‘Making a list to put together a couple of makeup kits,’ she said.
He nodded.
She went back to her list. She started humming the tune of a popular song.
Neel stood there. He didn’t know what he was supposed to say. He didn’t know what he wanted to say.
She stopped typing and looked up at him.
‘Yes?’ She asked as she stood and faced him.
Neel reached out, his fingers brushing gently against her cheek. The touch was tender, a silent apology for not understanding what she’d been through. Their lips met in a kiss that started slowly, with hesitant movements. The kiss deepened as their tension began to dissolve, their bodies leaning into each other as if trying to erase the past. Neel’s hands moved to Kaavi’s waist, pulling her closer as the kiss grew more intense.
Her fingers tangled in his hair, their breath mingling as they lost themselves in the shared need for reassurance and connection. Clothes became an afterthought, discarded in a heap on the floor, as they sought comfort and understanding in each other’s embrace. Their movements were slow and deliberate, each touch and caress, a way to bridge the chasm that had formed between them.
Kaavi leaned back in her chair. They were having breakfast in the kitchen.
‘I think it’s time to go back to Rally,’ she said.
Neel looked up from the newspaper that had been delivered earlier.
‘When?’
‘Today.’
He folded the newspaper.
‘I asked my mother to come back to Rally with me. She said she would eventually return, but she wants to stay here for a while. She wants to experience independence. She’s going to rent a flat. I’m going to put the house on sale,’ she explained.
He nodded.
‘Makes sense. Shall I check if there are any available flights?’
‘Yes, please. But please let me pay for it. I still owe you for the flight here,’ she replied.
He ignored her and picked up his cellphone.
He suddenly looked up at her and his laughter was loud and hearty.
‘What?’
‘I’m thinking about that hideous dress you wore last week,’ he replied.
She started laughing too and then she sighed.
What would happen when they were back in Rally? Divorce papers were in Rally. Neel didn’t even live in Rally. She would leave the ball in his court. She’d made too many decisions – wrong ones – for them. The decision was his.
As Neel scrolled his phone for flights, his mind drifted. Was his wife back? Did she want him? He would leave the ball in her court. The decision was hers.
They arrived in Rally at about eleven o’clock that night. They didn’t have a chance to talk on the plane because Neel had urgent work to attend to. While he typed away on his laptop, she fell asleep. Now back in Rally, Neel was at The Grand Meyer, while she lay in her bed in the apartment.
Their parting was casual. He kissed her cheek and said he’d call her tomorrow. She nodded. Now she wished she’d asked him to stay the night. She was restless. It was 2am. She wondered if Neel was tossing and turning too. She got out of bed and padded, barefoot, to the hallway. She fetched the brown envelope and sat on the couch with her legs tucked under her. She hadn’t opened the envelope when it arrived. She was avoiding it. But now she couldn’t simply ignore that it was there; she had to deal with it. She carefully removed the document. Seeing the word ‘divorce’ in bold print wasn’t what she expected. She’d left him; just walked out. But now that word made her heart ache.
She read the rest of the document. It was clear. It was clean-cut. No settlement. No fight. Just two parties’ signatures. She pushed the document back into the envelope without signing it. She’d do it tomorrow.
‘Tell him to either be patient or come see me in Rally,’ Neel said into the phone.
‘I wouldn’t put it past him,’ replied Sarika.
