~ MUQAABIL ~

~ Wada ~

KAAINAAT'S POV

I was sitting in my cell, drained of any remaining energy. The walls seemed to close in on me, suffocating me with the weight of despair. Loneliness had settled deep within me, creating a void in my heart that felt impossible to fill. I had never felt so isolated, so utterly forsaken.

Suddenly, the iron bars of my cell clanked, the sharp sound cutting through the oppressive silence. A soft voice followed, gently calling my name, "Kaainaat." The way he said it felt strange, like it was both foreign and familiar at the same time. 

I lifted my head, almost hesitantly, to see who had come. There, standing on the other side of the bars, was Avinaash. His face was etched with worry, his eyes searching mine for something—perhaps understanding, perhaps forgiveness.

For a brief, fleeting moment, I felt hope. Relief washed over me as if someone had finally reached out into the darkness to pull me back into the light. But that feeling was short-lived, vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.

All the memories I had tried to push away came flooding back, crashing into me like a tidal wave. I remembered how he had barged into my house, his eyes filled with anger and distrust. How he had grabbed me, slammed my head against the wall, leaving me dazed and bleeding. How I had been hospitalised because of him.

The hope drained from my eyes, replaced by a burning anger that I couldn't suppress. It was like a fire that had been smoldering beneath the surface, now igniting into a full-blown blaze.

"Aap yaha kya kar rahe hain!?" I demanded fiercely, my voice trembling with the fury that surged within me. I could feel the heat of my anger in every word, in every breath.

I wanted to call him "tum," to strip away the formality, to show him that he no longer deserved my respect. But the word wouldn't come out. I couldn't bring myself to do it, even though I wanted to. Instead, "aap" slipped out—a form of respect he didn't deserve, yet I couldn't deny him.

Why did I still give him that? After everything he had done, why did I still hold onto that last shred of respect? Perhaps it was habit or maybe it was the part of me that still longed for an explanation, a reason to believe that this was all some terrible mistake.

~🧿~

AVINAASH'S POV

Her voice cut through me like a knife. "Aap yaha kya kar rahe hain!?" The words were laced with anger, trembling with a fury I could feel from across the bars. I wasn't surprised by her reaction—how could I be? I had hurt her in ways that were unforgivable. But hearing that anger, seeing it in her eyes, was still a blow I wasn't prepared for.

I stood there, frozen for a moment, holding the tiffin in my hands like some sort of feeble offering. What had I expected? That she would be glad to see me? That my presence here, my attempt at a small gesture of kindness, would somehow make up for what I'd done? No. Deep down, I knew better.

The distance between us felt insurmountable, and the walls of her cell seemed to mirror the barriers she had put up between us.

"I... I brought you some food," I managed to say, my voice sounding hollow even to me. It was such a pathetic thing to offer her, considering everything.

I wanted to explain, to tell her that I was here because I couldn't bear the thought of her being alone in this, that I needed to make things right. But the words wouldn't come. They felt meaningless in the face of what I had done. What explanation could justify the pain I'd caused? How could I ask for forgiveness when I wasn't sure I deserved it?

The silence between us was heavy, thick with unresolved tension and unspoken words. Kaainaat's shoulders were slumped, her energy seemingly drained from the ordeal she had been through. I could see the conflict in her eyes—the lingering hurt, the anger, and perhaps, just a sliver of the trust that once was, now buried under layers of doubt.