Them Together

She said, "Barbaad kar denge aapko." 

He replied, "Hum barbaad hone ko tayaar hai... agar aap hamare saath ho."

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She said, "Pyaar nahi kar sakte hum aapse."

He replied, "Koi nahi... hamare liye mera pyaar hi kaafi hai."

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She said, "Mat karo humse itna pyaar... isme jal jaoge."

He replied, "Agar tumse pyaar karne ke liye mujhe jalna hai, toh mai khushi‑khushi ye karunga."

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She said, "I am dying. I don't know when my breaths will stop...  Why do you still cling to a dying soul?"

He replied, "As long as I am alive, nothing will happen to you, jaan. I won't let you slip away."

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She said, "Don't you feel disgusted by me? The Mahadev you bow your head to—I absolutely hate Him. You are pure... and I am completely drowned in blood and addiction."

He said, "Mere Mahadev toh khud bhole hain, jaan... wo bhoot-preet, agori, aur tute hue logon se nafrat nahi karte. Tum chahe jitna unse door bhaago, wo tumhe mere zariye apne paas hi rakhenge. Tumhara nasha ye sharaab hai... aur mera nasha tum ho."

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She smells of smoke, bitter liquor, and the metallic tang of fresh blood. Her heart is a cold, silent graveyard, and she looks at the sky with nothing but hatred for Mahadev, cursing the Creator for every breath she is forced to take. She doesn't know how to cry, she doesn't know how to love, and she doesn't know how to ask for help.

He smells of expensive cologne, holy ash, and pure, terrifying devotion. He bows his head to Mahadev every morning, praying for the soul of the girl who refuses to pray for herself. He doesn't touch liquor, he doesn't touch smoke—he only touches her. Where the world sees a broken, blood-obsessed monster, he sees his entire universe. She is drowning in her sins, but he is ready to build a temple around her wreckage.

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