As Aditya struggled in his mind and formulated the best way to explain, a pair of soft hands wrapped around his waist from the back. Usually, Aditya would have sighed in relief, but for some reason, he had a bad premonition when he felt Hamsa's forehead leaning on his back. Maybe, it was because of the connection between Aditya and Hamsa's soul particles. Hamsa's translucent face had a downturned expression on her face. She took a deep breath and said in a flat, monotone voice, "I will miss you, Aditya."
Aditya's eyes opened wide as shock and pain became apparent in his dark pupils. His body lightly trembled, and his mind became blank. Aditya had thought of many things that Hamsa could speak. He expected her to get angry, demand an explanation, or even beat him. It took some time for him to calm down. All the memories that he had shared with Hamsa flashed in his mind.
Even though it was Hamsa who initiated this relationship, Aditya also took it seriously. He liked her. Hamsa was closest to a perfect woman that Aditya had ever seen, even taking Sameera and Anupama into consideration. She was soft, graceful, had a kind but strong heart. Hamsa was hardworking and always gave priority to his needs above hers. When such a woman happens to love you, you grab that chance and hold onto her.
Now, it looked like Aditya had lost this opportunity. It was something that he was prepared for when Aditya reconciled with Maahi (after he saw Maahi sacrificing herself for him in the Dreamworld). But, this did not stop him from feeling the agony of losing Hamsa. Aditya should have realised this day was coming, seeing that Hamsa started to reduce the time she talked with him, in the last few days.
What could Aditya say to convince Hamsa? Should he persuade by saying - "Hamsa, I want both you and Maahi with me. So will you kindly be my mistress?" Let alone Hamsa accepting this proposition, Aditya could not get these words out. Maahi had suggested something like this, but Aditya had not taken those words to heart.
Aditya felt heavy in his heart when he remembered all those fun times that both he and Hamsa shared. Hamsa was a soft-spoken woman with a delicate heart. When she lived with him, she used to take care of the house, and he used to bring groceries. Hamsa would be studying those thick medical textbooks and researching material, late into the night, and he would make some coffee for her. Aditya would drop her at her college every morning. Those days will always remain as a sweet memory.
Aditya would not lose anything by making Hamsa stay with him. He was confident that he could, indeed, do so. But Aditya felt that Hamsa would suffer because of his selfishness. Even if Aditya, using a few soft words, convinced Hamsa, he might not be able to give a perfect life. It might also cause her to suffer hardships, from which he had previously rescued her.
Aditya could give her luxury, affection and protection, but he could not change the way the society would view her. Aditya might not care about it, but Hamsa was in not a position to ignore what others had to say about her. Her already fragile heart wouldn't be able to hold. In the future, if she gave birth to a child, what would Aditya or Hamsa explain to their progeny?
If Aditya was just a hot-blooded youth, he might not be so indecisive. If Aditya had an androcentric approach to life, along with dreams of sleeping and waking with beauties every day, he might not have cared about such things and brushed them off.
But, neither was Aditya brought up in that way, nor was he young at heart to commit mistakes which he would regret later in his life. Aditya had lived more than thirty years in the Dreamworld. He knew how the world functioned. It was not that there were no secret mistresses in that world. They existed and lived good, luxurious lives because of their rich husbands. But, in the end, Hamsa was not like them, Aditya knew it.
Love, as most people claim, is not eternal by default. That notion is a farce. Love had to be kept alive by both of them with active interventions and effort. It was a tough thing to achieve. Most of the people fail to do so. Sharing your loved one with another woman would only serve to make this relationship harder. Aditya feared a day might come when Hamsa would regret loving him.
Many such thoughts ran in Aditya's mind, in a matter of seconds, as he closed his eyes, and steadied his heart. A painful smile appeared on Aditya's face as he did not turn and let Hamsa hold him. He understood the underlying meaning behind Hamsa's words of 'I will miss you'. Hamsa did not release him and stayed in that position. It was as if she was waiting for something.
Aditya took some time to steady his heart as he said in a rigid voice, "I will miss you too, Hamsa."
Hamsa's body trembled when she heard Aditya's words. Her heart hurt as if it was being squeezed by an invisible hand. Hamsa released Aditya as he turned to look at her with a small smile.
Aditya hugged her as he said, "in the future, you have to take care of yourself. If you come across any problem, even if it is a tiny problem, you have to contact me, okay? You do know my background and capabilities, right? Don't overthink before contacting me as any problem of yours is mine as well."
Hamsa burst into pearl-like tears as they rolled over her crystalline cheeks. She buried her head into Aditya's chest and nodded. Aditya held her for a while as he patted Hamsa's back. Whose mistake was it? Maybe, it was Aditya's fortune and misfortune for having been deeply loved by more than one woman at the same time.
Making this choice was probably the hardest decision in Hamsa's life. She spent many sleepless nights, struggling in her heart. But after many deliberations, Hamsa felt it was best for her to leave Aditya, immediately.
Hamsa was a normal woman with common aspirations. She did not have high expectations from her life partner.
Hamsa wanted a loving husband and a small, comfortable home for themselves and their children.
When Aditya rescued Hamsa, she was deeply grateful to Aditya. But, it did not mean that she fell in love with him. Hamsa had many fears and doubts when she agreed to stay in Aditya's place. Hamsa felt that she had seen the ugliest side of humans and couldn't bring herself to believe anyone easily. Hamsa's foster parents pushed her into other's arms. That incident had severely traumatised her.
Hamsa feared that her saviour might turn out to be the same kind. Her fears were justified since Aditya was almost a stranger to her. Hamsa had to take the risk since the other choice was to fall in Reyansh's hands. Also, Hamsa's intuition told her that she would be safe in this place.
Upon Dr Saanvi's persuasion, Hamsa agreed to stay with Aditya. From the beginning, Aditya did not give her even a small reason to be wary of him. He was kind, friendly and always kept a respectful distance from her. Hamsa only sensed pity and care in Aditya's eyes. She felt completely safe and at peace.
Hamsa knew that Aditya had some contacts with the underworld but chose to ignore it. She was also aware that Aditya had a few people protect her in secret. It only further increased her sense of security and peace of mind.
Even when Hamsa had those terrible nightmares, and hugged Aditya in her sleep, he did not take any advantage from her. Aditya treated her like a friend and took care to nurse her trauma.
Hamsa always felt that Aditya was special. He was so young yet had a mature aura around him. Aditya did not attend a school like other boys of his age but was proficient in coding. He had this confident aura around him as if Aditya was always in control of the situation, which was the main reason for her security sense when she was with him.