Not edited yet, so kindly forgive me for all the errors you find in the below one shot.
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AbhiMaan OS : Spring Of Love
Her summers were spent lending a helping hand to her mother who juggled between the court and their resort, playing the role of a hospitable hostess since the age of ten. Her winters were spent in saving herself from an acute bout of cold that left her cranky and irritable all the time. And the less said about the rainy season, the better. It mostly went between fixing the leakages of their home and slapping mosquitoes that loved sucking her blood to death. All in all, Abhira never had a favourite season till she finally learnt to appreciate the beauty of one.
Spring.
But these days, unfortunately, her life felt much like autumn. Much as trees bereft of leaves and flowers, a gruesome accident left her not only with many broken bones that were currently healing but also erased memories of the past two years. When her life had changed. A lot.
The day she woke up in the hospital bed was fresh in her mind. There was a girl…Kiara who first saw her gaining consciousness and brought the entire staff to her room along with their family. It still felt strange to call them family but they were family nevertheless, Abhira sighed, swaying mindlessly on the swing with her feet occasionally brushing the ground.
Her eyes strayed towards the huge photo frame hung on the wall, making her exhale loudly. The smiles in it were real and bright and she didn't know when was the last time she smiled like that.
The twinkle in the man's forest green eyes were not hard to miss as his lips pressed to her cheek. Her accident was responsible for not only snatching away her smiles but also for the missing shine in his eyes.
She kept to her side mostly and he being a gentleman never attempted to get closer to her as well, respecting her need for space. But she never missed the way he cared for her. He restocked her medicines before they got over, he brought her favourite sweets and savouries. He cooked Akshara's special noodles for her so often, without letting her catch him. He even left his…their bedroom for her and occupied the guest room so that she could be comfortable during her stay.
An angry growl in her stomach broke her chain of thoughts, making her chuckle sheepishly as she stood up and walked downstairs to the kitchen.
Soft sniffles and murmuring voices forced her to stop behind the threshold and peek inside cautiously. Her brows furrowed as she found Manisha and Kajal trying to console a distraught Vidya who was crying miserably.
“Jethani sa, please don't cry.” She heard Manisha mutter softly, rubbing her back while indicating Kajal to fetch a glass of water.
“How can I not, Manisha? Kaise rokun khud ko? Mere dono beton ki zindagi barbad ho gayi hai…dono barbad ho chuke hain…” She wailed.
Abhira cast her eyes down. She never tried to know the differences between Ruhi and Rohit even though both of them looked miserable with each other. But she knew that she was responsible for the suffering of her other son.
“Maa sa ki zid ki wajah se Rohit apni grihasti mein nakhush hai. Aur mera Armaan…” she cried even louder.
“Bhabhi sa…pani pi jiye please.” Kajal helped her drink water.
“Had everything been alright, mere bade bete aur bahu aaj unki pehli anniversary celebrate kar rahe hote, Kajal. Humare ghar mein kuch pal ki khushiyan toh hoti.”
Anniversary?!
Abhira felt her head spinning. She clutched the door frame for support as her legs wobbled at the revelation that hit like bolt of lightning. She struggled to process the information. Their anniversary? Hers and Armaan's? Today?
Armaan's painful breakdown two days ago made sense now. It was a restless night for her, she couldn't catch a wink of sleep and therefore stepped into the garden for fresh air. That's when she spotted him on a bench, in the far corner of the garden, his shoulders hunched and his face buried in his hands. The sight of him so broken and vulnerable had shaken her deeply. She had wanted to approach him, to comfort him, but something had held her back. Perhaps it was the fear of not knowing what to say or the uncertainty of her own feelings. That was also the last she had seen of him. And even though she terribly missed his presence around her, she was unable to ask anybody about his whereabouts.
She didn't want to admit but in the deepest corner of her heart, she knew his presence brought a sense of calmness and semblance within her. His simple yet thoughtful gestures made her heart swell. Perhaps…she even began to view him as her partner again…but was she ready to accept him in her life again?
“Abhira?” Manisha’s voice broke through her thoughts as she blinked rapidly, realising she had been spotted.
Stepping into the kitchen, she passed them a nervous smile as they exchanged wary glances with each other, unsure of how much of their conversation she heard.
“Woh…woh bhook lagi thi chachi sa.” s
She mumbled, flustered.
Vidya wiped her remaining tears, pretending to smile for her. “Shall I make noodles for you, beta? They're your favourite, right?”
“Maa…noodles?” She shook her head, “kuch aur?” She preferred noodles these days only if they were prepared by Armaan himself.
“Sandwich?”
Abhira nodded in agreement, watching them busying themselves in work. She took a deep breath before asking softly, “maa…um…Armaan kahan hai? Do din se ghar mein dikhe nahi.”
The room fell into absolute silence as the three ladies looked at her in wonder, making her conscious of herself. Did she ask anything wrong?
“Maa?”
“Woh…Armaan mussoorie gaya hai beta,” she informed, “some resort related work. He didn't give me details.”
“Resort?” She muttered to herself, feeling puzzled and overwhelmed. She had forgotten to ask about her resort but Armaan…Armaan took care of it by himself. Her muddled thoughts were slowly clearing to give her a right direction. “When will he return?”
“By evening, he said.”
As Abhira sat at the kitchen table, waiting for her sandwich, her mind raced with thoughts of Armaan. She had so many questions, so many things she wanted to say. The realization that he had been taking care of their resort without her knowledge made her feel a deep sense of gratitude and admiration for him. He had been her silent support, always there even when she wasn't aware of it.
Later that evening, she found herself glancing at the clock more frequently, counting down the hours until Armaan's return. She tried to distract herself with chores and reading, but her thoughts always drifted back to him. The prospect of moving on with him scared her yet it felt like the best decision to her heart.
As the evening shadows lengthened, Abhira finally heard the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. Her heart skipped a beat, and she hurried to the front door. She watched as Armaan stepped out of the car, looking tired but still carrying that aura of quiet strength that she had come to admire so much.
He looked up and saw her standing at the door. For a moment, they just stared at each other, the distance between them filled with unspoken emotions, before he turned his gaze away. She sighed, masking her disappointment, while watching Vidya fuss over him.
Armaan could feel her eyes on him the entire evening, even during the dinner. It was a new sensation for him, because they never had this barrier of silence between them ever. They always spoke to each other, be it a happy chatter, angry quarrels or mindless gossip. To not exchange more than pleasantries was weird for him but he had accustomed himself to this for her sake.
“Tu yeh kar sakti hai, Abhira. You can do it!” Abhira stared at her reflection in the mirror, giving herself the much needed pep talk before facing him. This was her do or die situation, a make or break for their relationship. She took a long, deep breath before walking to the garden where she was sure about finding him.
The air in the garden was cool and refreshing, carrying the scent of blooming flowers. True to her assumption, he was on the stone bench wearing his regular sweatshirt and tracks. Inching closer, she could see the way wind playfully tousled his hair, giving him a more boyish appearance.
“Hey,” she cleared her throat, hoping to catch his attention. He opened his eyes, finding Abhira standing in front of him.
He nodded, moving aside to create space for her beside him. On second thought, he stood up, deciding to leave in case she preferred to be alone. He only took a step forward when she stopped him, “ruko. I want to talk to you.”
“Me?” “Yes. Now sit.”
He occupied the bench again, keeping safe distance from her, while urging her to continue with his eyes.
This was it. She had to be honest, to lay everything out on the table. No more hiding, no more hesitations.
Armaan," she began, her voice trembling slightly, "I've been thinking a lot about us. About everything we've been through…”
He watched her intently, his expression unreadable but his eyes filled with a mixture of hope and apprehension.
“I don't know when my memories will return, or if they ever will? Do you still want to stay with a person like me? Who has no control over her memories?”
Armaan looked at her, his eyes softening with understanding. "Abhira, I never fell in love with you just because of the memories we've made. I fell in love with the person you are—the way you care, the way you light up a room, the way you make me feel complete.”
She blinked back tears, her heart aching with the sincerity in his voice. “What if I never regain my memories, Armaan? Will you waste your entire life waiting for me?”
“Waiting for you is not wasting my life, Abhira.” Armaan stared at the full moon, shaking his head. She froze momentarily, her breath stuck in her throat watching the serenity of moonlight reflecting on his face, making him appear more handsome than ever. Perhaps this was the closest they ever sat in the last couple of months and she couldn’t help but wonder if she always found herself lost in him before she lost her memories. “You are my entire life, my home. It’ll be you and only you, and nobody else. I can live like this for not just one lifetime but the next seven hundred lives too, if it means I’ll again be loved by you.”
She made no attempt to wipe the hot tears rolling down her cheeks this time listening to him. Just how much did this man love her? Can a person love someone to such an extent that they are willing to wait till eternity for their love to be reciprocated? The depth of his devotion was both humbling and heartwarming.
“What if…” She began, growing hesitant as he turned to look at her, repeating the words over and over in her mind, the ones that can change the course of their lives forever, “what if you don’t have to wait that long for me?”
Embers of hope flared in his heart as he dared to ask innocently, almost hopefully, “matlab?”
“Can we start again, Armaan? I may not remember the life we shared before,” she scooted near him, letting their shoulders brush against each other, “I don’t know when I’ll regain my memories or if I will regain them ever. Teen mahine toh maine bhule yaadon ko khojne mein hi barbad kar diya, ab puri zindagi uss umeed mein nahi jeena chahti. If God is willing, I will recollect everything. If not, I want to create so many memories with you that I never have to search for the old ones.”
“Are you…are you sure?” Her words were too good to be true, it felt like a distant dream was playing in front of his eyes and when he would open them, it would vanish again, leaving him to pick up the broken piece of his heart again.
“This is the only thing I'm sure of, after these many months.”
Armaan extended his arms to hold her before stopping midway, looking partly hesitant and part embarrassed at his excitement. Abhira smiled softly, nodding in approval.
This was the onset of spring in their lives she hoped, wrapping her arms around her husband. A familiar warmth rushed through her as his arms secured themselves behind her back and she snuggled even closer allowing herself to embrace it wholeheartedly.
“Happy first anniversary, husband.”
“Happy first anniversary…wait how did you know?” He was sure he warned their family to not reveal it to her.
“Secret.” She chuckled, amused by his baffled expressions.
He shook his head before clasping her hand and helping her stand up. “We had a no secret rule between us, you know. Rules are not supposed to be broken. And I got you a gift.”
Abhira's curiousity piqued as he led her inside the house, straight to the kitchen. She watched him intently as he pulled out a box from the refrigerator.
Armaan brought it closer with a playful smile on his face, “I know you love this.” before revealing the contents of it.
Her eyes widened in surprise and delight. It was one of her favourite desserts, bal mithai. And he brought it for her!
“You know?!”
“Of course, I do. We planned to go to Mussoorie for our anniver…nevermind. You have this.”
He fed her a small piece, the rich flavour melting in her mouth. Abhira's eyes closed briefly in bliss, savouring it's taste. She opened her eyes to see Armaan's warm smile and she couldn't help but return it.
“Happy first anniversary, Ira jaan.”
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