At my dimly lit apartment room, Darkness everywhere inside. I was lying on my bed in my bedroom, staring at the ceiling… Softly touching my hair, playing with it… thinking about that walk with Tej. How he playfully asked me, That Late Evening Walk—
"Did you miss me?"
That moment, my heart was pounding fast—how did he know I missed him the whole day? And when I saw him, my breath caught. Isn't that love? When you see someone and smile without any reason? The stupidity of love. The young teenager's stuff. But I was doing that whenever Tej was around me…
When we had dinner together with the whole family, when we worked on the farm, when we sat laughing together—those moments kept coming back to my mind like I was reliving them. Seeing his face again and again, looking at me… that admiring look of his.
And when he smiled, that soft dimple appeared on his cheek. It wasn't clearly visible—just a little—but I noticed it. His messy hair, his habit of licking his lips in every awkward moment…
Now I'm lying on my bed, thinking about how closely I had observed even the smallest things about him.
And how much I'm missing him… how I want to go back home, just to see him again, to live with him—silently. Everything felt so beautiful… and I miss it more and more.
The aloneness here in this place isn't leaving my side.
What is Babu doing right now?
Is Mumma sleeping well, watching TV?
Are Papa and everyone doing okay?
I'm missing my whole damn family.
The smell of my home… mother's hand-cooked food, the crops, the freshness… the cleanliness there. No pollution in the air.
And that man—who's probably lying on his bed right now, watching outside through the window, motionless.
And his cigarette packet… probably in the dustbin by now, though I'm not sure about it.
The beer bottle would be on the table, left open, with the glass set aside by him.
And he'll be enjoying this moment—I'm sure of it.
The same routine at the office. I've earned my respect… but inside, I can feel the chaos in the minds of the employees. The way they glance at me when I enter—it says everything.
"She must've done something to get that promotion."
Yes, that's what they whisper. That's why it "suddenly" happened, right? They mock me behind my back.
One day, I walked right up to them while they were gossiping about me.It was exhausting… hearing the same thing over and over.
"What are you all talking about?"They glanced at me. Some quickly returned to their work, while others just stood there, showing no fear.
"Stop blabbering nonsense behind my back."My voice trembled. My eyes filled with tears—but they didn't fall.
For the first time… for the first time, I stood up like that.
I made eye contact. I didn't let them look away. I didn't let them talk behind me anymore.
Years of suppressed emotions…All those comments I heard:
"She's too quiet.""Weird."And I faced them every day.But not anymore. I won't let them keep talking.What crime did I commit in their lives?Did I do something scandalous?
Why do they talk so badly about me?Why can't they let me live in peace? Why can't they accept that someone who stayed in the background can move ahead of them?
Why is it so hard for them? They always stand in front of the seniors because they know how to talk.They're not nervous.
They're not afraid of anything. Their hands don't tremble.
Their voices don't shake.
But when I got the promotion, they started spreading rumors.
And I know—they believed it.
Because it was easier for them to paint me as the villain…
So they could sleep peacefully at night.