Kahaaniyan: Moran OS Collection

1- Darr Lagta Hai

Darr lagta hai mohabbat se,

vapas wahi kahaani se,

Darr lagta hai vaapas akele hone se,

Vapas khudko khone se...

DARR LAGTA HAI:

Karan closed his red eyes, red from the tears he had shed over the past few hours. It felt like a lifetime, yet like mere seconds, but every second had felt like hell.

Fear. Pure fear. That was what had been coursing through his veins. It had made his insides numb, and his entire body shake. Tears had leaked from his eyes, an endless supply, and no matter how much he wiped his face, fresh ones were always quick to replace them.

"Kya... kya main mil sakta hoon?" He asked the doctor.

He nodded, pointing to her room and then saying something else, but he didn't care what he had to say. He dashed into the room, freezing at the threshold as her unconscious body lay lifelessly on the bed.

The monitors beeped in a steady tone, the hospital room smelling of sterility. Was this really her? The same girl with a bright enough smile that she could light up the academy with just that? Was this pale, fragile, breakable girl her? His Rani Sahiba? His Monami? Was this really her?

He walked closer. His heart pounded in his ears. She was his dhadkan, he had often said. You're unintentionally romantic, she always replied before rewarding him with a kiss on his cheek. She never realized how serious he was, and he hadn't paused to clarify. She was his dhadkan. He wouldn't live without her. Surviving wasn't living.

He took her hand, clutching it gently. It lacked the usual warmth, but her smaller hand fit into his like a glove. Sid and Sanju believed in connections. Was this one?

A drop hit his hand. He had started crying again. His eyes ached like they were scrubbed with a sandpaper, but he couldn't stop the tears. This was his Rani Sahiba, damn it! She wasn't supposed to fight for her life. Not with him there.

He sat down on the chair next to the bed. It had been a long day. It was a two-person mission. Monami and him. No back up, no outside communication. Just him and her, and a mission. It was going great. Excellent. Not flawlessly, but without blunders.

They were almost done. They just had to get out. A gunshot. Everything changed.

He watched her fall. Blood spurted out of her chest. Did the bullet hit her heart? Shock came first. Who had pulled the trigger? What was happening? Fear next. Was she okay? And then rage. How dare someone hurt Monami?

He couldn't remember what he did next. If he really had to, he could remember flashes. Fighting. Pulling the trigger. All while protecting her unconscious form. But it went by too fast. Rage and instincts had controlled his emotions.

He had slipped his hands under her, picking her up like he had done countless times. He liked picking her, but not then. Not when she could potentially bleed out. He liked it when she stared at him, when she watched with her adorable smile, entire attention where it's supposed to be. On him.

'It could have potentially hit her heart' the doctor had warned. 'It might be too late.'

His world had stopped. His heart had stopped. His life had stopped. But she was alive. She was fine. She was going to be fine.

A groan made him open his eyes. When had he closed them? She was looking at him with a groggy frown, blinking, before she relaxed completely, a small smile appearing on her face.