At Crossroads-AbhiMaan OS/SS/TS💌

7. Ibaadat[OS]

A different version of the last two episodes

"Main Armaan aur Roohi ki shaadi mein nahin aaoonga maa saa, jab tak aapka pota aur yeh ladki mere saamne apni naak ragadh kar maafi nahin maangte!" Sanjay gritted his teeth in anger as Armaan roughly pushed him away,making him fall right at Abhira's feet.

"Aree jaeeye jaeeye Mr Bansal. Main khud nahin aaoonga us shaadi mein,you go to hell. Apni zindagi ki sabse badi galti karne jaa raha tha main. Woh tohh aaj achcha hua ki Shashwath nein mujhe sahi vaqt par bina marzi se kari gayin shaadi ki haqiqat batah di. Sun leejeeye aap sab bhi kaan kholkar,koi shaadi nahin karni hain mujhe. Nah hi mujhe aiseh ghar mein rehna hain jaahaan auraton ko harass karne walonh ko panah dee jaati ho. 

Aaj ke baadh meri Abhira ki taraf aapne aankh utha kar bhi dekhi tohh aankhein nikaal doonga aapki Mr Bansal. Stay away from her. Jaan le loonga uski jiska bhi bura saayah meri Abhira par padegaa" Armaan roared with bloodshot eyes as he paced towards Abhira who had already placed her foot outside the doorstep after unwillingly withdrawing her hand from her concerned parnanu's,remembering Roohi's words and folding her hands in gratitude.

Armaan gently held her palm from behind making Abhira almost trip,flinching at his touch. He swiftly grabbed her in his arms,made her stand on her wobbly legs again, whispering"I'm so sorry. M-mujhe aiseh peeche se aakar tumhein n-nahin-". Abhira nodded and pondered at his words which had echoed through the hall while letting him take her wherever he wanted to,but far away from that house. 

Armaan today,had left everybody aghast at his behaviour. No one had ever witnessed a version,this fierce, of their docile and calm golden boy who had never dared to speak for anyone that way. But Abhira was different. The intensity in his eyes screamed what he did not even say. They heard it. He loved her. He loves her like she does,she was his first and would be his last.

Out of the blue,chachisa excitedly uttered something she had supressed inside her for so long,making all heads turn at her with wide eyes-"Mummy sa,Armaan tohh apni hi shaadi ke function se bhaag gaya hain. Social media par kya daloon? Our groom eloped with the wedding planner or ex-wife?"

.

"M-mere gh-ghar ka ra-sta u-uss t-taraf hain. Y-yeh kahan j-ja rahe hain aap s-sir?" Abhira squeaked in a shaky voice as she held onto him tighter on his bike.

"Shh..enough of that please"Armaan shushed her as a tear rolled down his cheek and let itself slide down her trembling palm which he held close to his chest. Abhira intently stared at him with questioning eyes as she saw him weeping in a manner unknown to her. He wept as if it was the day he had been asked to surrender his life,by the almighty himself. 

Armaan parked his bike in front of a private villa he had already booked,petrified of sending her away to the accommodation provided by her boss,who was ready to put her employee's dignity at stake just for extra money,also fearing that his influential spoilt-brat-friend might show up again there unannounced. He couldn't let those beasts tear her apart,again. Wiping his tears away with his sleeve he helped abhira get down and lifted her up,knowing she had almost no strength to carry herself now. He slowly walked inside and shut the door,placed her on the couch and turned the fireplace on. He gently shifted her legs to make space for himself on the couch,and then lifted her and seated her on his lap,wrapping his arms around her in his best attempt to calm her shivering form.

"Shhh,meri jaan. Bass. Tumhari koi galti nahin thi nah us sab mein,tum kyon roh rahin ho? Royengeh tohh woh jinhonein tumhein un nazaron seh dekha tha. I am filing a case against Sanjay Bansal for harassing you,Poddars for being his employers and your boss for being an aide. Please stop crying baby!" He softly whispered as he kissed her forehead and ruffled her hair.

"Ar-armaan. I-I...H-he touched me,h-he held my wrist l-like that. I-I feel so disgusted..I-I f-feel s-so im-mpure. Th-those flashes..o-of h-his p-prying ey-es. Th-that obnoxious odour of t-the pool. I-I don't kn-know w-what would h-have happened if y-you-" Abhira hiccupped as she frantically scratched her arms,attempting to make them bleed to eliminate that feeling forever. Armaan clasped her hands in his,letting a gush of tears roll down his cheeks once again,blaming himself for his condition.

"I'm sorry Abhira. I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have let you go in the first place. I should've fought for us before. I'm sorry. I love you baby, I'm so sorry" Armaan held her close and cried,and he didn't know when half an hour had passed. 

"D-do s-something please. Mujhe ghutan ho rahin hain Armaan. Jee kar raha hain apne haath kaat ke fek doon. Apni khaal khuredh loon. M-mera-" Abhira quivered as she gasped for air with Armaan rubbing her back.

"Do you trust me,jaan?"

" I l-loved y-you before y-you knew. I-I always trusted y-you more than you-"

"Then come with me",Armaan softly said as he lead her to the bathroom. He filled the bathtub with water of the right temperature and then turned towards Abhira who was staring at a point on the ground,motionless. 

"May I help you with the dress"

"Hmm"

She didn't even move when he undid the knot of her dress and unzipped it,as it cascaded down the floor. His heart bled seeing her that way-his Abhira,so full of life was now a living corpse,and he was the only one responsible. 

He placed her inside the bathtub and sat beside her,rolling his sleeves up. He began massaging her scalp with shampoo in soothing circles,and smiled slightly as he saw Abhira closing her eyes,calming down a little. After he was done with the cleansing of her chlorinated water-wet hair,he gently  caressed her palms and placed soft kisses all around her wrists and the tip of her fingers,while she sat there with tears rolling down her cheeks and a soft smile plastered on her face. He strived to erase the very feeling of that humiliating moment, making sure to calm each part of her pure body that had been brushed by the sordid pool. He trailed soft kisses down her shoulders and her collarbone and then her arms,constantly looking upwards for any signs of discomfort on her face. He moved towards the opposite side,leaned down and kissed her legs , knees and then moved down to her feet,kissing them and then gently pressing them,knowing how exhausted she had been today. 

"Come here Armaan"

"I-I'm s-sorry. I-I th-thought y-you w-were comfortable"

"Shut up. Thankyou. Thankyou so much. Your touch,it worked like a balm to my soul. Why do I love a loser like you so much? " Abhira giggled as she planted a sloppy kiss on his forehead,while he just smiled,cupped her face and stared at her with nothing but love in his eyes.

🏵️🏵️🏵️