Gulmarg,

Kashmir,

Kabir's Pov-

I woke for fajr on my usual time.Brushed my teeth,did my wudu and layed my Janamaz and started performing my morning namaz.

I started reading my namaz and even read two nafls but my mind wasn't at peace as it used to be before whenever I used to pray.

My mind wasn't at ease these days,no matter the amount of time I spent in praying, trying to find peace in my prayers it didn't work.

Why was this happening with me??

I had never wronged anyone in my life.

Then why was every bad thing happening to me?

It has been 2 weeks to that incident and still that conversation is fresh in my mind.

Each word she had said,each tear she had shed.

Our relationship crumbled that day and I couldn't do anything to save it.

No matter how much I tried to forget it,I wasn't able to,her face,her smile,her words everything appeared in my mind constantly.

How am I going to forget her when her image is imprinted in my heart for forever?

Everyday I get up with a hope that this day would be a good one,but everyday passes in the same way,me trying to forget that conversation and her words constantly echoing in my ears.

I sighed,and got up,folded my Janamaz and kept it properly.

I had a bath before I got ready for the day.Picking up my flute from the table I made my way out of the house.

I lifted my hand in a silent salam with which I always greet my parents.They were the only ones with whom I didn't have to sign anything to communicate,neither was speaking to them a compulsion.

They understood me,without me expressing anything.

I lifted my flute and started playing their favourite kashmiri song "Rind Poshak Maal".

It's an ideal love duet which I used to hear ammi and baba sing together in the morning while preparing breakfast in the kitchen. It wasn't just a song but a melody which was deep rooted in my childhood memories with my parents.

This was my way of waking them up in the morning, greeting them for the day and spending some time with them before I needed to go to my office.

I closed my eyes as I played the flute,I could see them waking up,smiling at me with those sparkling eyes. I could feel there lips moving as they hum the song with the tune of my flute.

I smiled.

My eyes open to see their names carved in golden on the headboard of the graves.

                  *Aariz Khan*

   *August 1978-January 2000 *

                  *Noor Khan*

September1980-January2000*

I sat down in between their graves and continued the song.

I felt two hands on my shoulder, someone hugged me from behind and turned without disturbing me.

Barfi,my furry little brother.

I patted his head and he came down and sat next to me.

But as I continued the song with the flute my mind still imagined her face. I imagined those days where I wished her to be here, by my side when I sing this song to my parents. But all of that was now not possible.

The dream of the little world that I wished for us was shattered two weeks ago when she broke things with me. I had no other option then to stop things between us. What she said to me still hurts me, but I know she said that out of frustration . There was no way she could ever in her dreams be deliberately hurting me. She would prefer taking everything on herself then hurt me. But I stopped it. I broke my promise of being there forever.

Maybe that was the right thing at that moment. I decided to part ways which was not possible.

I heard some footsteps turned to see my PA.

"Sir, maam hospital main hai " He said and the flute fell down from my hands.

Patting barfi's head and gesturing him to go into the house,I rushed towards my car and drove to the airport.

Shit!! The airport was almost 1.5 hours away from here.I quickly tried to book the first flight to mumbai which was after 6 hours.

Damn this airport.

My PA looked at me and I nodded.

"Khan baba,bht risky hoga yeh, itna distance chopper se cover nhi kar sakte, hame refueling kr liye rukna padega warna possible nhi hai " He tried to explain the technicality but I wasn't in the mood to listen to some crappy technical issues.

I wanted to reach there in any way possible. I glared at him and he knew what was supposed to be done.

In no time my chopper was ready. I sat inside the chopper and we departed for Mumbai.

The thoughts of our last meeting swam through my mind, and my heart couldn’t help but blame me for not behaving more maturely.

I knew she talks rubbish when she’s angry, and yet I took her words to heart.

I sighed.

There wasn’t any point thinking about all this now. What has happened is in the past now!

I just want to be with her and see her.

All the news being displayed on the tabloids has made me worried about her.

She was admitted to the hospital.

What was this girl doing?

Can’t she take care of herself?

A small fight and she ends up in the hospital?

She was in for a good scolding, and I’ll make sure she gets it so that she doesn’t pull such stunts again. We’re a couple. Fights are common between couples—why take it all to heart and fall ill?

My phone pinged with notifications, and her photo flashed in front of me.

It was set as my wallpaper.

I sighed as I picked it up and stared at her face.

I couldn’t wait to see her in person.

It’s been 2 weeks since we’ve talked because of our fight and almost 6 months since I have seen her in person, and now, when I’m finally going to meet her, it’s under such circumstances—she’s in the hospital.

I took a deep breath and looked out of the window. All I could see were tiny blocks, probably houses or buildings.

I closed my eyes, rested my head against the seat, and waited for this chopper to land soon.

My fingers kept tapping against my knees as I waited for us to reach the hospital.

Instead of staying angry with her, I should have been the bigger person and talked to her. At least messaged her.

I was shocked when I had seen that photo of hers—the one the media made viral.

She looked so thin. She had lost a lot of weight, and it wasn’t healthy.

Then the news of her being hospitalized… it shook me to the core.

I had thought we’d be grumpy with each other for a while and then start talking again the way we always do. But this time, it was serious. Neither of us initiated any conversation.

I sighed.

What a fool I was?!!

I should have initiated a conversation.

If she was wrong, I should have scolded her rather than ignoring her.

I should have at least talked it out with her. But no I was waiting for her to apologize first, instead of helping her realise her mistake.

I came out of my trance when I heard my pilot saying

"Sir we will have to take a stop for refueling otherwise we can't reach Mumbai"He said and I took a deep breath.

Why was everything against me when all I need to do is reach to her??

I signalled them to do as required and we landed on a helipad.

My mind still stuck on her and all I could think of right now was the things I have to say to her so that she doesn't do anything like this again!

This girl needs a good teaching this time.

My trance was again broken by the pilots voice-

" Sir we don't have the landing permissions for this helipad " He said and I saw my PA.

" Sir I requested them but they denied saying if there was no patient, then no landing permissions can be given. " My PA said and I gestured him to land.

" Sir bina permission ke land karna ke consequences ho sakte hai " He tried to tell me but I was ready for all the consequences.

I nodded at him and he conveyed it to the pilot to land without permission.

We landed on the helipad of the hospital and the door of the chopper opened. I saw guards pointing guns at me.

" Sir aapne without permission land kiya hai, the hospital has the authority to take action against you " One of the head guards said and I nodded.

" Gentlemen we are here to see someone, she isn't in a good condition so we didn't have the time to take permissions,we have come all the way from Kashmir, please try to understand, it's really urgent,let him in and we can talk about this later " My PA said and the guards backed out.

I rushed to the 4th floor in the lift and ran to room 402.

As my eyes landed on Room No. 402, I barged in without thinking and sighed in relief the moment I saw Maahi.

She looked startled at first because of my sudden entry, but the moment her eyes met mine, she gasped.

I walked towards her with slow steps, my eyes fixed on her pale face. Her right hand was connected to an IV, she was wearing a simple hospital gown, and dark circles framed her tired eyes.

My eyes softened at the sight of her. All the anger I had carried for her vanished into thin air.

Her eyes welled up with tears the moment she saw me which streamed down her cheeks.

For a second, she looked like she couldn’t believe it was really me.

I was really here to see her despite what happened between us.

As I reached closer, I couldn’t help but cup her face in my palms.My thumb wiped her tears away as my eyes raked on her face to make sure she was fine.

She looked so pale and weak,her face had lost that charm and her beautiful eyes which always put me in a haze,looked tired and swollen.

What has she done to herself?

My face leaned towards her in it's own accord,I was too lost in the moment to think anything properly.

I was seeing her after 6 months in person and all my emotions came out without my consent.

My lips brushed against hers and she took a deep breath,so did I.Without waiting for another moment my lips captured hers in a much needed kiss.

Just a small kiss to show the love and longing I had carried for her during the past 2 weeks when we hadn’t spoken.

I could taste her salty tears as I sucked her lips lightly.

She clutched my bicep tightly, trying to caress my face, but I broke the kiss gently. Her hands were connected to the IV, and she still wasn’t well enough for me to kiss her harder.

Her eyes were still filled with tears that kept rolling down her cheeks.

My fingers moved instinctively to brush them away as I gave her a warm smile.

Glad to finally see her after spending the past hours in agonizing worry.

“I… a… a… a… am… so… so… sor… sorry…” she managed to say between tears.

I shook my head in denial as I continued wiping her tears.

When she tried to get up from the bed, I was quick to stop her. Her hands were still connected to the IV.

She pulled me closer with her left hand and hugged me tightly, her tears refusing to stop.

“I... am… s..sorry… I… am… so… sorry… I… am… soo… sorry… I… am… so… sorry… I… am… so… sorry… I… am… s..sorry… I… am… so… sorry… I… am… soo… sorry… I… am… so… sorry… I… am… so… sorry...”

She kept repeating the same thing again and again, and I just patted her back as I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her into my embrace,finally feeling at peace again.

I kept rubbing her back, hoping she would stop crying, but her tears just wouldn’t stop today.

It was because of her that the two of us had been hurting for the past 2 weeks but I still couldn't blame her for anything.

I gestured for her to calm down and she cried even more after seeing that.

I kept rubbing her back. I knew she needed to get that guilt out—guilt that had been eating her up from the inside.

In the past five years, this was only the fourth time I had seen her cry.

The first time I saw her crying was outside the search and found centre.The second time when she had failed to do a deal.The third time was when she had told me she had finally found her brother who had been lost at the hospital.

She was strong-headed and rarely expressed herself.

But I knew she was as soft as rose petals from inside.

She just liked to wear that harsh, stern exterior. In reality, she was a complete sweetheart.

But only a few people knew that. Her family—and me.

I kept rubbing her back and kissing her head as she cried in my arms like a baby and kept apologizing to me.

I had already forgiven her.

My anger had disappeared the moment I saw her.

All I could see then was the love I had for her.

When I tried to break the hug, she protested and stayed in my arms.

I smiled and tightened my arms around her, sitting down on the bed beside her.

She almost sat in my lap, so I gently pulled her and made her sit properly on my lap, holding her as close as I could.

“I am so so so sorry,kabir....please forgive me,” she whispered as she clutched my shirt. And I hugged her tightly hiding her face in my chest and comforting her that everything was fine now.

My gaze went to the door and I froze when I saw a pair of eyes staring at us.

I could identify those eyes anywhere,they were the same as my Maahi's.

He was her brother probably.

Shit!!!!

He has seen us together,that too in this position.

I gently pulled away from the embrace and Maahi stared at me at that.

I gestured her to see towards the door and her gaze shifted towards the door and she gasped as she saw the person.

I got up from the bed but Maahi held my hand to stop me.

I used my hand to sign her.

'I will come back later to meet you, don't worry I am not leaving'

She nodded her head at that and I caressed her face for one last time,fixing her hair which were messed up.

I finally left the room only to come face to face with the man,but before he could say anything a man walked towards us.

"Mr.Kabir Khan?"He asked and I nodded at him.

"Aapko sir bula rahe h"He said and I gave him a confused look at that.

But my PA walked in at that moment and I was relieved now,he would handle everything.

"Sir woh iss hospital ke dean aapse milna chahte h"He said and I nodded hearing that.

We walked towards the cabin, Maahi's brother too accompanied us.

As soon as I entered the cabin my gaze shifted on the people who were present there.

Shivaay Sehgal -Maahi's chote papa

Mahir Sehgal-Maahi's papa

And Hriday Sehgal-Maahi's younger brother

I knew them all,she often talks about her family.She loves them so much that she finds a way to include them in her conversation anyhow.

" Kon ho tum?? And how the hell did you land on the helipad without permission? " Her chote papa shot questions at me. I looked around but I couldn't find my PA.

Where did he leave all of a sudden??

So I took my phone from my pocket.

"Woh aapse kuch puch rahe h!!!bina permission kese land kiya aapne?"Hriday shouted at me too.

I sighed as I typed everything on my phone.

"We are asking you something!!!you better start answering otherwise the consequences won't be good for you!"Her chote papa threatened me and I sighed as I looked at him.

I again looked back at my phone and tried to type faster so that I could explain everything to them.

" See we don't want to be rude to you, hum directly baat karna chahtein hai, you don't have to be egoistic samjhe" Nirvair said this time and I looked at him.

He had seen me with Maahi,I wasn't sure if he was going to rat it out to his family or keep it a secret.

But why would he keep it a secret?

I finally understood that I was not answering them and looking around for my PA and then typing on my phone and this would have looked like I was ignoring them.

" Speak up dammit " Her father who was the calmest, as I heard from Maahi  shouted at me.

Why was my phone not working fast???

I was done with it now,so I just pocketed it and looked around and when I  saw the pen stand and a small diary. I took the pen and paper.

I wrote something on it while their angry glares were directed towards me.

I showed them what I had written but they stared at me as if I was lying.

I sighed and then tried to use sign language which they would obviously not understand.

But I lifted my hand and touched my mouth and then shook my hand as if I was trying to convey myself being mute.

The door opened and in walked my PA,I took a sigh of relief and signed him something.

He immediately understood what I wanted to say and then looked at the men before making them understand all the situation.

"Yeh Mr.Kabir Khan h,he is a businessman by profession but he can't speak"

My PA said and I was met with curious eyes.

"We are really sorry for using your helipad without permission,it was an emergency"My PA further said.

"What kind of emergency?"Hriday asked.

"We were here to see a patient,she is a distant relative and we got to know about her health today morning,we have arrived all the way from Kashmir and so we didn't had the time to take permission,we truly are sorry for that"My PA said politely.

"Konsa patient?"Hriday again asked.

"Woh room no. 403 mein jo lady h,woh sir ki durr ki dadi lagti h,she has Alzheimer,hame aaj pata chala ki 2 din pehle unhe hospitalised kiya gaya tha"My PA said and I was impressed at the way he had drafted this story in such a short time.

I could see a look of recognition in Maahi's father's as he mentioned that story.

So there actually was a patient of Alzheimer in room no. 403.

I silently left the cabin along with my PA once they let go of my actions understanding my situation.

"Khan baba,aapko thodi derr room no. 403 ke bahar bethna chahiye,inhe aisa nhi lagna chahiye ki hum jhooth bol rahe h"My PA said and I nodded at that.

I made my way towards room no. 403 and sat on the bench oit of that room,room no. 402 exactly infront of me in which Maahi was.

I can't directly go in and be with her now when her family was in there with her,they would know everything about us and that's the last thing I want to happen.

I sighed and sat there waiting for them to leave so that I could go in and meet her for just a few mins.

After some time the door opened and almost all her family left which gave me a hope and I was about to get up and go in but Nirvair turned and went in the room,the door opened and I could finally steal a glimpse of her.

I don't know what happened inside but the last look I could get of hers was her biting her lips and then the door closed.

She was nervous.

That's the only reason for her biting her lips.

Nervous?

Why was she nervous though?