Closure

1. Post Confession

As Abhi returned home that day, all he could replay in his mind was Akshu confessing her love to him at the temple and saying she'd call him the next day when he dropped her home.

He didn't recall, or perhaps didn't dwell on, the angry and shocked reactions from the Goenkas and Birlas. What mattered most to him was that he had finally liberated Akshu from the societal expectations that had weighed her down for so long-where she was conditioned to believe that sacrificing for family was always the right thing to do. Today, love had prevailed. Now, Akshu, his Akshu, was free to embrace her own feelings and choose to be with him.

He couldn't tear his eyes away from his phone. This boy, deeply consumed by love, found sleep elusive. Finally, his beloved had bravely defied her family's expectations and confessed her feelings to him. He braced himself for the inevitable backlash from her family. All he yearned for now was her call, to hear once more the voice that had captured his heart. An avid audiophile, he donned his headset and filled his ears with romantic melodies, lying on his bed and periodically glancing at his cellphone. The overwhelming magnitude of his emotions rendered sleep impossible; this feeling of being truly, madly and deeply in love was too magnificent and overpowering to resist.

However, Akshu found herself in a difficult situation. Manish was furious and continued to admonish her for bringing shame upon the family in public. Tears streamed down her face, and despite the courage she had shown earlier at the temple, she now seemed overwhelmed. There were so many things she wanted to say, but she stood silently, absorbing the blame from Arohi and Manish.

When their tirade finally subsided, Akshu regained some of her composure. With a newfound strength, she calmly declared, "I love him, and he loves me. What I did today was to save three lives from a future of misery. I'm not sorry for my actions today. I'm not sorry for declaring my love for Abhi to the world. But yes, I regret letting things escalate to this point. I regret that it took me so long to find the courage to confront my feelings and realize that sacrificing my own happiness for my sister was fundamentally wrong."

Manish's anger intensified further. "That's enough. You're not thinking clearly. Go to your room now and come out only when you're back to being our Akshu-the Akshu who would never bring shame upon us in public."

Resigned to the futility of arguing further, Akshu slowly made her way towards her room.

Then, recalling Abhi's earlier words, Manish said, "Akshu, wait... Hand me your phone."

Tears welled up in Akshu's eyes as she pleaded, "Please..."

Ignoring her plea, Manish took her phone. Akshu returned to her room, buried her face in her pillow, and let out a scream of frustration. Eventually, tears streamed down her face as she cried herself to sleep.

The next morning and well into the late evening, Abhi remained impatiently fixated on his phone. Despite going about his usual routine, his eyes constantly flicked towards his phone, hoping it would ring, though it remained silent.

A sense of unease gnawed at Abhi, a feeling that something was amiss. Despite being ejected from Akshu's home by Manish the previous day, Abhi, known for his fearless determination, decided to again go to Akshu's house.

Upon arrival, he was promptly denied entry. Undeterred, he stood outside and resorted to the only thing he could think of-he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Akshu...!" He repeated her name several times, hoping to reach her.

From her room, Akshu heard his impassioned cries. A faint smile formed on her lips as she softly uttered, "Abhi..."

Moved by his persistence and love, Akshu grabbed her guitar. Despite the locked door, she flung open all the windows. With her guitar in hand, she sang with her soulful voice resonating through the air, a heartfelt expression of their bond that transcended any barrier.

"Hum tere bin ab reh nahi sakte
Tere bina kya wajood mera?
Tujhse juda gar ho jayenge
To khudse hi ho jayenge juda

Kyunki tum hi ho, ab tum hi ho
Zindagi, ab tum hi ho
Chain bhi, mera dard bhi
Meri aashiqui, ab tum hi ho

..."

Upon hearing her voice, Abhi sat down outside the gate. The entire day had been spent waiting to hear that sound, and now, finally, it reached his ears. He wanted to savor every moment of it.