Hello everyone! Here is chapter 2. I don't know how this story is going to unfold. I am just going with the flow. Do read if you have the time 😳
__________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 2The sound of the pouring rain gradually stopped. A light ray of sunshine appeared between the parting clouds and my room was lifted from the darkness. Aashi still had me in her arms. I never imagined that I would find some solace in her embrace. I felt a little lighter and my tears had stopped. Aashi never said a word.
She slowly released me and held my shoulders. I met her gaze which was carefully studying my face. It was as if she was looking into my dead eyes, searching for my soul, a tiny glimpse of life. I knew I disappointed her, but she never gave up. Bringing her warm hand, she touched my face and wiped my tears.
"You have a fever.", she said quietly, and she placed her hand on my forehead and neck ever so gently, checking my temperature.
"Abhi, you need to rest.", she said moving her hand to rest on my chest.
"Aashi, there is no point. I am a living corpse. Why does it matter if I have a fever or not?", I asked her, stepping away from her.
"I am already dead. I can no longer feel anything. It's numb and hollow. The darkness is my haven now. Death is my friend, and I am waiting to be claimed.", I said and stumbled to the floor.
She bent down and wrapped her arms around my chest and waist, easing my body onto the bed. Aashi sat on her knees in front me. Taking my hand in hers, she quietly guided it to her chest, trapping it there.
"Can you feel anything?", she asked with her brown eyes meeting my own.
"No Aashi, I told you. I am numb. Slit my wrist and I won't even know.", I told her in dejection.
"Try. Close your eyes and try Abhi.", she coaxed me softly.
"Aashi...", I tried to resist.
"Please.", she said in a pained voice.
I closed my eyes. The darkness enveloped me once again, tempting me to follow it into the unknown. But, I heard her voice. Try, it said in a quiver. The soft cry stopped me from surrendering into the darkness. I tried. Nothing. I tried, once more and I felt a faint beat. The more I tried, the stronger I felt it. It was her beating heart.
"I can't feel anything Aashi.", I lied through my teeth to her as I opened my eyes.
"It's okay Abhi.", she said rubbing my hand that was on her chest.
Aashi stood up, after letting go of my hand. I felt unwanted when she did that. But I didn't show it to her. Siting beside me, she remained silent for awhile before speaking.
"Daadi misses you. She wants her child back.", Aashi said looking ahead.
"I cannot bring her child back. He is long gone. Disappearing forever.", I told her bluntly.
"He has to come back. He needs to find a pathway to return.", she said not even facing me.
"There is no path. It's a one way route with no return.", I said making a fist.
"Then you will lose her. Forever.", she said.
I stared at her as the words she said sunk into my tormented heart. It was like someone had rubbed salt into an open wound. It burned me.
"Daadi lives for you Abhi. It's not only you who is wasting away. She is too. Every time, you die on the inside a little, she dies on the inside, ten times more.", Aashi said gripping my hand.
"You need to fight this Abhi. You need to rise from the ashes that have buried yourself in. You need to leave the darkness and reach out for the light Abhi. You need to come back Abhi.", Aashi said in a clear voice, which split towards the end.
"No! NO!! I will not come back! I will not fight anymore! I won't leave the darkness! It is my shelter, my shield!", I shouted at her, tearing my hand from hers.
Holding my head, I walked in a daze to the middle of the room. The world around me was spinning and I felt a wild thudding in my chest which made me breathless.
"Abhi, listen to me.", Aashi tried standing up.
"NO AASHI! I will not listen!!", I shouted, stopping her in her tracks.
"Abhi, you need to trust me.", she said reaching out to me.
"NO! NO! I WILL NEVER TRUST ANYONE! THE PEOPLE I TRUSTED BETRAYED ME! THEY MERCILESSLY STABBED ME THROUGH MY HEART!", I roared, ruthlessly holding her by the shoulders and pushing her to the floor.
"No! This cannot continue! I need this to stop! I want this to stop! I can't take this! I can no longer bear this! If Death is not going to come for me, then I will make my way to it!!", I sputtered, my whole body trembling.
My mind was going crazy, the past flashing before my eyes every second. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a knife innocently resting on the fruit bowl Rachna had left yesterday. I lunged forward and grabbed it. Without thinking, I slit my wrist, not once but twice.
Dark red blood oozed out dripping to the floor. It was done. This was the end of the road. I turned around and saw Aashi staring at me in complete horror. I dropped the knife and staggered towards her. I was happy, my life was about to end and I had the slight comfort of seeing her before I crossed over to the other side.
She caught me as I fell into her arms.
"Abhi! What have you done to yourself?", she stammered in fear, reaching out for my left hand that was staining the floor with my blood.
"No Aashi, it's time...it's time for me to go...", I said preventing her from taking my hand.
"Abhi, please don't do this." she said looking down at me as her tears fell on my forehead.
"I...have...to...Aashi...don't...waste...your...tears...I...am...not...worth...it", I struggled the words out and reached to her face with my right hand, wiping away her tears.
"Abhi, give me your hand!! Think about Daadi!! Your family!!", she said desperately battling to reach for my bleeding hand.
"You...are...there. Purab...and...you...will take...care of them...I know...you...will...care...for...my Daadi...", I told her taking her flailing hand and keeping it to my chest.
I was losing the battle. I had already lost. My eyes could no longer open and I succumbed to the tranquil voice of the all familiar darkness. But, I heard one more voice. It was a cry, yet it sounded determined. "I will not let you go."
______________________________________________________________________________
"Aashi, I cannot believe he did that.", I cried my eyes out on Aashi's shoulder.
"How could he? He never thought about his family. About me. What would happen to me if he died.", I shivered in fear.
"Daadi, I promised you na. I will not let anything happen. I will not let him go Daadi.", she soothed me.
"He tried with every bit of strength he had to stop me, but I didn't give in.", Aashi replied rubbing my back.
"We need to be strong for him Daadi. We need to help him up. I am going to do everything I can to save him", she said with a confidence.
We were at home. Aashi had bound his hand tightly stopping the blood and had shouted for us. Being a doctor, she wrote a prescription of what she needed, and had Aakash pick them up from the hospital her friend worked in.
She stitched his ghastly slash wounds and bandaged them. Setting him on an IV drip of glucose, she sedated him as he needed to rest his body. She left the door to his room open and she sat outside, carefully watching him. Aashi hadn't eaten and I couldn't let her suffer for no reason.
"Accha beta, please eat something.", I said releasing her.
"Nahi Daadi. How can I eat? Especially when he is like this?", she said with anguish.
"Aashi, don't punish yourself.", I said holding her pale face.
"I have to punish myself Daadi. I wasn't there for him as a friend. After moving to Chennai, things changed. I didn't stay in touch with him.", Aashi cried grasping my hand.
I had always wondered why she lost contact. Reminiscing the past, I remembered that she was in touch with us even after moving to Chennai. As the years passed, her calls reduced in number until it died down completely. Why? I didn't know. But something must have happened, even though neither Abhi nor Purab knew what it was.
Just then, we heard a sound from his room. Indu had come up with Rachna and she too heard it. Aashi got up and ran towards his room, with the rest of us shuffling behind her.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Where was I? My hand throbbed in pain. As I fluttered my eyes open, I saw a face. Adjusting to the light, the face became clearer. It was drenched in worry and sadness, but as I peered more closely, the familiar brown eyes gazed back at me. Aashi.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Ye Hai Mohabbatein
Hindi TV Shows
12