7 days

September 8 ( Part Two)

POV: Ishaan Kishan.

Ishaan woke up with a dreadful feeling in his heart. The ache of being away from Shubman on his birthday broke Ishaan's heart. He tried to hide it when he was with his family, but every minute felt like hell for him.

‘ Kiya hua baccha?’ his mom asked, patting his head.

‘ Nothing’ he gave a weak smile.

‘ Will you drink tea? Should I make some?’ she asked.

Ishaan shook his head.

‘ you should be resting mom,’ Ishaan said as he got up.

He took her hand and took her to the room.

‘ I'm resting too much already’ she complained.

‘ A few more days’ Ishaan said and adjusted her pillows.

‘ Are you really okay?’ she asked as he was leaving the room.

Ishaan nodded but his eyes betrayed him.

‘ Ishaan!’ Shreyas called out to Ishaan as he got up on the terrace.

Ishaan sat on the swing and watched the clouds roll by. He didn't answer Shreyas.

‘ Oi, Jaani. What happened?’ he asked and sat down near him.

Ishaan sniffled and looked down. Shreyas sighed and put his arms around Ishaan.

‘ It's…it's his birthday’ he sobbed.

Shreyas didn't say anything and let him cry as much as he wanted.

‘ I…I wanted to give him this, as a gift’

Ishaan handed Shreyas a ring box covered in black velvet cloth. He opened it and bit his lower lip. It was a beautiful layered platinum and diamond ring.
He looked at Ishaan who was looking up at the sky and crying.

‘ Ishu..’ it was all Shreyas could say.

‘ I miss him ... .I miss him Shreyas! We were…we were supposed to stay together today. He..promised that he would spend the day with me’ he kept crying.

He turned to face Shreyas and held his hand.

‘ Shrey…I had..I had everything planned out. I was going to make him breakfast and…and we were going to go out shopping, and then have lunch outside… and.. and we would come home and stay in bed together. Shrey, I…I was going to propose to him’ he sobbed and bowed his head into Shreyas's lap. 

Shreyas felt his heart being pulled out as he saw Ishaan's sob uncontrollably. He patted Ishaan's head till he calmed down.

‘ It's okay, Jaani’

Ishaan sat up, his eyes red and swollen.

‘ Why do you do this to yourself ‘ Shreyas mumbled

Ishaan shrugged.

‘ Look, I know you miss him, and you are allowed to, but Ishaan, don't you dare go back to him. Remember why all this happened. Remember what he did,’ Shreyas said sternly.

Ishaan shook his head and looked away as he imagined that day again. The images felt like daggers through his heart, but even then he couldn't stop thinking about Shubman and how much his heart ached without him. Ishaan leaned into Shreyas's arm and closed his eyes for a while.

The sound of the phone ringing brought Ishaan out of the fog of memories.

‘ Hello?’ he said, clearing his throat.

‘ Ishu’ it was Simran

Ishaan didn't answer.

‘ Ishu…Shubhi is hurting’ she sobbed on the other end.

Ishaan's breath stopped in his throat, he grabbed Shreyas hand for support.

‘ I…I'm sorry’ he sobbed.

‘ can you….can you come back?’ she asked knowing well the answer Ishaan would give.

‘ Simran Di…’

‘ Ishu…please? Shubman….he's deteriorating.’ she cried and told him everything.

Ishaan cried silently and looked at Shreyas helplessly. Shreyas shook his head, he knew what Ishaan was silently implying.

‘ I…I can't…I can't forget what I saw. If I go back, I can't ever leave him, and…and I can't do that to myself’

‘ You know that Shubman would never hurt you like that. He won't cheat on you Ishaan’

‘ It's not just that, Simran Di. It's everything. It's his tantrums which I overlooked. It's his arrogance over his career, it's how he looks down on mine’ Ishaan sobbed, his nails slowly digging into Shreyas's hands.

Ishaan could hear Simran cry on the other end.

‘ it's about how he never shows up. It's always, excuses. He missed my birthday because Virat’s party was more important. It's…..it's about how his reputation, always, always meant more than mine’

Droplets of blood formed on Shreyas hands, but he did not flinch.

‘ Did you….do you remember when he got dengue and I stayed back to take care of him? I never told him, but I turned down a lot of work, just to be with him. He never asked, not even once, if I had work, if I had assignments. It was always him, his pain, his matches’

‘ Ishu…’

‘ Ishu…if you love someone, then you sacrifice for them’ she said.

‘ I know that we shouldn't count our sacrifices when it comes to love, but at least I sacrificed, but he didn't. Does that mean that he didn't love me at all?’

‘ jab jee kare hansa dete ho, waqt be waqt rula dete ho.
Koi qaidaa nehi hai, ishqq ka tumhare.
Khabhi chaandh kehte ho,
Aur kabhi asmaan se gira dete ho’

Simran sobbed.

‘ I…I don't know Ishaan, all I know is that, I'm a sister begging for her brother's life to be saved’ she cried.

‘ i…I'm sorry Simran Di. I would have forgave everything, overlooked everything, but not this’

Simran understood what Ishaan was saying, if it was her instead of Ishaan, she would have done the same thing. She apologized for calling, and cut the call.

By the time the phone call had ended, Ishaan's fingernails were deep in Shreyas hands.

‘ Oh I'm sorry’ Ishaan cried out as he removed his hand.

He took out a handkerchief and wrapped it around Shreyas hand.

‘ Why…why didn't you tell me???’ Ishaan yelled at Shreyas.

‘ I know that you were hurting more than I was. Plus I have faced worse’

Ishaan hugged Shreyas and buried his face in his shoulder and tried not to think of the days Shreyas spent in the hospital.

‘ It's okay. I'm here’

Ishaan nodded and hugged him tighter.