"Abhi...Abhi...tum ne yeh kyun kiya...." she mumbled even in her unconscious state, her head resting in his lap.
"Akshu, please calm down...Akshu relax baba...", he softly said, stroking her hair, rubbing her palms.
When she finally woke up a few hours later, he immediately helped sit up, feeding her water and giving her medicine.
"Tum toh ab doctor nahi ho na? Toh phir tum mera aise khyaal bhi mat rakho.." she said, unable to control the tears dripping down her cheeks.
"Haan, nahi hoon. Liken tumhara pati toh ab bhi hoon na?", he said softly, wiping off her tears, kissing her forehead.
He reached over to the nightstand and picked up the diary he had carried with him every single day of the past year, slowly checking off one item from her list after the next. He gently handed it to her, gesturing for her to open it.
And as she started flipping through the pages, the memories of them sitting together in that garden underneath the sun shining vibrantly upon them....them writing down their hopes and dreams for the future...them promising to always be together, to never leave each other's side...the memories all came flooding back. She ran her hand down the lists, seeing that he had crossed off "scuba diving", "bungee jumping", "daredevil swing", "climb the tallest mountain", and so many others. But, what she also saw was that the ones they were meant to do hand in hand..."romantic candlelight dinner", "camping under the shooting stars", "dancing with the dolphins" had been left untouched...
She looked up to see him staring intently at her.
"Tumhe jawab chaiya tha na Akshu? Toh yeh lo apna jawab...apne docman se... Akshu jab tum chali gayi thi na...toh mein ne socha tha ki har ek din mein is koshish mein jeeyunga ki mein yeh prove kar sakoon ki mein itna khush hoon...ki mein ne jeena seekh liya...ki yeh sab joh hum ko saath mein karna tha, mein akele karoon ga... liken Akshu sach toh yeh hai ki har ek din dil se bas ek hi dua nikalti thi...ki aaj tum mil jao...ki aaj tum dikh jao...sach toh yeh hai ki mein siraf tumari talash mein jee raha tha Akshu...siraf tumari talash mein...."
She pressed the diary against her chest and started crying once again, unable to control her emotions...she could not find the words to tell him how much she loved him...how she was in utter disbelief of his reverence, of his devotion towards her. She could not express it to him...not now, not in a million years. But, she did not have to utter a single word, say a single sentence for him to understand what was going on through her mind. Because if he spent every day in search of her, he knew that she had spent every day in anticipation of him. He knew that if he had given up his life for her, she had given up her EVERYTHING for him....
He took the diary out of her hands and put it back on the nightstand, engulfing her into his arms, pulling her onto his chest...softly patting her head until she fell asleep....until she fell asleep in peace, in serenity, in bliss for the first time in a year. And feeling her so close to him, feeling her finally united with him, he, too, fell asleep....not a single worry, not a single doubt in his mind. They were finally where they were supposed to be...and now, whatever challenge, whatever hurdles came their way, they would face them together.
YOU ARE READING
The Exchange
RomanceMy take on what happens when Akshara is forced to become Maya's voice in return for her Abhi's hand.
