"One day, someone will come in your life and he will hold your hand through thick and thin, he will never let you fall, he will love you as much as I do, princess." Those were the last words her father whispered to her as he put her to sleep, the night before her mother and he died in a car accident.
Suman Tiwari leaned against the headboard of her bed as she took in the surroundings of her room. Her eyes trailed towards the sleeping form who laid on the couch near the window. He looked drained beyond measure and yet so beautiful, the sunlight falling on him like drizzle, silhouettes and shadows dancing on his face.
She wished, she could stand between him and the scorching sun, to provide him shelter like he had draped a blanket over her head, protecting her from all harms. But, she couldn't. She had lost the ability to do so, since her accident. As much as she hated to admit it, she had reached a point in life where it was of no use to deny it anymore. She had become a liability. She had lost her independence. But what hurt the most was that the blow was given by the one who had vowed to protect her, once upon a time.
Shravan Malhotra had been the only constant in her ever changing life, the one that never left her, the one who always held her together. Even when his absence gnawed at her heart's crevices, his consoling words from the past would echo and hope would rise within her like a phoenix from ashes.
She wondered why he was still here. She refused to talk to him, to look at him and yet he stuck by her side from the moment her eyes open in the morning till late in the night when he assured himself that she had succumbed to a peaceful slumber.
Sometimes when the guilt is too much to take and his nightmares replay her accident leaving him shaking, he lingers around her room, humming a melody she loves or simply sits by her side and neither would be able to explain it but somehow their fingers are always found intertwined together.
He rolled onto the couch that was too small to accommodate his tall figure and blinked a few times before he got up so he was sitting on the sofa rather than laying on it. Their eyes met and she is very much aware of her speeding heart under his intense scrutiny. His breath hitched in his throat and his movements stilled as she directed a small smile at him, for the first time in weeks. It was a faint smile, a mere pull at the corners of her lips, but she hadn't looked away.
The air in her safe cocoon was stifling all of a sudden, she wanted to go out and feel the breeze hit against her face, to allow the sun to caress her skin. She seemed restless for a second as she tried to get up from the bed and he was on his feet before her and yet careful to maintain a tangible distance between them. Not wanting to snatch away the only thing that was truly hers, her independence.
For the first time in weeks, she wasn't scared to walk through the corridors of her home despite the trembling in her legs and it had a lot to do with the silent assurance of his presence. She felt him standing behind her like a shadow that hovered over her. After all, he had promised her he would never let her fall.
Shravan Malhotra never failed to fulfill his promises.
The climb to the terrace was no child play. She winced as she climbed the first couple of stairs and his arm reached out to her almost on impulse, before he let it fall by his side, not knowing if he was allowed to do so. They stopped for a moment, leaning against the wall and the railing, facing each other. On this very staircase, he had shared his utmost worries with her while she had assured him like a best friend, a partner would do.
Shravan didn't miss the forlorn look on her face and her eyes brimming with tears as she looked between the end of the staircase and the beginning of it. He read the dilemma in her eyes and his heart hurt. She was so close yet so far. Suman gulped the lump in her throat and considered going back downstairs when Shravan held his hand out, his eyes asking a silent question.
She let out a deep breath and hesitantly gave her hand into his. She remembered that he promised her that he would stay with her even if it took her whole life to recover.
As they climbed the stairs with baby steps, the possibility of a better future could be seen ahead. There was more to life, she thought to herself as his hold on her tightened. Perhaps, with him by her side, it would be a little easier, a little more bearable.
They reached to the terrace safely. A smile graced her face and he knew why. On this very terrace, they had restored a relationship that went beyond the millions of fights that had occured between them, beyond their egos and beyond the distance that had separated them for ten long years. Suman tried to walk by herself and he let her increase the distance between them, her fingers slipping away from his.
They sit side by side on the ledge of the terrace. He shot a sidelong glance towards her and a sight of contentment escaped his lips. Her orbs were steady on the magnificent sun, succumbing to the scheme of things. Her beautiful face aglow as it evaporated in myriad of colours and her lips bore a semblance of a smile, just enough to assure him that her thoughts, whatever they may be, didn't bother her anymore.
She turned her face to meet his eyes and she felt her heart clench painfully when he looked down, tears prickling at the corner of his eyes. He didn't look up for once he did, he wouldn't stand the sight of his reflection in her glistening orbs. He moved to get up when he felt her hand press against his.
Stay.
She wanted to say it, but words were clogged in her throat and she hoped that her gesture would convey more than she could ever. And like always, he understood. Her silence unlike her feelings weren't stranger to him.
Unlike last time, she didn't sit there, her eyes wearing a vacant expression as he shed tears of shame and muttered incoherent apologies. Her trembling fingers went up to caress the side of his face and his own hand came to rest against her cheek, his thumb rubbing soothing circles on her skin. He turned his face a little to place a kiss onto her palm. Her fingers slowly wiped the tears resting on his cheek as he did the same.
She tried to move away, only to be stopped by him as this time he was the one seeking her to stay. Slowly, she moved closer to him and rested her head against his shoulder. He rested his chin on her hair and wrapped his arms around her as they watched the glowing collision, together.
No words were exchanged, no eloquent promises were made. If something would be remembered from that evening passed under the lurid redness of the sunset, then it would be the sound of their hearts mingling to become one.
Sunset no more meant farewell for her but rather the building hope of a new beginning.
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Thank you so much to everyone who voted for Hope made it stand on the podium, it really really means a lot to me. 💜
