Kyon ✓ (Abhira)

20. Two Shattered Souls

Yeh moh moh ke dhaage
Teri ungliyon se ja uljhe
Koi toh toh na laage
Kis tarah girah ye suljhe 

20. Two Shattered Souls

"Arjun was my best friend, we did everything together. He was the most outgoing personality, very charming, very wholesome and the most funniest." Abhi smiled, teary eyed as he spoke his heart out, Akshara had linked her arm with his, her head on his shoulder as he spoke, "We were neighbours and our mothers were best friends, owing which we both were brought up together. At the start, I did not like Arjun, he was always so sweet and well mannered and so brilliant in everything he did be it studies or sports or activities, he was the best. I knew mom loved him just as much as he loved me, but I was a little jealous of him, still am. But I loved him, and he loved me. We never had a fight which lasted more than a day, we never had dull days, we never wanted anything but each other's support. He was elder to me by three days, and often told me that 'Main baap hu tera,'," Abhi chuckled, and Akshara smiled. 

It was funny because of the names too, Abhimanyu was Arjun's son in Mahabharata too.

"Maa was so proud of him, he was the most poetic guy, loved writing poems, stories and things that swooned everyone's hearts, especially girls. I admit I was just bit jealous of him, but more than that I truly loved him. I really did and I would do anything to have him back."

Abhi stopped, and took some time to recover from those harsh memories, and Akshara felt the need to fill in the silence with her stories, trying to ease Abhi by taking her time to speak up. He removed the wallet, where he still had the picture of them posing on their 10th birthday. Akshara looked at the two happy kid and smiled sadly, death of a best friend wasn't an easy thing to face.

"I was jealous of Aru, very jealous." She said, arms still interlinked as she looked blankly ahead, "Until she arrived, I was the most pampered, most loved, but once she came, mom and dad just gave all their attention to her and I sort of became invisible. Perks of being the middle child," Akshara chuckled mindlessly and took a deep breath, "I loved my sister but I hated the attention she got from our parents. Dad used to call me his little sherni, because I was very very rebellious as a kid, very moody, very outgoing and very mischievous. I was everything I am not now, just straightforward, a carefree girl with no sort of concern towards anyone." Akshara sighed, she knew Abhi was listening to her, the silent night was such a comfort for the two souls today. "So for her 5th birthday, I was really angry at them missing my singing at school and I slammed the cake, smashed it on the ground and expected them to slap me, or to get mad at me or anything that will show how angry they were at me."

Akshara paused, the days felt like centuries to her, like she was telling an ancient tale even though it was just from her childhood. Abhi shifted his gaze towards her, he did not ask anything but he was curious to know what happened next. She leaned her head towards the tree, leaving his arms and playing with the mud, "They did not get angry, they did not even correct me. All they did was clean up the mess, apologise to Arohi and then told me to go to my room," Akshara held her breath, the pain pricking her heart, "But they were disappointed, they were very disappointed at me and that hurt so much." She shut her eyes, taking a deep breath, "and henceforth, I vowed to devote all my life to my little sister and to take care of my siblings, to never disappoint them ever again." Akshara scoffed, as she shook her head, disappointed in her self, "look at me now, was a disappointment then, and still am. Till date, Kairav bhaiya and Aru have only been through pain and distress for me. Sometimes I feel, that... I should just..." She couldn't continue the statement, tear drops falling on the ground as Abhi inched closer to the girl, taking her hand in his.