Twelve Hundred & Fifty Miles. ✓ [Completed]

Chapter 15

The end.

The heavy night had passed and now it was the time for an even heavier one. Both of them were ready mentally but let's not talk about hearts right now. They were in a different league altogether. A tug of war was going on between their minds and hearts and the mind was winning. As it should have. Or atleast that's what they believed.

With every passing second, it felt like someone was squeezing their hearts. He wasn't able to make eye contact with her because he knew he would break down if he saw those innocent dove eyes that he had begun to like very much. Shaking off his thoughts, he helped her pick up her stuff and loaded it in the trunk of his car. There was complete silence. None of them were able to speak. They didn't know what to say to each other. All of this felt too wrong but too right at the same time. The night was darker than usual too as if it too was mourning the impending departure of two souls who were meant for each other.

In everyone's life there comes a point, where you have left behind all those teenage fantasies, fairy tales and myths about love because you start to see the world practically. You realize that love isn't enough to spend the rest of your life with someone. A lot of other things are needed because one day, love starts fading away and if you have nothing else between you then, things only get worse. Aafiah was at the point too. She had stopped believing and waiting for a prince charming on a white horse coming to save her. Infact, she didn't even believe in it to start with because the only man in her life had disappointed her since the very first day of her life.

At that point, you start thinking that love is nothing and maybe it's something that exists only in fiction, not in real life. And then suddenly, one day love strikes at your wooden door, like a thunder bolt and shatters it to pieces. It comes at the most unexpected time, from the most unexpected place and in the most unpredictable manner, like an uninvited guest. Not to unite the lovers, but to tell them how big of a mistake it was for them to fall in love.

The silence was almost deafening. It was scary. She wanted to go in a cocoon and hide there forever. God knows how scared she was at the moment. He knew too. It took everything in her to confide in him in this matter and take this huge leap of faith just because he had told her to trust him. He was scared too.

What if he failed? What if he broke her trust?

For some reason, he didn't want to be that person.

They reached the border gate. He took out her bag and placed it on the trunk. They stood there in silence. Her head was hung low. She wasn't able to look at him because it hurt. She was fiddling with her fingers and sniffing. After struggling for a while, she finally threw her arms around his neck and hugged the life out of him. His heart broke some more.

"Thankyou, Officer Shayan. I will never forget all the things that you have done for me. I will cherish every single moment I spent with you. From the investigation office to right now, I will remember everything. You dont know how indebted I am to you. I promise, one day I will make it up to you. One day!" she assured as she sniffed placing her chin on his shoulder, looking at the empty space.

He froze. Simply because he didn't know what to say so she continued.

"I will remember you as the only man who took care of me and protected me with his life. I will remember you as the star who shone the brightest when my sky was pitch black. Thankyou for everything, Shayan. I will always pray for you. You are my hero. You always had been."

He pulled back and held her face in his trembling hands. He knew that he was looking at this beautiful face for the last time and he wanted to make the most of it. He kept staring at her - not because she was the most beautiful woman he had seen but because he wanted to remember each and every detail of her raw beauty by heart. He was really afraid to see her face vanishing from his memories. He closed his eyes and placed his lips on her forehead, taking her in his arms. This one moment alone was so heartbreakingly beautiful that he was ready to trade it for all the treasures of the world.

"May Allah keep you in his Aafiah always. You are made to be protected at all costs." He whispered in the eerie silence of the night, straight from his heart with a painful smile.

Her tears which were at bay were out again. It cascaded down her cheek, shining brightly under the moon light as her heart turned into several knots.

Would this man ever disappoint her?

He then took out his phone and typed something. Soon enough, one of the guarding soldier was there. She was made to wear the camouflage to remain hidden. He was secretly proud of how brave she had been. He waved at her one last time as she kept looking back. Her heart was telling her to leave everything and run in his arms but that's what the heart is for - misguiding you.

She walked with the soldier to the line of control, ready to step her foot back into her homeland, her soil. She looked back. He was still standing there. She gazed at him long enough, the longing and yearning in her eyes was painful. She wished he would run to her and pull her in his arms.

She turned her back to him and walked towards the fence. It was just a matter of a few steps now. She kept walking with heavy feet.

Suddenly, there was some commotion. She didn't realize. He shouted her name with all his might.

"Aafiah."

He struggled in the hold of those soldiers.

"Aafiah."

He begged her to listen to him.

And then happened the thing that he dreaded the most. A loud bang and in the next moment, his world had collapsed right in front of his eyes. The sniper shot went straight to her chest. She didn't even get the time to realize what had happened for she collapsed the same instant and his world came crumbling down. He fell to the ground, on his knees and cried. He shouted and screamed her name in pain and agony. His heart burst with every passing second. His mind was on fire. He had lost all control. He was going mad.

He struggled to free himself from those men and run to her. He got punched and kicked several times but none of them mattered. What mattered was the woman that he had loved with all his heart being carried by two men like a lifeless soul in front of him and all he did was stare at her heartbreaking face, blankly. It seemed like after all the crying and mourning, his soul too had left his body to be with her. He didn't move a bit. He didn't speak a word. It seemed like he wasn't even breathing.

He had become the man he feared the most. He broke her trust and lost her.

Perhaps, it had always been his fate to find true love and lose it every time. Maybe he was the fire who burnt and destroyed everything he touched.

He stared blankly at her. Her eyes were still open and she was looking back at him with the same beautiful smile as they carried her to the back of that jeep.

••••••••

The end.
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just kidding.