"Mujhe bhook hai mein khaunga," Murtasim uttered as he descended from the stairs. Meerab stood in a beautiful dress, her hands on her sides. Her eyes narrowed in sheer annoyance. She shook her head in disbelief and turned to leave.
Murtasim, with a pang of guilt, looked up at the ceiling. Had he gone too far? Had he crossed limits? He couldn't let this prolong overnight. He had to sort it. He had to communicate. With a newfound determination, he placed the table cloth back on the table and went to his room behind Meerab. Meerab stood near the window, her back to Murtasim, who stood at the corner of the room near the chair.
"Meerab.." he began
"Please, Murtasim! I don't wanna talk right now." She dissmissed, voice dripping with hurt
Murtasim clenching his fists, moved a step closer, "I thought... I thought you didn't care anymore. The silence between us... it felt like you were drifting away. You've always been like this.."
"I've been like this? Tumhara dimagh theek hai? You asked me to jump off the terrace! Literally? Mere marne ke baad ajata tumhe yaqeen k mein khud rohail se milne nahi gyi thi?" She snapped at him whirling around, her eyes blazing.
"I didn’t know how to handle it. The thought of losing you... it scared me lekin tum nahi samjhogi," He muttered in an annoyed manner
Thought of losing you, it stirred something inside meerab, but the pain he had inflicted just moments ago took over her..
"So, instead of talking, instead of asking, you decided to make me jump off? By hurting me, wouldn't it make you lose me?" Her voice trembled.
He saw the hurt in Meerab's eyes, the pain he caused, and it felt like a dagger to his heart, but the thought that she went to meet rohail still wasn't gone
"Tum us se milne chali gyi, mujhe bataye bagher. Theek hai, theek hai humara jo bhi jesa bhi rishta hai. Tumhe nahi batana chahiye tha mujhe meerab?" He accused
Meerab's eyes widened at his stubbornness, and she snapped again, "Murtasim! Mein us se milne nahi gyi thi, saba se milne gyi thi. Woh zabardasti legya tha mujhe. Tumhe kese yaqeen ayega? Koodne ka toh tum keh hi chuke ho, kya chahte ho mar jaun mein?"
The atmosphere was tense, each second stretching out agonizingly as Meerab's eyes darted around. Her eyes landed on the bowl with fruits. A knife kept beside it. With a swift motion, she reached out and grabbed it.
"Maarna chahte ho tum? Theek hai khud hi mar jati hun mein. Tumhara dimagh kabhi theek nahi hosakta hai. How could you do this?" She cried.
"Meerab!!" Voice filled with terror and disbelief,
"Peeche raho," tears streaming down her face, Meerab's voice quivered.
"You never trust me! Jab mein kehrhi hun ke woh mujhe zabardasti leke gya tha toh tumhe samjh kyun nahi arha hai?" She uttered angrily.
"Mein tumse kehra hun churi rakho, please Meerab," he pleaded . He stood frozen, his eyes wide with fear, the colour draining from his face. Every fibre of his being screamed out, a desperate plea for her to stop, to reconsider. The distance between them felt vast, insurmountable, and filled with a sense of impending doom. The knife trembled in Meerab's hand, its blade poised, a stark reminder of the fragile line between desperation and devastation. The room seemed to hold its breath, and time stood still as the weight of the moment hung heavy in the air.
"Tum or tumhari family, tum log kabhi nahi samjh sakte ke meine kese khud ko sambhala hua hai. You say you love me. Is this love? Without trust? Without respect? Tumhe kya lagta hai jab tum haya ki har baat ko mujhse zada importance dete ho toh mein insecure nahi hoti? But you don't care."
