Book II - Darling, I Love You (Part One - Completed)

Part 24

UNEDITED

Part - 24

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"Distance Gives Us A Reason To Love Harder"

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"Inayaa, stop crying or else you will fall sick" Veer coaxed her. He had brought her to their room sometimes back but still her cries refused to stop.

"You...you are...all I have...Veer" Inayat said hiccuping. "I lost... Izzaan." She cried covering her face with her palm. "I can't lose... I can't survive without you..." the sound of sob got louder and it only pierced his heart deeper.

"Shush... shush..." he knelt down on the floor in front of her. She was sitting on the edge of their bed. He took his hands closer to cup her face and brush her tears off her cheeks but he stopped worrying she might panic more. "Calm down, please" he pleaded. "And wipe the tears off your face for me. I can't bear seeing you like this." He won't say she looked awful with tear stricken face, swollen red eyes and flushed cheeks. She still looked beautiful to him but not the ethereal beauty she was when she held an adorable smile on her face.

She quickly cleared her face and took a deep breath. "Your brother voiced out my worst fear, Veer" she said sniffing.

"Inayat, you have to understand Arjun. He didn't mean it in wrong sense." He tried to explain his little brother's harsh statement. "He was only 16 when I left home to join the Army." Inayat blinked her eyes to clear her vision and looked at her husband intently. "He was so attached to me..." Arjun had a close bond with Veer compared to Naira though he loved them both equally. "...and he couldn't bear the thought of living without me. He also worried that something might happen to me as you know the risks involved in army life and he will never get to see me again. He fought with me to change my decision but I couldn't because I always believed I was born to be where I am now, in Indian Army." His words held so much pride and respect for his job. "He cried and rebelled. He didn't even talk to me for a year."

"For a year?" Inayat asked in shock. She couldn't't believe the ever fun loving boy can act extremely serious.

"Yes. He will be all fun and loving to you until he gets hurt and upset. Once he gets hurt he will distance himself from that person who hurt him. He is the most emotional person in our family, Inayat, though he doesn't seem like one."

"But you didn't hurt him, right?"

"I did hurt him. I told him not to stand on my way to my dream"

"Oh"

"He asked me to promise him that I won't choose Army but our family."

"You didn't"

"Obviously. He was young and over affectionate towards his family so he didn't want me to go but I knew he would understand me and my preference and he did understand me but took a long time"

"Hmm"

"On the day of my departure to Kashmir, everyone was around me but my little brother locked himself away from me in his room. I tried to talk with him at least once before I leave but he didn't open his room door for me so I had to go to the railway station without seeing him..."

"But he came?"

"Yes, he did." Veer said fondly remembering how much happy he felt then seeing his dear brother. "He just hugged me but didn't talk or let me go. My dad had to literally tear him apart from me." He said with a chuckle. "A moment before the train started moving, he asked me to promise something..." He paused. He didn't say Arjun's exact words "Promise me you won't come home in coffin, bro" as he knew his wife would start crying all over again.