Un-loving You

The sheets are painfully smooth now, a cold landscape where your warmth used to reside.

One pillow stands tall, the other has forgotten the weight of a resting head.
The air in the room holds its breath, a silence louder than any scream.

The door clicked shut hours ago, sealing the ‘Goodbye’ inside like a ghost destined to haunt this space.This is the echoing hollow you left behind.

But memory is a persistent guest.
I trace the faint outline on your side of the mattress, a fading map of where you used to be.

My nose still catches the ghost of your perfume, a scent slowly packing its bags to go.

"Pata hai, kuch yaadei bilkul us purani deewar ki tarah hoti hai—jitna unhe naya rang do, utni hi gehrai se unki purani dararein (cracks) jhalakne lagti hai."

I close my eyes and feel the tangle of our limbs, a messy, beautiful warmth.
The ghost of your laughter still settles comfortably in the dust motes.

I travel further back, shedding the layers of arguments and the final, shattering 'No'.

To the moment the floorboards creaked under your step, when this room was just four bare walls waiting to be a home.
You walked in, carrying a small suitcase and a huge, nervous dream.

Our eyes met, and the world paused.
That’s when you said it, the word that started everything,
"Hello."