5 parts Ongoing I stood there, trembling slightly, my heart threatening to burst from my chest. The world around us seemed to blur, leaving only him - his presence, his warmth, the steady rhythm of his breathing. My voice came out barely a whisper, fragile, almost breaking under the weight of my longing.
"Kya mein tumhare seene par sar rakh kar aakhri baar tumhari dhadkan sun sakti hu?"
(Can I... can I rest my head on your chest and hear your heartbeat... one last time?)
I asked, each word soaked in fear and desperation. I felt as if if I spoke any louder, the fragile moment would shatter into pieces.
Mihir looked at me then. He didn't speak immediately. He just held my gaze, his eyes searching mine as if trying to memorize every fragment of me, every silent plea in my soul. And then, in that gentle, quiet tone that cut deeper than any scream, he said,
"Tumne agar meri dhadkan aakhri baar sun li toh tumhari dhadkan humesha ke liye ruk jaayegi."
(If you hear my heartbeat one last time... your heartbeat will stop forever).
The words sank into me like ice, freezing everything inside me, yet setting my heart ablaze in a strange, unbearable ache. I felt a shiver run down my spine, but I couldn't pull away. Somehow, I wanted to feel him, wanted to feel the warmth of his chest beneath my head, even if it meant risking everything.
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What will happen if, with just one glance at someone, a person's life changes? How did that one look make that person fall to their knees in prostration? Will she be able to forget that single gaze that made her a prisoner forever? Was that meeting of eyes the will of the Almighty, or just a lesson for her?
