AryLie Drabbles (and Short O/Ss)

HER CHOICE

Aryan hugged Imlie with all His might, as He felt Her take breaths through Her sobs, breaths that screamed that She was very much alive.

She was Safe !!!

He hugged her even tighter as His Brain replayed the events moments before.

This 20 Year Old had run off to fight a bunch of Goons, set to bring out the Truth of something that happened even before She had met Him.

Gadhi !

He kept Her welded to His flesh, Not ready to let go, assuring himself that Her Heart was truly beating and pumping blood, as tremors of terror tore through His Body as He reminisced Her shouting out to Him to close His eyes to Not witness Her Death.

Even when She was breathing in toxic fumes, this Idiot had shouted out at Him to close His eyes.

Just so that He does Not Relive the Pain all over.

And then, with Her last breath, She had willed Him to open His eyes and fight back so that He lives to tell the tale and ensure Justice to Jiju.

Aryan cradled Her Head as She clung onto Him, that very instant making Her Choice Explicit to Him.

Had She resented Him, She would have voiced that out with Her last breath.

But She did Not.

She had held on through this - and Thrived.

For the first time in 4 Years, Aryan surrendered himself fully to another person.

**************************

As they walked back Home, swinging their joined hands together, after seeing the Tripathi's off, Aryan dared to smile like a teenager after so many years, through the tears that were threatening to leak out.

With Her last breath, She had called out to ease His Pain.

Gadhi.

And Him ?

Gadhi's Husband will obviously be a Gadha !

He mentally kicked Himself for the Story he had created in His Head - where had that led them both ?

Right in the big, gaping Mouth of Death - several times in the same single day.

The Monster of Guilt raised its ugly head inside him - what would He have done had She gone the same way as Jiju ?

Facts needed to be checked and cross-checked multiple times to make sense of the broader picture - His Pain had fogged the clarity to do that, and had led all of them here.

"Akkadbaghe, kaa sochat ho ?"

Busted.

"Main ??? Main .... Woh .... "

"Main Main woh kaa ??"

"Kuchh nahin."

"Ajeeb Bikat Praani. 😑"

As they took steps together towards their Home, realisation cemented in Aryan's head as He clasped Her hand tighter.

He glanced at Imlie walking at His side, shoulder to shoulder, her head held high and gazing confidently ahead, steps in sync with his, that beautiful dress of hers flaring gracefully with each step She took.

"You look like a Barbie Doll, Imlie."

Woah. Shut Up Aryan, just Shut Up !

"Baby Doll ??? Nahiiiii Hum Imlie hai !"

"What the hell ??? What is She doing in between ?? Baby Doll nahin, Jungli... Barbie Doll. It is a cute doll, which is a global brand. I am saying that you look like that Doll !"