Somewhere In Heart

Chapter 1

"Akshara ji! Akshara ji!" Abhinav shouted as he burst into Akshara's house, his voice full of excitement.

Akshara turned around, startled by his sudden entrance. "What happened, Abhinav ji? Why are you shouting?" she asked, slightly concerned.

"Akshara ji, if you hear this news, you'll scream louder than me!" Abhinav said, nearly bouncing in place with excitement.

Akshara raised an eyebrow, a smile tugging at her lips. "Well then, tell me already! What's the news?"

"You remember the audition you gave for Shimla Voice Star?" Abhinav asked, his eyes gleaming.

"Yes, what about it?" she asked, her heart pounding in anticipation.

Abhinav took a deep breath and grinned. "You got selected, Akshara ji! They want you to sing for their new song!" he announced, unable to contain his happiness.

Akshara's eyes widened in shock. She gasped, covering her mouth with both hands. "W-What? Are you serious? You're not joking, right, Abhinav ji?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"Do you really think I would joke about something like this, Akshara ji?" Abhinav said, shaking his head. "It's true. You've been selected!"

"Oh my god! Oh my god! Thank you, thank you so much, Kanha ji!" Akshara squealed, spinning in excitement. "I'm going to sing for Shimla Voice Star? This feels like a dream, Abhinav ji!"

"It's not a dream anymore. It's real," Abhinav said, laughing. "Wait here, I'll go get some sweets to celebrate!"

As he rushed out, Akshara ran toward her room, her heart still pounding with happiness. She picked up a framed photograph of her parents, Naira and Kartik.

"Mumma, Papa, do you see this? It's all because of your blessings that I got this big opportunity. I miss you both so much, and I love you," she whispered, her eyes welling up with tears. She gently ran her fingers over their faces in the photo. "Okay, okay, I won't cry! But I just wish I could hug you both right now. If you were here, I wouldn't have been alone. If you were here, I wouldn't have had to go through everything I did. But maybe... maybe God didn't want that. Maybe He wanted me to learn how to survive on my own. And I have... I've learned to live again. I'm your little lioness, Mumma. I don't give up so easily."

She wiped her tears and kissed the photo. Just then, Abhinav returned, holding a box of sweets.

"Come on, Akshara ji, we have to celebrate!" he said, handing her a piece of mithai.

She grinned and took a bite, savoring the sweetness. "Thank you, Abhinav ji. You've always been there for me," she said sincerely.

As they continued celebrating, Abhinav couldn't take his eyes off her. The way she smiled after so long... it was priceless.

"Why are you staring at me like that, Abhinav ji?" Akshara asked, noticing his gaze.

Abhinav blinked, then quickly looked away. "I was just... looking at your smile," he murmured.

"Hmm? What did you say?" she asked, tilting her head.

"Nothing, nothing!" he said quickly, shaking his head. "I was just thinking how happy you look after so long. May no evil eye ever harm you. Thu thu thu thu thu," he said, pretending to ward off negativity.

Akshara laughed. "Nothing bad is going to happen, Abhinav ji. The people who could hurt me are no longer in my life," she said firmly. "And please, don't say such silly things. Now, go to sleep. You have to take me to Shimla tomorrow, remember?"

"Oh right! It's already 11 PM. Okay, good night, Akshara ji," Abhinav said, standing up.

"Good night and sweet dreams," she replied with a warm smile.

"You too, Akshara ji. Sweet dreams!" he said before rushing off to his house.

As he walked home, he sighed to himself. "Akshara ji is so sweet... After so many years, I finally saw her smile like that. She's been sad for so long. Abhinav, when will you finally tell her that you love her? But then... what's the point? She still loves Abhimanyu. How do I explain that to my heart? It just doesn't listen..." He smiled sadly and went to sleep.

On the other hand, Akshara stood by the window, staring at the night sky.

"I'm so happy today, Kanha ji... I just wish Abhimanyu and my family are happy too, wherever they are," she whispered. She took a deep breath. "I miss you, Abhimanyu. But I hate you too. I don't know if my love is stronger than my hatred, but I never expected you to do what you did to me. I never thought my Abhi would break me like that. But what's done is done. I will never go back to him. Never."

With that thought, she turned off the lights and walked into her room, closing the door behind her.