Abhisha oneshots

STAY

The air on the rooftop is chilly. It's cold up here. Quiet too, as it should be at 3am. Another sleepless night for manisha. The doctor adjusted her meds again and it's making it hard for her to fall asleep.

Antidepressants are such temperamental things.

It's nice to be alone for a while. Manisha came to check out what the roof looked like. Wanted to see if it's really scary looking down the edge of a building. Would she be afraid or just numb? Fearless or finally relieved that she've seen it and know what to expect?

Just a few more steps and she'll find out.

But first, manisha look up into the heavens with nothing between she and the big, black sky. There are no stars tonight; there haven't been any for a long time in mumbai.

Funny how the bright city lights make the sky look so much darker. Like a bolt of deep velvet, its expanse is breathtaking and dangerous, able to envelope her and swallow her whole in a moment. Naively, she look for a star anyway, faintly hoping for a sign among the smoky clouds to just stay for a little longer.

The sky stays dark and silent. No angel. No flash of lightning. Nothing.

Manisha take another slow, measured step. A few more and she is near the edge. It's not like she is going to do anything. No, not tonight, she think. She is here to see what it's like. Just to see. Only to see.

"manisha." His voice, that famous one which carries the weight of the first line of so many songs, the one amplified to reach thousands, recorded to reach millions, comes clearly to you, just for her and only her tonight.

Manisha turn to face him. He's in his dressing loose tshirt and pants and slippers, floofy hair mussed from sleep. His beautiful eyes though, are wide and alert. " , kya kar rhi hai tu yaha, manu?" he asks quietly. Like he has just gotten up and found her pottering about in the living room.

Mani:-"Can't sleep. Just wanted to be alone. Wanted to see what it's like up here," she whisper, eyes darting to him and then back to the edge that's just a few more steps away from her own slippered feet.

She is finally here, and she don't want to go back. Not yet.

Abhishek senses her hesitation and seizes the moment to speak. "Stay, babu. Don't go there without me."

Mani:-"Okay, babu. I'll wait."

Abhishek walks calmly to her, careful not to startle her, careful to hold her gaze, careful not to overwhelm her with all the things he wants to remind her of. Things like how much he loves manisha. Or how much her students adore her. Or how much joy and light and love her bring to his little heart that has only grown bigger and bigger to absorb all the goodness she is to him.

He's relieved when he's finally next to manisha and his arm can secure her in his embrace. How he wishes he can secure her heart and mind too, make sure none of the bad stuff can reach her.

If he could, he would put on a full suit of armor and fend off those treacherous thoughts, thoughts dark and deep that sneak in after breakfast, ambush her before lunch, corner her at dinner, lure her in the middle of the night.

If he could, he would go into the ring with just his bare hands and fight with his last breath to shield her from the despair.
If he could.

But Abhishek knows the battle is not his. It's hers. And so he arms her. Arms you with his love. His attention. His tenderness. His time. His presence.

Except, he fell asleep tonight and she had slipped away. Something woke him- an unspeakable urgency to get to her. Maybe it was... god? He doesn't know. But he's here now and just in time.