Like a whisper.
Like the softest breeze before rainfall.
Like a falling tear.
Like the morning dew.
So gentle, so magical, yet so subtle. Fingers twitched slowly, while blurry eyes opened and closed to the sight of a crying man. His face streaked with tears and eyes closed in pain, barely registering the soft whispering touch against his cheek.
A sigh escaped those dry, weak lips as pain shot through her body.
Dark brown eyes widened, immense pain being replaced by endless hope. Trembling hands pressed the button beside the bed, calling for aid. Those eyes stared with light as though a river had somehow been set on fire, hope, belief and fear mingled together, forming an ocean of excitement. They did not flinch or look away from those fazed, tired, confused pools of hazel even as he was being pulled away by the doctors. They speechlessly stared in wonder like a worn out traveler in the wilderness chancing upon an oasis.
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"Khushi..." Garima kept whispering as she simply held her daughters hands and felt the way her fingers moved within her palms, her eyes joyous and filled with tears, tears for having gained everything she had feared losing. She smiled at the way her daughter looked at her, responding to her each time she called her name, more tears spilled out, there are some emotions that cannot be contained and when we experience joy after a period of great agony, gratefulness, unbelief and utter joy makes us collapse, leaving us vulnerable to everything. "Could you hear or feel anything when you were asleep?" Garima asked as she stroked her daughter's hair, "No amma" she nodded with a few tears in her eyes, "But I know how painful this would have been for you, I'm here okay, stop crying" she whispered as she slipped into her mother's arms, as though assuring her that she wasn't going away. "Oho, your amma won't stop crying for probably the next whole year" Shashi said with a small laugh, his eyes moist and calm, unable to entirely express how his heart suddenly seemed lighter.
"When can I come home?" Khushi asked, "Easy there bitiya" Shashi laughed, "The doctor said in a few days but they are waiting for certain test results" he said.
Khushi looked around the tiny room, her eyes properly looking at everything for the first time since she had opened her eyes, she smiled at the cards and flowers, the dangling stars by the window and the pile of books by her bed, everything somewhat minimizing the blue hue of the room. "Amma, you read Harry Potter to me?" Khushi asked with a soft loving smile.
"Arre no beta, Arnav had brought them from home and he sat here reading for hours every day, he thought it would help you wake up" Garima explained with an affectionate smile as she watched Khushi's face flood with warmth.
"Where is he?" Khushi asked, her voice so soft and tender.
"He was here when you woke up, you were not fully conscious so you probably did not realize, he stood outside while the doctors performed all immediate tests, he called us and informed that you have finally woken up, you know just today the doctor said you might not wake up, I was so afraid but I still believed that you wouldn't leave us like that..." Garima said, her eyes flooding again as she cupped Khushi's cheek. Rubbing away her tears she continued "When we reached here, the doctors were still performing their tests, Arnav said he needed to do something, he will be back soon" Garima smiled affectionately as she looked into her daughters hazel eyes, her heart rejoicing as she watched those eyes smile.
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She smiled as she flipped through various colourful cards and the messages drawn across them. Her fingers stilled as she heard a gentle knock on the door.
Deep Hazel eyes, not closed anymore, filled with life. His heart thudded as he let himself willingly drown in a moment he had been waiting for. Shaky legs somehow made their way next to the bed, "Khushi" he whispered as he sat beside her, his eyes constantly gazing into hers, they were alive. "Amma told me you were here every day" she said softly as she dragged her hand across his disheveled hair, "Don't tell me you haven't been sleeping" she admonished him as her fingers slowly traced the dark shadows beneath his eyes. He laughed, slowly, softly, his eyes filling with tears, a few drops falling onto her delicate fingers "Really Khushi? You choose to give me a lecture now?" he said, his face lifting in a smile as she speechlessly wiped away his tears.
"I wanted to be here when you properly opened your eyes but I needed to go back and get something, there are so many things I want to tell you" he said as he held her fingers and slowly brought them to his lips. He pulled out a small box, its edges rusty and brown.
"Khushi come na, let's play, I have to go back home and complete my homework!" Arnav cried as he rubbed his nose while he watched his friend sprawled on the floor, still in her uniform.
"Oho wait" she said, shushing him as she carefully applied glue to the silver paper and stuck it carefully within the corners of a metallic box. "What are you doing? It will be dark soon, let's go play" he kept pestering her.
"Wait, first let me tell you what this is" she said with wide eyes.
"What is it?" he asked, his feet tapping restlessly.
"It's a memory box, each time we do something cool or if anything special happens, we keep something in here to remind us of it" she said with glowing eyes.
"How boring..." he said scrunching up his nose.
"Boring? You idiot how old are we?" she asked. "Eight years, Khush, don't tell me you don't know" he replied haughtily.
"Imagine all the wonderful things this box will hold, we can finally open it up when we are older, maybe when we are as old as our parents, it will be like trapping all these moments in here forever" she said, her eyes lost and dreamy.
"Fine, fine, it's a cool idea but where are we going to keep it?" he asked.
"You get to keep it, since I always end up losing things" she said as though she was bestowing him with an honor and privilege.
"Okay great, I'll take it when I'm going home, now come quickly" he said as he carefully set aside the glue and scraps of paper and pulled her to her feet before rushing to the garden.
Her eyes brightened, "You actually kept this, see I was right in giving it to you, if it was with me it would probably have been buried under a pile of old clothes and books" she said with a laugh as she slowly opened the box. Her fingers gently tracing the tiny fading movie stubs, tickets to the circus, his first broken guitar string, their prefect badges from school, her first cake recipe in writing, photos of them at a carnival photo booth, art class pictures that they had painted together, their first broken ink pens, pressed flowers and leaves from each outing and school trip, old ID cards with silly pictures..."Ahhh look at us man, just look at that chubby face" she said with a laugh as she pinched his cheek. She noticed how he had added something's recently, scribbled napkins from their stupid dinners, bowling tickets, a picture of him and her taken during Dhruv's wedding. "NK took that one when we thought he was sleeping in the car" Arnav chuckled as he observed how they stood together, facing the lake, the fading sunlight reflected over the lake and their smiling eyes. She blinked back a few involuntary tears as her fingers fiddled with the tiny articles within the sparkly interiors of the box.
His hand enveloped hers "Khush" he said softly. "You've always been there, I have taken it for granted so many times, all those years back I failed to see the love in your eyes, you've always been right here, so close, when you were asleep..." He said hoarsely, his voice trembling "I thought about how I could possibly go on without you, especially when you came back and taught me to smile again, I wondered how I could possibly go back to living a life without you, a life where breathing was just a task. I knew then that the only times I've truly been happy, the only times I've laughed and just lived was when you were by my side, how could I ever let that go, and I was terrified...I was so scared because it felt like you were being snatched away from me, you and everything that you've brought back." He said as he looked down at her hands, his fingers entwined around hers, his eyes threatening to flood and break him.
"All these years and you are still so important, so important that without you breathing becomes difficult" he said as he held her hands once again to his trembling lips. "I may not love you perfectly, purely and the way you deserve to be loved...but I do love you Khush...I really do...in my very own flawed and self..." he wasn't allowed to complete the rest of his words, her fingers had cupped his face, rubbing gently across his stubbled jaw, forcing him to look into her eyes that glowed with tears and a warm smile as she gently raised her head and pressed her soft lips to his. "Flawed my foot" she whispered against his lips as his eyes closed, sending tears scurrying down his cheeks to meet hers, she fisted her palms across the soft fabric of his grey shirt "You read bloody Harry Potter to me each day" she said as her lips danced across his, "Don't you for a second think I'm letting you go" she breathed against him with a slight laugh before meeting his smiling lips with fervor once again.
Everybody relieved??😆😆 Okay please provide me your precious thoughts on this part. I'm sorry I haven't been able to reply to any of the comments, I've read them and thank you so much for the love!
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