AbhiMaan TS : The Secret Presence

2

Abhira returned from a long day at work, the weight of her mundane routine heavy on her shoulders. After entering in as she settled into her evening routine, her thoughts drifted back to the strange, almost forgotten memories of Arman. Though the years had dulled many things, the vividness of those days remained. Sometimes, when she was alone, those memories resurfaced. As advised by her psychiatrist, she tried to keep her mind occupied with other real and meaningful thoughts.

She was sipping her tea and watching the news on a YouTube channel connected to her TV when the doorbell rang. Her mother had mentioned she would be late today due to an out-of-town meeting, and Abhira wasn't expecting anyone that evening. With a slight frown, she peeked through the security peephole, but no one was there. As she turned to return to her seat, the bell rang again. She repeated her earlier step, but once more, no one was there. Thinking it might be the neighborhood kids playing a prank, she slightly opened the door.

But the figure she saw through the gap shocked her to the core.

There he was.

"Arman," she whispered, her heart pounding. This can't be happening again. She was more social now, living with her mother and always busy with work. Why had he returned?

"Abhira," he whispered her name. She slammed the door in his face. The doorbell rang again, but she covered her ears, trying to block out the sound.

...

After about two hours, Abhira woke up to the sound of the doorbell ringing again. She realized she had been sleeping on the doorstep for the past two hours. She wondered if she had dreamt that Arman was standing outside or if it was reality, given her position by the door. Her phone started ringing, pulling her out of her thoughts. It was her mother. She answered the call, and her mother's unusually soft voice came through.

"Abhira beta, open the door. I am standing outside."

Abhira opened the door and saw her mother standing there with Arman behind her. Telling herself it was just a hallucination, she pulled her mother inside. As she was about to close the door again, Arman put his hand between the door and the frame to stop her. Though she was trying to convince herself he wasn't real, she didn't pull the door shut, fearing she might hurt his hand.

"Abhira, please," Arman's voice was a gentle plea. "I know this is a shock, but I need to explain. Please give me a chance."

"Let him in, Abhira," her mother said, shocking her. Could her mother see him too?

As if reading her thoughts, her mother continued, "Yes, I can see him. He explained everything that happened in the past. I don’t understand all of it, but I ask you to hear him out."

Abhira felt paralyzed with shock and questions, but her mother understood her state and helped her to the study room, seating her comfortably on the corner sofa. Arman silently followed them at Abhira's mother Akshara's gesture. Once they were settled, Akshara left the room to give them some privacy.

Every rational part of her screamed to send him away, to protect herself from the chaos he represented. But her heart, which had never quite let go of him, overruled her mind.

Only then did Abhira look at Arman carefully. He appeared older than when he had left, as if not just 8 years, but 13 or 14 years had passed.

The silence was thick with unspoken words. They sat across from each other, the tea table between them feeling like a chasm. Arman began to speak, his words a lifeline thrown into the abyss of her confusion.

"I know you must think I’m a figment of your imagination, or worse," he started, his eyes earnest. "But I’m real, and everything we experienced was real. I owe you the truth, Abhira. You deserve that much."