Echoes of the Field: Love's Bittersweet Symphony

Don't break her Heart

He gathered himself, taking a deep breath to steady the whirlwind of emotions within, and walked up the stairs. "Just wait down here," he said to Asfa, who stood by, confused.

"But why?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.

"You'll know," Aayan replied, his voice barely above a whisper. With that, he knocked on the half-opened door.

"Yeah, Mumma, I can't find it, can you please..." Swara's voice trailed off as she turned to see him standing there. The world seemed to stop for a moment. Their tired eyes, though dulled by the weight of time and pain, found solace and a fleeting sense of comfort in each other. A fragile smile tugged at both their lips, like a ghost of the happiness they once shared.

"Hi," Swara murmured, her voice soft and almost childlike as she looked down, the smile on her lips tinged with sadness.

"Can I come in?" Aayan asked gently as if stepping into a sacred space.

"Oh, yeah, yeah," she replied, fumbling with her nose tubes. "Ah, these tiny pipes are very important," she joked, trying to find humor in the grim reality as she glanced at herself in the mirror.

The cancer had ravaged her body. Her once vibrant hair had thinned drastically, and her skin had taken on a pallid, almost translucent quality. The redness in her eyes reflected the countless sleepless nights and the relentless pain. Her belly was slightly bloated, a cruel side effect of the menopause triggered by her illness. She looked like a shadow of her former self, as if the disease was aging her far beyond her years.

"How do I look?" she asked, turning to him with a smile that fought hard to be bright.

"Beautiful," he replied without hesitation, "more than ever," he added, trying to mask the heartbreak that threatened to choke him.

She paused for a second, her smile faltering just a bit, before asking, "Anyway, what brought you here?"

"You," he answered simply, the weight of his words hanging in the air.

"Wow," she said, a hint of disbelief in her voice. "I thought I wouldn't be seeing your face anymore," she added, her fingers flipping aimlessly through the pages of a book on her lap.

"I'm sorry," he said, moving closer, his voice thick with regret as he tried to catch her eyes. She glanced up briefly, their gazes meeting for a fleeting moment.

"For...?" she began, her voice breaking as she looked away, a tear slipping down her cheek.

"For everything. Every moment that I missed, every time I hurt you," he said, his hand gently holding hers, desperate to bridge the chasm that had grown between them.

"Su, we don't have forever," he continued, his voice trembling, the reality of their situation crashing down on him.

"You don't need to feel sad, Aayan," she whispered, pulling her hand away gently. "Everyone has to go, and maybe this time it's me."

"Someone once told me, Su," he began again, his voice cracking under the strain of his emotions, "that people are like rivers, we can only feel them for a fleeting moment in time."

Swara looked up at him, time flashing back to a night filled with warmth and laughter. She remembered the exact moment she had said those words to him, and now, hearing them again, her eyes filled with tears. They were not just words; they were a reminder of the love that once flowed so freely between them, a love that now struggled to survive the weight of illness and secrets. 

"You remembered, big guy," she said with an emotional smirk, tears spilling down her cheeks. Aayan's heart ached as he watched her. "How could I ever forget?" he replied, his voice trembling.

He leaned forward, pressing his forehead gently against hers. His hand cupped her cheek, wiping away the tears that continued to fall. "I'm sorry, Su," he whispered, his voice breaking. Swara couldn't hold back her emotions any longer; she wept into her hands, her body shaking with the force of her sobs. 

"Hey, look at me," Aayan said, lifting her face to meet his gaze. "I love you, and nothing is coming between us." His words were firm, but the guilt he carried was evident in his eyes.

Swara's tears continued to flow, but a small smile crept onto her face. She leaned forward, capturing his lips in a kiss that transported them both back to a time when life was simpler when their love was all that mattered. The touch of her lips stirred memories in Aayan's mind—of stolen moments, whispered promises, and the innocence that once defined their relationship. 

But as much as he wanted to lose himself in that kiss, the weight of his secret gnawed at him. He wanted to tell her about Asfa, to come clean and rid himself of the guilt, but the words wouldn't come. All he could do was hold her tighter, hoping that somehow, his embrace could convey the depth of his love and the regret that lingered in his heart.

"I love you, Su," he whispered again, his tears mingling with hers. Swara felt the sincerity in his voice, the way each word was laced with the kind of love that transcends time and circumstance. She nestled closer to him, resting her head on his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

 At that moment, nothing else mattered—not her illness, not the secrets between them, not the uncertainty of the future. All that mattered was that they were together, in each other's arms, finding solace in the familiarity of their love.

After a few moments, Swara gently pulled back, wiping the last of her tears. "Let me go tell Mumma you're here. She missed you more than I did," she said with a soft laugh, trying to lighten the mood. But as she turned to leave, Aayan felt a sudden rush of panic. 

He had left Asfa waiting downstairs, and now, the thought of Asfa seeing her made his heart race. But all he could do was nod and watch as Swara slowly made her way out of the room.

Following her down the stairs, Aayan's mind raced. He had no idea how would she react if she heard Swara's words, or if Asfa would even still be there. When he reached the railing of the stairs, his heart skipped a beat—Asfa was gone.

 Relief washed over him. The unresolved tension, the unspoken truth, still hung in the air like a dark cloud, threatening to overshadow the fragile peace they had just found.

As he descended the last few steps, Aayan's eyes searched the room, half-expecting Asfa to reappear. But she was nowhere to be seen. It was as if she had sensed the gravity of the moment and had chosen to step aside, leaving Aayan and Swara on their own.

"Don't break her heart" his phone buzzed reading the text from Asfa.