Gauri was mostly silent on the drive back home, they left the engagement party soon after her outburst,  because Arnav decided it was time for them to leave early .

If anyone noticed her redden eyes they were kind enough not to comment even Kavya who looked at her  with questions had been kind enough not to voice them  out because Gauri hadn't been ready to talk with her yet . 

By the time her familiar house came into view, she was tired and weary . It was like a dam filled with grief burst open and she couldn't find her footing amidst the emotion.

" Why don't you get inside first Gauri , I am going to take the little one for a spin " Arnav spoke up confusing her, she hadn't expected him to leave her alone but rationalized the decision as him giving her time to grieve alone .

So she walked inside her house and then her room as she found the album Arun painstakingly made for their son, so he could have pictures to remember him after he was gone .

As each picture came into view her heart broke a little for her best friend who left a void in her life by his death.  Gauri didn't know how long she had been starring at the pictures that the knock to her door came as a surprise, and she opened her door to find her mother standing outside .

Tears threatened to fall again at the sight of her mother who simply embraced her for a long while before stepping back .

" I knew it would wreck you, and I was secretly relived you forgot, even when I know Arun doesn't deserve to be forgotten " her mother confession took her by surprise as she wondered why she didn't tell her in the first place.

" Is that the reason you asked Arnav not to come today ?" Gauri asked her mother as her earlier actions seem to make sense finally.

" That man loves you Gauri, even a fool could see that and while I understand your reasons for pushing him away, he won't be able to understand if he saw you grieving for Arun, he may misconstruct  it as the reason . " her mother explained back .

" Arnav isn't like that mom, he knows I love him " Gauri answered back because surely it was evident to everyone and yet her mother continued to look at her blankly .

" Have you told him that beta? ,or is this also something he had to guess from your silence " her mother next question took her by surprise as well .

Gauri remembered how relived and happy she felt when he said those words to her and wondered if her silence could make him wonder where her heart lies,because just few hours ago, she had been in his arms crying for her ex husband .

Back then his steady support made her love him all the more, but she had to wonder if she was asking too much from him without giving a little back like the knowledge she still loves him. 

" Mom, Di, it is time to come out , " her brother voice called out surprising her as she wondered what could be the reason.

" He went to this extent because you felt bad for forgetting Arun's birthday, that  man loves you Gauri.  And as your mother I understand you better than anyone, but if what you said earlier was true and you didn't think there was a chance to work it out with him it would be kind enough to tell him the reason and let him go" her mother spoke up leaving her shocked.

Gauri hasn't even come to terms with Arun's death and what her mother was asking from her was to do would probably cleave her heart into two , letting go of Arnav was something she needed to do but she had been hoping she can put it off until Lavanya's wedding and yet her mother words made her wonder if she was giving him false hope about them .

She understood the extent he went for when she stepped outside her room and walked into the living room to find the decorated room and a cake that stood in its center while her son was playing with the balloons as Arnav hoisted  him up on his shoulders.

At the sight of her, her son demanded to be let down as he came running to her side excited, his tiny hands moved faster than before as he told her, his adventure with Arnav .

" We brought cake. He said today is dad birthday, and since dad is far away it okay if we celebrated without him " the little one kept speaking and Gauri couldn't help but let her eyes drift back to him.

He did all this for her and involved her family to help as well considering her father was even now busy decorating the room with balloons .

" Can we cut the cake now mommy?  " her son asked as she lifted him into her arms and he did cut the cake few minutes later with a wide grin while most of her family were close to tears . But eyes stayed focused on him standing in the furthest corner of the living room unwilling to intrude on her past.

He made it all happen, yet he was unsure about his place. Just like her mother predicted he needs to know soon but not today,  because her heart cant take two blows in a single day. 

Once her son pushed a giant slice of cake for his tiny hand into her mouth, he took another one and rushed straight to Arnav demanding in silence to be lifted up, so he can do the same to his friend .

The look of happiness  in Arnav's face, to be included in the celebration , made her so very proud of her son thoughtfulness, unlike her or her mother who seem to be always wondering what goes on Arnav's mind, her son has no such restrictions.

The next few minutes her son kept running around giving a slice of cake to her brother and her parents that she had been too occupied with him until he noticed Arnav was missing from the room.

His car was still parked outside their gate, so she went in search of him and found him in the place that meant so much to her younger self .

Thank you seemed like such a small word that she couldn't make herself say it and not the rest as she walked up to him, as if tuned to her presence he turned around with a flicker of smile .

" Tell me something about him " his spoke up as she neared him, the question caught her by surprise but she understood he was giving her an option to speak about him, because as always he knew she will bottle up the feelings otherwise .

" He was a good man, a very good man. A great father to Rahul, you should have seen how his face would lit up every time he held Rahul and towards the end, even when he could barely move from bed, his eyes always held the same affection for Rahul and it was constant you know, it never wavered for him no matter what.

Arun always made sure Rahul was the first priority in our life's, he lost his family to a car accident and needed the anchor of a family to live his life that is what he told me when he first offered marriage between us .

But he had been my anchor who kept me from losing my sanity, and I don't know what he had in mind when he wrote that will,  not until I know he sent you a copy as well. He may have been foolish enough to hope but I know his heart was in the right place .

It was why even when i had been so frustrated with him after learning about the will, I couldn't believe he would do something so out of character.

He had kicked out Vinoth, his own brother from the house, for me when we it had been barely a month since we got  married. So yes I was confused but never doubted his intentions because that was the kind of man he was someone you can inexplicably trust " Gauri spoke up as he continued to listen in silence. 

Arnav spoke up a few moments later surprising her by confiding in her that Arun had left behind a letter with the copy of will he sent to Arnav, he didn't tell her the contents of the letter but she could guess it would have been about Gauri And Rahul. 

" When did you found out about the letter ?" She asked him, since he had never gotten the will back when they got married. 

" The last time we visited home, when I came to see you in the middle of the night " he answered back as she understood his behavior that night better because it was the day, he told her that he still loves her .

" What I said to you that day wasn't because of the letter, but because reading his letter made me realize that it would be foolish to remain silent any longer not when my heart never changed how it feels about us  " he answered back as if answering her unasked question.

It would be the perfect time to tell him the truth about her heart, that refused to move on from him but she couldn't voice them out not when it would only lead him to hope for their future when she had already been counting the days she have with him.

The small footsteps made both of them turn to find Rahul running towards them and straight to Arnav arms as if he still worried about losing his friend. She would be a cruel mother to break their bond, but she refuse to string along Arnav in hope of a future with them either .

For a brief moment she starred at the sky unwilling to see those two easy companionship until she felt a tap on her shoulder as she turned to see her brother pointing his hand back to them drifting her attention to her son and Arnav .

Her son's tiny hands were moving as he gazed at the sky, and the tears fell freely when she interpreted those words his hands seemed to convey as Arnav stood beside him silently encouraging him .

" Happy Birthday dad, I miss you so so much " her son words weren't spoken out loud, but if Arun had glimpsed down from where he was and saw the tiny movement of hands she knew Arun could hear it loud and clear. 

" We all forgot about it, " her brother spoke up, it had been their family tradition involving Ishaan when he got adopted and missed his biological parents .

Her father took him out on  Ishaan mother's  birthday and pointed out a brightest star and asked Ishaan to tell everything he wants to say to his parents looking at the star and Gauri had often seen her brother looking at the sky speaking out loud to his parents after that, but she never expected Arnav would remember it from their shared past .

It reminded her so much about how her father and Ishaan bonded that she realized her love for Arnav wasn't just a constant, it had the ability to grow as well because seeing him right now with her son helping Rahul to hold on to Arun's memories made her love him so much more than she assumed it was possible.

And it may be the reason she whispered those words towards the sky after Ishaan walked back inside, a silent thank you to Arun for bringing Arnav back into her life even for a short awhile .

P.S :" That it for now . Let me know your thoughts and feedbacks.  Hit the votes if you liked it "

Juanita Reid