Hello readers! Another chap's up! Hope you enjoy!
And... I'm thinking of writing one more chap just for fun. Would you like to read?
After few days.
.
Shanaya could be seen in her room standing among the small plants that were present in the gallery. She has been unusually silent after whatever that happened and no matter how many times Rishi tried, he couldn't still pull her back together.
This morning as usual, he came in the room after his early morning meeting to deliver the most important thing to her.
"Seenu!" He called her softly and took her in a side hug.
"Hn?" She tilted her neck slightly as some colors flushed on his face.
"Sirf doh hi option h. Kal ek flight h aur phir kuch ek hafte baad."
"Kal hi chalte h!"
"Seenu-"
"Nhi Rishi! Tune kaha tha na jld se jld ghar jayenge. Mujhe Jana h yaha se please!" He could see her literally beg for going back to Boston.
"Theek h lekin ek shart pr!"
"Nahi.. don't play this again Rishi I am not talking to him!" She caught his intentions again. Rishi tried his best to make her talk to Daya but his stubborn wife was really not interested to even see his face.
"Seenu maan ja na yr.. ek baar baat krne se kuch nhi hoga!" She pushed him away slightly as he tried to make her understand.
"Isiliye toh nhi baat krni mujhe! Jb baat krne se kuch hoga hi nhi toh mai kyu.. kyu baat kru?" She stammered in the end as she saw a shadow entering the room.
"No! Why is he-" She gave Rishi a look as he betrayed her. Nothing.. nothing could stop her from leaving the place, as she jerked Rishi away and tried to walk out but,
It was him afterall. He stood towering in front of her and she just couldn't walk past him. Tears started forming in her eyes as she gathered up the courage to walk sideways but he was fast enough to hold her wrist and make her stay!
"Seenu ek baar baat toh kr le na please?" Rishi was very calm and soft as he could see her shell cracking.
"Nhi. Muj..he nhi krni Rishi!" She looked at Rishi with puppy eyes hoping that he'll help her out of this.
She was scared to talk to him again. She was scared to face him again. Cz the love, the hate, the guilt and the regret was all fresh in her heart. Anything.. literally any small thing, she knew, would simply increase the pressure on her chest.
"Achha sirf uski baat sun le.. tu kuch mt kehna! Ab theek?" Rishi felt bad for making her eyes teary again. She shook her head to deny but guess there wasn't any choice left but to talk to him.
And Daya, he was the most silent person in the whole scene. He himself didn't know what he was going to say or how he would make her understand things.. but he still chose to grab her wrist to stop her in way, and oh how he wished to never let her go!
His mind was finding ways to as how he should start the conversation. Or how he should atleast make her feel what he's been through all this time.
Daya jerked as he heard Rishi approaching with, "Don't try to run Seenu, you promised to face it hmm?" He patted her cheek and left with a heavy heart.
The silence was very awkward and scary for Shanaya. She was scared to break again in front of this man who she's been trying to run away from. But the farther you run from your problems, the closer they follow you!
She twisted her wrist to get out of his grip and moved towards the bed wiping away her tears and trying to be strong.
"Seenu!"
His voice! The voice she could never ever forget in her life but the way he called her was so calm and concerned that she looked at him shocking, who silently took small steps to take a place besides her.
"I'm sorry!" He paused to find how to voice his various thoughts that were coming in his brain and making him dizzy.
"I'm sorry maine.. mujhe yeh sb krna pada!" She shifted uncomfortably as he switched the word, "Isme tera koi kasur nhi tha.. joh kiya maine kiya, yeh jante huye ki tu.. mere liye kya mayne rkhti h."
Her eyes had tears that threatened to fall, but she rubbed them away hiding from his eyes.
"Mai.. mai janta hu ki mafi mangne ka bhi hak nhi h mujhe lekin.. maine.. maine bhi toh sahaa h na yr? Mai bhi toh ghut ghut ke.. mujhse aur nhi ho rha h Seenu.. mai.. mai yeh bojh ke sath mar jaunga yr.."
She couldn't believe this man was crying. He was broken completely. As the Daya she knew, was the one who rarely cried like this. He pretended to be strong, and also being a loner, he never let his walls break in front of anyone!
Be it Shanaya or Abhijeet!
Watching him cry like this was unbearable for her. She didn't realise when her eyes started expelling so many tears as she pulled him in her embrace.
He hugged her tightly and was now crying with loud sobs.
Pain wasn't new for Shanaya but watching him broke like this, was just unbearable. She couldn't help but let her fake anger and attitude subside while she hugged him tightly and ruffled his hairs in order to console him.
"Bht.. takleef Seenu.. maine.. bht dard.." His words couldn't make sense but his cries were explaining how much he had to suffer.
"Shhh! Calm down Daya!" She couldn't understand what to say further as any of her words might hurt him. So she just kept rubbing his back with one hand and ruffled his hairs with the other.
"Mai bht.. bht bura hu na.. mai.."
"Nhi.. nhi Daya! Tune itna kuch kiya sirf apne bhai ke liye.. tu majbur tha na.. tera koi kasur nhi h in sab mei!" She couldn't understand if that even made sense.
He has been always right about her, she doesn't know how to console. She would just go blank and be uncomfortable in such situations and he used to know this since their relationship.
She cupped his face and wiped the tears away as he tried to hide his eyes. The eyes were hinting something different what Shanaya couldn't understand.
"Daya! Kya... kya hum sabkuch phle jaisa nhi kr skte? Tu aur mai-"
She saw some colors flush on his face. His eyes changed as he pushed himself a little away from her.
"Seenu tu kya bol rhi h! Ab kuch nhi-"
"Kyu nhi?"
"Ab hum bht aage aa gye h yr.. ab chahkar bhi hum phle jese nhi reh payenge." It felt pricks in his throat as he has to speak these harsh words.
Harsh but practical.
"Please Daya... Koi tareeka nhi ?"
"Seenu tu-" He turned away from her grip as his heart was begging for the same and was clearly readable in his eyes.
"Hum.. humare iss decision se sab affect honge Seenu. Abhi, Tarika, Sh..Shreya-" His voice trembled even to imagine leaving Shreya behind after hurting her so much.
"Tu.. tu aaj bhi sbke baremei soch rha h. Mera aur tera kya? Kya humari feelings nhi h? Kya.. kya meri feelings utni important nhi h tere liye?"
"Seenu yr.." He glanced at her little unbelievably and impatiently, as his heart could betray his tongue any time, "Tera aur.. mera sath agar likha hota na.. toh.."
"Toh hum kabhi alag hi nhi hote! Yehi na?" She completed for him watching him stumble on the words.
"Haan.. aur.. ab yeh saare rishtey hamare karan tut jaye.. mai esa kese hone de skta hu?" He looked at her, pleading to stop.
Stop before he breaks again.
Stop before he commits another mistake.
Stop before he further increases the burden on his chest.
"Kyu.. kyu hi itna kareeb laye agar Hume yunhi alag krna tha toh?" She was cursing the destiny that made them sit besides but still be miles away from each other. Her eyes were still wet as the tears marks didn't even dry before another fell away.
"Kash.. hum milte hi nhi. Doh pl ki khushi ke sath yeh zindagi bhar ka dard taufa mila h hume!" He was correct.
The mistakes that cannot be corrected in the future shall not be committed in the first place!
But they did. They let themselves love each other soo much that the love itself separated them eventually.
It was exhausting now.
It was suffocating them now.
One or the other had to move out of this in order for both to move on.
And that's how she did.
"Yehi tera decision h na Daya?" She wiped away her face, took a deep breath and asked him straight, looking in his eyes.
"Haan!" He replied confident enough.
"Aaj tu jis Shanaya ko yaha.. chhor kr jayega na, I promise.. voh phir kabhi tere samne nhi ayegi." She gulped as the moisture resisted her to speak further, "Tujhe phir meri vajh se koi.. koi takleef nhi hogi I promise! I am.. sorry -"
And he hugged her with all his heart. The separation felt so hurting that both of them cried in each other's embrace for what felt like hours.
The promise that Shanaya would be regretting all her life, was going to be the start of a new life. The life where both of them would try to move on and accept what the fate did to them.
Though, everything the fate does is either for the good or is the repay for the sins committed in the past.
And the committed sin here, was to love someone to death.
A/N:- So how was it? Lemme know in the reviews and also if y'all can wait for another chapter, which will be light dw.
Stay safe and healthy!
+S+