Mehendi & Moonlight || Ana

Chapter 33:: Locked Hearts

"So— they struggled to pay the expenses?" His voice was soft, a featherlight touch to her closed-up wounds. She smiled lightly, taking notice of his tender gaze. 

That did so much to her that she could've cried.

"Yeah. I was on the brink of expectations every time. Being twelve and having to wonder about your parents' expenses wasn't a good feeling." 

She blinked away her tears as he pulled her closer, hugging her.

They were sitting on a bench at the side of the road. He stroked her hair gently as her lips parted, "Ever since my childhood, I had only seen mistreatment. I didn't know it back then but as I grew up, I learnt that how you are treated among relatives and family depends on your father's income. That's a harsh reality of the world. My dad suffered from business losses, loans he had taken and tons of money he was never returned from people he lent to." 

"My mom struggled in the family, strived so we could be independent — something she couldn't be. And so, I was always expected to do well. Even when I achieved something, it'd be taken for granted because there was no option left. We didn't know Baba would eventually gain huge profits by the mercy of God but before that, all that I knew — my future was onto myself. I guess, though those were some hard times... it made me who I am today. Even if your present is all diamonds and rainbows, you can't forget your shabby past filled with thunders and darkness."  

She looked up, trying to find his eyes but he was looking somewhere else, in deep contemplation. 

"Kabir?" A soft whisper left her lips. 

He shifted his gaze onto her, giving a soft smile that she tried to depict. 
"I never thought you were so sensible, Nisha. I knew you must've had a driving force for everything you've become today but you're much more than I could've ever imagined. That makes me admire you so much more." 

Her heart twisted at his words, gently making its way to her chest and brain.

She snuggled closer into his chest as he hugged her, humming against her hair. 

"Did I overshare?" She asked. 

He shook his head.

With a soft smile, he spoke, "You could tell me every little detail of your entire life, including every meal you've had in your life and that'd still not be oversharing. I'm being genuine." 
"Stop." She whispered, feeling tears well up in her eyes as he lovingly stroked her back. 
"I'm comfortable with you, enough to share my past with you. I've been always embarrassed about it because that's not something you get to share with people. Most wouldn't understand." 

"I've never suffered financially in my life so I don't know about that. But from what I know, it must've taken an enormous amount for a beautiful flower to bloom so perfectly in the middle of a deadly desert." His words seeped into her veins, electrifying every bit of her skin as his hot breath hit her temple. 
She tentatively raised her lashes, meeting his lovely gaze. No words escaped her parted lips but she didn't care.

The silence itself was beautiful.

A few flashbacks ran through her head. 

The first time she had seen him in that sleeveless t-shirt and pants, rummaging through her precious flowers. 

The second time they danced together, sending new signals through her. Feelings she had never known before gushed to her when he entered into her life. 

And the third, fourth and fifth time. Every game of fate that brought them together in the same situation, amused her. Never had she given it such a deep thought but his presence wasn't an accident. 
His voice became her solace while his presence became her tranquility. Her disconcerted self found peace with him. He didn't fix things but he simply stayed his way through them.