[ISHITA SHARMA’S PERSPECTIVE –]

**I turned away again.** Walked past him, thinking he’ll give up.

But **he didn’t.** Of course, he didn’t.

His footsteps followed mine. **I could feel the weight of his stare on my back.** Rain dripping from my soaked hair. My *dupatta* clinging to my arms. And my heart racing, not in love anymore—**but in *rage.***

**Rudra:** **“Ishi… Isha please, I’m talking to you—just one minute—just listen!”**

I kept walking faster.

**Rudra:** **“Please… don’t walk away again. I’ve walked away once and I’ve hated myself every day since—!”**

And suddenly—**he held my hand.** His cold, wet fingers closed around my wrist.

**That was it.**

That one touch. That one second. It *snapped* everything I had kept buried inside for **four long years.**

I stopped.

Turned.

And **slapped him. Hard.**

The sound *cracked* through the rain like a thunderbolt.

His eyes widened. But he didn’t flinch. He just stared, betrayal warring with realization.

**Ishita:** **“Don’t you dare touch me, Rudra Singh Rathore!”** My voice trembled, not with fear, but with **fire.**

Tears mixed with rain on my cheeks.

**Ishita:** **“Tumne us raat mera haath chhoda tha, Rudra! Us raat… isi sadak pe… isi baarish mein… tum mujhe chhod gaye the jaise… jaise mein koi mood change karne wali ladki thi!”** (You let go of my hand that night, Rudra! That night... on this same road... in this same rain... you left me as if... as if I was some girl you just changed your mood about!)

**Ishita:** **“*ek use-and-throw toy ki tarah!*”** (Like a use-and-throw toy!)

My chest heaved. Breath ragged.

He looked like I stabbed him. But I wasn’t done.

**Ishita:** **“Tab yaad kyu nahi aaya ki pyar karte ho haan?! Jab mujhe chhod rahe the us blackmailer ke dar se—us waqt kyun nahi roka mujhe?! Why didn't you trust me to fight with you?!”** (Why didn't you remember you loved me then?! When you were leaving me out of fear of that blackmailer—why didn't you stop me then?!)

**Ishita:** **“Mazaak samajh rakha hai mujhe? Jab mann kare aajana. Jab mann bhar jaye toh chale jaana. Aur main pagal ban kar intezaar karti rahoon?!”** (Do you think I'm a joke? To come when you feel like it. To leave when you're done. And I just wait like an idiot?!)

He opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off.

**Ishita:** **“*Maaf kar do?*”** (Say sorry?) **“*Bhul jaoon?*”** (Forget?) **“*Kya bhooloon, Rudra? Woh har ek lafz jo tumne mujhe bola tha?*”** (What should I forget, Rudra? Every single word you told me?)

I stepped closer, my finger jabbing into his wet, powerful chest.

**Ishita:** **“Woh ladki jise koi dekhta bhi tha toh tumhara khoon kholta tha… usi ladki ko… bich sadak pe rula ke chale gaye tum.”** (That girl whom, if anyone even looked at, your blood would boil... you left that same girl crying in the middle of the road.)

My voice cracked, the fire dying into ash.

**Ishita:** **“**Tum Rudra Singh Rathore ho?**”** (Are you Rudra Singh Rathore?) **“**Mere liye toh nahi ho.**”** (Not for me, you're not.)

And I turned around.

[RUDRA SINGH RATHORE’S PERSPECTIVE – ]

That slap… I didn’t feel pain in my cheek. **I felt it in my soul.**

She turned on me with all her fire. All her broken pieces. All the **scars I gave her.**

And every word she said… Cut. Ripped. Tore me apart.

**Rudra** (Inner Monologue): *You ruined that right on me that night…*

She was right. I let her believe she was a toy. A moment. A mistake. She wasn’t. **She was *everything***.

**Ishita:** ***“Tum mujhe chhod gaye the jaise… jaise main koi mood change karne wali ladki thi…”***

God. My throat closed up. My hands shook.

**Ishita:** ***“Tab yaad kyu nahi aaya ki pyar karte ho haan?!”***

Because I was a coward. Because I thought hurting her now would save her later. But it didn't.

**Ishita:** ***“Aur main pagal ban kar intezaar karti rahoon?!”***

She *did* wait. And I crushed her.

**Ishita:** ***“Mere liye toh nahi ho…”***

That… **That one line felt like *death***.

And as she walked away again… her shoulders trembling, her back turned to me…

I just stood there. Soaked. Broken. And wishing I could turn time back four years.

[ISHITA SHARMA’S PERSPECTIVE –]

I walked. No—**I dragged myself.**

Each step toward the metro station felt heavier than the last. Rainwater soaked my *kurta*, my *kurti* clung to my chest like the ache inside it.

People were watching. Passing by. But I couldn’t care.

Tears… warm. Rain… cold. But inside—**only *numbness.***

I wiped my face but it was pointless. Rain or tears—what difference did it even make?

I could still feel the *weight* of his hand grabbing mine. Still hear his voice—

**Rudra (Echoing):** ***“Please, Ishi… please.”***

Still see his eyes—those ocean-blue ones. **Filled with guilt. With longing. With love.**

And yet, I walked away.

Because **no matter how much love there was, the pain was deeper.**

I was the same girl who once whispered dreams into his chest under the stars… And now I was walking away from him in a rainstorm—like a stranger.

My feet stepped onto the metro stairs.

But my heart? **It never left that street.**

[RUDRA SINGH RATHORE’S PERSPECTIVE – ]

She walked away again.

And I… **I didn’t stop her.** I couldn't. I had no right.

My legs… gave up. I sank—**to my knees**—on that wet, dirty pavement. Rain hitting my face, soaking my shirt, my pants, my soul.

**Rudra:** **“Ishi… please…”**

But she was gone.

And I… was finally **broken.**

Truly. Utterly. Hopelessly.

My palms hit the ground. My chest heaved. And then the tears came—**unfiltered.** Like a child crying for a lost toy. Like a man crying for his lost world.

**Rudra:** **“God... kya kar diya maine…”** (God... what have I done...) **“*I lost her… I ruined her... I destroyed us…*”**

My voice echoed in the empty street.

Laksh wasn’t there. No guards. No luxury. Just me.

**Me.** The ruthless, stone-hearted Rudra Singh Rathore… On his knees. Crying in the same goddamn rain I left her in… years ago.

What a cruel cycle.

**Rudra:** **“Main sab kuch lauta dunga Ishi…”** (I will return everything, Ishi...) **“*Main har sazaa bhugtu ga… par ek baar toh sun lo…*”** (I will endure every punishment... but just listen once...)

But she was already on her way to the metro. Already gone.

I looked up at the sky—And **screamed.** A scream of pure, unending despair.

[ISHITA SHARMA’S PERSPECTIVE – ]

*At my home

I closed the door behind me, pressing my back against it. And slid down slowly… like a crumbling pillar.

Tears poured again—this time in silence. Hot, stinging, desperate tears.

Outside my room, I could hear Mummy calling out,

**Gayatri (Muffled):** ***“Beta, khana kha lo… You haven’t eaten all day. Please open the door, Ishu.”***

But my throat was choked. The words were stuck, strangled by pain.

I got up and sat on the bed. My fingers gripped the edge of my bed, knuckles white. Why does this pain *still* feel new, even after years?

**I curled up in my blanket.** Not because I was cold—but because **I wanted to hide.** From everything. From the rain outside, from his face, from the memory of that stinging slap, and from the sound of his broken voice.

And then… **my mind betrayed me.** The memories came flooding in, unbidden and cruel.

---

**FLASHBACK – 4 YEARS AGO – SHIV MANDIR**

I was walking down the stairs, holding a plate of flowers and … My heel slipped. I gasped.

But before the world turned upside down, **two strong arms caught me mid-air.**

I opened my eyes… Those ocean-blue eyes staring down into mine.

Time paused. My heart skipped a beat, then hammered wildly.

Rain was falling even that day, mirroring the chaos in my stomach.

That was the **first time I met Rudra Singh Rathore.**

---

**FLASHBACK – THEN, WORKING TOGETHER THROUGH REET**

**Reet:** **“Rudra Bhaiya is sponsoring this project.”** Reet said one evening, handing me his visiting card.

I never thought I’d see him again after the *mandir*. But fate had other plans.

That’s how we started working together. Fashion shows, campaign shoots.

He always stayed back after everyone left—pretending to check files. But **I *knew* he just wanted to see me.** He would just watch me, a slow, intense burn in his eyes.

And then came the night he admitted **after 6 months of working together, spending time:**

**Rudra:** ***“Main aapse pyar karta hoon, Ishi. I can’t stop thinking about you.”*** (I love you, Isha.)

And **I melted.** I was already his.

**FLASHBACK – OUR LOVE**

His hands in my hair. My lips on his shoulder. Our talks under stars, dreaming of a forever I thought was guaranteed. His head on my lap after business deals…

I thought we were unbreakable.

He used to call me **“jaana”** every five minutes.

**Rudra (Whispering):** ***“aap meri Radha hai… aur main aapka Kanha.”*** (You are my Radha... and I am your Kanha.)

**FLASHBACK – THE BREAK**

**Rudra (Cold, echoing):** ***“It’s over.”***

**Rudra (Cruel):** ***“You’re not my type.”***

**Rudra (Final):** ***“You’re just a game.”***

**Rudra (Vicious):** ***“Middle-class girl with cheap behaviour…”***

I held the pillow to my chest, screamed into it until I couldn’t breathe. And **cried myself to sleep—again.** Just like three years ago.

[RUDRA SINGH RATHORE’S PERSPECTIVE –]

*At my mansion – Delhi | My secret room filled with her photos*

I slammed the door of the secret room behind me. **The wet clothes clung to my skin.** But the only thing I felt was the burning in my chest, the fresh agony of her slap.

I stood in the center of the room.

All around me—**frames of her.** Candid photos, pictures from her shoots, the sketch I once made of her while she was asleep on the couch.

**I turned slowly, looking at each memory… and it *burned.***

**I fell to my knees again.** The marble floor was cold, but I welcomed the pain.

**Rudra:** **“Main ne usse phir rulaya…”** (I made her cry again...) **“*Again. After swearing I wouldn't.*”**

**FLASHBACK – FIRST MEET AT SHIV MANDIR**

She slipped. I caught her.

Her hair brushed my cheek. She was wearing a green *anarkali*. Her eyes were wide, scared… and pure.

I still remembered her scent from that moment. Like *mogra* and mandir . **That was the first time I felt anything close to peace.**

She once fell asleep in my car after a long shoot. And instead of waking her up, **I drove around quietly for an hour—just watching her.** The most precious hour of my life.

She taught me to laugh again. To believe. To soften.

**Rudra** (Inner Monologue): ***“Mujhe laga tha main pyaar mein pad hi nahi sakta…”*** (I thought I could never fall in love...)

But she changed me. She was my only weakness.

**FLASHBACK – THE BREAK**

My words echoed in my own skull like bullets. And each one hurt me more than it hurt her.

**Rudra (Echoing):** ***“You’re not my type…”***

**Rudra (Echoing):** ***“Cheap behavior…”***

**Rudra (Echoing):** ***“I never loved you…”***

**I punched the wall.** The sound was sickening, muffled by the expensive velvet wall covering, but the pain was sharp.

**Rudra:** **“TU JHOOTH BOLA THA RUDRA! Ussi din tujhe mar jaana chahiye tha!”** (YOU LIED, RUDRA! You should have died that day!) **“*You lied to her. You coward!*”**

I dropped to the ground, panting, defeated.

Photos surrounded me. I whispered while sobbing:

**Rudra:** **“Main ab bhi sirf aapse pyaar karta hoon, **jaana**…”** (I still only love you, *jaan*...) **“I’m still yours… I always was. Don't marry that stranger, **Ishi**.”**

[ISHITA SHARMA’S PERSPECTIVE –]

*My Studio – "Blush & Brush" | Day 2 After the Slap | Lunch Time*

It’s been **two days** since I slapped Rudra, since I walked away from his tears in the rain. I haven't slept more than two hours total. But I am here, working. Work is my weapon against memory.

I am in the main studio area, reviewing some mood boards with Riya. **I am in my studio working.** It's loud, busy, and safe.

**Meanwhile, on lunch time**, the noise level drops, and the studio falls into a quieter hum. And then, I hear it.

It’s not loud. It’s perfectly modulated. Coming from the small **studio park** right outside the huge glass windows.

A voice. A deep, familiar, heartbreaking voice. **He started singing a song .**

** it’s a public performance. He’s singing it with a simple mic and his own guitar  like a street artist. But every word, every note, is aimed directly at me. **Except we both know** the true meaning behind this serenade.

I stop tracing the line on the board. Riya looks toward the window, curious.

**Riya:** **“Wow, that guy has a great voice! Is that a new promotion for the park?”**

I shake my head, unable to speak, my eyes fixed on the man standing outside. Rudra. Looking devastatingly handsome in a simple white *shirt *, holding the mic like it's his last connection to sanity.

He closes his eyes and sings, and the melody washes over me, carrying the full weight of his confession.

**Rudra (Singing):**

***Jo De Rooh Ko Sukoon Ke Pal***

***Koi Mujhko Yun Mila Hai***

***Jaise Banjaare Ko Ghar***

***Main Mausam Ki Sehar***

***Yaa Sard Mein Dopahar***

***Koi Mujhko Yun Mila Hai***

***Jaise Banjaare Ko Ghar***

***Hmm…***

***Jaise Koi Kinaara***

***Deta Ho Sahaara***

***Mujhe Wo Mila Kisi Mod Par***

***Koi Raat Ka Taara***

***Karta Ho Ujaala***

***Waise Hi Roshan Kare Woh Shehar***

***Dard Mere Woh Bhula Hi Gayaa***

***Kuch Aisa Asar Huaa***

***Jeena Mujhe Phir Se Woh Sikha Raha***

***Hmm.. Jaise Baarish Kar De Tar***

***Yaa Marham Dard Par***

***Koi Mujhko Yun Mila Hai***

***Jaise Banjaare Ko Ghar***

***Main Mausam Ki Sehar***

***Yaa Sard Mein Dopahar***

***Koi Mujhko Yun Mila Hai***

***Jaise Banjaare Ko Ghar***

The music is beautiful. The lyrics are a painful reminder of *our* story—how I was his light, his home.

**Ishita** (Inner Monologue): *He is saying I took away his pain. But what about mine, Rudra? Who is singing a song to heal me?*

I clench my jaw, refusing to move. **But I didn’t melt.** The ice I spent four years building around my heart is too thick.

**Rudra (Singing):**

***Muskaata Yeh Chehra***

***Deta Hai Jo Pehraa***

***Jaane Chhupata Kya Dil Ka Samandar***

***Auron Ko Toh Hardam Saaya Deta Hai***

***Woh Dhoop Mein Hai Khada Khud Magar***

***Chot Lagi Hai Usey Phir Kyun***

***Mehsoos Mujhe Ho Raha Hai***

***Dil Tu Bata De Kya Hai Iraada Tera***

His voice softens, his eyes opening to lock onto mine through the glass. This part is a direct hit: he's talking about how my smile hides the *samandar* (ocean) of pain he caused.

**Ishita** (Inner Monologue): *He feels my pain? He thinks a song will fix it? He thinks he can just walk back in and serenade away the trauma?*

**Rudra (Singing):**

***Hmmm…***

***Main Parinda Besabar***

***Tha Uda Jo Darbadar***

***Koi Mujhko Yun Mila Hai***

***Jaise Banjarey Ko Ghar***

***Main Mausam Ki Sehar***

***Yaa Sard Mein Dopahar***

***Koi Mujhko Yun Mila Hai***

***Jaise Banjarey Ko Ghar***

***Jaise Banjaare Ko Ghar***

***Jaise Banjaare Ko Ghar..***

***Jaise Banjaare Ko Ghar…***

He ends the song, his gaze never leaving mine. His eyes are pleading, desperate. The few people in the park clap politely.

I slowly turn back to my mood board. **I don’t move. I don’t react.** I pick up a pencil and start marking corrections, forcing my hands to stop trembling.

**Ishita** (Inner Monologue): *This is a tactic, Ishita. Don’t fall for the romance. He needs to earn back the oxygen I gave him, not with a song, but with truth and time.*

[RUDRA SINGH RATHORE’S PERSPECTIVE – ]

My throat is raw, my heart is pounding, but I keep singing. This is my new weapon: vulnerability.

**I came to the studio park and started singing for her.** I hired a small sound setup, made it look casual. **But I am singing like nobody is gonna doubt** this is just a random performance. They don't need to know the man begging for forgiveness is Rajasthan's cold-hearted prince.

I close my eyes for the first half, letting the melody tell her she was my home.

**Rudra (Singing):**

***Jo De Rooh Ko Sukoon Ke Pal***

***Koi Mujhko Yun Mila Hai***

***Jaise Banjaare Ko Ghar...*** (Full lyrics above)

I open my eyes, finding her immediately through the glass. She's staring at me, rigid. My *Ishi*. Still so beautiful, still so hurt.

When I get to the bridge, I sing it for her, and only her.

**Rudra (Singing):**

***Muskaata Yeh Chehra***

***Deta Hai Jo Pehraa***

***Jaane Chhupata Kya Dil Ka Samandar*** (I know your smile hides an ocean of pain)

***Auron Ko Toh Hardam Saaya Deta Hai***

***Woh Dhoop Mein Hai Khada Khud Magar*** (You help everyone else, but you're still standing in the sun, burnt)

***Chot Lagi Hai Usey Phir Kyun***

***Mehsoos Mujhe Ho Raha Hai*** (I feel your wound)

***Dil Tu Bata De Kya Hai Iraada Tera*** (Tell me your intention, Ishi)

I end the song, my voice trembling on the final line. I search her face for any flicker of the girl who once melted under my gaze.

She looks at me for one long, agonizing second.

Then, she turns away. She picks up a pencil. She goes back to work.

**Rudra** (Inner Monologue): *She didn’t melt. She didn’t even flinch. She is truly done with me.*

I stand there, the mic heavy in my hand, feeling the emptiness of the applause. The song, the truth, the kneeling—none of it matters yet.

**Rudra** (Inner Monologue): *This is only the beginning, **Jaan**. I will sing every day until you look at me again. I will not stop.*

[ISHITA SHARMA’S PERSPECTIVE –]

*My Studio – "Blush & Brush" | Day 3 After the Slap | Lunch Time*

It’s the **next day, same time**—lunch hour. I am strategically placing myself near the back of the studio, trying to pretend the outside world doesn't exist.

But then, the deep, resonant voice comes drifting in through the glass, carrying a fresh wave of raw vulnerability. He’s back. Of course, he’s back. Rudra Singh Rathore doesn't give up.

He starts singing, and this song—this one hits different. It's about an unbreakable bond, a color that won't fade.

**Rudra (Singing):**

***हम्म***

***छूटेया ना छूटे मोसे***

***रंग तेरा डोलना*** (The color of you doesn't leave me, no matter how much I try)

***इक तेरे बाजो दूजा***

***मेरा कोई मोल ना*** (Without you, I have no value)

***बोलना माही बोल ना*** (Speak, my beloved, speak)

***बोलना माही बोल ना***

My heart gives a violent *thump* against my ribs. I remember listening to this song on loop after the breakup, realizing the *rang* (color) had left my life.

**Ishita** (Inner Monologue): *He knows this song hurts me. He's weaponizing our memories now.*

**Rudra (Singing):**

***हम्म***

***हम्म***

***आ आ आ आ***

***आ आ आ आ***

***तेरे लिये आया मैं तो तेरे संग जाणा*** (I came for you, and I will leave with you)

***ढोलणा वे तेरे नाल जींदड़ी बितावाँ*** (My beloved, I want to spend my life with you)

***कदी नइयो छोड़ना इश्क़ दी डोर ना*** (I will never leave the thread of love)

***सारे छड जायें माही तू ना छोड़ना*** (Everyone else may leave, but you mustn't leave me)

***बोलना माही बोलना***

***बोलना माही बोलना***

***हम्म***

***हम्म***

Tears prick my eyes, but I blink them back fiercely. **I didn't melt at all.** My resolve is stronger than his beautiful voice. He *did* leave the thread of love, he *did* abandon me. That’s the truth, no matter what beautiful song he sings now.

**Rudra (Singing):**

***तेरे संग हँसना मैं*** (I will laugh with you)

***तेरे संग रोना*** (I will cry with you)

***तुझमें ही रहना मैं*** (I want to reside in you)

***तुझमें ही खोना*** (I want to be lost in you)

***दिल में छुपा के तुझे***

***दिल नियो खोलना*** (Hiding you in my heart, I won't open my heart again)

***मरके भी माही तोसे***

***मुंह ना मोड़ना*** (Even after death, my beloved, I won't turn my face away)

***बोलना माही बोलना***

***बोलना माही बोलना***

He's pleading for me to speak, to acknowledge him. I pick up my phone, pretending to be utterly engrossed in a message. The silence is the only answer I can afford to give.

**Rudra (Singing):**

***छूटेया ना छूटे मोसे***

***रंग तेरा डोलना***

***इक तेरे बाजो दूजा***

***मेरा कोई मोल ना***

***बोलना माही बोलना (बोलना)***

***बोलना माही बोल ना (माही बोलना)***

***हम्म***

***हम्म आ आ आ आ***

***आ आ आ आ***

The song fades, leaving the sound of the street traffic and the violent hammering of my heart. He finishes, his gaze searing through the glass, but I keep my head down.

**Ishita** (Inner Monologue): *He also didn't stop. He won’t. And I won't forgive. Not yet.*

[RUDRA SINGH RATHORE’S PERSPECTIVE –]

I'm back. Standing in the same spot, holding the same mic. My throat is raw from yesterday’s serenade, but I don't care.

Today, I choose the song that speaks of permanence, of a bond that death can’t even sever. She needs to understand that my love is the *rang* (hue) that won't wash off her soul.

**Rudra (Singing):**

***हम्म***

***छूटेया ना छूटे मोसे***

***रंग तेरा डोलना*** (Full lyrics above)

I watch her through the glass. She’s trying to ignore me, but I see the tension in her shoulders, the way she grips her phone too tightly. She hears me. She feels the truth.

**Rudra (Singing):**

***इक तेरे बाजो दूजा***

***मेरा कोई मोल ना***

***बोलना माही बोल ना***

I close my eyes for a moment, letting the agony pour into the lyrics. *Speak, Ishita. Just give me one word.*

**Rudra (Singing):**

***हम्म***

***हम्म***

***आ आ आ आ***

***आ आ आ आ***

***तेरे लिये आया मैं तो तेरे संग जाणा***

***ढोलणा वे तेरे नाल जींदड़ी बितावाँ***

***कदी नइयो छोड़ना इश्क़ दी डोर ना***

***सारे छड जायें माही तू ना छोड़ना***

I sing those lines with fierce conviction. I *will* spend my life with her. I *will* never leave her again. I made the mistake once, I won't repeat the cycle.

**Rudra (Singing):**

***बोलना माही बोलना***

***बोलना माही बोलना***

***हम्म***

***हम्म***

***तेरे संग हँसना मैं***

***तेरे संग रोना***

***तुझमें ही रहना मैं***

***तुझमें ही खोना***

My voice cracks slightly on **"तुझमें ही रहना"** (I want to reside in you). It’s the truth. She is my home.

**Rudra (Singing):**

***दिल में छुपा के तुझे***

***दिल नियो खोलना***

***मरके भी माही तोसे***

***मुंह ना मोड़ना*** (Even after death, I won't turn my face from you)

I finish the chorus, my gaze fixed on her. She doesn't look up. She doesn't melt. She maintains the perfect, frozen profile.

**Rudra** (Inner Monologue): *She is testing me. She wants to see if I will stop.*

**Rudra (Singing):**

***छूटेया ना छूटे मोसे***

***रंग तेरा डोलना***

***इक तेरे बाजो दूजा***

***मेरा कोई मोल ना***

***बोलना माही बोलना (बोलना)***

***बोलना माही बोल ना (माही बोलना)***

***हम्म***

***हम्म आ आ आ आ***

***आ आ आ आ***

I put the mic down, the silence loud now. **And I also didn't stop.** I won't leave. I’ll stand here every day, for every lunch hour, until she breaks her silence. This is my second penance.

[ISHITA SHARMA’S PERSPECTIVE –]

*My Studio – "Blush & Brush" | Day 4 After the Slap | Lunch Time*

It’s the fourth day now. **He keep coming every day.** The routine is set: Rudra arrives, the studio goes quiet, he sings, and I pretend he’s invisible. It's a cruel loop, and I’m exhausted.

I glance toward the window. He’s there. He hasn't shaved—**his beard grown a little**, giving him a rugged, unkempt look that clashes with the polished man I knew. He’s holding his **guitar as always**, the sunlight glinting off the polished wood.

He starts singing, and this time, the vulnerability is a weapon honed to a fine edge.

**Rudra (Singing):**

***nai jeena, tere baajo*** (I can't live without you)

***nai jeena, nai jeena***

***nai jeena tere baajo***

***nai jeena, nai jeena***

My hands are trembling. These are the words we used to whisper to each other, laughing, thinking it was just a dramatic song lyric. Now, he sounds like he means it.

**Rudra (Singing):**

***mein tenu samjhawan ki*** (How do I explain to you)

***na tere baajo lagda ji*** (That my heart can't find peace without you)

***mein tenu samjhawan ki***

***na tere baajo lagda ji***

***tu ki jaane pyar mera*** (What do you know of my love)

***mein karaan intezar tera*** (I am waiting for you)

***tu dil tu yun jaan meri*** (You are my heart, you are my life)

**Ishita** (Inner Monologue): *You ask me what I know of your love? I know it hurts. I know it disappears when a blackmailer calls. I know it leaves me alone.*

**Rudra (Singing):**

***mein tenu samjhawan ki***

***na tere baajo lagda ji***

***Haey tu ki jaane pyar mera***

***mein karaan intezar tera***

***tu dil tu yun jaan meri***

**Rudra (Singing):**

***mein tenu samjhawan ki***

***na tere baajo lagda ji***

He shifts on the small stool, his gaze locking on the glass. I refuse to look up, focusing intensely on the silver *jhumka* Reet left on my desk.

**Rudra (Singing):**

***mere dil vich re ke mere*** (Living inside my heart)

***dil da haal na jaane*** (You don't know the condition of my heart)

***tere baajo kaleyan be ke*** (Sitting alone without you)

***ronde nain numane*** (My innocent eyes are crying)

***jeena mera Haaye***

***marna mera naal tere si*** (My life, my death, was meant to be with you)

***kar aetibar mera*** (Trust me)

***mein karaan intezar tera***

***tu dil tu yun jaan meri***

**Ishita** (Inner Monologue): *Trust you? That’s what I did four years ago. And where did it get me?*

**Rudra (Singing):**

***mein tenu samjhawan ki***

***na tera baajo lagda ji***

**Rudra (Singing):**

***HOo,oo,o,o***

***ni changa nai O kitaa*** (You didn't do right)

***ve changa nai O kitaa***

***dil mera torr ke*** (By breaking my heart)

***ve bara pachtaya akhaan*** (My eyes regret a lot)

***ve bara pachtaya akhaan***

***tere naal jorr ke*** (By connecting with you)

He sings the line about her breaking his heart, but the pain in his eyes is real. The truth—that he regrets *hurting* me, not *loving* me—is undeniable.

**Rudra (Singing):**

***sunjiyan sunjiyan dil diya galiyan*** (The empty lanes of the heart)

***sunjiyan meriyan baawan*** (Empty are my arms)

***aaja teriyan khashboo walon***

***love diyan meriyan saaman*** (My breaths are longing for your scent)

***tere bina ki main karaan door udasi*** (What should I do without you, away from sadness)

***dil beqrar mera*** (My heart is restless)

***mein karaan intezar tera***

***tu dil tu yun jaan meri***

**Rudra (Singing):**

***mein tenu samjhawan ki***

***na tera baajo lagda ji***

***Haaye tu ki jaane pyar mera***

***mein karaan intezar tera***

***tu dil tu yun jaan meri***

**Rudra (Singing):**

***mein tenu samjhawan ki***

***na tere baajo lagda ji***

He finishes, the last note echoing. I don't move. I don't look. The song ends, but the haunting melody stays trapped in the room.

**Ishita** (Inner Monologue): *You need to understand, Rudra. A song can't fix a fracture.*

[RUDRA SINGH RATHORE’S PERSPECTIVE –]**

I tune my guitar, the metal strings biting into my fingertips. The physical pain is welcome. It drowns out the noise of her silence. **I keep coming every day** because the thought of not seeing her is worse than the sight of her unforgiving face.

Last night, **I punish myself in the gym**. I worked out until my muscles screamed, until the pain in my chest finally felt distant. I haven't slept more than a few hours in days.

I start singing the song. It’s a classic, a plea.

**Rudra (Singing):**

***nai jeena, tere baajo***

***nai jeena, nai jeena*** (Full lyrics above)

I try to make the notes clean, heartfelt, ignoring the little mistakes. My gaze finds her, and she is studiously avoiding me.

**Rudra (Singing):**

***mein tenu samjhawan ki***

***na tere baajo lagda ji***

I know she hears the truth in my voice. The desperate confession that the 'cold-hearted prince' cannot live without his middle-class dreamer.

**Rudra (Singing):**

***tu ki jaane pyar mera***

***mein karaan intezar tera***

***tu dil tu yun jaan meri***

I sing the lines about my suffering, the *ronde nain numane* (crying eyes). I need her to know that my heart didn't turn to stone, it just broke into a million pieces the day I left her.

**Rudra (Singing):**

***mere dil vich re ke mere***

***dil da haal na jaane***

***tere baajo kaleyan be ke***

***ronde nain numane***

I remember every night in Canada, staring at her photograph, wishing for death.

**Rudra (Singing):**

***ni changa nai O kitaa***

***ve changa nai O kitaa***

***dil mera torr ke***

When I sing the lines about her breaking *my* heart, I emphasize the word 'dil' (heart). I know she thinks I don't have one, but I am showing her the shards.

**Rudra (Singing):**

***sunjiyan sunjiyan dil diya galiyan***

***sunjiyan meriyan baawan***

***aaja teriyan khashboo walon***

***love diyan meriyan saaman***

I finish the song, the melody fading, and I wait. A full minute of silence.

She doesn't move. She doesn't melt. She doesn't even spare me a glance.

**Rudra** (Inner Monologue): *Fine, Ishi. You want me to fight? I’ll fight. You want me to suffer? I’ll suffer. I will be here tomorrow. And the day after. And every day until you talk to me.*

I slowly pack up the guitar, the weight of my failure pressing down on me, but the resolve solidifying. **i keep coming every day and at night i punish myself in gym**—until i earns the right to touch her hand again.