The Exchange

Alive Again

When she woke up the next morning, she saw him intently setting something up at the dressing table. "Abhi?", she asked. 

The moment he heard her voice, he went rushing to her side..."Kya hua jaan? Tum theek toh ho na?" 

"Tum woh kya kar rahe the, Abhi?" 

He looked at her and smiled, slowly helping her out of bed and guiding her to the chair he had placed in front of the mirror. 

"Akshu, sit...." 

"Abhi...yeh sab kya hai?" 

Putting his finger on her lips, he softly spoke into her ear, "Akshu... aaj se humari nayi zindagi shuru hogi...joh kuch bhi tum ne khoya hai woh mein tumhe wapis doonga...yeh mera tum se vaada hai..." 

She grabbed his hands into her own, pressing them against her lips..."Abhi, tum ho na mere pas...ab mujhe aur kuch bhi nahi chaiye...mere liye bas tum hi kaafi ho...bas tum mere pas rehna humesha..." 

"Akshu, tumhara Abhi bas tumhare liye toh hai...ab tumhe koi bhi tension leni ki zarurat nahi hai...tumhe ab theek hona hai Akshu...aur yeh hum mil ke kargene...tum mera saath do gi na?" 

She silently nodded with all of the courage she could muster. The truth was that she did not know if she would ever be the Akshara that he fell in love with...she did not know if she would ever be the person she once used to be. She felt as if she had lost that part of herself...and she felt as if she may never find it again...but, she also knew that she had to try...she had to try for him. She had to do everything in her power to return that person to her Abhi...because he deserved to be with the person he loved...but, little did she know, he loved every inch of her, every broken part of her...he loved every scar on her body...every scar on her soul...and he wanted to help her regain who she once was not for himself, but for HER...as he could not bear to see her suffering like this, struggling to come to terms with who this person whom she did not even recognize was. 

Without saying another word, he poured the hibiscus oil he had ordered earlier that morning into the palm of his hands and gently started rubbing it into her hair, making sure it reached the very roots. Smelling the oil that once used to be her daily habit, she looked at him in shock. 

"Akshu, tum ne mere liye apne baal kurban kardiye na? Ab mein hi tumare baal wapis laaonga..." 

He continued massaging her hair, watching her stare at him in utter adoration. And once he was finished, he told her to wait for one second...that he would be right back after washing his hands. But, right as he left, she got up from the chair, placing a towel around it. 

Once he returned, she gestured for him to sit. He looked at her confused, but seeing the hint of hope, the hint of sparkle in her eyes, he immediately agreed. 

With that, she took his razor and began to shave off the beard that he had let grow for the past year...the beard that he had used to hide his pain, hide his agony..."Abhi...mein ne tumse pehle bhi kaha tha na...ki humari kismat ek hai...humari zindagi ek hai...aur tumhe kya lagta hai? Ki mujhe tumara dard nahi dikta? Abhi ab tumhe apne dard ko chupane ki koi zarurat nahi hai...ab waqt aa gaya hai ki tum bhi apne dard ko chod do..." 

With every stroke of the razor, she began to see his face more and more clearly, until it was fully visible. His face was broken, it was shattered...but it was him...her Abhi...it was him out in the open, entirely vulnerable before her eyes. She caressed every inch of it, pouring all of her love and admiration into her every touch. 

He pulled her into his lap, kissing her forehead, kissing her cheeks, kissing her nose, kissing her lips. And they sat there, staring into each other's eyes, losing track of all time...