After giving abhimanyu a stern reply akshara ran towards abhinav.
He saw her coming down and breathed heavily,
He got shocked as she hugged him tightly.
He caught off guard by her sudden embrace, stood frozen in disbelief. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that she would seek solace in his arms, especially after learning of her feelings for abhimanyu. Yet, as he felt her warmth enveloping him, he couldn't resist the instinct to reciprocate. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her, his touch hesitant but reassuring.
In that fleeting moment of shared vulnerability, she felt a wave of peace wash over her. In Abhinav's embrace, she found a sense of security that she had never experienced before. His strong arms around her felt like a shield, protecting her from the uncertainties of the world. For a brief instant, all worries disappeared, and she reveled in the tranquility of the moment.
Abhir saw them and smiled.
his innocent eyes widening in surprise at the sight of his parents sharing a hug.
abhir : Wow, mumma, papa, aap dono huggie bhi karte ho, maine kabhi nahi dekha tha.
he exclaimed, his voice breaking the spell of intimacy between Akshara and Abhinav.
As reality came crashing back, Akshara blushed, a shy smile playing on her lips as she realized the significance of their first hug. Abhinav, though flustered by the unexpected turn of events, managed a small smile, trying to mask the whirlwind of emotions swirling within him.
akshu : Chale, Abhinav, apne ghar.
she finally spoke, breaking the silence that enveloped them. With a nod, Abhinav followed her lead, the moment of shared vulnerability lingering in the air as they walked away, their hearts a little lighter, their bond a little stronger.
In the car,
Akshara stole glances at Abhinav, wondering what was going through his mind. Little did she know that he was grappling with his own inner turmoil.
abhinav(mind) : mujhe pata hai akshara aap mere saath wapas isiliye aa rahi hai kyuki aapko aisa lagta hai ki itne saal maine aapka saath de kar aap par ehsaan kiya hai aur aap mera woh ehsaan chukana chahti hai lekin nahi, main aapko apni khushiyon ka balidan nahi dene dunga, agar aapki khushi bhai ji ke saath hai toh main aapko iss rishte se azaad kar dunga.
Meanwhile, Akshara, a soft smile playing on her lips as she remembered the warmth of their first hug. She felt a glimmer of hope in her heart, a hope that maybe, just maybe, their story was far from over.
***************************
They reached kasauli.
As they entered their house, everything was dirty, messy as they came back after long.
abhir : Mumma, yeh sab kitna dirty ho gaya hai, eww.
he exclaimed, wrinkling his nose at the mess.
akshu : Oh eww ke bacche, saaf safai karenge toh sab thik ho jayega. Ab mumma jo kahegi, Abhir woh karega
abhinav : Akshara, aap log kariye, main zara gaadiyon ko dekh leta hu. Itne dino baad aaye hai, khade khade pata nahi kya haal hua hoga gaadiyon ka.
He said, eager to divert his thoughts from the emotional turmoil within.
she nodded.
After some time,
he came back and saw them cleaning.
he stood there staring at them with a sad smile, they both were his only but yet not his.
akshara saw him and went towards him.
akshu : kya hua aap aise kyu khade hai madat nahi karenge.
abhinav : ha..haa..
akshu : abhinav kya hua hai aap itna pareshan kyu hai kabse dekh rahi hu kuch hua hai kya agar koi baat hai toh bataiye na.
abhinav : kuch nahi akshara, bass sab bohot alag alag lag raha hai, aisa lagta hai sab badal gaya hai, jaisa chod kar gaye the waisa nahi hai.
akshu : aisa kyu keh rahe hai sab waisa hi hai abhinav, abhi dekhna saaf safai karenge toh sab firse pehle jaisa ho jayega, aur mujhse ek galti ho gayi.
abhinav : kya..??
akshu : jam kharab ho gaye, I am sorry, par bass yeh aakhri baar dubara nahi hoga.
he smiled.
abhinav : koyi baat nahi hota hai kabhi kabhi.
abhir : mumma papa aap log baatein kyu kar rahe ho mujhe bhuki lagi hai petu mein rats dance kar rahe hai.
akshu : dekha aapka beta kitna dramebaaz hai, accha apne papa ko application de de ke aaj hum sirf pizza khayenge, ek do teen chaar...
abhir : pizza chahiye char char.
akshu : chaliye abhinav hume pizza khilane le chaliye.
abhinav : gaadi thik karwane jaa raha hu aate waqt le aaunga.
abhir : papa hum saath bhi toh jaa sakte hai.
abhinav : nahi nikke ji gaadi thik karwane mein waqt lag sakta hai main jaldi aa jaunga.
abhir : okay.
abhinav : aata hu akshara.
she nodded...!!!
