Rudra opened his eyes, only to find himself in an unfamiliar place. As he sat on the bed, where he laid earlier, he recognized the pictures which hung on the walls.
Photographs of her.
Some faces weren't mere faces, they were the reason to survive,
As he was lost in his thoughts, the sound of the door opening made him look in that direction of it. Bhavya entered, holding a tray of food. As soon as her eyes landed on him, they softened, hours of staring at him did not fulfill her heart.
Rudra wanted to run towards her, hug her, and never let her go,
alas,
things were not so simple.
"What am I doing here, Bhavya?' Rudra questioned, looking at the lady in front accusingly. It would be wrong to say that his coldness of him did not hurt Bhavya.
"You had passed out in front of the bar. I was passing by there, so thought to bring you here," Bhavya said with a strained smile, hurt by his curtness as she placed the breakfast in front of him.
"Here, there is the washroom, go and freshen up" Bhavya pointed towards the door. Rudra stared at the woman whom he so madly loved, before heading toward where she had pointed.
As the door of the washroom clicked, some obstinate tear drops rolled down Bhavya's eyes.
After all, controlling emotions was not always possible
They were so close, yet so far.
While explaining to him, how he had landed up at her place, she had excluded how her heart had burned seeing him on the road, lying on his stomach, so vulnerable. To say she hated the circumstances would be an understatement.
Gauri sat beside Om, on their bed as her husband drank the soup. Omkara was recovering. He could now handle some of his chores, well he could handle all his work, but his wife insisted to help. As he was engrossed in having the soup, also inspecting his hand for tremors - a condition he had been suffering from, Gauri stared at him. His face was handsome as ever, the paleness had reduced. Gauri was happy, her eyes stung with tears, and her prayers had been heard.
As she fiddled with the already arranged medicines in her hands, thoughts clouded her mind. It was so simple, for him, to put himself at stake, was he not aware that what he meant to her? He meant the world to her.
Sometimes people fail to know their value in the lives of the people who love them dearly.
As Om placed the empty bowl on the bedside table, he glanced at his wife who was engrossed in deep thoughts, guilt engulfed his heart.
Omkara Singh Oberoi could recognize the tears of his statues, hell here it was his wife.
Gauri's eyes were moist, which did not go unnoticed by her husband. Om's eyes flickered to her hands, clutching his medicines, quite hesitantly, he took her hands in his. Gauri looked up at him, startled, as she grasped what had happened, her eyes went wide.
Seeing her reaction, Om's squeezed her hand. Hope swam in his eyes as autumn leaves in the stream.
Hope, for forgiveness, a chance of repentance.
Sometimes we crave something, which we always had.
Gauri refused to look away. His eyes locked with hers. As Omkara whispered the words, which made her eyes burn but to her heart, those words were like a declaration of the end of a war, after horrible bloodshed.
"I'm sorry, Gauri."
Anika intertwined her fingers with Shivaay, and smiled, as both their wedding bands caught her sight. Shivaay placed a kiss on her hair for the nth time in the hour. The man had his wife in his arms after so long, so kisses were inevitable.
The swing moved backward and forward due to the force Shivaay was exerting on it. Anika was lying on her husband's chest, her legs around his waist, her head right above his heart. His heartbeats were so calm, and so soothing, like a melody to her ears.
They had just finished the pizza, which Shivaay had brought while coming home. They were currently sitting on the swing, located on their balcony. The sound of waves teasing the sands was so audible from their position. Shivaay squeezed her hand, which made his wife look up at him.
She smiled, and his heart fluttered.
He yearned, to see that happiness on her beautiful face. The same happiness, that had bid him adieu, as he did the same to Oberoi Mansion. Shivaay could not stop the involuntary upward curve of his lips, not that he wished to.
Seeing our beloved happy makes even the grimmest situation full of merriment.
"Anika," he called, love lacing his tone. Anika hummed softly in response, staring directly into his blameless blue eyes.
If she had to drown, she would drown a thousand times without an inch of reluctance, in his ocean orbs.
"Can you promise me something?" Shivaay asked.
"Just ask me once, Shivaay," Anika picked her head up from his chest, without disturbing their eye contact. Her husband did not waste a minute cupping her cheeks.
"This is not the end of our problems. In the future, we will face more hardships, but Anika, please. Please never block me out. Just never stop talking to me, being real with me. I am all yours, Anika. Even if the decisions I take, or the decision fate takes for us, troubles you, please speak to me about me. Even if it makes you want to beat me, fight me, hell, even kill me, just don't stay quiet," Shivaay felt his throat constrict as he finished. These words were directly from his heart, which beat solely for her
Anika swallowed a lump, which had been forming in her throat.
"Sh..ivaay," She blinked a few times, and a drop of tear fell on her cheek, which her husband wiped away instantly.
"I feel selfish to even say this, but I, too, want something from you and I know just like a million other things you have given me, done for me, unintentionally or intentionally, you would do this for me as well. However I want to ask, Shivaay, can I?" Shivaay nodded quickly, as Anika gulped before proceeding.
"Never hide things from me. I know that at times you do not want to worry me, but, please, I don't want you to do all the thinking, toiling, or all of it by yourself. If I can be open to you, then so can you, right?' Anika finished her sentence, as Shivaay shook his head in approval.
Promises are often the bridge to new beginnings.
"I am sorry, Anika," he apologized sincerely. At that moment he felt that, somewhere, he was at fault too.
Anika nodded in a no before she ever so slowly placed her lips over his bottom lip. Their eyes closed, breathing uneven, tear stains on their cheeks.
Just two puzzled souls, united together, as a divine blessing.
