Chapter 10: The Wait

The morning sun spilled gently through her window, golden and warm, like a soft promise whispered to the heart.

Roshni woke up earlier than usual — excitement blooming in her chest like the first light of spring. The memory of his voice from the night before still echoed in her ears.

“Be ready by 11, Roshni. It’s a date.”

She had smiled herself to sleep.

Roshni stood in front of her wardrobe, her fingers hovering over hangers.

Today wasn’t just any day — it was the day.

The first time someone had looked at her with that intense, almost reckless affection.

She had received many confessions till now…. off course she did …but she was not in for those…she never felt anything for anyone….

After what felt like forever, her hands paused at a soft white fabric, delicate and airy, adorned with dainty peach and coral flowers scattered like pressed memories across the cloth.

It wasn’t loud.

It wasn’t dramatic.

But it was beautiful — the kind of beauty that lingers.

The dress cinched gently at her waist, highlighting her slender frame without demanding attention. The short, puffed sleeves brushed her arms like petals, and the V-neckline framed her collarbones with effortless grace.

As the skirt fluttered around her ankles, she felt like the heroine of a quiet love story — one written in glances and unsaid words.

She’d left her hair open in soft waves and wore just a touch of lip tint and kajal.

No jewellery— just her, wrapped in quiet hope.

She stood by the mirror for a moment before leaving, her fingers grazing the soft fabric, her heart racing.

She didn’t know what the day would bring — but she knew she wanted him to see her like this.

A flicker of guilt crossed her eyes—she had lied.

Told her aunty she was going to the mall with Meher.

It wasn’t her nature to lie, and it pinched somewhere deep inside.

But the excitement blooming in her chest was louder than the guilt.

She wanted to see him.

The house was quiet.

Her aunty had left early that morning to meet an old best friend across town and wouldn’t return until late evening.

That silence, for once, brought a strange comfort.

No questions.

No second glances.

No locked gazes of suspicion.

Just freedom.

Roshni walked down to the living room, there was a different light in her eyes today—a shimmer of nervous joy.

Her heart was fluttering like a leaf caught in a soft breeze.

Slipping into her favourite white with orange straps sandals, she stepped outside into the sunlight. The world seemed unusually bright.

Even the air carried a sweetness, like it knew something beautiful was about to begin.

At exactly 10:50 AM, she reached the nearby bus stop, as they had decided in the early morning exchange of shy messages.

The place was quiet, save for the occasional rustle of leaves and distant hum of traffic.

She stood there, eyes searching, heart pacing faster than her breath.

Every passing second filled her with a new anticipation.

For him, trusting a person who she has seen only in the last 2 months…

And hardly met 2 times...

randomly…she had shown up…with a lie, with a smile, and with all the hope in her heart.

She knows it’s a kind of crazy…but once in life she really wanted to do this…follow her heart.

She bit her lower lip, trying to hold back a grin.
This was new.

This was strange.

But it felt so alive.

11:00 AM.

She looked down the lane, hoping to see his car, his shadow, anything.

Nothing yet.

She adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder and sat down on the bench, crossing one leg over the other, her anklets chiming softly.

Maybe he was running late.

Boys never matched a girl’s level of punctuality, right?

She smiled anyway.

Maybe he’s just around the corner.

11:15 AM.
Still nothing.

She sat down on the concrete bench, her feet gently swinging in her sandals.

A little frown formed.

11:30 AM.
She finally pulled out her phone.

Dialled his number.

No answer.

Sent a message: “I’m here 😊 Where are you?”

One grey tick. Not delivered.

She tilted her head.

Strange.

She called again.

No response.

12:00 PM.
Her smile had now faded.

Her eyes were scanning every passing car, every scooter, every footstep.

Her hands had grown cold, fingers clutching the edge of her sling bag nervously.

The butterflies that had filled her chest with hope in the morning now fluttered with confusion.

She sat, leaned forward, elbows on her knees.

He wouldn't forget… right? We just chatted in morning silly..how can he forgot!

1:00 PM.

She still sat at the bus stop.

The sun was sharper now.

Her back ached slightly.

Her legs were tired.

She hadn’t moved much, just enough to check the street from different angles.

She called again.
Still unreachable.

That one grey tick stayed there like a stubborn shadow.

Her throat was dry.

A soft worry had begun to crawl up her spine.

She glanced at the time again.

2:00 PM.

She hadn’t eaten.

She didn’t feel hungry.

The only thing she felt was a hollowness growing in her chest, like an ache she couldn’t quite name yet.

She tried calling again.

“The number you’re trying to reach is out of coverage area…”

She ended the call before the voice finished.

Her fingers trembled slightly.

She pulled her phone close to her chest.

Her thoughts were spiralling now.

What if something happened?
Was he in trouble?
Or… did he just not want to come?

She shook her head. “No... Rudra wouldn’t do that,” she whispered, as if saying it

4:00 PM.

The day had passed her by in a blur.

She was still there.

She didn’t even know why anymore.

She hadn’t eaten.

She hadn’t spoken to anyone.

She hadn’t moved far from that bench. Her body felt numb, but her heart—her heart was screaming.

She finally let go.

Tears began to roll down her cheeks quietly, leaving delicate trails over her makeup, staining her happiness

She didn’t wipe them.

She just stared at the phone in her hand like it was a mirror of her foolish hope.

She dialled again.
“The number you are trying to reach is currently switched off or out of coverage area.”

She ended the call.

She tightly covered her mouth with her palm, as if trying to hold in the storm inside her.

Was he okay?

Was he avoiding her?

Did he forget?

Did she do something wrong?

The questions circled like vultures in her head, and the worst one settled in her heart—

“Was it all just a joke to him?”

She whispered under her breath, "Was it real… even for a moment?"

-----------------------------------------------

Roshni walked back home, her steps slow, heavy—like each footfall was carrying the weight of a thousand unanswered questions.

She was thankful, deeply thankful, that no one was home.

The very thought of having to explain how was her mall visit  or why she looks this upset, filled her with dread.

The moment the main door clicked shut behind her, her composure cracked.

She bolted up the stairs, her bag slipping from her shoulder, her sandals tapping hurriedly against the stairs floor.

Once inside her room, she locked the door, slid down against it, and broke.

Her sobs came in waves—quiet at first, like gentle rain—and then full, trembling floods of pain.

Her face buried in her knees, arms wrapped around her legs, she cried like she hadn’t cried in years.

Not just for today.

Not just for him.

But for the foolishness of her hope.

For the silent bus stop that never echoed with his arrival.

For the smile she had worn like a dress.

For the kajal now smudged down her cheeks.

For the dress that felt too beautiful for a day that ended in silence.

Her thoughts ran wild, each one more suffocating than the last.

“Was it all in my head?”

“Did I overthink everything?”

“Was I just… someone he flirted with to pass time?”

“Why did I lie to aunty? For this?”

“Why did I trust the way he looked at me?”

“He sounded so sincere… was it all just a performance?”

She hugged her pillow, muffling her cries, the salt of her tears soaking into the fabric.

The memories of the morning—the fluttering excitement, the careful choice of dress, the feeling of being wanted—all now stood like cruel jokes in the mirror.

Just as she had curled deeper into her silence, her phone buzzed.

She froze…it must be him….

Her head jerk she look at the phone,,,

Aunty calling…..

What?

Not him…

aunty…

who aunty...? she was not able to think anything else..

After a moment of silence the phone started ringing again

Aunty calling…..

Ohhh….Renu aunty

Roshni wiped her tears hurriedly, tried to find her voice.

“Hello?”

“Roshni beta, I’ll be late. There’s some problem at my friend’s house… she really needs me. I’ll be back around dinner or maybe later. You eat something, okay?”

Roshni swallowed hard.

“Okay, aunty.”

That was all she could say.

Her voice was flat, empty.

Not because she wanted to lie—she just didn’t have the strength to pretend.

“Take care, beta.”

The call ended.

Roshni dropped the phone on the bed like it burned her.

She didn’t know what time it was anymore.

Outside, the sky had begun its quiet descent into dusk, bleeding from pale blue into a soft, sorrowful orange.

Twilight was creeping in, swallowing the light just like her hope had been all day.

She lay down on the bed, still in the same dress — wrinkled now, its once-gentle floral pattern clinging to her like a memory she couldn’t peel off.

A reminder of everything she had dreamt for this day. A reminder of what never happened.

Her chest was an aching hollow.

Her eyes burned from the tears, but she had none left to cry.

The storm in her mind had slowed… not because the questions had stopped, but because she no longer had the strength to chase them.

For the first time in a long time, she felt impossibly small — like a child who had believed in magic, only to be told it never existed.

And yet… even in the wreckage of her hope, some quiet part of her heart still whispered into the silence:

“Please… let there be a reason. Please don’t let it all be for nothing.”