Head on your shoulder

That evening that had descended in silence. Only the chirping of birds around, and somewhere in the distance the continuous melody of the harmonium was floating. The rain water had washed the leaves of the trees - as if everything had woken up anew. Far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, a village filled with cool air - his name is Kalabau.

Arnab had come to spend a few days of vacation. His mind was very confused, as if a storm was blowing somewhere inside. He was panting from the glitter of the city, the constant work pressure of the office, the tension of relationships. So he had come in a way of escaping - from himself, from the hustle and bustle of life.

In this village, his maternal cousin Didi lives - Ruma. Didi and Jamaibabu's family is quiet, tidy. There is only one daughter - her name is Anuradha. She is twenty-six years old. Two years younger than Arnab.

On the first day, he met Anuradha in the evening. She was wearing a saree and feeding the cows in the yard. Her hair was loose, her legs were lightly covered in sandals, and her face had a kind of indifference. Arnab's eyes were fixed on her depth. As if there were many stories buried there, as if she wanted to say many things inside.

"Have you come from the city?" Anuradha asked.

"Yes, on a few days' vacation. You?" Arnab replied.

"I'm from here. I live in this house." They didn't talk much. However, at the first meeting, a kind of peace came over Arnab's mind. For some reason, he felt that he would be able to untangle his inner tangle with this simple-minded village girl.

---

We met again the next morning. Anuradha was going to the market with Ruma. A white sari with a yellow border, her hair tied up, a small fringe on her forehead. Arnab was sitting in the courtyard drinking tea. They looked at each other. They exchanged light smiles. Something seemed to be said in that smile - without words.

In the evening, they were sitting in the courtyard and chatting. The moonlight was shining in the courtyard. Rabindra Sangeet was playing from the house next door. Ruma served tea.

Suddenly Anuradha said, "Do you write?"

Arnav looked surprised, "Yes, sometimes. Why are you asking?"

"Your eyes seem to have a lot to say. What people write down, they don't say."

Arnav was surprised. Very few people had said such things to him. How could a stranger understand his mind?

"How do you understand all this?" Arnav asked.

Anuradha ran her hand through her hair and said, "Those who love silence understand the silent language."

That evening was different. Two people, from two different places - but a bond was forming silently. While going to sleep at night, Arnav wondered, can people understand someone so easily?

---

The days passed slowly. Arnav would walk along the riverbank every morning. Where the morning sun, fog and river water mixed together.

One day, he suddenly saw Anuradha sitting under a banyan tree. She was tying her hair in one hand and a small notebook in the other.

"You're here?" Arnav asked in surprise.

"I come every day. This is my place of peace. I sit here and write, think, or just be quiet." He closed the notebook.

Arnav sat down next to her. The water of the river was flowing softly. Birds were calling on the branches of the trees. The rustling of leaves was in the wind. The two were not talking, they were just sitting side by side. It was as if so much was being said in that soundless silence.

Anuradha suddenly said, "Do you know that some people become a shoulder? Where someone rests their head, and all the tiredness goes away?"

"Do you have someone like that?" Arnav asked, a slight tremor in his voice.

Anuradha smiled. Then he said slowly, "Maybe it could be you."

Arnav's chest tightened. There were many things that were left unsaid, but they were not said. It was as if everything was said in that short sentence. The two sat silently, and the morning sun rose through the gaps in the leaves.

---

In the afternoon, the sky was covered with dark clouds. Suddenly it rained. Arnav and Anuradha ran and took shelter under a mango tree. They were soaked to the core - hair, clothes, everything. Anuradha's sari was dripping with water, revealing the lines of her body. Both of them were shivering.

"Do city people ever stop?" Anuradha asked slowly.

"No, we run. Always chasing something. Money, happiness, fame - we don't know which one we want." Arnav replied.

"And the village?"

"The village stops, listens, understands. There are some things in life that you don't need to run for, you just need to stop. And only after coming here did I understand that real peace comes silently."

Anuradha smiled and said, "If I put my head on your shoulder, I would probably get that silent peace."

Arnab looked at her. For the first time, very slowly, Anuradha put her head on his shoulder. All around was the sound of rain, the chirping of birds and the beating of two hearts. Arnab reached out and ran his fingers through Anuradha's wet hair. Time seemed to stand still. All the sounds of the world became silent, except for the sound of two people breathing.

---

Two days later. Evening. Arnab and Anuradha are sitting in the garden behind the house. The moon has risen. Fireflies are burning in the distance.

"Arnab," Anuradha called.

"Hmm?"

"You will leave, right?"

"Yes, in a few days."

"Will you forget us after returning to the city?"

Arnab looked at her. "Is it so easy to forget? What I have not found for so many years, I have found here."

"What did you get?"

"Peace. The language of silence. And you."

Anuradha rested her head on his shoulder again. Slowly she closed her eyes. Arnav understood that some relationships were built over many years, and some in an instant. This village, this girl, had become a storm in his life. But she didn't break the storm, she built it.

---

The last day had come. The day of Arnav's return. The morning was strangely quiet. As if everyone knew something was about to end.

Anuradha didn't say anything, she just gave him a note – *"If you ever get tired again, come back. This shoulder will be for you. And if you get time, write something on the pages of my notebook."*

Arnab sat in the car and put the note in his pocket. Looking out the window, he saw Anuradha standing