Abhira OS: Second Chances
Her feet paced up into an urgent sprint as she dashed past Arohi, the desperate need to get away from the vicinity overpowering every other thought. She ran, without an aim. She ran like never before. She ran with the last fiber in her body in the despairing hope to relieve herself from the burden she felt in her chest. The strenuous exercise burnt her lungs and smoldered her muscles until she was forced to cease the activity. Holding the banyan tree, she took big gulps of air.
“I see absolutely no future with him. We are poles apart. I don’t see why I should even entertain this thought anymore. I’m so tired of you all asking the same question over and over again!”
“I have completely moved on. And so should he.”
“Yes, I am 100% sure that I harbor absolutely no feelings for abhimanyu, bhaiya! It had all been an infatuation which I had initially thought was love.”
“It was a mistake from my end that I am paying for, for the past 1 month.”
Closing her eyes, she tried to tame down the amplifying storm raging inside her.The reflection of his broken face in the side view mirror of her car as she had let those vile words rush out of her mouth had ruptured her heart. With each passing word, she had felt her world wobble around the thin axis. His eyes had been bloodshot and face reflected the dark clouds floating around on the sky, the only difference, however, being that the black clouds seemed to have made a permanent place on his features. She had seen him barbarously crush the red flower that he had probably brought for her as a token of gratitude for spreading the sense of tranquility in her mother with her song. She had seen his smile wiping off with every passing sentence she had spoken to her siblings.The flashback of her poisonous words filtering through his heart choked her own heart.
Mistake. She had called it all a mistake. Her feelings, his feelings, his emotions, and every single sentiment that would bind him to her - she had degraded it all today. She had taken his heart out of his chest and royally crushed it under her feet by making a mockery of his feelings. Just the mere thought of it gave a queasy feeling in her stomach making her want to throw up.
Taking a long breath, she squeezed her eyes shut and let out a blood-curdling scream. She at once felt unholy. The disgust of her mere existence surged through her being and she collapsed on the grass, sobbing hard. The words still felt sour in her tongue.
Seconds turned into minutes, and she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to find her sister smiling down at her.
“Thank you Akshara. For once, you really didn’t disappoint me”, her spiteful comment sailed through the gap separating them.
Shoulders slouching, Akshara looked down at her lap, defeated.
“I’m just glad that everything is falling into place. Did you see how I handled Abhi and Harsh uncle back there? Harsh uncle is really impressed by the control I have over Abhimanyu. Only I can handle him.”
“You knew Abhi was listening to our conversation, didn’t you?”, Askahara’s bloodshot eyes locked her sister’s as she finally looked up.
“It’s abhimanyu for you”, Arohi corrected.
“Stop deflecting.”
Rolling her eyes, she sighed, “Yes I did. So?”
“So?! Did you even see him Aru? He…he is not himself anymore. That’s not the abhimanyu I know! He has become a totally different-”
Arohi let out a scoff, “The abhimanyu YOU know? What does that supposed to mean?”
Exhaling loudly, she closed her eyes to gain some strength. “Look, all i’m saying is that we don’t need to rub it in his face over and over again that I don’t love him. I will happily tell kairav bhaiya and the rest of the family that I don’t have any feelings for him. But you also need to understand that that man has gone through a lot since the Tilaq day. On top of that, he is beating himself up over manjiri aunty’s health. Cut him some slack Aru. You really didn’t need to pull that stunt back there”
“Really Akshara? You are seriously gonna make me look like the bad guy here? I did all that because he needed a reality check. He is beating himself up because his love hasn’t been reciprocated. He thinks you still own his heart. You are the reason why he looks the way does. You are the one who walked over his heart. All I was trying to do was mend him by helping him move on to something better. ME!”
Mouth agape, Akshara stared at her sister in disbelief. A shooting pain built up in her heart, knocking the air out of her lungs. Mustering the energy, she stood up on her feet, never breaking her gaze on her.
“I’m doing this for you Aru!”, akshara said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Arohi snotted, “No you are not. You are doing it simply because you don’t love him. Don’t play this sacrifice-game with me because I'm not falling for it like others do in the family.”
Her insides froze for a moment, ceasing herself to think anything further. It was one thing to sacrifice your love for someone and it was an entirely different thing to see the same person accuse you for the very thing you did just so that the smile on their face doesn’t fade off. That shit hurt.
A spark of anger coursed through her and she looked back into Arohi's eyes, “You are wrong.”
“Excuse me?”
“You are wrong to think that I own his heart. I absolutely don’t. As a matter of fact, he owns mine. He owns my heart, my dreams, my every thought process. HE owns ME. ALL OF ME!”
Akshara screamed at the top of her voice, feeling the despairing need to let it out of her chest. She held the log of the banyan tree to support herself, the sudden feeling of claustrophobia wobbling her knees even in the open field.
Appalled, Arohi stilled on her spot. A sudden dread of losing Abhimanyu filled her heart at the abrupt confession. She tried to assess her sister’s face for any sort of deception. Finding none, her teeth grinded against each other and a sudden rage of getting defeated by the opponent surged through her, making her clutch the sides of her jumpsuit.
Heaving, she continued, “So no, I’m not doing this because I don’t love him. It is because I love YOU more and to me, you, your needs, and your wishes have always come first. And this is mostly because of the promise I had given to seerat mamma. she-”
Not being able to take it anymore, she inhaled loudly, trying to take in as much air as she could to fill her lungs. She couldn’t breathe. For the life of her, she couldn’t. She gripped the tree tighter and raised her hand towards her sister
“Aru…”, her hand gestured and her eyes pleaded with her to hold her.
Arohi stared at her, her face impassive.
“Aru I…c….ca..can’t …bre…breathe”
Arohi’s feet went one behind the other,physically accentuating the distance that had always existed between them.
“You are doing this again. Playing your sympathy card to make me melt after dropping a bomb like abhimanyu owns you. You want to be in my good books after confessing something so vile. You think I don't understand that you are just feigning this? I’m a doctor, akshara. I know when people are lying.”
Akshara fell on her knees, the roots and the rough surface of the ground scraping her knees, “I ,..really…can’t…bre….”
The next moment, Arohi felt someone dash past her in lightning speed and the figure falling on his knees, engulfing her sister with one arm as the other one held her chin up.
Abhimanyu Birla.
“Deep breaths please.”, the tender voice reached her ears. Akshara Goenka didn’t need to see to know who that voice belonged to.
She clutched the sleeve of his shirt, her nails digging into his flesh before gasping, “I ca…ca..n’t”
He held her face and made her look at him, his eyes holding an unknown resolution, “You can and you will. Do as I say.”
Akshara ‘s body went limp and his arm at once held her by her waist while the other held her tiny face to his chest.
Seething in pure rage, Arohi’s nails dug into her fist as she shook in envy and resentment. The picture in front of her made her want to draw them apart with sheer force. However, not wanting to risk her image infront of abhimanyu, she rushed towards the duo.
“Akshara….Akshara are you okay? What happened to you all of-”
“Back.The.F*ck.Off”
Abhimanyu didn’t bother to spare a glance to arohi, his gaze being still locked to akshara’s pale face, however the frantic ferocity in his icy voice froze arohi goenka in shock. She saw his jaw clench and the vein in his forehead looked like it would burst out of his skin any moment. Anger colored her features, utterly displeased that he was using that tone with her because of Akshara.
“Abhimnayu I think she-”
Giving deaf ears to whatever Arohi was saying, Abhimanyu focused on the limp figure in his arms. Brushing the sweaty hairs from her face and tucking them behind her ear, his thumb caressed her under-eye, his voice lowering whisper while rightly holding the authoritative tone as he instructed, “you are gonna focus on your breathing. On my count, you will inhale slowly and gently through your nose and on the next count you will exhale with your mouth. We will do this together alright?”
Akshara could only nod. The next ten minutes passed with akshara feeling the soothing circles on her back, listening to the rhythmic heartbeat of him and mimicking him as they did the breathing exercise, still encased in a protective cocoon.
When akshara finally felt stable, her eyes automatically reached abhimanyu’s. Before she could say anything her gaze fell upon the figure in front of her, her tight fist and a visibly shaking arohi sent a chill down her spine and she at once got up with a jerk.
She was about to take a step towards her sister when the baritone voice called out, “Are you okay?”. The concern was unmistakable in his voice but akshara didn’t have it in her to spare a glance at the man who had saved her yet again.
Feeling squished between accusation and love that she could never call hers, she did the only thing she had become a pro at, well, at least for the last one month
She ran.
~~~~~~
Abhimanyu ran across the open field in the direction where she had disappeared. His heart pounded in his chest with thoughts running riot in his head. He stopped when he was right outside the lady’s washroom.
He inclined his head towards the door, knocked and waited for an answer. Silence. That’s all he got. Heart filling his chest and gut swirling with foreboding, he attempted one more time.
“Akshara, open the door please”, he twisted the knob as the other hand continued to knock.
“Akshara?”
Silence.
“Open up please. I’m gonna count up to 3. I’m breaking my way in if you don’t open.”
Silence…
“One…”
He tried the knob a few more times, all in vain.
“Two….”
His fist banged against the closed door, “I’m serious.”, he tried to hold his voice steady and authoritative despite the sudden dread that filled his chest.
His shoulder rammed into the door this time. Preparing for the next hit, he pounced forward only to have the door open as a pale akshara stood across the threshold.
He stormed inside.
“This is a ladies washroom.”, akshara finally said.
He studied her closely, looking for any significant changes on her vitals. Finding none, he let out the breath he didn’t know was holding and walked inside.
“Do I look like I care?”, he said, turning around to lock the door.
He walked and stood right infront of her, his shoes touching her slippers, making her toe curl.
“What the heck happened back there?”, Abhimanyu came straight to the point
She quickly grabbed her purse from the countertop and walked past her only to feel his fingers circling around her wrist. Blood swirled in her vain feeling the warm pads against her skin and she was at once brought face to face to abhimanyu.
“Do not walk away when I'm speaking to you.”. His eyes spat fire
“What do you want?”
“What happened back there, Akshara?”, Abhimanyu repeated.
Sighing, she replied, “I had a panic attack. You saved me. Again. Thank you. Now can I please go?” her hands grew sweatier, knowing very well that this is not what he asked.
“I have a pair of functional eyes and memory good enough to see and recall all that. What happened to arohi ? Why the f*ck was she saying all that instead of helping you?”
“We had a fight.”
“I see. So a fight that involved saying something along the lines of ‘I own you’?”
Her head jerked up to lock her eyes with his and when she did, a soft gasp escaped her lips at the intensity with which he was gazing down at her.
“A normal fight that happens between every sister out there and no, I did not say anything as such.”
“Fair enough. And whatever transpired between you two just led her to leave you to die.”
“Look Abhimanyu, that wasn’t what happened and honestly, this is none of your concerns. So please drop it right here.”
She walked past him but this time she found him holding her by her arms to stop her and she at once winced in pain.
The grip immediately loosened, and abhimanyu’s concerned voice reached her ears the next moment, “I’m sorry, did I hurt you?”
Her reply was quick, “N…no! No.”
Frowning, abhimanyu asked again, “are you sure? You don’t sound too convincing.”
“I said i’m fine. I have to go.”
“I don’t think anyone is going anywhere until we are done here.”, he said, crossing his arms across his chest, his tone lucidly suggesting no scope of further argument or negotiation.
Sighing she looked at him, “Look, this is neither the place nor the time to have a conversation. We are inside a ladies washroom and the door is locked. Do you realize how this might look like to anyone behind that door?”
“Really Akshara? Even at a time like this, all you can think about is what people outside that door will be thinking?”, he asked in disbelief, his tone slowly taking the side of pure rage. He held her arms again, “Do you even know-”
His sentence died down in his throat as he heard her soft mewl again and she pushed his hand away as though been electrocuted. She gave her arm three violent jerks, wincing in pain.
Abhimanyu stared at her dumbfounded. He was confident that he didn’t hold her tight enough to muster such a reaction. Heck, he barely even touched her this time.
“What’s going on Akshara?”, his eyes narrowed into slits as he inquired, his brows knitting together in the process.
“I’m fine.”
Still locking his gaze on her face, he brought his hands to deliberately touch her arms this time, and as expected she flinched and cried out again.
“No you are not.”, said abhimanyu, before holding the hem of the satin cardigan for the sole purpose of taking off.
“What are you doing?”, akshara held the fabric in tight grip, her heart drumming against her ribcage.
“Relax. I’m just checking what’s wrong”
“You-”
Before she could hold the material in place, his one swift pull moved the cardigan away and the soft piece of fabric pulled around her feet.
The sharp inhale that occurred the next moment would perhaps be the biggest understatement of the century to render the blow abhimanyu bore. Pink, red and purple patches and blisters all over her arms and forearms. His mouth at once gaped in shock and he couldn’t find the proper words to form a rational question.
His fingers rose to lightly touch the bruise. Seeing her flinch, he finally spared a glance to her face only to find her looking down at the marble floor.
“H…How?”, was all he could whisper. The lump took an uncomfortable shape in his throat making it all the more painful to swallow.
Silence…
He waited for a moment longer before holding her chin to raise her downcast face.
“How?”, he repeated.
Still staring at her feet, she mumbled, “I…slipped in the washroom.”
Abhimanyu’s jaw visibly clenched and something crossed his feature for a fraction of a second as his scrutinizing gaze held her face.
“Continue”
“I forgot that the floor was slippery as i didn’t get the chance to…to properly pour water after taking a shower. And…when I walked inside i…slipped and bruised my arms.”
When he didn’t say anything for the next one minute, she looked up to see him looking at her intently.
“Interesting story. Now the truth please.”
He spoke with such nonchalance that if akshara hadn’t known better, she would probably have laughed it
off instead of feeling like a deer caught in the headlights.
“I’m sorry?”
“I don’t know what you think of my intellectual abilities but i will have to burst whatever bubble you are living in and say that I can recognize the difference between a bruise from a slip and a bur-”
His words died down in his throat for the second time that day. Burn marks! His entire world began to spin until he felt dizzy.
This couldn’t possibly be what he thought it was
His heart thumped against his chest, threatening to burst out. The sound of his heartbeat was so empowering that he failed to notice how her fingers curled around the sides of her floral dress.
“How did you burn yourself akshara?”, he finally asked, his stomach twisting into an uncomfortable knot. “ And please spare me the ridiculous stories like i burned myself while cooking”
Her mute figure began to test his patience and he balled his fingers into a fist.
“Akshara. Story. Now.”
Her grip around her dress tightened as she remained silent.
Holding his breath, he finally asked what he had been wanting to ask for what felt like an eternity, “was it you who…who saved me that day?”
He forgot to breathe. His eyes intently studied every expression crossing her features . He had never felt so desperate for an answer. Ever.
She shook her head, “No…A..rohi”
“To my face.”, he breathed, as he held her chin to make her look at him, her downcast face taking a toll on him, “you are gonna say that to my face.”
The despairing need to see her eyes that had always spoken volumes course through his being.
And when she finally did raise her teary gaze to lock with him, he at once let her go and staggered back.
“It was you!”, he whispered, more to himself than her.
The air around him that had been so thick that he could bet his life that he would be able to cut it with a knife at once felt surreal and light. His chest that had been weighed down with the disturbing memory of finding arohi that day when he came back to his senses suddenly whooshed out, breaking it free. Something about the moment felt so tranquil that all he wanted to do was close his eyes and take a deep breath, the kind you take when you feel at peace. He wanted to haul her against his chest and enclose her in his steely arms.
The next moment however, the blooming smile on his face wiped off as his mind took another route. The dreadful feeling came back and his face began to cover in dark clouds.
“Why didn't you say anything when everyone was giving credits to arohi?”
When he didn’t hear anything from her, he towered over her, fuming to the point that shook his entire being.
“ Why didn’t you clear out the misunderstanding my family had about arohi? Or after? Or when I called you that day?”
Akshara’s brain began to scramble...seeing the hurt in his eyes. How can he expect her to answer that question so directly? Her mouth trembled...
Her silence only unwinded the alarming emotion that he was trying so hard to conceal. He wouldn’t be able to take it, he knew.
“Were you….”, he swallowed the lump, trying his best to keep up a steady voice despite the tightness he felt around his chest. “Were you trying to push arohi towards me? Did you…did you want me to grow….feelings for her?”
Her croaked voice finally whispered, “She really loves you Abhimanyu.”
Her words cut through his heart as a shrapnel and he stepped back, staring at her incredulously. “And the fact that I feel absolutely nothing for her makes no difference? or the fact that she was trying to deceive her way into our family doesn’t hit your conscience? At all?”
His words put a question mark to her entire belief and existence. She mustered the strength to form some words that would give a proper justification to her actions, except that she found none.
“You… you guys are compatible. She handles your family well. You both are doctors and she understands you and your family, just like…just like she knew… how to ha-handle the situation today when you and harsh uncle got into a fight”
He scoffed, letting out a bitter laugh that burned her ears before looking at her face, as if to memorize the features that had once left him breathless. And then he spoke, “you were right, Akshara. It was a mistake.”
Akshara’s head swiveled at Abhimanyu, the sharp intake of air not justifying the several deaths she suffered in the fraction of a second.
“Abhimanyu…”, she whispered.
“We are indeed done here Akshara. We are indeed…done”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PART 2
The wall length mirror in her room reflected Akshara goenka to perfection. The clean and polished glass with vanity lights mirrored the most beautiful self of her. Except that all she saw was several broken pieces in front of her eyes, although there was not a single crack in the glass. The issue was not the mirror, it was her own self she realized.
A mistake. He had called it all a mistake. Her entire form crumbled until she collapsed on the floor, letting out a heart wrenching sob. She felt a sense of deja vu. Wasn’t that what she thought how he must have felt when he had heard her say exactly that to Kairav and Arohi a few hours ago?
His accusing gaze and disbelief when she had tried to make sense of her actions had bruised her in more ways than one. She didn’t realize that such a degree of pain could possibly even exist until he was gone out of her sight.
We are indeed done here akshara. We are indeed….done
His broken voice echoed in the room over and over again making her cover her ears. Going through it once was enough, she didn’t need her memory to keep rubbing it in. she had felt the heartache when she had decided to give it all up for her sister. But nothing could match up to what she felt today. His one determined foot in front of the other had broken the stride of her life. It had felt a personal loss that she had never seen herself going through, even when she had made up her mind to sacrifice everything for arohi. It was her decision that he had respected but the consequence that followed seemed too hard for her to bear.
In her despair, she didn’t notice when another figure had entered the room, when it had stood right in front of her fragmented pieces and when it had at once pulled her to her feet before making her the victim of the daggers that was shot through the subject’s eyes.
“What did you do?? WHAT DID YOU DO?!”, arohi goenka screamed at the top of her lungs holding her by her arms in a menacing grip before shaking her violently.
Akshara winced in pain as her nails dug into her raw blisters. The burning sensation make her jerk herself out of her hold before asking, “what’s wrong? Why are you screaming?”
“Don’t. Just don’t act so innocent. Tell me just what you told abhi that he had kicked me out of his team?”
Akshara stared at her sister dumbfounded, “he did what?”
“He put me on a 3 month probation and put me under another doctor’s supervision. And that’s not even the best part. He threatened me in quite a colorful language to stay away from you.”
Nothing was making sense to her and she held arohi;s hand and made her sit on the bed.
“Please calm down and tell me form the beginning what happened”
2 hours ago…
“Dr arohi, you will be under the team and supervision of Dr. Agarwal with immediate effect. Your probation period of 3 months will be starting from tomorrow and in these 3 months, the hospital will decide whether to let you continue working as a junior resident or not. Here is the official letter, in case of any confusion. You may leave, thank you!”
“Excuse me abhi- I mean doctor abhimanyu? Are you saying i’m not a part of your team anymore?.”
“Precisely Dr. Arohi. That is exactly what I meant.”
“Wh-how..why? And the probation? I’m sorry, Wh-what’s going on?”
“Oh i’m sorry, was i not clear? Perhaps have a look at the letter, the fine print might give you a better idea of what i’m talking about”
Her fumbling fingers had opened up the letter and schemed through it.
“Is…is this about what happened at the park today?”
“Yes and no.”
She stared at him dumbfounded not knowing what to make of this.
“See dr arohi, I’m in a fix here. The junior residents who are in my team were chosen solely on the basis of their academic results with the presumption that they know the basic protocols of medicine and treating a patient. Going by your approach to Miss Akshara Goenka’s case today, I believe you lack knowledge in both. And I can’t let someone as amateur of a resident to be in my team. And the 3 months probation is the period where you will be taught the basics, supervised under the expertise of dr agarwal as well as be exposed to cases where your knowledge and approaches will be tested for us to finally come to a decision about what to do with you ”
“So…so this is all because of akshara? She came crying to you and complained how i didn’t help her when she had a panic attack? And you took her words? Do you even know how manipulative she can be?”
“Matter of fact, dr arohi, she said nothing. She didn’t need to. My eyes and ears were fully functional at the time when you refused to help her with your medical expertise when she couldn’t breathe today.”
“Dr!! Such mild panic attacks happen to her all the time and half the time she is faking it to get attention!!!”
“Thank you for proving my point dr. this is precisely why i’m putting you on probation and out of my team.”
“Do you even know my score on the board exam? I bloody topped!! And you are kicking ME out of your team? And asking me to learn the basic protocols? Have you lost your mind abhimanyu? And this is all just because of that manipulative bi-”
“ finish that and i won’t be responsible for the mental trauma you will suffer from having your license withdrawn and kicked out of the hospital with immediate effect.”, his calm and nonchalant voice had dipped down a few decibels and the icy tone he took sent a shiver right down her spine, regretting her words immediately.
“And now that you have made it personal, let me ask you one more question - how did you even think that taking the credit of saving me from that fire from your sister would help you make a place in my life and family?”
“Wow! So she did tell you everything. No wonder you are handing me this letter today. What else did she say? That the special puja that was done in the mandir for your mom was actually done by her? Oh she also must have told you how i didn’t convince her to fight for you against ruby. She did that on her own? Hmm?”
She saw something akin to surprise cross his feature for a millisecond before it was all gone. She found him staring at her intently, his expressions not quite making any sense to her. And then she saw him walking towards her in slow, predatory strides until he stood a respectful distance away from her.
“I have never despised a woman more in my life than i despise you at the moment. The fact that you can even think of your own sister as low as you do, makes me pity akshara that she got someone like YOU as her sister, who she can give everything up for. EVERYTHING! It’s my bad luck that I can't do anything to change it. But listen to me and listen to me good, if your filthy presence in the Goenka house makes any, and i mean, ANY inconvenience for MY akshu even for once, i swear on my last breath that i will ruin your whole life, your career included. I’m an extremely possessive man Dr. Arohi Goenka. And I absolutely loathe it when someone tries to mess up with something that’s mine. and You seem to have messed with probably the most significant part of my life, my akshu, and made it far too personal for me. It is your lucky day that I haven’t done something even remotely close to what I said I would if she faces any kind of hardship because of you, yet.”, he finished with a tone so low and yet held the power to burn anyone to ashes. He turned around to leave only to stop in his strides.
“And one more thing, Dr. Arohi, I have accepted that my love will never be reciprocated by your sister, thanks to you, but that will never stop me from protecting her from this filthy world. She will always be my priority regardless of where life takes us”
“He…he sa…said that?”, akshara whispered, as if arohi’s narration to the whole incident hadn’t really sunk in and she needed confirmation to truly believe it. Her own heart filled with an unknown joy. How and why he had said all that after what had transpired between them few hours ago was still a mystery to her.
“ As if you have no idea he would do something like this after how you went behind my back and spoke crap about me. Honestly akshara, What did you gain, divulging this information to him,? Didn’t you promise me you wouldn’t come between us?”
“I…I didn’t say-”
She raised her hand, gesturing her to stop, “Please. You are the most pathetic human i have ever come across in my life. You are so full of pretense. And so full of yourself. Tell me what happened after he went after you to the washroom. What did you do that he had to make such a hasty decision of kicking me out of his team and putting me, Arohi goenka, on a 3 month probation with that threat of kicking me out of the hospital if i don’t behave well with you???Did you lay your heart at his feet? Did you melt in his arms finding the perfect opportunity as abhimanyu had already helped you with your so called breathing problems? Did you seduce him? What-”
“ENOUGH AROHI GOENKA!”, akshara yelled, shrugging the hands off her shoulder. The frown on her face vanished and was replaced with frantic ferocity filled with hurt, anger, and disgust...but it turned out more painful, as it was her own sister to say it this time, the very sister she was ready to give everything up for.
Arohi froze in shock to see the strikingly unconventional side of akshara.
“Melt in his arms? Seduce? SEDUCE you say? How could you even let such a filthy thought cross your mind, let alone out of your mouth?! And no, I said absolutely nothing as such. He saw the blisters- that you probably are not even aware of because you were too busy taking MY credit for saving abhi from the fire - and drew the conclusion on his own that it was me who saved him. I didn’t utter a single word about it. As far as the puja for manjiri aunty, and the ruby case is concerned, it was you who divulged the whole thing in the heat of the moment, not me.”
“You know Arohi, I really don’t know what is wrong with me. I don’t know why i always go for the wrong person, make the wrong decisions and end up hurting the ones who are ready to turn the entire world upside down for me. I have always loved you like a mother. You have been nothing but my baby for the last 25 years. I have always done everything to keep you happy, sacrificed the 3 years that i could have spent with my own family just so that you can live in peace, gave up my love for abhimanyu just because you said you want him - only to have you accuse me of seducing the very man i rejected just cause you have “feelings” for him? The same sister also left me to die today when i was pleading with you to help me because i couldn’t breathe. What was that you said? That i was faking it?”
Akshara let out a bitter laugh before continuing, her face now red and devoid of any emotion, “You know the saddest part about this whole thing, arohi? You just never took the time to even understand me. From your favorite color to your favorite food, from the time you wake up in the morning to every toss you take in your sleep, i am aware of it all. Because you had always been my priority. ALWAYS! But what’s the point? At the end of the day, i’m always the one who gets accused of such filthy crimes.”
“So I have decided something. As I have said earlier that most of it is because of the promise I had given to seerat mamma. Today, I free myself from that promise. You say that i always come in between your happiness right? Fine. I let you as well as myself free. My path will be totally different from yours. I won’t interfere in your life, and you won’t in mine. And for once, I will think about MY happiness before i do yours.”
With that akshara, picked up her purse from the bed and turned around to leave when she felt arohi grip her wrist, “Wh…what do you mean by you will think of your happiness? Wh--what are you gonna do…? Wh…where are you going?”
Smiling at her sister, she gently shrugged her hand free of her hold, “You have lost the right to ask me that question, Arohi. Have a good day!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Akshara stopped with a jolt as she realized she was standing at the gate of Birla house. She looked up at the sky, and frowned at the dark cloud forming. It would start pouring any moment. She quickly stepped inside the porch and smiled at the curious glances thrown by the housekeeper. Before she could inquire about abhimanyu, the old man told her that no one was in the house except “chote sahab”.
“Chhote sahab?”
“Oh that would be abhi baba. Are you here to meet him? Do you want me to call him?”
“Yes. i .. i mean no. I will…I will go to him. May I know the way to his room?”
By the time she reached outside the closed door to abhimanyu’s room, her heart started beating at an erratic pace, making her clutch the portion of her cloth that covered her chest. She couldn’t fall weak now that she is here. You can do this
~~~~~~~
Abhimanyu put on his headphones, trying to divert his mind from the whole mass that his life was.
“Dr!! Such mild panic attacks happen to her all the time and half the time she is faking it to get attention!!! “
“She really loved you abhimanyu.”
“So…so this is all because of akshara? She came crying to you and complained how i didn’t help her when she had a panic attack? And you took her words? Do you even know how manipulative she can be?”
“You guys are compatible and...she can handle your family so well”
“F*CK!”, abhimanyu swore under his breath. The entire conversation with arohi had messed up his mind, ceasing his ability to rationally think. He didn’t understand where the stark difference came from between the two sisters. He still couldn’t believe akshara was giving it all up for someone who didn’t deserve even a fraction of her love and sacrifice.
The sudden rage coursed through her vain and he at once took off the headphone and slammed it against the floor, shattering the device into pieces. He was so furious that he could swear that he even just day dreamed about akshara sitting on his bed and looking at him in concern and anticipation.
F*ck! F*ck! F*ck!
“I have completely lost it.”, he said to himself before turning around to grab the towel for a cold shower that he hoped would take his mind off for sometime.
“Me too.”
The familiar voice swiveled his entire form towards the source of the sound and when he saw akshara still sitting on his bed, he swore out loud, “What the F*ck?!”
He saw her finally get up and come infront of him.
“Wh---what are you…how? What are you doing here?!”, abhimanyu fumbled with words still shocked at the sudden appearance of the very person that lives rent-free in his mind these days and who was the last person he thought to ever see his bedroom, let alone sit in his bed.
He saw her take a deep breath, as if preparing herself to recite something she had memorized from home. Her tiny form stood just a breath away from him, her toes touching his.
“I’m here to…to…to ask you if you would like to take me back.”, she said looking at her feet.
“Excuse me?”
He hated it when she didn’t look at him while speaking. He could never decipher what’s going on in that little head of hers.
“I asked….if…if you would like to take me back.”. Her voice became so low, he was sure by the time she had finished her sentence he was bending towards her with his ear close to her mouth.
“I don’t understand. What is it that you are trying to say?”
Sighing, continued, “today i realized that I have always prioritized the wrong people in my life. Those who don’t even think about me, i seem to dedicate my life for them, while those who truly care for me, who fights for me, who stands behind me like a shield just so that i don’t lose my balance, who pulls me back up everytime i fall, it turns out that i end up hurting them the most. I’m here to change that today.”
“Okay…?”, still not sure where this was going, he probed her to speak.
“Okay? OKAY?! Aren’t you gonna ask how i am gonna do that?”
“Okay, how are you gonna do that?”, he asked, a frown forming on his forehead not knowing what exactly
to say. Heck, he was still digesting the fact that she was really here in his room.
Looking at him incredulously for a moment, she stomped on her foot and whined, “You are not helping here Abhi.”
“Helping with what?”, he asked dumbly. “What…what are you saying?”
For a good moment, the best idea to akshara seemed to be grabbing the soundbox from the table on her left and chucking it right at his face. Is he serious?!
Dropping the idea, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The next moment, she took two tiny step forward and circled her arms around his waist. She didn’t have it in her to speak while his gaze bore holes on her face
“I would like to start it afresh with you abhimanyu. Would you give me a second chance? please…”
The fact that his arms remained on his sides bothered her to the core. She scowled at his steely hands that refused to move and encircle her petite form.
“Give me one reason why I should be giving you a second chance.”, his voice was low and devoid of the usual tenderness. The question tugged at her heart.
“Be…because..i’m apologizing.”, she tightened her hold around him, praying that he would budge.
“Not good enough. Try again.”
“Because I came here on my own, in this bad weather when it is pouring outside to tell you that I want to start afresh?”
“Nope. you need to be more specific Miss Akshara Goenka. Why should i give you a second chance?”
“Because I am specifically asking you to take me back myself?”
“Try again.”
“Because I love you?”
The room was suddenly engulfed in a pin drop silence, the violent rattling of the rain on the french window seemed to have been muted as the only sound that reached one another’s ears were the loud beating of their hearts.
“Again.”, akshara heard him mumble.
“Hmm?”
“Repeat what you just said”, he demanded.
“Because i love you?”, she obliged, the feeling of the words tingling her tongue, leaving a sweet taste in her mouth.
“Again.”, said abhimanyu, his voice sounding hoarse and she felt his heart beating faster than it had a moment ago.
“Because I love you?”
“Once more… Please”, this time it sounded more of a pleading than a demand. Her own stomach twisted at the tone.
Swallowing gently, she spoke in utter tenderness, “because I love you”
“Better remember this.” and with that, she felt his arm trace her spine in one slow motion until it reached her upper back and then both his arms locked her petite form in his steely cage, pulling her in his warmth, his grip tightening with passing seconds. She felt his face dipping in the crook of her neck, his warm breath fanning her skin, making her toe curl.
As seconds turned into minutes, the hug turned more and more fierce, until akshara found him backing her up in a rush till her back hit the wall. His one arm still holding her tiny waist while the other went up to rest against the wall, as his gaze studied her intently
“If you back out on your words this time Akshu, I swear to god -”
“I won’t”, she shook her head, meeting his eyes with her large ones with a resolution that blew him away.
His gaze dropped down to her quivering lips that glossed under the yellow light of his room. His palms cupped her jaw and he found her licking her lips with her tongue, whether it was unknowingly or in anticipation, he didn’t know. He slowly pulled her close, caressing her cheek with lazy flicks of his thumb. Seeing her slowly close her eyes, he whispered in her ears, “If you hear anyone calling your name, now would be the right time to run away and answer it.”
Akshara felt her entire body tingle as he breathed into her ear in that specific tone she knew was only reserved for her. Her fingers bunched the shirt in his chest as she shook her head and spoke through trembling lips, “I have nowhere to go to”
Not a single second was wasted after that as his lips claimed her quivering mouth in a gut-flipping gesture. Akshara stood there, too nervous to move, as she felt the first brush of his warm lips on her. The overwhelming emotions made her weak and her knees wobbled only to feel the possessive grip with which he pulled her body flush against his, preventing her from the anticipating fall. Their breaths clashed and mingled in the magic of the moment, her stomach twisting into a knot when she realized how secured she felt inside his arms.The next moment, every fiber of his body was set ablaze as her lips timidly closed over his. A muted groan escaped his lips in response and his grip tightened around her.
Not wanting to frighten her, he slowly pulled back with a peck on her lips, resting his forehead against hers with a smile that finally reached his eyes. brushing her baby hair behind her ears, he looked into her eyes, his voice lacing with an unknown concern and tenderness, “I’m sorry, did I scare you?”
Blushing to the roots of her hair, she looked down at her feet as she shook her head.
“Are you okay?”, his thumb caressed her under-eye making her look into his eyes.
She nodded.
“Are you just gonna shake your head or say something too?”
Shaking her head a no, she hid her face into her chest, her cheeks still burning as the memory of the last few minutes played rent-free in her head. Feeling his chest rumble with laughter against her face, she couldn’t help but grin ear to ear.
Sighing, akshara goenka let the moment sink into her bones. Sometimes all you need to do is to make the right choice in life to fix an unpaved path of life, even if it means letting go of something that you held close to your heart all your life. One such decision today gave Akshara the sense of fulfillment she was trying so hard to find in a relationship that was never meant to be. Arohi Goenka was her blood sister but she could never provide her the warmth a sister normally would, in the last 25 years. On the other hand, this man who held her within the cage of his arms in a way that made her gut twist, had bumped into her out of nowhere not more than a month ago and provided all the love, warmth and security that she had desperately seeked for her entire life.
She felt his lips place a kiss on her crown. Her eyes gave off an unfamiliar spark as she snuggled into his warmth. Come what may, she will make this relationship work. With every fiber of her being. With her very last breath. And that was a silent promise she made to Abhimanyu Birla.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PHEWWWWW!!!! Okay y'all I understand that this one was a painfully long one, but i would truly appreciate it from the bottom of my heart if you guys could leave a few words along with pressing the like button IF you ended up reading the whole thing and liked it. it took me 3 days, with only a few hours of breaks in between, to finish this whole OS and before you ask, i didn't post it in parts (considering how lengthy it was) because i felt like i would get lazy and wouldn't end up finishing the story had i gievn myself the option of making it a multiple-shots-story. I'm genuinely sorry if this bothered anyone or caused any inconvenience. So in case it gets too much for y'all, I did divide it into two parts so you can take breaks in between as you read? yeah? no? maybe? I'm sorry i'm just blabbering at this point because it is 4:21 am over here and my eyes are closing and if I talk any more, I will fall asleep on my keyboard before hitting the "post" button. So I'mma stop 😵
but but....I just wanted to let you guys know that i'm crossing my fingers that the length wouldn't hold you from reading the whole thing I sacrificed my sleep for and I would like to grow some teeny weeny hope of being able to read some amazing comments once I wake up in the morning (no 4:21 am is still night for me😳)
This OS is dedicated to every one of you who had politely asked me for my next work , stalked me like total creeps (you know who you are😳) , threatened me to their heart's content (i think everyone know who these are as well) and sent innumerable PMs and posted comments on my threads. I don't think I have ever been more serious while saying that Y'all have become a second family to me who i look forward to talking to and chilling with every evening. I love you guys so sooo much! 🤗
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