The next two days vanished in a moment. He woke up feeling empty. He didn't have the energy to go out or attend college, so he remained quiet, hidden from the activities of the world.
Aakarsha dropped by to give him some home-cooked meals. He didn't ask anything. He just kept the meals and asked Aarav to eat.
Aarav wanted to refuse, but he didn't have the energy to argue. So he just ate.
The steam was rising from the food, but he didn't care to blow on it. He just ate without knowing what it was or how it tasted.
Aakarsha tried to stop him and told him to blow, as it was hot.
His tongue was burning as he continued eating. But he didn't show any reaction. After a while, he went back to bed, closing the door.
Aakarsha surely had many questions, but he knew it wasn't the right time to press. So he did what he needed to do.
He brought food on time, watched him eat, and watched him go back to sleep. This continued for almost five days.
Aarav wanted to go back, but every time he tried, his memory drifted back to his grandmother wrapped in white clothes.
Every night, he woke up with nightmares, remembering that same day again and again. It was really difficult for him to accept the haunting reality.
Finally, on the sixth day, he woke up. He wasn't feeling better, but he had no choice. He got ready and headed for college. He sat at his usual bench. The professors came and taught, but his mind still wasn't back to reality.
Physically, he was present, but his soul was at that same house that had taken away his precious person.
As the class ended, he walked around mindlessly. Suddenly, someone caught his bag. He turned to look back - it was Prabha.
"Who is it? Oohh - wait!" That's when he finally snapped back to reality. He had completely forgotten about the project.
He didn't have the energy to do it, but he couldn't back out of his responsibility. Just as he was about to explain, Prabha spoke.
"Actually, I've already made the slides. I tried calling you three days ago, but you didn't answer. So I thought maybe you were busy."
"Ohh. I'm really sorry. I just didn't find out." He had no excuses.
"So can you do the presentation instead? Because I'm not comfortable presenting. So, if you do it, that could be better as the team too."
Aarav nodded and said, "Okay. Then send me the slides. I'll study and present it. By the way, when's the presentation date?"
"I think it's after two days."
"Okay, then I'll do it." As soon as those words left his mouth, he turned back and left.
Prabha was just about to wave him goodbye. It felt a bit awkward seeing him so absent-minded. Usually, he used to be cheerful and happy.
But today, his eyes had heavy dark circles, his eyes were swollen as if he had cried all night, his posture was slightly slouched, and his voice was smaller, hinting at grief.
Prabha was curious, but she never asked because they weren't close enough to ask. So she remained silent.
On the same evening, Aakarsha sat down instead of leaving right away. He placed the plate in front of Aarav and waited.
Aarav ate slowly, the way he had every day. But this time, when he finished he didn't get up to close the door.
" She's gone . " He said
His voice was flat. Empty. Like he was reading a line from a book he didn't care about.
"I saw her," Aarav continued, eyes fixed on the empty plate. "Wrapped in white. She looked peaceful. Like she was just sleeping. But she wasn't."
He paused. Swallowed
"The house is empty now. Everything is still there - her things, her chair, her cup. But she's not. And I keep going back there in my head. Every night. I can't stop."
" And now she gave me another house to live .
Here !!!
In Norway.
How could she think that any house would compare to her ? "
Aakarsha sat in silence for a long moment. Then, softly, he said, "She knew, Aarav."
Aarav looked up slowly.
"Before you left for Norway," Aakarsha said, "she came to me. She asked me to look after you. She said - He's strong. But even strong people need someone to hold them up sometimes. Be that for him."
Aarav blinked. His grandmother had never told him that.
"She was proud of you," Aakarsha went on, quieter now.
" She said she'd be watching. From wherever she was.
So, she wanted to give you a new life.
A new house where you could find your own people and turn it into to home just how you had with her.
The house is never comparable to her love. But it's the thing she wanted you to truly have. Take it as her gift not as a replacement of her loss. "
Aarav's jaw tightened. For the first time in days, something flickered in his eyes - not tears, not yet. Just a crack in the numbness.
" She never told me that. " He said
"She didn't want you to worry," Aakarsha said. "She just wanted you to be okay."
Aarav looked down at his hands. He didn't say anything for a long time.
Then very quietly said, " Thankyou. "
It was the first time he'd spoken with any feeling in five days.
Aakarsha nodded and stood up. "Eat well tomorrow. I'll bring something better."
He left without another word. And that night, for the first time, Aarav slept without a nightmare.