Lost Fate - Roohi & Rohit

4. dark

Roohi stormed into her in-laws house, just in time to see Abhira and Armaan fixed in an awkward position. In the hall. She blinked twice at the couple. Abhira was pinned on the sofa with Armaan on top of her. She cleared her throat. They both looked up at her, face red. She glared daggers at Armaan.

"Kuch toh sharam rakha karo." She said not even bothering to mask the irritation in her voice.

"Hum Pati-Patni hain. Why should you bother? Hum kuch bhi kare, kya farak padtha hain?" Abhira asked shamelessly. Oh God! Sometimes I just feel like knocking some senses into her!  Roohi thought. 

"Ofcourse, it bothers other people, when you guys are ready to throw your clothes off any place, any time. It is too awkward." Roohi replied back. Before listening to the lessons Abhira was about to pour out, she ran to her room.

She closed the door behind her and turned off the lights. She closed all the windows and slowly sat on the floor tears strumming down her beautiful cheeks. Roohi was afraid of darkness. Till her mother's death. A 6 - year old Roohi sat near the foot of the bed sobbing at the loss of her Matashree. The only person who loved her for what she was.

For her B.Nanu, B.Nani and Choti Ma, she was a way for their redemption. For the ignorance and partiality her mother faced. They wanted to pay off that debt. They saw her through the eyes of guilt and regret. The whole Birla family saw her father, Neil Birla in her. She was clumsy, light hearted and a sunshine like her father. After her Matashree's death, they shifted abroad. Her Poppy saw her as a responsibility, a promise that needs to be fulfilled. He loved her dearly, because she was his brother's daughter. At last, he also left her hand. After Rohit's supposed death, the Poddars saw her in light of Rohit. For the elders, she was the sign of the unfortunate incident that happened. About the crestfallen hopes and dreams of the family. For the younger clan, she was the same as their brother. Often annoying the hell out of her, asking of ice cream treats and joking around her. Even Armaan felt a sense of loss whenever he looked at her.

Tears flowed down as she remembered her Matashree. Had she been here, then no one would even dare to hurt her. No one can even glare at her. She protected her like no one else. 

22 years later, she again found herself on the foot of the bed, crying for the person she lost. Armaan. She had a weird feeling, the time they met. She fell hard for him. He said he reciprocated her feelings. He said she was the love of his life. That they are soulmates. Oh! The sweet talk he did. She was insecure. She couldn't trust a random man she met. That was why when Armaan ignored her, she set upon to marry someone else. She had almost thrown him out of her heart when he crashed into her engagement, again trapped her in his justifications. She spent way too much tears on him. After her wedding, she almost fell for Rohit, when he again barged in with this wife, Abhira. He again trapped her in his justifications. Now she lost everything. Her self-respect, dignity, marital life everything for him. What did they lose? They got everything. She and her husband lost everything.  His false promises were now out of her mind, each time Armaan and Abhira shared a moment, she did not feel jealous but felt insecure and betrayed. The whole family celebrated them, while she was termed as misfortune. 

1 month after the wedding, Roohi again collapsed near the foot of the bed. Crying and feeling guilty on losing her husband. While the society turned their faces against her, she cried herself to sleep on his couch. She used heavily dosed Sleeping pills to sleep, daily after his supposed death. Almost threw herself off the roof of the house. Each time a sharp object came in contact with her, she had the temptation to end everything. Yet she fought, because her mother was fighter, she would disown her if she lost. Now that Rohit has returned and they both found each other, she wouldn't need those pills.

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His breath hitched as he entered the room. It was pitch-black dark. He felt the darkness enter in to himself. Darkness binding all his senses, all his movements. He almost collapsed, trying to find the switch of the light. He couldn't reach them. It felt miles above from where he was standing. He fell on his knees as fear engulfed him. This darkness reminded him of all those dark moments in life. His parents' arguments, Dadi Sa punishing Armaan bhaiya, his best friend's dead body, his wife's heartbreak and finally the accident. 

He tried to gather himself, to stand up, but his limbs did not support him. He tried to breathe, counting his breaths, thinking of happiness and love. He felt some movement near him, somewhere near the foot of the bed. He dragged himself to the corner, to find his love in a huge mess. She was sobbing uncontrollably, trying to breathe in the middle. Her hair open and wild, she was a whole other type of mess. 

He caught his breath and slowly started to talk to her. "Time out, Roohi! What happened?"

The sudden voice terrified her, yet she knew he could cause no harm. He was taking breathes, trying to keep himself from fainting or worse having a seizure. She herself was in a vulnerable situation and both of them cannot shatter together. 

"Woh...Well....I...." She tried but ended up crying more uncontrollably. In that moment, he understood everything that she needed to say and she felt all of his comforting on her. They held a shared grief. A grief of one-sided love. Roohi reached his arms for him and when they came in contact with him, she hugged him bringing him to closest moment they have ever had. She held him tightly, firmly, not loosening the grip, even for a second in between sobs. He patted her, understanding her fear of losing everything she owned. They both shed tears and wiped the ones that were not their own.

They both never knew how much time they spent in each other's arms. That they missed their dinner. As they found solace in each other, they marked this moment to be one of those vulnerable ones that were never to be mentioned in their life ahead. If they have one together.

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Roohi- Rohit have too much potential. What do you guys think?

Do vote for this chapter.