Okay first of all, I mean it when I say this. Smoking - BAD. Not Smoking -GOOOD. All the cigarette usage is only for the purposes of this story. Seriously people, SMOKING IS NOT COOL. Anyway, I know the story is progressing a bit slowly but it's going to pick up its pace soon. Also, I would love to reply individually to all the comments but if I had that kind of time I would be giving you more frequent updates. But since I don't here's a small humble thank you. You guys rock.
Chapter 2: Origins
"There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate."
-Linda Grayson
Reyaansh Singhania lived in a meagerly furnished, two-bedroomed walk-in apartment. The 'walk-in' thing had been a calculated move on his part as he had neither the patience nor the inclination to deal with prying neighbours. He had acquired a multitude of habits that would indubitably be frowned upon. And Reyaansh Singhania had had enough of frowning upon to last him a lifetime.
His parents had died in a car crash when he was 16. Needless to say, he had been broken. And if that hadn't been enough he also had to spend two miserable years of his life living with his bitch of an aunt.
It had been a dark period. He had fallen into the wrong sort of company, completely ignoring Swayam and Sharon's desperate pleas of getting help. They had tried their best to be there for him, but he hadn't wanted them. An uncharacteristic selfishness had sprung from that pain and he had desperately clung to it, truly believing that the pain was the only thing left of his parents.
He had been grievously wrong though. And it had almost cost him his friendship with Swayam and Sharon. But they were unflinching in their support and for that, he would always be grateful. Over time he had come to realize that they weren't just his friends; they were his family. They were all he had and all he needed. If he had ever loved anyone in this world, it would be Sharon and Swayam.
But even so, there were consequences to be suffered. He hadn't been able to give up on smoking. Time and again, an agitation would seize him, an inexplicable bout of insecurity, that would physically pain him and at times like these, nothing would help him get past than the calm inducing powers of a cigarette. It was a horrible addiction and his inability to quit, made him feel shamefully weak. But his need trumped his pride, and that was that.
*******
Swayam Shekhawat let out an admittedly dramatic sigh. But in his defense, he was inhumanly tired. He had not slept for an entirety of 49 hours. Of course, being a junior resident in a hospital, that much was expected of him. Yet, even as his eyes struggled to remain open he found himself thinking why exactly had he wanted to become a doctor.
A loud honk was effective in breaking his reverie. In the rearview mirror of his car, he saw a blue coloured car, honking impatiently. He fumbled to start his own car and realized that he had completely forgotten how to drive. His blankness unnerved him and a weird sort of panic gripped his heart. The blue car though, had gotten tired of his inaction and had instead decided to reverse through the long way. At this point though, he became dimly aware of the fact that he was sitting in his car in the parking lot of the hospital he worked in. The words 'Wilbur General Hospital' flashing in neon red brought a certain sense of calm. He had almost forgotten about his earlier panic when all of a sudden he heard a knock on his window.
He jerked violently and hit his head on the roof of the car. Rubbing his head, he looked out the window to see an amused Sharon, looking at him rather thoughtfully.
"Jesus, Sharon!" said Swayam, annoyance palpable in his voice. "What the hell do you think you're playing at?"
"I'm pretty sure using the words 'Jesus' and 'Hell' in the same sentence is considered sacrilegious." Sharon replied, getting into the car.
"Not in the mood, Sharon." Swayam said, rubbing his eyes.
"I see that. What I'd like to know is why." Said Sharon, opening the glove compartment and rummaging through it.
Sharon loved toffees almost as much as she loved to virtually shoot ducks. Also, she suffered from mild motion-sickness and the toffees helped to curb the nausea. So Swayam had made a habit of always stocking his glove compartment with a sufficient supply of toffees.
"And what I'd like to know is where on Earth have you been? For the past week, I haven't heard from you at all. Last I saw, you were walking out of The Manor and driving off into the sunrise. Which, by the way, was so not cool! That was supposed to be our ride back home. We had to call Erin to pick us up." said Swayam, punctuating the sentence with a yawn.
"Would you believe me if I said I went down a hole, following a rabbit?" asked Sharon, chewing on some toffee and sounding vaguely ominous.
"You know I'd believe almost anything you say." Said Swayam, with a tired smile. He was about to say something else but was cut short by another yawn. Sharon decided then, that he needed rest and offered to drive. Under normal circumstances, Swayam would have argued. But he was overwhelmed with exhaustion and in the end he had complied.
The last thing he remembered before falling asleep was Sharon humming to the tune of 'The Bear and the Maiden Fair'.
Boy, that girl watched way too much T.V.
*******
Edited by Sawyer_Tom - 12 years ago
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