhi aunty late ho jaayega office ke liye.”

(No aunty I’ll be late for office.)

“Achha chal thik hai. Lekin shaam ko ghar jaane se pehle aaio. Kuch dena hai.”

(Ok fine. But come home in the evening. I have to give something.)

She nodded and left for her office. 

Isha returned from her office and before going back to her place, she visited Pooja’s place. Pooja and her mother were best friends since college years. Coincidentally, the two came to become neighbours after marriage.

The door was opened by Pooja.

“Aaja aaja! Tere liye ye already pack kr dia maine.”

(Come come! I have already packed it for you.)

Isha looked around the kitchen. So many things were made.

“Arre waah aunty! Aapne toh dawat laga rakhi hai. Kuch special hai kya? Ladoo bhi. Mathri bhi. Achar bhi.”

(Wow aunty! You have a feast here. Is there something special? Ladoos. Mathris. And pickle too.)

Pooja smiled wide and said.

“Dawat hi samajh le. Om wapas aa raha hai na.”

(Consider it a feast. Om is coming back.)

Isha froze. He was coming back? Omkara was Pooja’s only son. Her childhood friend. He was an year older than her. 

“O-om? Kab?”

(When?)

“Do din baad aa raha hai. Permanently settle hoga ab India mai hi. Usse pasand hai na ye sab.”

(Two days later. He will settle in India permanently. He likes all this.)

Settle in India? Permanently? 

“Aur uski wo job?”

(And his job?)

“Yaha India mai bhi office khol rhe hai company wale. Yaha ka head bana hai mera Om.”

(His company is opening an office in India. My Om will be the head here.)

Pooja said proudly. Isha’s heart thudded in her chest. He is going to come back. Forever. Would he be mad at her? He should be.

Pooja leaned in as if telling her a secret.

“Waise na…mujhe lag raha hai ki wo waha se kisi ko saath la raha hai.”

(By the way….I think he is bringing someone with him.)

Her heart skipped a beat at her words.

“K-kya matlab?”

(Wh-what do you mean?)

“Merko phone pr keh raha tha. Aapke liye ek surprise hai maa…chauk jaaoge dekh kr. Mujhe pura doubt hai ye kisi ko laa raha hai. Achha hai. Mai toh khud soch rhi thi iske liye rishte dhundne ka. Khud hi pasand krke le aaye toh badiya. Tu ye ladoo try kr.”

(He was telling me over call. That he has a surprise for me….I will be shocked. I have a doubt that he is bringing someone. It’s good. I was thinking of finding an alliance for him. It’s better he gets someone he likes. You try this sweet.)

Isha couldn’t focus on anything. He was bringing someone back? Did he really find someone there?

Of course he might have. Not everyone was an idiot like her. People around him knew what a gem of a person he was.

“Mai-mai chalti hu aunty. Kuch kaam tha…office ka.”

(I-I will leave aunty. I had some…office work.)

Isha felt like she couldn’t breathe. The image of him coming back with a girl didn’t settle well with her.

But he wouldn’t keep waiting for her. Not after how brutally she had hurt him. Breaking all ties with him.

She came back to her house and went straight to her room after keeping the box of ladoos in the kitchen.

Her mind spiralled back to the past. The day when everything went downhill.

Omkara was leaving for his Masters in two days. He had called Isha to the park near their house.

Isha reached the park and saw him pacing nervously. She smiled, thinking it to be the nervousness of starting a new life.

“Hey? Itna kyu pareshaan ho? Sab thik hoga. You know you’ll do amazing.”

(Why are you so worried? Everything will be fine.)

She said and squeezed his arm. He held her hand and smiled. Omkara looked around and then sighed.

“Isha…tujhse kuch baat krni thi. Nhi actually…tujhe kuch batana tha.”

(Isha…I wanted to talk to you. No actually…I wanted to tell you something.)

She frowned but prompted him to go on.

“I know things might change between us. But mai bina bataye nhi jaana chahta. Isha….I…I love you.”

(But I don’t want to leave without telling you.)

Her smile fell and she stared at him in shock. She pulled her hands back and clenched them at her sides.

She blinked as she remembered the fights going on at her home. No! She couldn’t do this. She looked away and whispered.

“Om…I can’t do this. Ye sahi nhi hai. Mai…”

(This is not right? I…)

“Sahi nhi hai? I love you, Isha! Pyaar krne mai kya sahi nhi hai?”

(Not right? I love you, Isha! What is not right in loving someone?)

She shook her head and closed her eyes for a moment, to compose herself.

“Hum dost hai na, Om. Phir ye sab kaha se aa gaya beech mai?”

(We are friends, Om. Where did love come from in between?)

“Ye toh hamesha se tha, Isha. I've loved you ever since I’ve known the meaning of that word. Bas kabhi tujhe bata nhi paaya. Par mai bina bataye nhi jaana chahta tha.”

(This was always there….I just couldn’t tell you. But I did not want to leave without telling you.)

He whispered so sincerely that she felt her heart break. She gulped down the lump that formed in her throat and whispered.

“This is not possible, Om. I…”

“Hey! Koi pressure nhi hai. Do din ho mai abhi yaha pr. Aaram se soch le. Aur bta dio mujhe. Nhi toh…hum dost toh hai hi na. Right?”

(There’s no pressure. I am here for two more days. Think carefully. And let me know. Otherwise…we are friends. Right?)

He asked. Afraid that he might have ruined their friendship also. Her expressions confirmed his fear.

“I can’t…we can’t be together. And about being friends…teri iss confession ke baad…cheezein change ho gyi hai, Om. Because I would rethink all of your actions towards me. Wo carefreeness jo pehle thi wo nhi rahegi. And I don’t want that. Tera bas dil tutega aur kuch nhi.”

(after you confession…things have changed….The carefreeness that was there won’t be there now….You’ll get hurt and nothing else.)

She said, looking away and sniffing. She didn’t want to break his heart more by keeping him close and not letting him move on. He needed the space from her to move on.

“Mai intezaar karunga, Isha. Airport jaane se pehle. Uncle aunty ke saath tu aayi…toh mai maan lunga ki hum dost reh skte hai. Aur agar nhi…”

(I will wait Isha. Before going to the airport. If you come with uncle aunty…I will consider that you still want to be friends. And if not…)

He left his sentence hanging. She nodded and went back home.

Two days later, she peeked at him from the window of her room. The blinds were down so he couldn’t see her. 

But she peeked in from one of the blinds to see him looking at her window, at the entrance expectantly. Waiting for her to come. See him off. Give him hope of their continued friendship.

But she couldn’t do it. Couldn’t hold him back. From moving on. From getting the success he deserved. Because she knew that nothing was possible between them. And that would only break him further.