Finding Love

Chapter 24

Staring at the deep hues of the silhouettes in front of her, fogged by her thoughts, Ayat's attention didn't wander from Kabir's words, as the two of them stared at the walls and objects ahead, each waiting to catch the frantic rhythm of the other's heartbeat, through words, and wind.

Shoulders slacking a little, Ayat realised, the gravity of the situation. Reality came crashing down, like a cold bucket of water, as another life, another existence, and another world, finally began to make sense to her. Kabir's loss, and how deeply it had affected him, was overwhelmingly touching and try as such, she couldn't help the myriad of emotions that was building within her.

Sighing, Kabir shifted his weight a little, before stretching his legs before him, crossing them over at the ankles.

As silence encompassed, two vividly different souls awoke, within themselves, within their world, experiencing the crack of dawn for the first time in over the two decades of their existence. A dawn so peaceful, brimming with honesty; a dawn, of a new bond, cherished as memories, and one that would define their whole existence in time to come.

"So that it that," Kabir spoke up, breaking the silence, his voice, just over a whisper, eyes still wandering towards the blushing pink sky.

From the corner of his eye, he caught the slight nod of acknowledgement, and took the cue to continue.

Staring at his palm for a while, trying to contain his emotions, that were now wreaking havoc in his being, he took a deep breath, before continuing.

"Sometimes, Ayat, there are a few moments in one's life, which define, the rest of their existence. Simple moments, sometimes. Sometimes, they're very... distinguished. For some it may be winning an Oscar, for someone else, it may be winning their first trophy in spoken-word poetry, or painting, or dancing, at the age of six, flashing a toothless grin into the camera. A moment can do a lot. So much, that you shiver, at the very depth of its value, its essence... its...," Kabir paused, a soft, but extremely emotion-charged sigh escaping past his lips.

"It would seem so... stupid, so silly, to some people, that I've not been able to get over... my... mother's death. It may be a trifle of an issue for some. Time heals everything and all that bloody crap. But some scars stay. They stay forever. Nothing can fade them."

As silence ensued once again, Ayat waited patiently, for Kabir to speak. She knew exactly how hard it was, for him to open up this way, and she didn't want to push him any further. She was already surprised, when he had decided to let her into his small, dimly lit world. He had always come out to her as an extremely reserved and closed person. And now, here they were, sitting next to each other on the terrace floor, leaning their backs to the parapet behind them, feet stretched out, enveloped in thick, but suddenly comfortable silence.

Slowly, she chose her words, careful about how she was to let them out. "Kabir," she called out, softly, but before she could say anything further, he shocked her into silence, as he voiced out the deepest of his disturbing thoughts to fill the silence between them.

"She meant the world to me, Ayat. She had always told me, that no matter what, she'd always be with me. The bond between us only grew with time. It stretched. And then suddenly one day, she... vanished... disappeared, just like that... Suddenly, there was no one waiting at the front porch for me to return home, every day. There was nobody to ruffle my hair at three in the morning, when my mind was abuzz with whatever thoughts or worries. Nobody to tell me to shut up and finish breakfast, before leaving for university. 'Have a nice day' hugs, and 'Good night Beerah' kisses on the forehead, just... left. With her. There was no one, who could take just one look at my dishevelled hair, or my out of sorts appearance, and would come rushing to me, just to give me a hug and reassure me, that things will be alright, and... I miss her... I miss her so much! She was all that I could have ever wished for...and more..." a soft, stifled cry of desperation resonated, just as the sky above danced from cherry to purple.