MISRE-AD | 𝔞𝔟𝔥𝔦𝔪𝔞𝔞𝔫

5- The seven letters

Armaan slowly closed his room door behind him, the faint click echoing in the empty hallway. In his hands, he held out seven sheets of paper, each neatly labeled with a name. With deliberate movements, he took a roll of tape and one by one, carefully stuck the sheets onto the doors of Madhav-Vidya, Manoj-Manisha, Rohit, Kaveri, and Sanjay's rooms.

The house was quiet, bathed in the soft glow of the hallway night light. Armaan glanced around nervously, his heart pounding in his chest. It was time for the final door. Abhira's door.

Taking a deep breath, Armaan steeled himself. Slowly, without making a sound, he began to make his way towards the outhouse. Each footstep he took seemed to echo in the silence. It was especially challenging to tiptoe quietly with his shoes on, but he couldn't risk taking them off now.

As he reached the entrance to the outhouse, a chill ran down Armaan's spine. The darkness seemed to swallow him whole as he stepped inside, the only light coming from the moon. He approached Abhira's door, his hand trembling ever so slightly as he reached out to tape the final sheet in place.

Sticking the letter on the door--he felt teary eyed. This was not what they had dreamt together.

Armaan felt his tears welling up in his eyes. He let them fall freely.

''Cry as much as you want--for tomorrow you will only focus on yourself'' Armaan said to himself and cried silently.

Memories came flooding back. The laughter of his family during holiday gatherings, the comforting aroma of his mother's cooking, the playful banter with his siblings - every moment felt like a precious treasure he was about to leave behind.

But amidst those memories, one face stood out the most - Abhira. She was the love of his life, his confidante, and his pillar of strength. The way her eyes sparkled when she smiled, the gentleness of her touch, the way she believed in him when he doubted himself - all of it washed over him like a bittersweet wave.

He closed his eyes, trying to hold onto those memories for as long as he could. He remembered the first time they met, the nervous excitement of their date, the late-night conversations that stretched into dawn. They had shared dreams, fears, and secrets, building a bond that felt unbreakable.

Tears welled up in his eyes as he thought about the future without her by his side. He longed to reach out, to hold her close, to whisper words of love and longing. He wanted to tell her how much she meant to him, how her presence had shaped him in ways he could never fully express.

But reality crashed down on him like a relentless tide. He had to prove himself.

With a heavy heart, he wiped away his tears and stood up. He packed away the memories, tucking them safely in the recesses of his mind. He knew that they would always be a part of him, guiding him, comforting him, and reminding him of who he was and where he came from.
And in his heart, he silently vowed to return one day, to hug Abhira, to hug his family members, and to tell them that he had passed in the test of life.

Wiping his tears he for a final time saw the Poddar house--where he had spent his life and turned to the gate stepping outside.

He could hear whispers--whispers of his family's voices. Whispers of Abhira. He was hallucinating.

''NO! I cannot just back off and endure punishment for what I have not done! I cannot let Abhira suffer because of me. I need to prove myself''