You must be willing to make sacrifice at times, knowing the outcome will be worth it.
Justine Moore.
The situation where one human is hanging between their happiness and internal conflict, is so cataclysmic to their own mind that it leaves them scrimmaging for hours. Karishma felt herself blitzkrieging with her heart and mind for the next two days since the moment she made a life changing decision for herself. She sat in the dining hall silently toying with her food whilst Udit who sat beside her, was impatient to hear the three words from her.
He has been trying indirectly to make her confess, but something or other kept her occupied hence even if she wanted, she was not able to voice out her feelings to him.
"This is enough. Are you going to tell me what is eating you up or do you plan to play dumb for the rest of our lives?" Udit's angry yet annoyed tone reached her ears bringing her out of her trance.
She gulped a lump down her throat hearing the warning present in his tone.
"Stay here and play dumb. I m going". He got up pushing away his plate rudely, and was about to leave when she held his wrist and apologized in a scared and sincere tone, "I am sorry. Please don't leave the food in half way. I was just missing Mom".
He sighed feeling guilty for almost scaring her, and sat down on his place, satisfied with her answer. He didn't doubted her words because he himself was missing his parents a lot after the function. Maybe it was time he talked to them whole heartedly.
"You know you are stupid". He teased pinching her nose making her smile.
"Haww, you are mean. Go I won't talk to you". She acted being offended by his words and he laughed feeding her from his spoon. She smiled and ate from his hand, repeating the gesture.
They kept on facing each other without moving. Their soul-less eyes seeing right through them. Who has even said that love is done with eyes, it's always blind, so whats even the need of physical eyes to see the one we love? Won't we be able to form their image in our heart just by analyzing their gestures for us which actually talk more than words?
"Ahem, ahem!" They both came out of their world with the sound of two chorus coughing voices, and without a doubt, they knew it was Sheena and Ranveer.
"Look Veer, we disturbed their beautiful moment, all because of you". Sheena played a prank as she knew Udit was going to go crazy now over Ranveer.
"What? When did I asked you to disturb them?" Ranveer cried horrified as he saw Udit's features becoming angry.
"If you were not my teacher, I would have punched you". Udit warned dangerously making Ranveer cough seeing his solid biceps through his T-shirt. Sheena started giggling like a teenager, sitting down opposite to them whilst Ranveer joined them scared of Udit a little.
His eyes went to Karishma who was again lost in her thoughts, but considering it his over thinking mind, he pushed aside the matter, as they talked casually about the upcoming training for the primary batch, until it was time for them to call night.
Udit walked Karishma to her room in pure silence. She was guilty for lieing to him but she didn't had a choice. She made her decision and she will never back off from it.
"Good night!" She wished entering her room, but before she can lock the door, he entered her room, shutting the door behind him, shocking her completely.
He leaned his back against the door, and jerked her body towards himself holding her wrist. She rested her palms on his chest, trying to calm her over racing heart beat. She was sure he can hear the loud thumping of her heart against her ribcage.
He started trailing small kisses on her right cheek, whispering, "I love you" all the while.
She shut her eyes tightly as he repeated his actions on her left cheek. The only difference being that the intensity of his words, increased more. It was like he was branding her as his in that moment, like the way she branded his soul as hers without any efforts but simply by her strength and will power.
Tears started to trickle down the side of her eyes, and taking it as a cue of her happiness, he sucked her tears softly, planting kisses on her both eyes one by one.
Not able to hold herself anymore, she burried her head in his chest, clutching his T-shirt at his back, and feeling it as her shyness, he wrapped his arms around her with a smile playing on his lips.
"So Ms. Chuckle can be Ms. Shy too, not bad". He teased making her hit on his chest as a smile curled up on her lips.
"You should go Udit. It's late. And don't forget to eat your medicines". She instructed and he had the urge to roll his eyes at her, but knowing that neither can nor can she, he sighed heavily.
"What's wrong?" She asked parting from him, but still in his masculine arms. He joined their forehead, and their eyes closed on their own accord as they can only hear their slow breathings now.
"At times I wish if I had my eyes, then things would have been so different than what they are now. Anyways, you rest now and tomorrow I want the words. No more fooling around". He stated sadly, and immediately changed his words, demanding her confession.
He kissed her forehead and wishing her night, he scurried away to his room feeling excited for the other day to hear her confession unaware that things might not be the same anymore.
As the morning sun made it's appearance, Udit heard the knocking on his room door, and surprised to have a visitor in the early hours, he quickly got out of the bed, running his fingers through his hairs trying to set them up neatly.
"Udit!!" He heard his parents Ansh and Amrita's excited voice after days, as soon as he opened the door. His mother threw herself in his arms as she sobbed along with him.
"We missed you, son!" Ansh stated caressing his hairs and he hugged his father, letting the past differences go away.
At first, his parents were shocked to be accepted by him with a smile, but as he cried in their arms apologizing for every hurt he caused them in the past, they couldn't help but breakdown along with him.
"I missed you both a lot". Udit cried keeping his head on his mother's lap, as she sat on the bed now, stroking his hairs gently.
"I know. But now we are here to take you back forever". Ansh revealed and Udit sat up straight, shocked out of his wits end.
Take me back! Take me away from my Karishma!
"I don't understand". He gave a clueless look, and the couple exchanged a smile and then Amrita revealed the news, that literally made him jump on the floor.
"We have found you a donor from Mumbai. You can have your eyes back. You can relive your dreams again, son".
"What??" He gasped not able to handle the revelations all of a sudden.
Till one month back, there was no way out for him, but now he suddenly got all the ways out when he pushed those thoughts aside and accepted himself the way he was. But most of all, have a chance to himself to fall in love.
"I don't want to go for any surgery". He declared thinking something and his parents looked at him in disbelief. They were expecting him to jump in excitement but instead he was pushing the golden chance away from him.
They have been surprised and shocked at the same time when their doctor called them to inform about the donor but they realized that finally God was answering their prayers by giving back their sons happiness again.
Afterall in this vast country, only few people think about making others life beautiful on their death bed, and that donor was like a God for them, returning them the most important thing to their one and only son.
"What are you saying? Do you even realize it?" Amrita asked confused sharing a discreet look with Ansh who looked worried.
"I don't need these physical eyes anymore because I have understood that until the time my soul is alive, neither any one can call me handicapped nor physically disabled. All one human needs in their life is right values and morals, and automatically everything will become easy. But most of all I need her, more than these eyes".
"Her??" Ansh and Amrita looked totally taken aback, hearing the change in his words. It seemed to them as if they no longer knew their son. He was a changed man now.
"Karishma!" Her name rolled out of his tongue with a smile, a smile which his parents never witnessed on his face before. It seemed to them as if he met some angel who did her magic on him, and changed him from head to toe.
"The girl whom we met here on the first day. She is Yuvraj Bhai's cousin from his mother's side. I love her Mom. The reason why your son is smiling today is because that girl have him a ray of hope to live. She changed me without doing anything. And today if I go for this surgery then I might not be able to live with her because I know where ever I go, people will taunt her, and if I can't be with her peacefully then I don't want these eyes". He explained with his eyes brimming with tears making his parents totally emotional.
"Does she love you?" Amrita asked still not sure whether it was right for her son to sacrifice his chance to live normally or not.
"Ofcourse she does. You people don't believe me, right. Come I will prove you". Without hearing their reply, he dragged them out to Karishma's room, not because he already didn't knew the answer, but because he can't let anyone disrespect her, not even his parents.
"Now you both will know the answer". He said and as he was about to knock the door, he heard her cold voice, "What are you saying Sir? I don't love Udit. Yes, I was friendly to him and also helped him, but showing humanity to someone doesn't mean, I love them".
Udit stumbled back on his feet and if his father wouldn't have held him, he was sure he would have fell down hearing the rudeness in her tone.
"Please Sir, don't ask me that question anymore because my answer won't change. I don't love Udit and it's the truth". Karishma's shrill voice reached his ears and Udit felt as if someone stabbed him on his heart.
She doesn't love him. She doesn't love him. His Karishma doesn't love him.
No, she was lying. She love him. He had felt it. She love him.
Without thinking anything else, he barged in her room startling her and Ranveer, followed by his parents who were staring at the duo with pain, anger, and hurt.
Udit gripped Karishma's shoulders tightly making her wince, and demanded, "Tell me, You love me. Whatever I heard just now was a lie. Tell me!"
"No Udit. Nothing was lie. The truth is ....I don't love you. I have never loved you nor I will love you ever". She replied looking down at her feet controlling her own heart break by suppressing her tears.
Ranveer looked at her painfully as he realized how much courage she required to do this to him, but it was for his good.
At first she had thought that, she will confess and make him go for the surgery by convincing him, because whether anyone agrees or not, he deserved a normal life and she loved him so much to sacrifice her own chance for him, and that is what she did, by asking her mother to tell the doctors to contact his parents but when in the morning she heard the way he was choosing her over his dreams, she felt that it was better to give up her love.
Ranveer who saw her running back to her room, followed her, and until the time, Udit came behind, she explained everything in short to Ranveer and seeing her determination, and helplessness, he readily agreed to help her.
Afterall, the definition of eternal love at times is sacrifice too, and she knew her sacrifice was worth it, because he will achieve his success but she will always live with his memories.
"You are lying right? Tell me you are lying. You can't break my trust like this. You can't give me this unbearable pain." He begged shaking her but she stayed mumb.
"Tell me you are lying. Tell me you love me!" He yelled with all his strength. His muscles stiffening with every second. He can never distrust her. Never. For once he can believe that he can play such a horrendous ploy, but her? Never.
"I never loved you, nor I felt anything for you like that. It's you who assumed everything in a wrong way, and I had to carry on the pretense so that you won't close down yourself in your shell again and trouble everyone here". She answered in a distant tone almost dying inside with every word she spoke.
Udit's hands fell down on his side's, as he asked in an emotionless tone, "Why?" She felt her heart ache hearing the hollowness in his voice.
"Why? Why did you do this to me? Why did you show me heaven first when you wanted to throw me back in my hell? Why?" He yelled loudly making her flinch and his parents who saw the shivering of the girl held Udit immediately before he can scare her more. His eyes were red due to the anger that was once again building up in him.
"Udit it's your fault that you misinterpreted her actions as love. You can't blame her when she never confessed it to you". Ranveer supported Karishma who thanked him inwardly because she wasn't able to handle his shattering anymore. She felt like falling on the ground and begging him to forgive her.
Udit pulled out of his parents grip, and taking two steps forward towards her, he stated in a ruthless, as well as pained tone, "You are right. It's my fault that I didn't understand her. But my bigger sin is that I fell in love with her".
Karishma felt as if someone slapped her hard on her face, as the stinging pain shot through her heart.
"Thank you Ms. Karishma for opening my eyes on right time. Otherwise for a player like you I would have given up my life. It would have been better if you would have directly stabbed me with a knife then atleast it wouldn't have hurt me this much as much as your betrayal hurts me now". He added lifeless and turned around to leave.
His parents didn't know what to say, so they just held his hand and took him with him.
He was about to step out of her room only, when he turned around again and almost killed her with his words, "Don't ever show me your liar face in this birth anymore or else I don't know, what I will do with you. I hate you, Karishma. I hate you".
And then he walked out of her life just the way he walked in, the only difference was, this time he took her heart with him and left her heartless with her tears.
Once he was out of her ear shot, she fell down on her knees, and cried her heart out, covering her face with her palms.
"Ahhhh!" Her helpless pleas filled in the room, as Ranveer watched her vulnerable self. For the first he felt his own tears falling down his eyes, seeing the extent of their love.
"Forgive me please!" She cried sniffling uncontrollably as Ranveer sat beside her and wiped off her tears.
"If you love him this much then why all this?"
"Because he is forced to live like this, Sir. It was never his destiny to live like us, but he is forced. People forced him to accept it and I know he aches inside. I can't see him crave for normalcy hence I broke him so that he will go for the surgery". She explained sobbing and Ranveer didn't knew, what to say? She won't reveal his past, but she was ready to bear all the hatred of him.
After an hour when Udit's parents were done packing and fulfilling the formalities, Sheena informed Karishma who ran like a crazy and hid behind the pillar taking in his last accent around her.
Her words kept on ringing in his ears with every step he took towards the car that was awaiting him along with his parents. His breathings were erratic whilst his lifeless eyes were blank and red.
She stood behind the pillar, hearing his footsteps going away from her, and with every step he took, her heart broke a little more than it was already.
"I am sorry". She muttered slowly as the waterfall cascaded down her eyes but she didn't dared to stop it.
With her words ringing in his ears, he sat down in the car, and as the driver slammed the door shut, she felt as if someone killed her already broken self.
She heard the car speeding away from her, taking him far away from her life, whilst she stood there rooted to her spot unable to take even a step forward to stop him and bring him back to her.
"I love you, Udit". She mumbled sliding down the pillar and letting the truth sunk in her.
"I hate you, Karishma". He mumbled to himself at the same time, and closing his eyes in defeat, he let the reality get onto him that she was out of his reach now forever.
Everyone knows how to be selfish, but there are only few who know how to be selfless, isn't it so?
Don't murder me guys, wait till the epilogue please, which is after one more chapter. And this book is officially ending tomorrow.
So how was the chapter guys?
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