↟Meera↡
One morning I woke up to find the ache in my chest was not as sharp as the day before. I stretched and realized that I had finally slept through the entire night without interruption. No tossing and turning, no crying.
I got out of bed and dressed, actually looking forward to the day in front of me.
I can't believe it, I thought. Am I starting to put Vivaan behind me? Have I begun to accept that he is not coming back?
I took a quick shower, truly looking at myself in the mirror for the first time in a long time. My hair was longer than I liked and I could really use a good facial.
I wrinkled my nose at myself in the mirror. 'Time to really clean yourself up,' I said. Enough was enough, I decided. I did a quick Internet search and picked up the phone to make a call.
An hour later, I was walking into one of Pune's spas. The gold and brown tones of the reception area calmed me immediately. I was greeted by a soft-spoken woman who confirmed my appointment on her computer.
I was taken into a room and offered a soft, white robe as the different spa packages were explained to me at length. I opted for a relaxing aromatherapy massage and felt some of the stress that had built up in me slowly start to be rubbed out of my muscles.
I dozed to the soft music and the sound of water.
That afternoon, I continued my day of pampering, driving to my favourite salon for a facial, manicure and haircut.
I topped my day off with a shopping trip where I found a beautiful teal sundress.
That evening, I went to Kafe Kabir to show off my successful day. I grinned as Kabir saw me walk in and let out a long whistle. I watched Nisha shoot him a scowl before she followed the direction in which his eyes were looking.
'Meera!' she cooed. 'You look beautiful!'
I couldn't help myself. I spun around like I'd stepped out of a magazine page.
Nisha rushed over and hugged me. 'What happened to you? What a transformation! Has something happened?'
She wrapped her arm around mine and escorted me over to the counter, babbling happily. Kabir kept smiling and leaned across the counter for a quick hug.
'Doesn't she look amazing?' Nisha said.
Kabir nodded. 'You do, Meera. I am so happy to see this change in you. Did anything happen?' he asked curiously.
'If you mean, did I hear from anyone special, the answer is no,' I said pointedly. 'I just woke up today and felt like it was time to stop moping around. I realized I was looking pretty scruffy, so I went to get my hair done.'
'Not just your hair,' Nisha commented.
'No,' I admitted. 'I got a massage and a facial ... and then I went shopping.' I grinned.
'I thought that was a new dress,' Kabir said.
Nisha gave him a shove. 'Since when do men notice things like that?' she asked playfully.
'Since I met you,' he said and blew her a kiss.
I was caught up in the aura of happiness; I couldn't help laughing, and then laughing some more for the sheer joy of the sound.
'I'm still so surprised,' Nisha said. 'You are so transformed. And I don't mean on the outside. You are different on the inside, too. You are almost glowing.'
'I don't know,' I said. 'I just woke up feeling like the old Meera again. I had a long talk with myself and said, "You need to be real and true to yourself. Don't run away from yourself, your dreams or the life which you deserve. Yes, you can still live more, learn more and love more than you've done so far. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Wake up and run towards the beautiful life you deserve."'
'Wow,' Nisha murmured. 'You are amazing.'
'I think we need to celebrate,' Kabir decided and Nisha clapped her hands. 'It's pretty quiet in here right now ... the crew we have can handle it for a few hours. Let's go grab dinner.'
Nisha squeezed my arm. 'I'm happy for you, Meera.'
'I am too,' Kabir seconded. 'Our treat. Let's go eat!'
We had a wonderful meal and laughed a lot. It felt so good to be joking around again. When we finished, I thanked my friends for a wonderful meal.
'Come back to the café,' Nisha invited. 'I'll buy you a cappuccino. I know the owner,' she teased, winking.
'Thank you, but I think I'm going to head back to my apartment. I left my writing things there and I feel like I want to go back and write.'
They both hugged me. 'This has been a great evening,' Kabir said.
As I headed home, I wondered what Vivaan was doing. I realized I could think about him without that deep, biting hurt that I'd been carrying for months.