Abhira 3.0 - Healing

SS - Regrets (Final)

A/n: Hello! We are finally here, at the end of this SS. I want to say thank you to everyone who has been reading it from the beginning and supported this story 🙂. 

________________________________________________________

She had leaped into his arms before he could even register her actions. With her arms around his neck, she kept saying thank you in between sobs, like he had breathed life into her soul again. He held onto the bench with one hand, while supporting her shoulder with the other.

"Tum nahi jaante mai kitni darr gayi thi. Mujhe laga tum Abhir ko mujhse dur....mere jeene ki wajah ko mujhse dur kardoge. Thank you so much Abhi, thank you." She voiced out, after finally realizing that he wasn't going to separate her from her son.

"6 saal se, mai apne jeene ki wajah se dur raha hu, toh jaanta hu kaisa lagta hai. Mai apne baccho ke liye roya hu, tadpa hu, isiliye kabhi nahi chahunga tum, yaa koi bhi, is halaat se guzre. Yeh dard sahe" He whispered earnestly, her body going still in his arms. She broke away to look at him, letting what he had said sink in. He had been mourning the loss of their kids for 6 years, not knowing that one was still out there. He didn't want her to go through the pain he'd felt for 6 years. The thought of losing everything, like he had. What was this man made of?

"I'm sorry", she murmured. "Maine tumse Abhir ke papa hone ka haq cheenke kisi aur ko de deni ki galti ki. Galti nahi, gunaah. Mera sabse bada gunaah. Abhir aur tumhe ek dusre se dur rakha, aur abbhi wahi kar rahi hu. Pichle 6 saal lauta nahi sakti, aur is baat ka afsos mujhe zindagi bhar hoga." He shook his head in denial. "Usme galti meri bhi thi. Maine tumhe bahot bura treat kiya tha us din, uske baad, tumhe waapis lana toh dur, tumhe dhoonda tak nahi." He said, yet again. "Bas Abhi..." she put a hand on his. "Bas, ab bahot sorry bol liya." They had been going around in circles now,  counting their mistakes and apologizing. They agreed that they were both at fault and regretted their actions. But what now? Where do they go from here?

Sensing the exhaustion they both felt, he thought to shed the tears of the past, and look forward to the future."Mai jaanta hu ki hum dono pachtaa rahe hai, aur shayad ek dusre ko puri tarah se maaf karne mai waqt lage. Woh vishwaas jo toota hai, usse jod ne mai waqt lage. Par mai apni taraf se puri koshish karunga, ki mai tumhe yakin dila saku; mai Junior ko kabhi hurt nahi karunga, uski mumma ko kabhi hurt nahi karunga. Mai aik accha pita banke dikhaunga. Aur, mai chahta hu ki abse, hum bas Junior ke baare mai soche. Uski health ke baare mai, uski surgery aur recovery ke baare mai. Hum sab ke rishte uljhe hue hai, aur uske sach jaanne se aur ulajh jaayenge. Hum kaise usko samjhaaye, sambhaale, uske baare mai soche. Ab guzra hua kal piche chod ke, aane waale kal ke baare mai soche?" He asked.

She sighed a breath of relief. Nodding her head in acceptance, she realized they still had a lot to figure out. Abhir's surgery was scheduled for a week after, and they needed to focus on his health. His well-being needed to be their top priority. They also had to bring in Abhinav to the fold, figure out this weird dynamic. 

"Mai bhi yahi chahti hu, ki hum Abhir ke health pe focus kare, usse puri tarah thik karde, taaki usse sach jaanne ki, usse samajhne ki shakti ho."  She hinted towards revealing the truth about him, which brought a smile on his face. "Meri taraf se bhi mai puri koshish karungi, ke tumhe kabhi hurt na karu. Tumhaare aur Abhir ke rishte mai koi problem na lau, balki tum dono ko aur nazdeek laane ki koshish karu. Mai Abhinav ko bhi samjhauingi ki unhone ab tak jo kiya hai, uske liye mai hamesha shukraguzaar rahungi, par tumhe tumhaari jagah bhi milni chahiye Abhir ki life mai." 

"Hum dono." He stated. "Hum dono Sharma ji ke shukraguzaar hai. Unhone aaj tak jo bhi kiya hai, mai bhi kabhi nahi bhul sakta. Isiliye, mai bhi unhe samjhaane mai tumhaari help karna chahta hu. Aakhir, hum teeno Junior ke parents hai" It saddened him to admit it, but until now, Abhinav was the father figure Abhir knew in his life. He didn't want to build his relationship with his son by destroying their bond. Whatever decisions they made, it would affect Abhir, and he wanted to make sure they took it with his best interest at heart.

She smiled at the effort he was taking to walk along this path together, and nodded in agreement. "Par usse pehle", she continued, and noticed the smile diminish. What now? He thought. She chuckled at the puzzling look and wiped her tears. "Don't worry, she eased the tension, mai kuch maange nahi waali. Mai toh ulta tumhe kuch dena chahti hu." He furrowed his brows, even more confused now. What was she going to give him? 

Before she took a step towards the future, she wanted to do something to bring a tiny bit of closure to the past. She pulled out her phone looked through some things before handing it over to him, and sitting closer to show, she said...

Abhir ka bachpan

He looked at her with tears brimming in his eyes. He had seen the pictures Abhinav shared with him at camp, but those were mere pictures. It was her, and only her, who could share the love, the feelings, the dreams they had once seen through the pictures. He shakily put his hand on the phone to notice the baby picture of his son, from when he was first born. And thus started a recollection of their son's life. 

From the mother, to the father.

Each picture and video had a story, a memory she shared with him. And through this, he was transported to his child's first steps, his first words, his beginning years. He imagined a life that could have been, that should have been. She made it a point to not let those guilty feelings overcome him, always squeezing his hand in reassurance and quickly recollecting a funny face or phrase their son had said. They spent hours looking through her phone, going over each detail of their son's childhood thus far. It was her way of letting him in, making him feel a part of their son's life. They sat content after what seemed an eternity, finally feeling like a heavy weight had been lifted off of their chest.

"Thank you," he said. Finally, he was able to share his son's childhood, albeit through memories and pictures. But he was okay, he was content with that. Now, he looked forward to making his own memories with him. Showering him with all the love that he deserved, and finally living his life, alongside his son.

She nodded her head in acceptance, finally seeing a glimmer of hope, a spark in his eyes. This is what he was missing, she thought. She could see Abhir being the one, who would finally bring him out of the darkness he'd thrown himself in in the past 6 years. 

They continued to talk through the night, sometimes about Abhir's childhood, sometimes about his health and next steps. They wanted to make sure they were on the same page, at least for their son. Their own relationships were a topic they wanted to revisit at a later time. For now, they just wanted to be good parents to Abhir. He deserved to have a happy childhood, unlike theirs, and they would try their hardest to provide that. He would be confused with the complex relationships and maybe even be angry about the lies, but they needed to make sure he always felt loved, and they explained to him the situations that led to their actions. They wouldn't justify or blame one another, for they both felt it was wrong to burden him with their baggage. They would own up to their mistakes and assure him of overcoming their flaws. They would work towards becoming better, for him. They had made their fair share of mistake as individuals, lovers and spouses. But as parents, they strived to be better, for they knew the mistakes would directly affect Abhir, and they couldn't let that happen. He was too precious for them.

They watched the sunrise together, which brought with it a newfound hope, a newfound happiness, diminishing the darkness that had once plagued their lives. As complex and difficult as their lives may seem, they were going to be okay. They didn't know what the future held for their relationship, but for their son, they were going to try to be the best versions of themselves. To be the best parents. This was their first step in healing.

Healing past wounds and regrets that hindered them from being themselves.

Healing each other, for each other, but mainly...

For Abhir 

Their miracle baby

___________________________________________________________

A/n: Hello, if you made it to the end, thank you! Do vote and comment with your thoughts. I didn't want to delve too much into the married/engaged relationships because I feel like they need to at least get on the same page first regarding their son, and then rekindle the love slowly (it's still there ofc, in my opinion). I hope I was able to do some justice to this.

I am thinking of doing an OS/TS for Abhir's surgery track since the makers completely fast-forwarded that and didn't even give us any Abhira scenes 🙄. Do let me know your thoughts on that and provide suggestions if there's something you'd like for me to write. I'll try to give it a shot. Thank you once again 🙂