~Erase.~

"The moon

And the sun

Are love

And fear.

One fades

As the other

Rises."

- d.j.

************

"Just look at this face." His slender finger held her jaw in a movable grasp as he stood behind her with his other hand wrapped around her waist, tightly.

"These lips," he leaned closer, whispering into her ear with his warm breath dancing through the rising goosebumps on her skin. "These eyes."

"A beauty indeed."

It was like the devil was whispering into her ear, the actual evil who holds an unshakeable prestige in the deepest profundities of hell.

"And, absolutely mine."

He ran the tip of his thumb along her cheek to brush off a wandering strand of her dark brown, unruly hair from where it had fallen out.

"Yet, you actually thought I'll let you go. Hmm?"

"How could I?" Shravya's eyes fluttered, gazing into his dark ones before resting directly at the mirror which reflected their figure.

Ponderly, Shravya stared at her reflection in the mirror of her dressing table. Her mind was consistently going back to the memories of her and Zaid, also back to the words he said in the morning; she still couldn't believe that he is letting her meet Aayush, for the last time.

He allowed her, but if the other Zaid appeared, she wouldn't be able to make it --- that's why her heart wished for him to not appear.

She knew that he will ruin everything.

And, she wants to stay far away from him.

Suddenly, the door handle moved, lightly startling her and moving her attention to the door. Slowly running the comb through her brown locks, she watched as Zaid stepped inside, closing the door behind him before walking over to her, in his all-familiar enchanting but dark grace, wearing all black, like always --- but it was his business attire.

Shravya's eyes moved to the clock on the wall. It showed 2:50 in the noon; he came back early.

"You ready?" His piercing black orbs rested upon her, lulling her movements to sleep when her eyes met his.

"Yeah, almost." With a feeble nod, Shravya looked back at the mirror, again combing her hair while he approached her, moving and deliberately stopping behind her settled frame.

"Can I?" Their gazes came upon each other in the mirror as his hands slid along her shoulders, to her neck.

His fingertips grazed across her cheeks before gliding through her hair as he closed his eyes, savoring the touch and trying to reserve how it felt, as if it was the last time he was feeling her skin under his fingers.

At that moment, the world around them seemed perfect, like an illusion - an illusion which might have even blinded Shravya, luring her in, if only she hadn't held her pain, the bitter reality, so dearly to herself.

Tensed, she eyed Zaid as he pulled the comb out of her hold before gently running it through her dark locks, with the silence consuming the air.

That tender gesture reminded her of his touch from years ago; there was once a time when these same gentle fingers had stroked against her head, dreamily caressing her hair, the touch so soft that sometimes it even used to fondle her heart.

"What is that?" Shravya blinked, her heart throbbing as the movements of her eyes ceased upon the reflection of a white rose, which he was putting in her hair, along with braiding those soft locks.

Her eyes went after the movement of his hands till the reflection of that rose vanished from her sight.

"Nothing, just adorning a beautiful being with a beautiful thing." With the last stroke, he placed the comb back on the dressing table while his eyes encountered hers.

His fingertips brushed against her ear shell, before trailing down to her shoulders, his palms gradually drifting to her sides. "A beauty for a beauty," he whispered, his voice laced with pristine affection. His warm, calloused hands softly holding her by the shoulders.

Captivated under the weight of his heavy gaze, her hazel eyes didn't dare move, staring into his voidness and finding no end to it with a hazy spell beguiling her.

The heat emitting from his body seemed to somehow reach the exposed part of her skin, appeasing her and sending light tremors through her body; the familiarity radiating from him occurred to knock her resistance down.

"It's time to leave," the malleableness of his tone rolled down on the surface of her thoughts, his words abruptly awakening her to reality and freeing her spell-bounded consciousness.

Shravya swallowed, frailly nodding her head before standing up in a hast, discarding his hands and their touch off herself.

Without another glance, she walked over to the bed, where her coat was laying. After slipping on that cozy material, she turned around and found her gaze stumbling to his --- the brown sun halting upon a dark sky once again.

Just that trivial look was enough.

Even with a mere look, she could feel it all; the ardour of his eyes still lingering upon her, seeping through her skin pores and settling inside her.

"Let's...go," Shravya said, pointing her finger at the door, avoiding the odd atmosphere in the room. "Shall we?"

He remained silent, observing her closely until she averted her eyes away, stepping towards the door, no longer waiting for a response.

"Sona," hearing his voice, her hold hesitated upon the doorknob, her motions stopping.

"Come here," he called and waited until she finally turned, tepidly approaching him.

Once she stood near him, his hand slowly reached out, caressing the side of her face as his coal-black eyes, drowsy and dark, stared at her with utter tenderness.

While Shravya stared at him with unmitigated fear; is he going to change his decision of letting her meet Aayush?

However, her worries soon came off as useless when instead of what she thought, he just moved a meagre closer before pulling off his scarf and tentatively wrapping it around her neck.

"It's cold outside," a tiny sigh leaped past his mouth before he held her hand to his mouth, planting a amiable kiss upon her ring finger where her wedding ring was gloriously shining. "And, Shimla's atmosphere is even colder."

He stopped her for this.

Her heart skipped a beat and she faintly nodded in response, blinking back her tears.

The soft woolen scarf carried his scent and a nostalgic warmth --- a wistful ardency of someone whose presence she yearned, yet, feared at the same time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hold me.

Hold me in your arms.

Because I want to hear how your heart beats.

Please take me in, inside your embrace.

Because I want to know how home feels.

Then please, let me roam around.

I also want to see who you really are.

When I find the real you, when I love your soul.

Please, let me rest.

Because, by then, I might want some peace.

But if my demand increases, hurting and saddening you, my Beloved.

Then, by all means, let yourself escape that burden.

But please, promise me you'll leave without glancing behind.

Because I don't want you to see the mad me using voracious means to get you back.

I don't want you to see the breaking me concealing the chunks of pain within himself.

I don't want you to see the regretting me memorizing the sacrificing side of love.

I don't want you to see the redeeming me erasing us, erasing what we had.

- Panchi Verma.

What a beautiful way to word down tragedy.

Zaid couldn't help but chuckle at the thought, the loneliness in the atmosphere somewhat seeming to melt down along with that sound.

"Erase, huh?" His gaze wavered at the word erase of the poem which was composed in the book he was holding. "How could one do that?"

It's not pain or the purposeless past the poem was talking about erasing. It was talking about love.

It was talking about erasing love for someone.

The process of falling despite not wanting to is painful itself. And then, killing that same emotion could be unbearable.

Even if one succeeded in destroying their love for someone, love will surely leave behind the mark of its presence - a hole of nothingness.

"That's cruel. Why does she read these poems? Some of them are so tragic," he mumbled, laying down on the sofa, letting the book fall out of his grip and land upon his chest as he aimlessly eyed the flawless designs carved on the ceiling.

He remember how he had begged Shravya silently, staring at her beautiful face, desperately looking into those warm hazel eyes of hers as he fell.

He had pleaded her to not make him fall, while all he did was fall more, discerning his miserable condition in the reflection of her lovely eyes. Those two hazel pools weren't bottomless, but they held a depth that was enough to make him drown.

He fell, inspite of everything.

He ended up being in love, again.

The process of loving someone is strange. Love is merciful yet merciless at the same.

At one point it will make you want to crawl away from its warmth, but then, it will make you yearn to seek its fervor again.

That's how cruel it is.

Still, it's sweet to love someone, and heaven when being loved back by the person who rules your heart.

Willingly, his eyes shifted to his working desk, wanting to divert his thoughts. He breathed deeply, filling his thoughts with her.

She wasn't there, but he could still feel her presence there, he could still decipher her scent in the air. Her scent was lingering in the atmosphere - that's how familiar his surroundings has become with her.

Now, with her gone, it feels lonely and empty. However, he couldn't deny her request either.

Even without Shravya asking, his love demands him to give her everything. It demands him to surrender before every wish of hers, that too without any second thought --- that's how he learned that love demands submission. There is no place for dominance.

Maybe not entirely, but Zaid understands that only love can entitle one to rise, to be taken and accepted as one whole and whole alone --- he can only do that with her.

She is his whole. She is his.

He feels complete with her.

"Come in," he spoke when out of the blue a knock sounded from outside.

Trying to ignore the aching longing to have Shravya by his side, Zaid sat up, putting the book away as Raghav entered the room.

"What is it, Raghav?" Questioning, Zaid walked over to his desk while Raghav followed.

"This is the information I got about the cemetery you asked me to investigate," Raghav responded, placing some files on Zaid's working desk.

Subtly nodding, Zaid picked up one of the files and opened it. The information was all about the cemetery he recently bought. He wanted to build a hotel there, however, there was always an eerie feeling he felt whenever he thought of proceeding with that project. So, he asked Raghav to investigate the cemetery thoroughly.

"The cemetery has the grave of Afsana Afzal," Raghav continued as Zaid quickly went through the contents of the file. "It's your mother's grave."

Eventually, it turned out that she is the reason why he was feeling unsettled about demolishing that place.

"Proceed with the work, destroy the cemetery," Zaid spoke, closing the file. "I want the work to be done at the earliest."

Afsana Afzal, his mother is a part of the past.

And, he wants to erase his past.

He wants to begin a new life with Shravya, especially when their child, an innocent hope has appeared.

There is nothing he would deny to do for her and their child. Nothing.

---✳❇✳---

To say Nerina was happy was an understatement.

At that moment, with Tanveer before her eyes, she was feeling something beyond Happy.

"You shouldn't tire yourself this much, Mr. Grover." With a smile tugged at the corner of her lips, she walked over to him, holding two cups of coffee. "After all, your wife needs you at night."

She placed one cup on his desk and grabbed a chair so that she could sit across from him, facing him with a grin plastered on her face.

"My lovely wife needs me tonight - why am I getting to know this only now?" Tanveer smirked. His fingers stopped moving on the laptop as he watched her, his eyes softening. "If you would've informed me earlier, I might have done this work much faster."

"I don't need you in that way, Mr. Grover." The corners of her mouth quirked up and she chuckled softly. "I just wanted you to do some document work of mine."

"What else were you thinking?" Her onyx eyes danced playfully as she tilted her head to the side.

With heat riding through his body, Tanveer couldn't help but sneak a peek at her. She looked absolutely beautiful right then - her hair tumbling down in soft curls while the lights in the room caressed her skin with a soft glow.

Sometimes, he could barely contain himself. She makes him feel like a teenager again, nervous yet excited to be with her.

Her lips curled ever so slightly upwards as she took a sip from her coffee, aware of his eyes on her. "I'm not going anywhere, you can stare at me later, but please, finish your work first."

"Sure. . . ." Tanveer cleared his throat, looking down at his keyboard before beginning to type again.

Watching him, Nerina smiled to herself; she has gravely waited for this kind of peace for years.

"Thank you for choosing me, Tanveer," she spoke the words of her heart. "Thank you for coming back to me."

He glanced at her again, this time a hint of pink dusting his cheeks. For some reason, he found it difficult to respond when his chest felt so tight. So many things happened since his father passed away.

Zaid warned him to leave India - but he couldn't do so, because there was a weight of promises stopping him. He had to keep his promises, so he wanted Nerina to leave without him. But, the woman firmly refused.

And, that's why they both ended up here, in a small town of Himachal Pradesh, hiding together till they could come up with another plan to help Shravya.

"After a few weeks, it'll snowing," a quiet whisper slipped past his mouth as he gazed at her, still not able to tear his eyes away. "We'll be spending the winter here."

"I've always wanted to spend such moments with you," Nerina sighed, closing her eyes for a tiny moment before staring directly into his sapphire orbs with sheer affection. "I wish we could stay here forever."

~I want you to know that I'm never leaving

'Cause I'm Mrs. Snow,' til death we'll be freezing.

Yeah, you are my home, my home for all seasons.

So come on, let's go.~

If you like the chapter then please follow me PanchiVerma (for Instagram, check out the link in my bio)

Q - So, how was the chapter people?

So, this is the last chapter of this year 🙌

Q - Any Idea about what's going to happen next year, in next chapter? 🌚