TANGLED SOULS

Broken bonds -4

Blinking back the pool of tears, she looked up to see Abhimanyu Birla, holding her close to his heart, his one sturdy arm around her shoulder securely as his other hand cupped her face while his concerned, tearful, gaze bored into hers. Her heart pounded hard in her chest as she sobbed harder, breathing unevenly as her hands automatically gripped his strong biceps.

The normal Akshara, or rather, the new "normal", would've never done it. Sobbing in his arms after six years. But this Akshara, the mother who felt her world crumbling, the mother who was fearing to lose her baby, couldn't hold her emotions back like the she was used to. The stone cold exterior she'd put up to the world and herself was solely for her son. For her Abhir. And if she loses—

"Akshara!" He shouted before she could complete the dreadful thought. She didn't know if she was only crying for Abhir anymore honestly, she just felt world shatter, like that day, six years ago when she's nothing but a lifeless corpse after losing her everything.—Her everything that was holding her now, six years later in her vulnerable state, where she couldn't even think properly as her nightmares, traumas hit her at once.

Abhimanyu cupped her face in both his hands as he bit his lower lip to not break after witnessing her in this state. She wasn't even listening to his cries, pleas, she was long lost in her own world, she was shaking and trembling all over and kept repeating something inaudible between harsh breaths. Her panic attacks were always difficult to calm down, but he'd always managed to, in the past, by making her sing or singing for her, himself. But now, six years later, after seeing her one panic attack at the wedding in Kasauli, he knew that neither him, neither her music can stop it. He was totally helpless in the situation as he watched her struggle to breathe properly and fight back her dizziness, the despair and raw pain in her eyes only making his already throbbing heart, bleed further as he begged her to breathe properly, to count with him, to sing with him.

However nothing worked out and her panic attack, his love of life was suffering as her panic attack aggravated as she curled up in his arms, clutching him tighter. In all his life he's never seen her panicking this much, never ever. And that terrified him. The sight of her gripped her chest as she choked her faint sobs, terrified him as he felt his ears ring from his biggest fear : losing his love. He'd already lost her. But—But—losing her from this world was not an option for him. He'll die. He can't live in a world where she wasn't breathing.

The realization broke his strong facade he put up for her, as he leaned down to her eye level, keeping her attention on him as he wiped her tears and sweat before brushing away her hair strands. "Akshara! Akshara please! Please...please breathe! Please, please...inhale, baby please..." He cried helplessly, not being able to control as he joined their foreheads together. "You can't do this now, I can't even take you to the hospital because of the riot. You've to fight. Fight Akshara. Please. Breathe. 1.2.3" He counted as he gestured her to breathe but cursed aloud when she wasn't showing any progress. Fresh tears burned his eyes as he saw her closing her eyes, he slightly patted her cheeks before at last screaming. "AKSHU! BREATHE!!" She stilled in his arms at the use of the nickname, from his mouth. The nickname she allowed no one to use in her new home in Kasauli, because it was his. It reminded her who she was once. Abhi ki Akshu.

"Akshu! Akshu, breathe! Please! Please, Akshu!" His eyes widened as her shaking lessened, and she tried to focus on him, fight back her dizziness, he look at the school bus they were in and his brain caught on in an instant as he stared back at her. "Breathe for Abhir!" That name did the magic.

"Abhir. Abhir. Fight for him. Fight for your baby. Fight for Abhir, Akshu!" He demanded, his mind not even registering exactly what he was saying as he only focused on her breathing getting slowly, smoothly back to normal. He continued to whisper it like a mantra to her. Her son's name. Her son was truly a magic. He, he didn't even know what he did today but he's the one who saved his mother from losing consciousness due to a severe panic attack.