MishBir: Someone You Love(d)

40|| Kisses And Misses

Mishti smiled through the lump in her throat as she sat with Abir clinging to her, his arms around her and hiding his face in her bosom. It was probably not the most comfortable position for either of them - he was way taller, she was way too petite to hold him together like that, to top that they were sitting on the floor, her back was supported against the bed and he had to bend his legs to be able to sit like that.

She ran her fingers through his hairs - they had grown slightly. She missed his shiny long hairs, she sighed as she watched him with a tender gaze, drowning in her own thoughts.

When she was a child, she was crazy about fairy tales - the notion that two people who loved each other were eventually blessed with their happily ever after. Probably that was majorly why she had been such an excited cute little cupid for her sister and her bff - doing everything her tiny brain could comprehend for the two lovers and their happy ending. Kartik and Naira owed a lot to Mishti for the super successful love story back then.

And then there was an entire phase where she found all the love and marriage crap bullshit. Watching her parents fall apart hadn't been an easy journey. Growing right amidst subtle physical and grave emotional abuse for an year had definitely changed her perception, and she would have completely lost her belief in love and happily ever afters if not for Bade Papa and Badi Maa. Living with them had nurtured the tiny sapling of hope remaining inside her. Watching them live everyday - together and trying to make each other's day better had always made her smile. Sometimes, Badi Maa would sit with her, oiling her hairs and telling her about the prince charming who would one day come and sweep her off her feet. She never believed it, of course, but Kuhu did, too excited about it and that made Badi Maa giggle and tell them more about a life full of love. She listened anyway and always thought how could just another human become so important that you would want to do anything for his one smile? How could just sitting with them feel peaceful - like she had seen Bade Papa and Badi Maa sit for hours - no words, yet a serene smile lighting their faces? How could you even think about forgiving someone for the hurt they cause you just because they were repenting? How was it possible to feel on overwhelming amount of cocktail of emotions together - just for that one person every moment?

Today, sitting with Abir, in a similar silence - she understood how. His arms around her felt home. She knew she would happily spend all her life like this and not complain. He stirred, breaking her trance and looked up, his face breaking into the softest smile as he tucked a loose tendril of her hair behind her ears.

"You will have back ache if you keep sitting like this. Get up", he asked, extending his hand as he stood up. Mishti gave her hand in his, letting him pull her up, her eyes too busy watching him.

He turned to make space on the bed, putting the plate and tea cups away, but didn't loose his hold on her hand. Mishti smiled, shaking her head. Her eyes caught a familiar red note book in the pile behind her and she managed to retrieve it, without needing to take her hand back from him.

“Abir?”, she called out, and when he turned to face him, she extended the diary, “Jo bhi baat hai, jo tum kah nhi paa rhe ho, isme likh do, mai padh lungi. Mai bhi janna chahti hu ki mere dost ke man me kya baat chal rhi hai jo wo itna pareshan hai”, the smile on her face only widened while Abir looked at her, flabbergasted.

Abir could feel his heart swell with so much love for this petite woman. She really was one of her kind, a woman with an unusual ability to love and fill the gloomiest world with bright flowers and happy air. The last time she had caught him like that was one the day she was supposed to get engaged to Kunal, and even without knowing his dilemma she had said similar words, wanting to soothe his worry. And after a full circle, they were here and she was still telling him the same thing.