Bonded by Fate *Completed*

42. Denial

He closed his eyes yet again out of sheer desperation but the result was the same. The more he tried to remember Antara, the more vivid Guddan’s image sparkled.

Realization hit home and blinking his eyes open, Akshat stumbled back a step. With eyes as wide as saucers, he looked at Guddan who was now clutching that balloon closer to her chest out of embarrassment. His heart thudded painfully.

This can’t be! This cannot be! This can never be! How can that be? How can he l-love Gud….but then he…Antara….

The painful expressions flashing across his face didn’t go unnoticed by his wife who shed the reservations she had been harboring and took a concerning step in his direction.

Akshat looked at her as she approached him with a worried look on her face. He clutched his chest. An unknown burning sensation was gripping his heart.

“Jindal saab…aap theek hai?” Guddan asked as she forwarded her hand to console him but he flinched away, like a touch-me-not.

He could see the look of hurt paint her features as she pulled her fingers back, hesitantly.

‘Nhi Guddan…’ Akshat internally rebuked his gesture and tried to reach out to her but failed. He wanted to…but he couldn’t.

“Acha theek hai, aap humein bataiye kya hua?” She asked with as much consideration as possible.

But he remained unmoving.

‘Tumhare hote hue mujhe kaise kuch ho sakta hai’  This was what he wanted to say and yet his lips didn’t bother to part in response.

He could see her. He could hear her but what about Antara? How can he fall in love with another when he had Antara. But Guddan wasn’t another, she was so much more. But then, what about Antara?

Akshat snapped out of his monologue and looked around himself, startled. His surroundings had shifted. Everything was so dark and so bleak.

‘Akshat!’

Confusion dissipated as his ears picked up a familiar voice and he turned around to see Antara smiling at him. He smiled almost surprised and took a step in her direction when someone stopped him and he turned around to see Guddan smiling at him.

‘I love you’, She confessed with her signature smile and caressed his cheeks as he leaned into her touch,forgetting everything.

‘Akshat!’

He turned to Antara’s direction apologetic that he had forgotten her and was shocked to see her tear stained face as she grew farther and farther. He broke into a run in her direction and managed to catch her hand, at the last moment. Letting out a sigh of relief, he looked up and was shocked to see Guddan smiling at him.

Akshat stumbled back, and crushed something under his foot. Pulling his feet away, he looked down aghast to see Antara’s portrait broken. Hastily, he knelt down and started picking the shards when one pricked his finger and he flinched in pain. But the very next moment slender fingers enveloped his palm as a familiar woman fussed over his wound and blabbered nonstop about his carelessness. He found himself a lost cause as she scolded him and kissed his bleeding finger.

And then suddenly her form disappeared behind the smoke rising from his feet. He looked down to see Antara’s photo on a blaze and had almost slammed his hand on it to put out the fire when holy chants reached his ears and he looked up to see himself and Guddan taking the rounds around the holy fire and commit 7 promises to each other.