TANGLED SOULS

Until my last breath -2

Kairav Goenka has faced many hardships in his life, from losing his parents at a very young age, to have the responsibility of his two sisters on his shoulders, to being accused of a non committed murder to top it all.

However, during all of these hardships, he was never angry like he was now. Because, during his hardships, Kairav was saddened but there's someone who was there to hold him when he broke. Always.
His baby sister. His Akshu. She was the only one person who stood by his side through thick and thin. But the same person today, was losing her everything, her most precious possession in the world, in the most stupidest way and he was a reason for it.

He was not upset or sad. He was angry. Livid even. On his own self. For being the reason of his sister's misery. On her for being so stubborn. On Abhimanyu for being so impulsive. On his family for not understanding his sister's heart. What she really wanted. No. What she really needed. He's already done a grave mistake before, when he knew that his Akshu loved Abhi with all her heart, he decided to close his eyes at the blunt truth of her feelings. He stayed quiet when she scarified her happiness for his other sister before. And Kairav Goenka, never felt more failed as a brother.
So this time, he won't do the same mistake again. No, this time, he'll do his duty to his sister as her brother.

Wiping away his tears, mind set on his resolve, he headed to the upstairs, ignoring his family's calls. He banged the door open in furry to give a piece of his mind to his dear sister who just gave up on her love when he came back for her. But what he saw inside froze him on tracks, knocking his breath away. His sister was curled up in a ball, in the darkest corner of the room, tears streaming down her face as she looked up at the sudden noise.

"Akshu!"

He shouted in worry at her broken state, all of his anger vanishing in a beat as he rushed to her, dropping in front of her, eyes already moistened.

"...H-He's leav—ing..." She hiccuped as a sob broke past her trembling lips. "He's leaving m-e, Bhaiya!" She said it again, in a cracked voice as she broke down in tears in his arms.

"Akshu, Bacche..." Kairav cried as he cradled the sobbing girl in his arms.

"...Abhi's lea-ving, Bhaiya...He is leaving me and I did nothing about it!" Akshara clutched his arms, crying harder as her breathing got labored. Sensing a panic attack kicking in, Kairav tried to pull her off his chest but she didn't budge. "I...I lost him, I lost my Abhi, Bhaiya. And it's all my fault. I let him go!! He came back for me and I asked him to go away! It's all my fault. My fault. My fault."

"No, Akshu..." Kairav denied but her panting got heavier as she kept mumbling the same thing, slapping her cheeks in anger and raw pain, Abhi's last 'Goodbye' echoing in her mind, again and again, like a broken record.

"I broke us. I did this to us. All my fault. My fault." She continued her mumbles lost in her own despair.

She felt like dying.

And Kairav lost it when she accidentally mumbled it aloud. He gripped his sister's shoulders tightly, not caring if he hurt her and forced her eyes on him as hot ire burned in him.

"Don't you dare, Akshara. Don't you dare think about it." He shot heatedly as he glared at her, jaw clenched.

"What do you think of yourself ? You make rushed decisions. Be stubborn as heck, never talk about your needs aloud. And then you want to die? Seriously!? If you can't bear him leaving you for Mumbai, how can he bear you leaving this world!? Have you thought about him before thinking this?"

A bucket of ice water. It felt as if Kairav had thrown a bucket of ice water on her head as his words sank in slowly in her foggy brain. Her eyes watered. Had she really thought about death for a moment there? How could she? How could she even think about her death when Abhi was still breathing somewhere? When she knew he'll stop breathing with her?