Chapter 2 — The Moment She Hugged Me
I reached her house with a strange heaviness in my chest—nervous, confused, and yet drawn toward something I couldn't explain.
The door opened and her mother greeted me with a warm, teasing smile.
"Namaste, Aunty," I said, folding my hands politely.
"Oh please," she laughed lightly. "Ritika is upstairs. Go meet her."
I nodded and walked toward the staircase.
Her room door was slightly open.
I pushed it gently.
She was fast asleep.
The sunlight slipping through the curtains fell softly across her face, giving her a faint golden glow.
Her hair was scattered across the pillow, her lashes resting gently on her cheeks.
But that day…
for some reason…
she looked extraordinarily beautiful.
I didn't want to wake her. Something told me that disturbing this peaceful moment would be wrong.
So I quietly stepped back and went downstairs.
Aunty raised her eyebrows playfully and asked,
"Where is your wife?"
My face flushed.
"She's sleeping… I didn't want to disturb her."
Aunty laughed again.
"Alright. At least drink something. Coffee?"
"Yes, Aunty… coffee is fine."
We sat together, talking casually, sharing small jokes.
Our laughter filled the room softly.
And then—
we heard footsteps.
Ritika had woken up.
She walked downstairs, still sleepy, her hair messy, eyes half-open…
But the moment she saw me—
everything in her changed.
She walked straight towards me.
I opened my mouth to say something, but before I could—
She hugged me.
A soft, warm, tight hug.
A hug filled with something she had kept inside for years.
Something innocent.
Something deep.
"You actually came…" she whispered quietly.
"Why didn't you call me earlier?"
That hug carried a feeling I had never experienced before.
A strange pull…
a forgotten bond…
an emotion that felt like it had always been waiting to wake up.
And in that moment,
I realized—
This wasn't just childhood.
This wasn't just memory.
This was something more.
Something beautiful.
Something that had never truly left us.