Hiraeth

41

HIS head was throbbing. He had never experienced a pain so severe and uncontrollable. It was difficult for him to open his eyes but the bitter intervention of the noon sunlight didn't let him stay that way for long. 

He woke up to a very calm atmosphere. There was nothing except silence in the suite and even though the curtains were drawn, he could realise that it was almost afternoon. 

He picked up his watch from the side table and with squinted eyes, he tried checking the time. His guess wasn't far. His head still pulsated with a very daunting pain and he needed some meds for that or maybe a lemonade. Slowly, the remembrances of the previous night seeped in. He knew that he shouldn't have drunk. 

He had always been bad with alcohol and was never able to stomach it well. Maybe that was why he had once decided to completely quit it. But also, it was difficult to decline that yesterday

He sunk his head back against the pillow and took in a slight sigh. He realised that he didn't know about Sitara's whereabouts either. The room was empty and he couldn't even tell if she had woken him up in the morning or not. He was sure that even if she had, it would have been of no use. 

He ran his hands over his tired eyes, rubbing them swiftly and a faint yawn escaped his mouth. He tried clearing his throat which was a little sore and was about to go for a shower, but his gaze caused him to halt. 

Confusion clouded his eyes when he got rid of the blanket. He didn't remember sleeping without his shirt and especially with now Sitara around, he was never shirtless in his room or even at night. He found that really strange and wondered if he was too drunk to realise that last night. 

"Sita-" His blood ran cold when he reached out for his kurta from the closet. The sight of her clothes scattered on the floor made him stop in his tracks. His hands froze and the name that he was calling out, got stuck somewhere in his throat. 

An agonising pain shot right up into his nerves, giving him an even worse headache as he tried to recall the previous night. He couldn't. He had no memory of anything that unfolded after that party and that was scaring him more. 

His heartbeats escalated in his chest as he quickly wore that garment whilst his mind being attracted to so many unwanted thoughts. Something in him sank further and further with time. He had never felt this restless before. 

"Sitara?!" A shrill sound escaped his throat as he looked out for her in every corner of that suite. 

He checked the other bedroom, the balcony and even knocked on the bathroom door for a few seconds before pushing it open to only find it empty. 

He didn't know where else to find her. He could never guess where she could have gone out of nowhere. Flustered, he looked out for his phone and began to call her but a massive wave of disappointment hit him when he heard it ring on the dresser. 

He got out of the suite and walked in the lobby that where he saw a lot of other guests. The place was bustling with liveliness and he saw everybody engrossed in the preparations for the wedding that was happening soon but even among all those people, he couldn't spot her. 

"I didn't see you or Sitara at the breakfast." Mrs. Imran's eyes lit up at his sight. She sat by the pool, overlooking their children who had gone for a swim. His curious eyes wandered there too for a while, in the hope of seeing her with them but after hearing his mother in law's remark, he couldn't help but worry. 

"Yeah.. uhm we ordered it in our room." He felt guilty for lying but there was nothing else that he could mention. He gently kept his one arm around her as she hugged him.