TANGLED SOULS

New beginnings

The house's wooden floors and heavy furniture were completely covered in white blankets, while all types of DIY tools, brushes and paints were scattered around the empty space.

Standing on the ladder beside the window, which allowed the sunlight to give a warm hue to the piece, was Akshara, painting the wall in midnight blue. She was clad in her husband's cream t-shirt tied in a knot on her waist, revealing her soft skin, shorts and trainers stained by paint in a few spots.

They just moved into their new home two days ago. After a year of a painful separation and misunderstandings that almost led to divorce, Abhimanyu and Akshara realized that they would definitely die without each other. Her Abhi turned up at her maternal home at midnight in a stormy weather, drenched from head to toe, in his worst sleep deprived state, the night before the hearing.

And as soon as she laid her eyes on him—as soon as she saw those painful, desperate eyes shining with the same eternal love he had for her, everything inside her collapsed. Her anger, hurt, ego... nothing mattered in front of him. Because in truth, she herself had realized how impulsive and insensitive they were to each other, that they actually had never calmly discussed the situation.

Instead, they were throwing tantrums like two selfish, immature brats. Akshara was dying to call off the divorce and run into the protective arms of her husband, who was her world. But she was afraid he would reject her - something she couldn't bear, even though she had rejected him in the past.

She'd always wondered how her Abhi had the courage to accept her rejections and confess his love for her again and again, without restraint. But over time, she realized that it was the power of his love and that in his love language, the word "give up" was non-existent.

That night, he pulled her into a bone crashing hug, and said one line in his broken breathy whisper.

"I'll die without you."

He wasn't talking about physical death. What he meant was far worse. The death of his soul. And that was the greatest truth of her life too. Her soul would die without him.

She wrapped her arms around him tightly, clutched him to her body and sobbed in his chest, pleading just one thing, taking just one promise from him. "Don't leave me." He didn't. He held her all night, cried and let her cry on him and they both knew it was it. They were both each other's heartbeats and they would rather not breathe than living a life without the other.

Over the next few days, they talked a lot, clarifying and explaining their respective situations, opening up about their fears and insecurities. They looked to each other for the understanding, trust and comfort they so desperately needed. They knew that some wounds would take time to heal, but that was okay. They knew they'd get through it together.

A week later, here they are in their new home, away from their families. A decision they made together. They didn't want to get involved in unnecessary family problems that could hinder their relationship. They loved their families, but they couldn't ignore the fact that the constant arguments and fight were draining them. It was high time they started prioritizing their relationship. It was precious to them. And they had already experienced how it can be broken if they take it for granted.

Furthermore, they longed above all to be with each other without any interference. A year's separation has driven them apart emotionally, even though they still love each other just as much. So they wanted that distance gone. They wanted to be Abhi ki Akshu and Akshu ka Abhi again.

Akshara was snapped out of her chain of thoughts by a soft thump sound behind her. She tilted her head to see the love of her life moving their lounge chair beside the second window. He was placing all the cardboard boxes on it and she couldn't help but ogle the way his biceps were contracting with the effort. The fact that he was wearing a thin tank wasn't helping either. 'That's one way to kill me, Abhi.'— She thought sarcastically as she sighed loudly before forcing herself to concentrate on her task, instead of checking out her hot husband, who'd managed to become even hotter in a span of a year.