Ibaadat || عبادت

Ep XVI [Dilkashi]

|KRITIKA|

Warning: mature content ahead

Hriday let out a frustrated groan, his fingers gripping the edges of the jacket as he tried to rip it off, but it wouldn’t budge. The straps held firm, his jaw clenched, sweat beading on his forehead as the timer ticked down mercilessly.

“Damn it!” he hissed, yanking at the fabric again, but it was useless.

Five minutes. That’s all we had left.

A sob escaped my lips, my body trembling as the weight of it all pressed down on me. I couldn’t let him destroy himself trying to save me. I couldn’t let him die like this.

“Hriday…” I whispered, my voice shaky and broken.

He didn’t look at me, his focus entirely on the bomb. His hands kept moving, frantically trying to find another way, but I reached out, cupping his face with trembling hands.

“Hriday,” I said again, firmer this time, forcing him to look at me. His eyes finally met mine, wide and filled with a mixture of frustration and fear.

I let out a shaky breath, my thumb brushing against his cheek. “Stop,” I whispered. “Just… stop.”

His lips parted as if to argue, but before he could, I leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead. My tears mixed with the sweat on his skin, and I felt him freeze under my touch.

“I love you,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “And if this is it… if this is the end, then I need you to know that… I'll always love you.”

He shook his head, his hands moving to grip mine as they rested on his face. “Don’t say that,” he muttered, his voice rough. “Don’t you dare say that. This isn’t the end, Kritika.”

“Hriday…” I started, my voice trembling as I tried to steel myself. “You have to go. Please, just leave—save yourself!”

His head snapped up, his eyes blazing with anger. “What did you just say?” he growled, his voice louder than I’d ever heard it before.

“Leave!” I cried, my own voice breaking under the weight of my words. “There’s no time, Hriday! If you stay—”

“Shut up, Kritika!” he roared, his hands gripping my shoulders as if anchoring me in place. “You think I’m leaving you here? You think I’m running away while you—” His voice caught, his eyes glistening with a storm of emotions. “Don’t ever say that to me again.”

Tears streamed down my face as I shook my head, the guilt clawing at me. “You can’t die here with me,” I whispered. “You have to go, Hriday. I can’t let you—”

“No!” he shouted, shaking me lightly as if to drive his words into my soul. “Don’t you understand? I’m not leaving you, Kritika. Not now, not ever. If this is it, then we face it together.”

My heart shattered at the sheer conviction in his voice, his words piercing through the chaos of my mind.

“Hriday—”

“No,” he cut me off, his voice softer now but no less firm. “You’re mine, Kritika. I won’t let you go—not like this. So stop wasting your breath asking me to leave because it’s not happening.”

I stared at him, my tears falling freely now. His determination was unshakable, his gaze locked onto mine like he was willing me to believe him.

He let out a shaky breath, his forehead resting against mine for a moment as the timer continued to tick down behind us. “We’re getting through this,” he whispered, his voice trembling with emotion. “Together.”