7 days

September 9 ( Part Three)

POV: Ishaan Kishan.

‘ Ishu…wake up.’

Ishaan woke up to the sound of Shreyas calling out to him. He rubbed his eyes and looked around confused.

‘ What…what's going on?’ Ishaan said, getting up.

‘ Jaani, you slept the whole morning. Come out for lunch’

‘ wha…what??’ Ishaan was shocked.

Shreyas told him about how he ran on the streets looking for Shubman, and ever since then he had been sleeping. Despite several attempts to wake him up.

Ishaan let out a groan and hid his face behind the blanket. He missed Shubman so much. Falling asleep while looking at his photos, must have broken everything he had tried so hard to rebuild.

‘ Shrey….I…I miss him’ Ishaan's voice was muffled.

Shreyas pulled the blanket off his face.

‘ You will learn to live without him’

Ishaan lifted his gaze towards Shreyas.

‘ He's…he's the soul of my world…I don't know if I can live without him’ he cried.

‘ Jaani….you will learn to, but for that you will have to try first’ Shreyas whispered softly.

Ishaan nodded and bit his lower lip.

‘ Come on, let's go and eat. Your mom is getting worried,’ Shreyas said as he got up.

After lunch was over, Ishaan sat on the kitchen counter and watched as his mother washed the dishes. Her hands were starting to show signs of old age. His gaze wandered on the gray hairs on her messy bun and felt a little sad. His parents are growing older, and he isn't around with them.

He took the end of her sari and wrapped it around his index finger. His mom laughed.

‘ You used to do that as a kid too’

Ishaan laughed, nodding. He remembers how he would follow his mom around, holding the end of her sari. That was where his world began and where it ended. Things were simpler back then.

‘ What happened beta, what's bothering you?’ she asked softly.

The smell of lemon dish wash floated in the air.

‘ Did you always love dad?’ Ishaan asked.

Ishaan's mom looked at him confused.

‘ I mean, did you always love him, even from the beginning?’

To his surprise, she shook her head and laughed.

‘ Not always’

Ishaan sat up straight, they always looked so in love.

‘ What ..what do you mean by ‘ not always’?’

He watched as rays of sunshine bounced off her gold bangles as she rubbed the sponge on the plates.

‘ When we got married, I didn't love him’

‘ How?’ he asked.

She stacked the plates onto the dish rack and started to walk. Ishaan walked behind her, her sari still wrapped around his finger.

‘ Your father and I were in school together, he was a senior, I was a year junior to him. I always knew that he liked me, but I was in love with someone else'

She opened her hair, and Ishaan was immediately enveloped with the scent of coconut oil. He thought of his childhood for a second.

‘ He would always keep his distance from me, sort of like, watching over me? Your father….he was a quiet man, always kept to himself, oh but he was one of the most handsome boys in school. Everyone wanted him …’ she smiled fondly.