Mini: Main... main bahot dar gayi thi Neil..... saansein ruk gayi thi meri... aisa laga jaise dil ne bhi dhadakna band kar diya ho... Mere...mere gale pe.... mere chehre pe.... mere hothon pe... uski saansein ghot rahi thi mujhe....
Neil wasn't able to breath anymore, no matter how hard he tried but nothing worked, as he was trying to cope up with what she was speaking. His long lost breath was stuck while the pressure he felt in his heart was creating impulses in his head. The temperature of his body rose and he was trying to control his shivers while consoling her.
Mini: Par phir...
FLASHBACK
Mini could feel his lips not even inches apart from hers and yearned for death to reach her before Ritwick does.
When all of a sudden, she felt freed from his grip and heard a thud sound. She could feel her wrists which were tied on top of her, falling down without strength.
Her strengthless body wasn't in her control. For a sec she even thought whether she's even alive or not. Did she died out of breath or out of pain that she is not feeling captivated anymore.
She felt herself falling sideways and then a hand supporting her face. The touch was soft and caring as ever. The only touch in the world she wanted to feel. Her love's touch, her man's touch, her Neil's touch.
Her mind was still in dilemma that whether she had died or is dreaming in unconsciousness. Does it happen that a person can dream in unconsciousness or does it happen that even god lets a person feel the things they have last wished for. If it happens then she just wished for feeling herself in Neil's arms for one last time.
There was non sensible thoughts roaming in her mind but then she felt her face getting raised and she heard the only voice she desperately needed to hear. Her Neil's voice.
"Mini..."
She found the courage to open her eyes hoping it not to be a dream.
She tried to lift her eyelids praying a thousand times in every minisecond that all she wanted to see was Neil. But she could lift her eyelids only half way so she raised her chin.
Seeing Neil's face in front of her eyes, her uncontrollable tears fell from her eyes and the vision got blur. But she felt Neil was still sitting in front of her and was contented with just a glance of him.
She could feel the satisfaction to even die in his arms would be most peaceful and safer than anything else in this world for her.
As her tears found their way to leave her eyes and trailed on her cheeks, she could see him again.
Neil: Breath in... pls...
Mindlessly she agreed his words. She gasped and pulled a breath in while looking at him.
He delicately untied her injured hands and wrapped her dupatta around her, covering her body.
Seeing Neil's teary eyes not moving away from her helpless ones, in that single sec, she felt maybe she can still live. Maybe she doesn't need to die. Maybe only getting unconscious in Neil's arms could relieve her pain. Maybe Neil could save her from dying of pain too like he saved her from dying of disgust.
She breathed out and somehow tilted towards him, feeling her body trembling even now.
Sobbing hardly, She helplessly looked at Neil's teary eyes and gasped for air as she felt it difficult to breath. She tilted towards him and rested her head on his torso. She finally allowed herself to faint and get unconscious as now she was safe.
FLASHBACK ENDS
Mini: Ekdum se na... I got freed from his grip... mere haath bhi mujhe neeche girte hue feel hue... and then I saw you....
Neil left the breath he was holding on from what seemed like an eternity, he was still anticipating if something worse that could have happened before he reached. Now he was able to breath slowly and he tilted his head resting it on hers. He was shedding tears down from his eyes from god knows how long.
Mini: (raising her chin, she looked at him with a painful yet relieved smile.) I saw you... tumne mujhe kaha saans lene ko tab mujhe laga.... mujhe aisa laga jaise mere paas abhi bhi shayad jeene ki wajah hai.... main saans le paayi phir ek baar.... phir mujhe relief mila... kyunki mujhe pata hai... (cupping his face in her hands) I knew I can allow myself to get unconscious as I will be safe now in your safe arms.... (with a pale but confident smile) I knew ki 'ab' mere saath kuch galat nahi hoga..... 'tum' mere saath kuch galat nahi hone doge....
Neil smiled palely in tears, realising the trust Mini had on him was the same even after that incident.
Mini still sobbing, holding on his shirt weakly, rested her head on his torso. She snuggled on his chest, rolling into a ball in his safe embrace. He saw her shrinking her body, like a scared little kitten again and he was shocked to see her so deeply petrified and terror-stricken like that even in his arms.
Mini: (scared) Vo mera rape karne aaya tha Neil.... Uss time jab uski saansein apne face pe feel kar rahi thi na main to mujhe jo ghuttan ho rahi thi na.... mujhe aisa lag raha tha jaise... Bhale hi itne pain ki wajah se... ya uske mujhe maarne ki wajah se.... ya uske mera gala dabaane ki wajah se.... ya kisi bhi wajah se.... but mere saath vo zabardasti kare usse pehle hi main mar jau... You know jab ekdum se uss Ritwick ki jakad feel nahi hui na mujhe... mere haath bandhe hue feel nahi hue... mujhe ek baar ko aisa laga jaise main zinda bhi hu ya nahi.... kahin aisa to nahi ki mere saans na lene pe ya itne pain se main mar gayi... Maine uss ek pal me hazaar baar minnat ki hai bhagwan se ki isse pehle ki Ritwick ke hoth mujhe chu sake... main zinda hi na bachu... hamesha hamesha ke liye aankhein band ho jaaye meri... main mar jau.... Agar tum nahi aaye hote to?..... Agar tum nahi hote mere paas to?...... Agar tum mujhe nahi bachaate to?..... I would have been helpless Neil..... extremely helpless.... Uss waqt main bas mar jaana chahti thi Neil.
Listening to her pain for a couple of hours now, he didn't spoke as he didn't wanted to interrupt but now he couldn't stop himself at her last words. With her every word in her last phrases, Neil's arms were tightening the grip as he felt to really hide her somewhere in him or just pour her pain in himself to relieve her from feeling it every now and then.
Neil: Shhhh..... Main kyu nahi aata?... Main kaise nahi hota tumhare paas Mini?.... Main kaise tumhe nahi bachaata?.... Tum na aisi baatein mat socha karo.... Ek tum hi to ho meri apni is puri duniya me..... Main nahi jee sakta tumhare bina.... Yeh jaanti ho na tum.... to kyu aisa sochti ho?
His throat blocked while saying.
Mini: Ritwick bol raha tha..... Bola ki agar mere saath kuch ho gya to... Tum toot jaoge Neil.... Meri vo haalat dekhke tum.... tum door ho jaoge mujhse....
Neil was shocked to contemplate whether Mini really thought so.
Mini: Mujhe yeh yakeen tha ki aisa kuch nahi hoga... lekin jab hospital me khud ko uss helplessness me feel kiya na... khud par yeh bandages feel ki.... ek ek body part ko injured feel kiya... tab laga ki kya tum meri yeh haalat bardaasht kar paoge?... Kya abhi bhi mera saath dena sehen kar paoge?.... Mere paas rehna jhel paoge?.... Kya tum sach me badal to nahi jaoge?.... Par tum nahi badle Neil... Tum vahi rahe... Mere Neil... Toot to tum gaye the but not because of the incident but seeing my pain.... Lekin khud ko aur mujhko sambhaala tumne.... Ek bhi savaal nahi kiya tumne..... Ek bhi nahi.... Tab se lekar ab tak.... Sirf trust kiya hai mujhpe... Koi disbelief bina sirf meri care ki... Na mujhse koi explanation manga... Na koi justification.... Aaj tak mere open up hone ka chup hoke wait karte rahe but mujhe kisi bhi waqt force nahi kiya.... Main cope up nahi kar paa rahi hu to abhi bhi.... tum meri himmat banke abhi bhi mere saath ho... mera dard sunne ke liye.... tum abhi bhi..... abhi bhi mera pain kam karne ke liye.... ho mere saath.... (snuggling on him) I am so lucky.... Neil!...... So lucky!
Neil with his blocked throat, tightened his grip even more, embracing her as if protecting her from everything and she closed her eyes in content.