"In a world where breaking things make too loud a noise, breaking people is rather too easy, and noiseless.
- Srishti for @oldschoolstories_ "

"I don't hate you. I never did", the words escaped Shaheen before she could even interpret, but the shock that clearly washed over Abhi, seen in his eyes as clear as the daylight, made her grip her kurta tight in her fists as she tried to calm herself down. But what agitated her more was the look of disbelief that started to colour his pale face before he ended up closing his eyes to shut her off.

Sitting on the floor, Abhi was still taking deep breaths, his mind in a fuzzy as he repeated Shaheen's words again and again in his mind.

"I don't hate you. I never did"

"I don't hate you. I never did"

"I never did"

"I never did"

"Never"

Gasps  left his mouth as he clutched his tshirt over his chest, trying to calm himself down. Five years he had spent only with this guilt, and suddenly it wasn't worth it anymore? Abhi could not understand, how could it be?

Shaheen who was standing by the door, frozen with hurt that was running through her body, immediately ran over to him, calling his name out loud, but it did not look like he heard her.

How could Shaheen not hate him?

How could anyone not hate him?

He deserved to be hated, didn't he?

Abhi was in a world of his own, the world of pain and self loathing he had created in his mind over the years.

Helpless tears escaped his eyes as loud sobs escaped his mouth, the sound muffled since he was struggling to breathe so much because of his excessive tears. The pain in his chest was ripping him apart, his mind going through their entire conversation again and again and again.

"I don't hate you. I never did"

"You know what Abhimanyu Rathore, Allah won't forgive you. You are really the meanest human I have met and Allah will never forgive you for your sins. This is the curse from my heart...."

Abhi snapped his eyes open as Shaheen's words from that wretched day of his life reverbated in his ears. He found Shaheen sitting by him, holding his wrist in her tight grasp, worry lines running all over her face and tears running down her kohl clad eyes, a bit smudged.

Shaheen couldn't take it anymore, she could not take the disbelief in his features, the hurt in his eyes, the defeat in the hunch of his shoulders. She didn't think through anything, all she knew was she loved this man who thought she hated him, so much that her own words were not enough to comfort him.

Chucking away all her rational thoughts, she leaned forward and embraced him, taking him by complete astonishment, her right hand wrapped around his waist, and her left hand soothing his hairs, while both of them were still on their knees, kneeling down, heavily sobbing, for reasons of their own.

The world, isn't actually a very happy place to be in, well, for most of us. There is abundance of greif, of guilt, of anger and sadness, while Love and joy are like scattered around, trying to find a way out from the claspes of these negative emotions. And obviously, we find and hold onto these negative emotions much more than the positive ones, don't we?

Neil and Samaira who had come rushing down, hearing all the sounds, found Abhi and Shaheen like that, on the ground, sobbing, her holding him while he continued to struggle to breathe. Neil and Samaira both had tears in their eyes, but Neil's Doctor self kicked in when he saw Abhi's condition. He ran over, and held his shoulders, and while Samaira moved to hold Shaheen. Neil held Abhi and made him look into his eyes.

"Look at me Abhi. LOOK AT ME", Neil yelled, and Abhi's trembling figure managed to raise his eyes up at him.

"You are okay. Understand? You are okay. Everything is okay. Everyone is okay", Neil repeatedly pressed, until there was some kind of recognition in his eyes.

"Ever-every thi-ng Oka-kay", Abhi spoke, stuttering, his lips quivering, but before Neil could help more, he had fainted.

"Damn!", Neil cursed, and Samaira and Sheheen helped him put the frail figure to bed. Covering him with a duvet, Neil switched off the lights and let him rest. Abhi was more than exhausted, and Neil knew he needed that quiet and rest.

Samaira made Shaheen sit on the couch outside, offered her some water to calm down. Neil paced the room restlessly, waiting for her to speak. Shaheen looked up, afraid a little, but managed to speak out the words when questioned about what exactly happened.

"I told him I didn't hate him!", Shaheen spoke, fresh tears rolling down her eyes. She could never explain the hurt that his disbelief had caused her, in words. Just thinking about the same made her break into heavy sobs again.

Neil frowned, he knew this was a sensitive topic for Abhi, but he wasn't sure just this was enough for that bad a reaction.

"That's it? You didn't say anything else?", he asked again, and earned a glare from Samaira who was already having a tough time consoling her best friend.

Shaheen opened her mouth and then closed it again. She ran the entire meeting through her mind again, thinking and rethinking what might had upsetted him that bad.

"No, I mean-", she paused, "he panicked as soon as he saw me once", she sniffed, using her duppatta to dab onto her cheeks, "and then I held him through that and asked him to take rest because -", she paused mid sentence as the light dawned on her.

"Because?", Neil looked at her, doubt in his eyes.

"Because we were supposed to travel to Mumbai later", Shaheen's eyes went wide as she and Neil reached the same conclusion.

Abhi didn't want to go to Mumbai.

Shaheen could not help but wonder how Mrs. Khan had said the same thing to her. Abhi didn't need answers, the rest of them did. He knew exactly what had happened and why.

The sudden realization made her gasp out loud, worrying both Neil and Samaira. She rubbed Shaheen's back, trying to not break down herself, while Neil pinched the bridge of his nose, in frustration.

These bunch of friends were more messed up than he thought.

By then, Shaheen had more or less collected herself, and could now look at the situation with much more clarity. She sat up straight and looked at Samaira with a kind of determination that even made her feel better.

"I am calling Kabir, asking him to come on Skype. You get the laptop ready in your room. And Neil-", she was cut off by Neil.

"I will stay here, with Abhi", Shaheen nodded, gratitude seeping through her eyes that Neil acknowledged with a small smile.

Samaira couldn't understand what was going on, but she didn't question Shaheen. She trusted her with everything inside her. But what bothered her was if she was ready to face Kabir, because no matter how good friends they were before, whatever his side of the story was, Samaira could not forgive the struggle she had to put through for every breath of Abhi.

Abhi had loved Kabir like his own brother, hell he loved every one like his own, and yet, he was the one who had gotten the maximum burnt for all his love.

Samaira was lost in her thoughts when Shaheen walked upstairs.

"Kabir said he was out running some errands, he would call back in a while", Shaheen informed and Samaira nodded, neither happy nor sad about the information. Shaheen noticed but didn't pry. She knew it was important to talk to Kabir, as much as it was important to get through to Roshni.

But there was something that she intended to do before jumping into all that mess.

"Shweta Aunty still lives in the same house, right?"

----------

The front lawn was still as large as Shaheen remembered it to be, she fondly thought as she walked in through the door. The guard closed the gate behind her. The white roses and Daisies didn't escape her notice, she knew they were Abhimanyu's favourite flowers, and so did his parents.

She saw an old figure sitting on the swing, in the garden. Her approaching footsteps alerted the person and she stood up, surprised and misty eyed, opening her arms for the petite girl who had now grown up.

"Shaheen, My girl!", Shweta Malhotra called out as Shaheen ran into her arms and hugged her, teary eyed herself.

The most emotional reunion later, they both settled down on the swing, Shweta holding Shaheen's hands in her.

"Why did you disappear like that beta? You could have at least told me-",she was cut off by Shaheen's shake of head, wanting to not stress her out.

"That was something inevitable Aunty. But see now I am back", she giggled, wanting to lighten up the atmosphere, but was met with Shweta's disappointed eyes.

" I had always told you, all four of you that nobody was anything less to me than my own son. If Abhi hurt you that bad, why didn't you come to me? Why leave all of us, your friends, Shaheen?", Shweta's words snatched the earth below Shaheen's feet.

She had always thought what happened between her and Abhi on the last day of their school was between them, that nobody else knew. Not even Samaira. She was about to ask, but Shweta's next words shocked her more.

"If Kabir hadn't blurted in anger how there wasn't any other explanation for your departure but My son, how he had hurt him and Roshni too, I would have never guessed that he could ever hurt you".

Author's note : No matter what, everyone please saty in and stay safe.