7 days

September 8

POV: Shubman Gill.

‘ Please eat a little more?’ Simran begged Shubman.

Shubman shook his head and looked away, he didn't want to vomit again. He felt nauseated even by thinking of food.

‘ Shubhi, they can't keep giving you IVs. Look at your hands, it's swollen. They..  they are gonna put a feeding tube in at this rate’ she cried.

‘ it doesn't matter what they do. I'm never recovering from this. I…I probably deserve this for what I did’

Simran covered her face and cried as Shubman turned away from her.

‘ Shubman…mom and dad are coming today. Are you going to keep behaving this way in front of them too??’ she asked him.

Shubman didn't reply. He brought his knees up to his chest and continued to stare at the window. He didn't know what he would say to his parents. He didn't know what they would say to him. At this point he didn't care. He couldn't explain to them the amount of pain he was in. How much his body ached, how, every passing moment he feels as though a part of his soul is being taken away. The fever he gets feels like hellfire. No matter how much he explained to them, they didn't understand.

Simran stared at her brother. He was becoming bonier every passing day. Dark circles ruin the beauty of his eyes, which were now sunken. All he does is stare at the window, or at the door, as though he's waiting to see someone, waiting for someone's arrival.

She took a deep breath, ran her fingers through his hair and got up. She whispered a few things to Ibrahim, and left the room.

‘ Ibrahim?’ Shubman's voice was weak.

Ibrahim came and stood near his feet.

‘ Where did she go?’

‘ To receive your parents’

Shubman continued to stare at the sky. Dark clouds covered the entire sky, as far as the eyes could see.

‘ What day is it today?’

Ibrahim was silent for a minute.

‘ September 8th’

Shubman's heart sank. It was his birthday? He thought of Ishaan. They were supposed to spend the day together. Away from everyone, in each other's arms, the whole day. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, he could still smell Ishaan scent lingering in the air.

‘ can I…can I have my phone?’ he whispered.

‘ I'm sorry sir’

‘ Please Ibrahim ... .I won't call him, I…I won't do anything. I just, I…just want to see him. Shayad aankhon ka guzaara ho jaaye’ Shubman pleaded.

Ibrahim bit his lower lip and looked away. He didn't want to see Shubman like this.

‘ Here. I removed the sim and disconnected the wifi.’ He finally gave up after hearing Shubman silently cry, and handed him the phone.

Shubman grabbed it desperately and tried to sit up, but let out a painful groan as he felt pain shooting through his back.

‘ Wait, let me help,’ Ibrahim said and helped him.

Shubman was out of breath with just a few movements, but in that moment, he didn't care. He opened his gallery and smiled through the tears.

‘ Do you…do you remember? Last year, when my birthday came, I was abroad …..and ishu, he flew in just to surprise me?’ he asked Ibrahim.

Ibrahim nodded.

‘ he uh…he' Shubman coughed and tried to catch his breath. He closed his eyes and tried to breathe through the pain.

‘ He asked me to help him get in your hotel room. He decorated the entire room with red roses, because they were your favorite and bought your favorite chocolate cake. He gave you 27 gifts, all which you have still kept’ Ibrahim completed what Shubman was going to say.

Shubman felt hot tears roll down his cheeks and sobbed as he remembered how happy he felt that day. He covered his face and cried as he saw flashbacks of that night. How Ishaan had kissed him, how he had run his fingers through Shubman's hair, how Ishaan carried him to bed, and spent the whole night telling him how much he loved Shubman.

‘ I didn't betray him, Ibrahim ... .I swear..I swear I didn't betray him’ he whimpered.

‘ It's what he saw, that he believed’

‘Tumne jo dekha suna sach tha magar
Itna tha sach yeh kisko pataa’
‘What you saw and heard was the truth,
but no one knew how true was that’

‘ I didn't…I didn't betray him, it was …it was something else’ he sobbed.

‘ I know, I believe you’

Wiping his tears, he looked at Ibrahim confused. No one has believed anything he said till now.

‘ I…I can't bear this anymore’ his voice trembled.

‘ You have to….sir. you have to get through this’

Shubman shook his head and looked away.

‘ I… I can't.’

‘ sir, I know you better than you know yourself. I know all your secrets, which you have kept hidden even from yourself. I know for a fact that you can overcome this. Loving someone isn't easy, but if you have promised to love him, then keep that promise’

Shubman looked down at his phone. A picture of Ishaan from the back, wearing Shubman's jersey was on the wallpaper.

‘ what if …what if he doesn't …he doesn't feel the same anymore’ he painfully asked.

Ibrahim patted Shubman's head.

‘ that's a chance you are gonna have to take, isn't it?’

‘ Will I…will I survive this?’

‘ In Sha Allah.’

‘ I'm scared’

‘ it's okay to be, but I won't let anything happen to you. I promise’

Shubman nodded and wiped his tears.

‘ When is mamma and dada coming?’

‘ In a few hours’

Shubman yawned and looked at the window.

‘ I'm afraid of sleeping. Something keeps trying to kill me’

‘ I won't let it, not even in a dream’

‘ promise?’ Shubman mumbled as his eyes closed.

‘ promise’

‘ Happy birthday, Shubman sir.’ Ibrahim whispered as he sat down beside him.

Note: I'm sorry for the short chapter. I will try to write more, when I get free.