"Neela? Why are you doing this to yourself?"
Neela didn't answer. She wasn't even sure that she knew who had just spoken. She had sat in darkness since Gallant's funeral. She had just sat, her mind completely drained. She couldn't think of anything, anyone.
"Neela? Come on please talk to me, look at me?"
Slowly Neela turned her head to finally acknowledge the fact that a figure sat next to her. Ray sat far enough from her that she felt comfortable with him there. He had sat there with her for days, only getting up to get cups of coffee, to go to the bathroom and to make meals. Unlike Neela who had just ignored all attempts of communication with Ray, he had tried to speak to her on numerous occasions. Each time she had stared straight ahead, not seeing him, not hearing him. It was only then that she had truly registered that he was there, sitting next to her.
"Ray?" she looked at him blankly, "Why are you here? I've been so horrible to you lately."
"Because I care about you," he said simply. She couldn't retaliate, she couldn't tell him to stop, didn't he realise she couldn't deal with that now? She was too tired. Either that or she didn't really want him to stop.
"Have you been here the whole time?" was her feeble response.
"Yes." He said slowly, and then she realised, in horror, that he had seen her just staring into space for days, without even shedding a tear for her dead husband.
"You must think I'm heartless," she said in a whisper, "I haven't even cried once and he's been dead for 3 days."
"I don't think you're heartless Neela, I just think you're trying to cope in your own way." He shuffled closer to her as he said this, adding, "Don't be afraid, you don't have to be strong all the time you know?"
"Ok," she said as the words caught in her throat and she felt the tears threatening to fall. She could no longer fight, she was emotionally exhausted, and she just let go. Tears streamed down face as Ray shuffled even closer to her. She clung to him as she broke down and he just sat there with her head nestled into his shoulder.
He had to be patient with her, she would eventually open up to him but he knew she wasn't ready yet, it would take time. And he just sat holding her in his arms as she wept.