Srishti was eight years old when she was left all alone in her house for the very first time. It was back in India, Precisely, Bengal in their family home when all the members of the family decided to visit a neighbor's reception after daylight faded,
Srishti had just woken up from a nap and decided to stay back, perfectly capable of being in her own company with a copy of Browning 's poems,
Or atleast, she thought she was.
She had the habit of reading in the television light in the dimly lit living room. Her feather light fingers turned the television on and had ended up on the channel that played Arundhati, the thriller. The horror had her crying hysterically for hours and nobody even noticed.
The phobia stayed with her even then, making her abandon the habit of watching television alone at all. She had never told anyone, but herself. That she'd only watch television if she had company,and that's exactly what she did with Barath everytime he came home.
She clung to Adhiran's shirt, telling him everything. The words she chose to utter felt so foreign.
She had never told anyone the words, 'I'm afraid ' all her life. She had taken it all on herself. 'Enaku- enaku bayam- bayam nu.. na sonnathu illa.. puthu- puthusa iruku uh..Adhi' she whispered and Adhi kissed her forehead tenderly,
'Srishti.. ' he made her face him, ' You've read the evolution theory right?' he asked her, softly cupping her cheek,
' I have' she muttered,
' Hmm.. Do you know why we humans were even created as a pair of two?' He asked her,
' Milton 's Paradise lost tells me that it was the secret of creation ' she answered him, unsure of where he was leading them with his questions,
' It is, Sweetheart. We were created as a pair for a reason..
Like Orwell would say, humans are social animals.. namba poranthathe innorthar ah depend panni iruka dha..
You depend on people because you love them, and they love you.. athula entha thappum illa..
Sandhosham..sogam .. ellathulayum sernthu irukarthuku dha namakunu manushanga irukaanga.. ' he explained patiently and she nodded negatively, not buying it. Adhiran pushed a lock of hair away from her face,
'Sasha Inga paaren.. ' he curled his fingers under chin to kiss the top of her nose, ' Ithana varshama.. evlavo padichaalu.. evlo sambaathuchaalu.. intha apartment kulla varumbothu oru thanima irukum..
Ipo athu illa.. en theriyuma?' he asked her and she whispered a why,
' Nee iruke di.. ' he told her, his lips ached to savor her trembling ones, ' You've filled this lonely heart with so much happiness.. ' he caressed her messy hair,
'Can- can I say it to you?' she mumbled, playing with his shirt,
' En Adhirshtam ' he whispered again,
'Na unnodathu.. Sasha.. Sirika..sanda poda.. mutham kuduka.. adika.. ellathukum.. ' he told her and she sniffled remembering the girl in his past again,
She still didn't have the nerve to ask him about her.
'Enkita urima eduthuko.. demand pannu.. ne mattu dha panlam ' he clutched her waist closer to leave a kiss on her jhumkas. Srishti pulled him closer,with a sad smile . It was hard to change what stayed for so long,
But she'd try for him.
For them.
Srishti sighed as she laid on her bed, facing the ceiling. The past few weeks have made her feel so many emotions. She realized how complex her life had become all of a sudden, the shift in the family dynamics was enough for her to wrap her head around all the time.
