Species Of Life

49. 🌧️ The Weight of Rain and Regret (Updated)

On the way home, Jan sat quietly in the passenger seat, her gaze lost outside the window. But in truth, she wasn't seeing anything. Her mind was clouded with thoughts, worries, and memories that refused to leave her alone.

Abhi glanced at her. "Akshu?"

She blinked, startled, and tried to mask her daze. "Huh? Yes, Dada?"

"What's going on in that head of yours?" he asked softly.

She forced a smile, one that didn't reach her eyes. "Nothing."

But Abhi wasn't buying it. "Akshu, I'm your elder brother. Don't lie to me."

Her lips trembled. She looked down, trying to keep her composure. But she couldn't hide the sadness in her silence.

"I just want him back," she whispered eventually. "That's all I want. And I want it soon, Dada. This distance... it's eating me alive."

Abhi sighed deeply. "Then maybe now you understand what he's been living with for the past ten years."

Those words struck her like lightning. She looked down in shame, her thoughts rewinding to the promises she once made—to never hurt her twin, to always protect him. But she had broken those very promises with her actions.

Seeing her guilt, Abhi gently spoke again. "Akshuuu..."

She turned to him, her voice low and heavy. "Hmmm..."

"We can't change the past. But we can learn from it. If you want him back, then don't give up. Fight for him. Fight for your bond."

Jan gave him a weak smile. If it wasn't for Abhi, she might have already given up. As she tried to process his words, another memory came rushing back—something that made fresh tears rise to her eyes.

She didn't realize they had reached home until the car jerked slightly as Abhi hit the brakes. He turned to her, noticing the tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Akshu," he said gently, cupping her face, "now why are you crying?"

She wiped her face. "It's not just Ashu... Faisu is also upset with me."

Abhi leaned in and wiped her tears. "Just be patient. Everything will be fine."

But Jan could only think, How? How would she convince them both?

Meanwhile, somewhere on a rain-slicked road, Sid drove aimlessly with Faisu in the passenger seat. For the last fifteen minutes, Faisu had been asking the same question.

"Buddy, where the hell are we going?"

Sid's voice was low, curt. "I don't know."

"What the hell!" Faisu muttered, exasperated.

But Sid didn't react. His mind was swirling with too many thoughts, none of which he could organize or speak aloud. Faisu, sensing his friend's inner battle, fell silent.

Suddenly, the car halted with a jolt. The break was so sudden that Faisu was jerked forward.

"Bro! Are you out of your mind?" he snapped. "Who the hell breaks like that?!"

Still, Sid said nothing. Instead, he slammed his fist against the steering wheel and stormed out of the car. Before Faisu could react, rain began to fall. It started light, but quickly turned heavy, soaking them both.

Faisu stepped out slowly, watching Sid standing a few feet away with his hands in his pockets, eyes to the sky.

Worried, he approached and placed a hand on Sid's shoulder. "Buddy... are you okay?"

Sid's expression was unreadable. "I don't know."

Faisu moved in front of him and took his shoulders. "Tell me what's troubling you."

A sad chuckle escaped Sid's lips. "Me."

"What?" Faisu asked, confused.

But Sid turned away. His silence cracked something open in him. He wanted to scream, cry, collapse—but something held him back.

Suddenly, without warning, Faisu pulled him into a tight hug.

For a few moments, Sid didn't react. Then Faisu felt it—the slow sobs building in Sid's chest. They grew heavier, more desperate, until Sid was crying violently.

Faisu broke the hug, wanting to calm him, but as soon as he let go, Sid dropped to his knees.

"Buddy!" Faisu knelt beside him, cupping his friend's tear-streaked face. "Please... stop crying like this."

Sid shook his head and pushed Faisu's hands away. "Why... Why is life this cruel to me? When Akshu was upset with me, I wanted nothing more than to fix things, to be close again..."

"And that's what's happening now," Faisu tried to reason. "She's realized her mistake. She wants to fix things too. So what's wrong, buddy?"

Sid's voice cracked. "I don't know! When she hated me, I was desperate to hug her, to make things right. But now... when she's trying to come close... I feel like she's slipping further away."

Faisu squeezed his shoulder. "Calm down, buddy. Please."

Sid cried harder. "Why does this happen to me?"

"Because ten years of bitterness can't turn sweet in ten hours," Faisu said softly. "At least give it ten days."

"But I never stopped loving her," Sid whispered, broken. "I never hated her, not for a moment."

Faisu closed his eyes, holding back his own emotions. "No one knows that better than me."

But still, the pain remained between them, tangled and raw.

Sid leaned against Faisu, still shaking, still drowning in the weight of his love and wounds.

And above them, the rain kept falling—like the years they had lost, like the tears they both could no longer hold.

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