Love is one of the most fragile yet the strongest emotion in the world.

In the early dawn of the day, Sameer woke up from his beautiful reality; a part of that reality was sleeping peacefully beside him in his white shirt - 'his' Naina,  who had becomes his in all the senses. That reality that he had a longing to live daily till his eternity. He never knew how he start loving her so much, how she became his heart's soul, and that's the purity of this feeling. Looking at her, he realized that her eyes are like the gateway to the universe and if he was to touch her eyes with a kiss, it would be him touching the universe. Her hair felt like the first rays of the sun, so far and yet so warm. Her lips harbor a poet's reservoir of metaphors. Her nose has the bridge connecting his dreams and realities. Her face is like a painter's dream that has something which will again make him fall in love with her.

He touches and caresses her, and another truth hits him hard, that he never wants to experience ever. When looking at her changing appearances from peace to pain. Shifting closer to her, he enclosed her in the tight embrace of his arms and covers himself and his every ounce of fear by burying his face in the hollow of her neck. By not making any sound, he silently gets up from the bed and stands near the glass window, watching the falling snowflakes outside and recalling everything that he never ever wants to hear.

"Dekhiye, chances agar hote toh hum Doctors treat karne se mana hi kyu karte. But there is no chance of her survival." A Doctor's voice resonated in his ears.

"Agar surgery karne ka risk ek baar ke liye le bhi lete hai toh bhi hum sirf unki bachi hui life ko hi kum karege. Samajhne ki koshish kijiye, there is no hope at all." Another doctor's words hit him hard.

"Her heart cells are damaging day by day, and even Transplant couldn't be thought of as an alternative in this case. Sorry, but there are no possibilities." Every doctor's voice echoes in Sameer's ears, making him burst into tears. He shuts his eyes tighter to shun away all the words that all the best doctors said to him. Is a damaged heart so hard to fix?

Though, in the next moment, he got his every answer when finds his heart wrapped between a set of two arms. Naina comes and stands beside him. Resting her head on his back, she placed her palm over his throbbing heart. It was the second time they both had either touched each other. "Shaadi ki pehli raat par hi koi apni biwi se yuh mooh pherkar khada hota hai kya."

"Tum kyu uthi, tumhe rest karna chahiye tha na. Aur main koi mooh pher kar nhi khada tha, main toh bas.."

"Main toh bas kya Sameer, mujhse yuh mooh pher kar apne aansoo toh tum mujhse chupa loge, magar apne is dhadakte dil ko kaise samjhayoge jo tumse bina izaazat liye hi mujhse sab kuch keh gaya."

He turns, and the two embraced. Without saying anything to her, his heart silently cried and screamed to her, "Mat jana mujhe chodke, Naina. Main apna har din har raat, zindagi ka ek ek lamha tumhare saath beetana chahta hoon. Main kahin nhi jane dunga, tumhe apne se durr toh bilkul nahi, kabhi nahi."

Perhaps listening to his heart's every scream, she understood and tightens her arms around him more firmly. "Kabhi kabhi hum ek aise mod par khade honge Sameer jahan hume kuch pata nahi hoga ki kya karna hai, kaise karna hai, kahan jana hai. Toh samajh lena chahiye ki yeh ek nayi shuruat hai, yahan se ek naya raasta tay karna hai, vapis se ek nayi kahani likhni hai. Main agar kal ko chali bhi gayi toh rahugi toh tumhare andar hi na, tumhare is dhadakte dil ki dhadkan banke. Pass nahi hongi toh kya, saath toh humesha hongi. Janti hoon main ki meri zindagi choti si hai, aur is choti si zindagi se mujhe bade bade lamhe chahiye bhi nhi, ekdum chote chote pal beetane hai tumhare saath. Haan..lekin yaadein toh badi banayi ja sakti hai na." She unhugs him, and looks in his eyes, and continues, "Aaj humari shaadi ki pehli raat hai, aur usually first night par husbands apni wife ko kuch gift dete hai, magar tumne toh mujhe ab tak kuch diya hi nahi."

"Kya chahiye tumhe?"

Turning to the window, she blows air on the glass, creating a foggy effect, and writes with her finger on it 'MOMENTS'. Then she rubs it and repeats this time by writing the word 'MEMORIES'.

"Bas yehi chahiye mujhe tumse. Apni is bachi hui zindagi mein chote chote pal jeene hai tumhare saath jo kal ko badi badi yaadein chodke jayege mere baad. Toh batayo jeeyoge mere saath kya woh pal? Banayoge mere saath kya woh yaadein? Aur soch samajh ke haan bolna, kyuki meri list bahut lambi hai."

He forwarded his hand demanding her list, and she brings it from the side drawer and kept it over his palm.

Opening the piece of paper, he reads the first line curiously, "I want to live my yesterday and tomorrow in my today. Yeh kaise possible hai."

"Yehi toh possible karna hai tumhe. Aage padho."

"I want to witness all the stars present in the universe. Saare taare ek saath..again impossible."

"2 mein hi thak gaye. Aage toh padho."

"I want to cry and smile at the same time. I want to fill someone's life with sweetness forever. I want to feel the beats of my heart up to my ears."

Snatching the paper from his hand, she said, "Bas bas..pehle itni toh poori kar do. Baki baad ke liye chod dete hai."

"Right, waise bhi abhi mujhe sirf ek hi moment jeena hai." He pulls her closer to himself and hugged her tight. After all, a comfortable home is difficult to find. And once you find peace in someone's arms it's not easy to let them go.

While she thought, keeping her hand upon his chest, "Tum toh khul ke hass bhi nahi pa rahe ho Sameer, toh royoge kaise. Shayad jante jo ho ki agar maine tumhe tootta hua dekh liya toh main bikhar jayugi. Magar tumhara dil jo bikhar ke chur chur ho raha hai..uska kya. Isiliye toh chahti hoon ki us dil ke bikharne se pehle hum ek saath itne pal jee le, ki kal ko yehi pal tumhe meri kumi khalne tak na de. Aur iske liye har us pal mein jo beet gaya aur jo aane wala hai tumhe talashna hoga khud ko, mere bina." A certain amount of love and care is essential for every living being. No matter how tough a person appears, there has to be someone under the shadow of whom one can break altogether. And, before something great happens, everything needs to be fallen apart.

***

A month later, standing on a ladder Sameer was hanging a few photo frames in the center of the hall wall. "Kya Naina, yeh wali Photo lagani jaruri hai kya." Holding a photograph of theirs, he looked at Naina indecisively.

"Yehi toh sabse best moment tha, humara beeta hua kal aur aane wala kal humne apne aaj mein hi jo jee liya tha. "

"Ek hi din mein bacche bhi bane the aur buddhe bhi. Par us din phir se 15 saal ka banke, School Uniform ko phir se pehanke, humare wohi purane School mein jake, Class ke usi bench par baithke, wohi lamhe phir se jeeke apna guzra hua kal jee liya tha humne."

She further added, "Aur aane wala kal bhi toh jeeya tha humne yuh 60 saal ka banke, tumhare aur khud ke baalon ko safed karke, ek haath mein walking stick aur dusre haath mein tumhara haath ki ungliyon ko kaskar pakad ke, chashme ke peeche se chori chori tumhe dekhke. Aur jante ho tabhi yeh wala pal mere liye sabse khaas hai kyuki ise jeena ka mauka haqeeqat mein toh mujhe kabhi milega hi nahi."

"Shh..yeh zindagi mauka nahi deti, balki isse cheenna padta hai. Jaise tumne cheena tha mujhse mera sukoon us raat jab tumne aasmaan ke saare taare dekhe the aur maine dekha tha us chaandni raat mein apne chaand ko." Showing her the next frame of theirs, he raises his eyebrows.

"Tumhare kandhe par sir rakhke, thandi thandi raat mein aasmaan ki chhat ke neeche letkar, woh dher saari baatein karna. Kitna khoobsurat tha woh nazara."

"Aur woh nazara bhi jo sirf meri aankhon ke saamne tha. Ab samajh aaya ki sab log chaand par itni baatein kaise likh lete hai." He said while fixing the frame on the wall.

"Next photograph..Please." Shyly, she brings the next frame in front of him.

"Umm..yeh raha woh moment jab tumhari aankhon mein paani bhi tha aur hoothon par hassi bhi. Thanks to your favorite movie."

"Nah..Thanks to my favorite person. Jo movie ke kuch romantic scenes dekhke kabhi sharmata tha toh emotional scenes dekhke kabhi ghabrata bhi tha. Aur phir jab chupke se aise hi main use pakad leti thi tab woh mujhse apne aap ko chupata bhi tha."

"Next photograph..Please." He said this time, shyly.

"Acha yeh next photo dekho na..Mishthi kitni khush lag rahi thi is tasveer mein," while caressing the glass of the frame, she whispered.

"Tumhe kisi ki life mein mitthas gholni thi, aur Mishthi ko ek family dekar isse badhkar mitthas hum uski life mein kaise ghol sakte the."

"Maine bahut koshish ki thi ki ek achi family use adopt kar le, par aisa ho hi nahi paya magar tumne kar diya. Tumne meri yeh wish poori karke, Uski zindagi ke saath saath meri zindagi mein bhi mitthas ghol di."

"Bilkul next photograph ki tarah. Arey yeh kya Naina is mein toh sirf ek umbrella hai. By the way is umbrella ke peeche kya ho raha tha."

She slapped him on the shoulder, "Kitne bure ho na tum, is moment ke time bhi the."

"Maine kya kiya, tumne hi toh chaha tha ki tumhe apne dil ki dhadkan ko apne kaano tak sunna hai. Aur baarish ki boondon ke beech, ek chatte ke neeche kiss karte waqt dil ki dhadkan kaano tak sun hi jati hai. Suni toh thi na tumhe. Agar nahi suni toh main abhi bhi suna.."

She intervened in between and turns her red face away from him, "Dekha abhi bhi kitne bure ho tum."

After hanging all the other frames, "Acha ab apna woh last wala task toh mujhe padhne do," he demanded. But she denied it.

Taking the paper from her, he reads the last line written on it, "I want to bring a small life into this big world."

"Hume lagta hai humne jo pyaar kiya hai woh is duniyaa mein sabse zyada pure hai, strong hai, best hai. Magar ek pyaar duniyaa mein aisa bhi hota hai Sameer jo in sabse badhkar hota hai..Ek Maa ka uske bacche ke liye pyaar. Woh pyaar jo us nanhi si chhavi ke is duniyaa mein aane se pehle se hi shuru ho jata hai. Woh pyaar jo hissa hota hai humare hi pyaar ke lamho ka. Woh pyaar jise na maapa ja sakta hai, na taula ja sakta hai kyuki woh pyaar toh sabse anmol hota hai na. Woh pyaar jise hum chahkar bhi shabdo mein explain nahi kar sakte, bas mehsoos kar sakte hai." Wiping the corner of her eyes, she continued, "Bhale hi yeh moment main kabhi nahi jee sakti lekin baki saare moments toh maine jee hi liye woh bhi tumhare saath. Ab mujhe in sabke baad aur kuch nahi chahiye."

"Kisne kaha hum yeh moment nahi jee sakte. Chalo."

Taking her in front of a mirror, he makes her look at her reflection of her with a cushion attached to her stomach underneath her suit. He puts his chin on her shoulder and studies her through the mirror's reflection while kissing her hairs. "Ab tob tum bilkul nakchadi nahi lag rahi ho, balki ekdum moti si, cute si, teddy jaisi lag rahi ho."

Hearing his remark, she puffed her cheeks in anger, "Hmm..in phule hue gaalon ke saath ab toh ekdum perfect lag rahi ho." And he starts laughing more and clicks their picture to hang on the wall along with another random photograph where they hold a small baby of someone in their hands.

Looking at the wall full of photo frames, they both reminisce all the moments they had spent together and the memories they built with each other.

Sameer in his distraught thought, dealing with his own pain while maintaining composure in front of her, while looking toward smiling Naina, "Tasveerien toh aksar jhoothi hoti hai Naina, kaash humari zindagiyaan in tasveeron jitni hi suljhi hui hoti toh asal mein yeh jeene mein kitni aasan ho jati. Shayad tumhari aur meri zindgai in tasveeron jaisi hi ho jati jahan yeh sab lamhe beetane ke liye hume in tasveeron ka mohtaaz nahi hona padta."

Tum hi toh ho..jo ho,
Jo ho..sirf tum hi ho.

Hote ho jab tum mehsoos,
Woh ehsaas tum hi ho.
Jazbaaton ki bandisho mein,
Woh alfaaz bhi tum ho.

Har saans ke darmiyaan,
Woh khusboo tum hi ho.
Na koi tumse badhkar,
Har taraf tum hi tum ho.

Jisse hone se sab acha lagta hai..woh tum ho,
Jiske na hone se sab adhura lagta hai..woh tum ho.

Jise dekh mera chehra muskura jata hai..woh tum ho,
Yeh aankhein jiska deedar chahti hai..woh tum ho.
Yeh saansein jiske na hone se tham si jati hai..woh tum ho,
Yeh baahein jise gale lagana chahti hai..woh tum ho.

Khuda se badhkar jise maana hai..woh tum ho,
Har ibadaat mein jise maanga hai..woh tum ho.

Tum hi meri zindgai ho,
Zindagi ki har khushi bhi ho,
Tum hi ho..tum hi toh ho.
Jo ho sirf tum hi ho.

♡Never Belittle Love♡