part ninety three

Sonara waited patiently till Ayaan exited the quarters, for the academy.

She checked the watch, it was 10:30 .

Jai.....must have reached the academy by now.....
At least, he should have, unless he was unwilling to face Ayaan for the time being....

However, Sonara did not feel so.. She still had complete faith on his abilities...even more now, witnessing how endearingly he had raised a baby who was not even his blood...

Placed beside the intercom was a stand on which was inscribed various contact numbers. One of which lead to the Dean's office. Sonara held her breath for sometime, and just as she was about to pick up the receiver to dial, the phone began ringing....

Sonara shivered.

However, without giving her..time enough to judge, her instincts answered the call.

" Hello... " , her voice trembled a bit.

Silence prevailed.

Sonara's heart paced to peaks, as if, she just knew who it was on the other side..

Gathering all her strength, and withholding the impending tears..she spoke again..after a moment..

" Jai...?  "

A huge sigh escaped on the other side..

Following which ...his baritone echoed through the strings of her heart..

" Sona...

Coming over to your place.

It's time, we talk. "

Sonara immediately let out a hiccup, that channelled the gust of emotions out of her soul. Then, containing herself with effort, only managed to say...

" Hmm... "

Dropping the receiver, she ran and fetched the suitcase.
Placing it on the bed, while not really controlling the tears that trickled down her cheeks, she pulled out the best saree she had got.

A light blue taant, soft, and of his favourite color.

Wounding it around in no time, she tied her hair in a braid.
And stood staring at herself in the mirror.

She questioned the reflection..

What exactly are you feeling Sonara? 
Do you have an explanation?
Or a correct description?

She heavily nodded a no.
Than said,
" I'm tired...
I just want to hug him..
And lay on his chest...
Forever now.... "

The door bell was ringing.

Almost as if, striking a hammer on her chest.

She stood still, for a long time.

The emotions that bubbled in her heart, confiscated her mind, paralysing her body for moments together. Then, as if regaining consciousness, she slowly took baby steps towards the door...

And finally, opened it with all her might.... 

There....

He stood...

His deep eyes fixed on her, alive, awake, as if conveying thousand emotions in a single glance, and as if, every pain in the world was confined together, to prepare his eyes...

" pal bhar thahar jaao..
dil ye sambhal jaaye..
kaise tumhe roka karun..
meri taraf aata
har gham phisal jaaye..
aankhon mein tum ko bharun..
bin bole baatein tumse karun..
agar tum saath ho
agar tum saath ho..."

Sonara couldn't breathe, couldn't exist....

Someone sucked all her vigour at a go, as she stood staring back at him, with no energy to even pull him in...

He himself took the first step forward, and Sonara stepped back..

He entered, and closed the door softly behind, still not breaking the eyelock.

Sonara's eyes had began streaming, while his grew sadder, and sadder, but did not overflow...

And then, he stretched his arms across his sides.....

Uttering distinctly in his deep husky voice..

" Come to me.... Sona..... "

That was..

... the end of it.

Sonara Parvez lost the strength that had held her in place for eighteen long years.

She ran as fast as she could, landing on his broad chest, as he closed his arms across her back.

" Jai......

Jai....... Jaiiiii...... Jaiiiii...... "
She screamed and wailed and weeped in his arms, letting every single emotion embedded in the deepest nook and cranny of her heart shower upon him, grabbing his shirt tight and pressing her face against his existence.

Jai knew...saline flowed down his cheeks, while he grabbed her, stronger than ever...

She kept wailing, and he kept patting her back..

" Jai.....I'm tired, I don't wanna be strong anymore....
Jai.... I want to be in your arms....forever now.... Hold me Jai... Please, please don't let me go....
I've had enough, no more...

No more... No.... Moreee..... "

" behti rehti..
nahar nadiya si..
teri duniya mein..
meri duniya hai...
teri chaahaton mein..
main dhal jaati hoon..
teri aadaton mein..
agar tum saath ho.."

Sonara hiccuped and cried. Jai caressed her hair with utmost affection. His insides calmed magically, with her in his arms after eighteen long years...

" Jai.....please....don't hate me....
I.... I....did not mean to break you.... I know I have.... But.... I..... " , she lost words to gushes of emotions while grabbing his shirt tighter, and pressing her head deeper into his chest.

" Shhhh.....

I can never hate you Sona......" , Jai spoke for the first time, cupping her head in his palms..

Sonara now stared into his eyes, her own overflowing. His oceanic eyes had now started producing rivers, as he stared back deeply.

Sonara cupped his face, and immediately pecked all over his cheeks and forehead, while his saline entangled with her lips. Jai closed his eyes. Her touch was what he had craved for, he knew, and he realised.

He pulled her closer, and tighter, hugging her as if she was his last resort, his last breath, and the gaps in between..

" palkein jhapakte
hi din ye nikal jaaye...
baithi baithi bhaagi phirun..
meri taraf aata har
gham phisal jaaye..
aankhon mein tum ko bharun..
bin bole baatein tumse karun..
agar tum saath ho..
agar tum saath ho.."

" Sona....

I wasn't even living all these years....

Why  .......why......did you take so....long? " , he choked on his breath..

Sonara still weeped and caressed his hair. They did not leave each other for a second, their bodies colliding with each other, passing the warmth, the absence of which had only made them shiver through sleepless nights, over eighteen long years...

"I'm sorry...... Jai..... Jai..... I'm sorry...

Please don't let me go..... " , Sonara was insanely murmuring..

" Forgive me Sona.... For making you feel guilty for not the slightest fault on your part....

And regarding letting you go, I won't survive this time if you take a step back from me... I swear.. "

He murmured, pressing his head against her shoulder.
She was affectionately stroking his back, passing her palm along the whole of its length.

How much they had craved to be in each others arms, in the tightest grip of their possessive hugs, they did not really realise until they were in the position now, oblivious to the whole world around...

Jai pushed her, and pressed his lips along her cheek, across the lines of saline...
" Don't cry..... Don't cry Sona... I'm here, I have forever been, I'll forever be... " , he said.

Sonara took in the whole of his essence, till the last drop.

The touch of her man, the only man she had madly loved in forty three years of her life, made her go weak in the knees, so much, that she was now too scared to even come out of his grip, lest, she would have to be separated from him, owing to circumstances..

She grabbed him, as tightly as she could..

" Don't leave me Jai...

I need your warmth...
I cannot help... losing you again..
I'll cease to exist this time, I swear... I cannot let go the fragrance of you... I had dreamt and craved for you...your presence beside me, in me...along my existence....always.....forever...

I cannot let you go......
I cannot......
I.....cannot.... "

" Shhhh....

Stop speaking...

Stop, speaking Sona....
There's a lifetime to listen and talk...these moments won't return..
Hold me tight..
I'm all yours, have forever been... "

Jai pulled her head across his chest and cuddled her, she gave in like a baby, closing her eyes and taking in the whole of it...

Peace of death, must be this, they realised...

Had someone on earth loved someone ... to this extent?

They questioned.

Could...the presence of someone in the arms feel like magic altogether?

They wondered.

Did tremendous form of love as such, have the power to make someone oblivious to every development around, in future, in the past, and make them lie in the peace of death.. in the arms of their beloved?

They exclaimed.

Could anything on earth, have the slightest power to separate them, after the godly aura that now emitted from both their souls united together, stronger than ever?

They breathed deep.

No.

They now broke the hug and stared into each others' eyes..

If love could take tests, they had passed the gravest of all..

Now they stood, together, united.
Their love was purer that God.
Or maybe, just equal.

They held each others face, silently, their eyes did the whole of the talking, after eighteen long years.....

Their lips pressed against each other, not out of craving, not even out of the slightest desire, but because of a severe dependability, because of a divine extraterrestrial connection.....
Because of the fact, that they could not have each others touch for eighteen long years....yet vehemently remaining only each other's, or rather, growing stronger in love...

" agar tum saath ho..
dil ye sambhal jaaye..
agar tum saath ho..
har gham phisal jaaye..
agar tum saath ho..
din ye nikal jaaye
agar tum saath ho
har gham phisal jaaye....."

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