The Last leaf: Adiya story

Breathing next to you

Her breathing was heavier with each passing second, she tightly held on to her mother's hands as the snowfall turned denser with each passing time. In the dense darkness of the night with only the thick white snow contrasting the blackness of the night he adjusted his eyes that yearned for the sight of that chinnar tree with it's last leaves. A temporal sense of relief washed through his body when Aditya finally got a glimpse of that huge barren tree with that one leaf still struggling to survive the harsh wind and snow. 

Ammi, abbu please go and get some rest, humari fikar mat kijiye kal subha dhoop zaroor ayegi aap dekhna.

Zoya murmured to her parents, gesturing her Noor to come and sit next to her,

Humari  kohinoor you have grown so much do you know that? Jaayi aaram kijiye, ammi abbu ka khayal rakhiye. 

Noor nodded just as she use to obey her appi when she was a little girl, she embraced her elder sister for sometime letting her appi kiss her lovingly kiss her forehead.

Zoya did not want to leave the warmth of her mother's lap but deep inside she knew that indulging in selfish acts was the last thing she wanted to do at this crucial hour. Holding her mother at this stage made her realise how weak and vulnerable was her inner self perhaps more fragile than her exterior frame. The hardest was to convince her father to let the night pass so that fate would decide the course of her destiny. 

I have never been a good daughter abbu and what saddens me is that you have been the best father that a daughter would ever ask for. Always fighting for me, making sure that I stay happy at the end of all of it. My only wish is to turn back time and at least try to be the daughter you deserve. 

Tears flooded from her eyes as her father made it a point to wipe every bit of it, 

see abbu your fighting with my tears also.

The beautiful bond that the father daughter shared was evident in the smile they had for each other among the tears. Noor helped their parents to leave the room and Zoya with her eyes pleaded Arjun to help Noor in handling her broken parents. Arjun smiled lovingly kissing Zoya's forehead before leaving, for him she was the  elder sister that he never had but always wanted to grow up with not that he loved his elder brother less, it was just that it felt good to be around Zoya and Aditya was well aware of the affinity that they shared.

With the approaching of the night everyone left her bedroom as it was observed best for her to rest in peace, so the only sound beside her heavy breathing was the crackling of the woods inside the fireplace. She smiled weakly as he turned around and started adding more wood in the chimney,

You want to say something?

Aditya spoke in his nonchalant manner continuing with the firework with his back still turned towards her.

Aap humari kabhi kuch bhi baat suntey jo hum bole?

He dodged her mild sarcasm and peeped from the curtain, the blanket of snow was getting thicker with the ascending of the night. 

When will this night end, it seems so long you Aditya I feel like that eight year old girl all over again afraid to sleep alone at night.

Fikar mat karo main puri raat yehi par hoon kuch nahin hone dunga tumhein. 

He sat next to her with assuring eyes and firm voice, to his utmost surprise she took his hands in her feeble trembling ones and placed it to her lips. 

I know you are always with me Aditya, can I confess something I always knew you will protect me even when you said you hated me for being Yash Arora's wife.