Till Jannaah Unites Us

PART EIGHT

"Can we meet?" She asked tears trickling down her face.

"No," He said in a stern voice.

"Please?" She urged.

"But why?" He asked.

"I want to see you. For the last time." She pleaded.

"You're making this difficult for me." He sighed in a low voice.

"Please?"

"Fine. Be there at 7."

"Where?" she asked in confusion.

"The usual," He said.

Standing at the railway platform seeing the trains pass by, she recalled everything from the beginning just to know where she went wrong. Was it the day she had forced him to come out of his bed at 7 in the morning just to hear his voice? Or the day she had forced him to sing a song for her while he was in his office? Or the day she entered the kitchen for the first time in her life just to make chole-bhature and gulab jamuns on his birthday? Where did it all go wrong?

The clock struck 7 but there were no signs of him. She wondered if he was not going to show up. Yet she waited. She was about to call him again that she saw him walking towards her.

He was wearing a brown shirt tucked in black trouser pants. His raven black her styled to perfection. His head bobbing to probably an Eminem song playing in his Batman headphones. She realized he wasn't aware of her being there. This sight took her back to the day they had met for the first time. When he visited her for the first time. Wearing her favorite black shirt, showing off his freshly trimmed hair. Nervous, happiness, excitement, they had felt everything all at once.

Only today, all she felt was sadness, nervousness, weakness, and everything that describes heartbroken. She realized it was the first time in 4 years that he wore formals, on the day he decided to end all of this.

she was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice him standing in front of her. Only now his hair was a mess as if he had run his fingers through them, something he does when nervous. Just like the first day they had seen each other.

"Spaced out again?" He asked, just like before.

"Why did you choose this place to meet?" She asked in a sad voice.

"Because." He said as if it was the answer to her question.

"It holds a special place in my heart, don't ruin it by doing this over here."

"It is necessary. You should know, our journey was only limited to this day, to this place. Don't make it any more difficult for me, please. I said what I had to. I can't go against my parents. And I know you would never want me to." he said with a distant look in his eyes.

"Was I not enough?" She asked.

He didn't even meet her eyes. Averting his gaze from her like he didn't hear her asking him the question.

"Will you be happy? Without me? Without us?" She asked with hope in her eyes.

"No. But still, I cannot continue this. You need to understand."

"So you're done with me?" She asked with tears filled in her eyes.

He looked away but didn't say anything. His silence was the only answer.

"Okay then." She said in a low voice.

She removed her niqab. Tears traveled down her cheeks one after the other, she didn't bother to wipe them. She looked into his eyes, stood on her toes trying to match his height. She placed her lips on his hoping he would kiss her back. And to her surprise, he did. His hands encircled her waist just enough to support her, to enclose her. The kiss was slow, as though they were trying to memorize the taste of each other's lips. They felt her tears streaming down, yet no one wanted to pull apart.

After what felt like infinity, he let go of her waist and kissed her forehead long enough for her to remember for a lifetime.

"Please don't let me go." She pleaded.

"Go home and take rest." He said not meeting her eyes.

"Take care." She replied.

"Bye." He said meeting her eyes for the first time that day.

"See you soon love." She said with a smile.