Epistle 11: Butterscotch Love A/N: Hey there everyone! :D :D Here is the next update! :D :D
Happy Reading! :D
Ishaani entered the room a few minutes later, a bowl of ice-cream in her hand.
"Hi." Ranveer looked up at her and smiled.
"Hi."
"Are you alright here?" Ranveer nodded his head.
"Won't you come in?" Ishaani shuffled her feet hesitantly.
"No, you need to rest right now. I can come back any other time."
"I've been resting for a week. I'm fine," said Ranveer firmly, signalling her in. Ishaani looked unsure but didn't argue further, closing the distance. She sat beside Ranveer and kept the bowl on the nightstand beside him.
"Is that for me?" asked Ranveer eagerly. Ishaani shook her head, a serious look on her face.
"Ofcourse not. You don't deserve it," said Ishaani placidly, and Ranveer gave her a dejected look.
"Why?" asked Ranveer, looking clearly disappointed.
"Because you are an idiot," retorted Ishaani heatedly, glaring daggers at him.
"What did I do?"
"You saved my life by nearly killing yourself. That is not acceptable," said Ishaani in a deadpan voice. Ranveer gave her a sheepish grin.
"Then I accept being an idiot."
"An idiot who hides in the closet," commented Ishaani darkly, while Ranveer shook his head.
"Not one of my finest hours, I admit." Ishaani gave him a petrified look before she stared him in the eye, her teary onyx ones sparkling in the dim light.
"I was so afraid when you fell out from the closet like that. For a moment there I almost thought that you com- never mind," said Ishaani painfully while Ranveer now sat upright, looking at her in concern.
"No wait, what did you think did I do?"
"Isn't it obvious?" sniffed Ishaani in response. Ranveer gave her a disbelieving look when he understood what she was trying to imply.
"You thought that I tried to take my life?"
Ishaani nodded her head ashamedly and Ranveer turned his gaze away from hers.
"Not my best of judgments, but yes."
Ranveer didn't speak for several minutes before he looked back at her. Ishaani noticed that his eyes were blazing with something she came to associate with passion, something that she noticed when he spoke next as well.
"You need to know one thing," began Ranveer softly, his voice barely above a whisper. And yet there was something about the way he spoke that drew her fullest attention. He continued.
"I may fall weak, I may face hell, but I will never stoop that low. I cannot lower myself to something as shameful as claiming my own life. Remember that," ended Ranveer, slightly breathless. Ishaani nodded her head with a small smile on her face.
"I will," said Ishaani sincerely, and both of them smiled. It was after several minutes that Ranveer spoke again.
"Did you know that Baa came to apologize to me at the hospital today?" Ishaani nodded her head, smirking alongside.
"I know. I was peeking through the room from outside," admitted Ishaani shamelessly, and Ranveer chuckled.
"What do you think?" asked Ranveer seriously once he sobered down, and Ishaani gave him a deep look.
"I don't trust that... woman. She looked as though she could have throttled you for making her apologize."
"Yeah, she did resemble an angry hawk. Best stay away from her," remarked Ranveer and Ishaani agreed whole-heartedly. Both of them chuckled a little more upon the 'angry hawk' description, clearly imagining the exact look in their mind. Controlling their laughter after some time, Ranveer looked at the ice-cream eagerly.
"So, can I have the ice-cream now?" asked Ranveer in longing. Ishaani gave him a scrutinizing look, speaking grudgingly.
"Only on one condition."
"What's that?"
"You have to make me a promise," said Ishaani finally after pausing for a few moments. Ranveer gave her a curious look.
"What kind of promise?"
"You will never try to do what you did for me that day," said Ishaani, her tone containing an undercurrent of a threat. Ranveer observed her unfaltering expressions until he knew that he had no other option. Sighing, he spoke half-heartedly.
"Alright."
"Promise this to me without crossing your fingers underneath the blanket," said Ishaani smartly and Ranveer flushed. Scowling at her that only seemed to please her more, he spoke reluctantly.
"Fine, I promise." Ishaani gave him a small smile, now handing him the bowl.
"Then you can have it." Ranveer made to take the bowl from her hand but it almost slipped away from his grasp. Ishaani saved it at last minute.
"Ouch!"
"What's wrong? Are you alright?" asked Ishaani in concern, as Ranveer shut his eyes in pain and winced.
"No, my hands... They're swollen. They're aching me bad," moaned Ranveer while showed the back of his hands to Ishaani that were now swollen courtesy of the IV needles. She gave him a crestfallen look before an idea suddenly struck her. She now smiled at him sweetly.
"Alright, I'll feed it to you," said Ishaani lovingly as she dipped the spoon into the bowl.
He looked astounded for a minute as Ishaani waited for him to open his mouth before he sighed and agreed. Ishaani blinked her eyes at him as she finally fed him the first spoon of the cool, pleasing ice-cream.
23th June, 1996:
Greater the love, more the pain. More the pain, more the relief when love works like a balm upon your wound.
A week ago, I thought that I'd hit a dead end in life where all I could encompass was pain and suffering. Stupid of me to speak so critically when I'm just nine and I've barely grown to see life. But some incidents are like that - the darkness ensnares your senses to such an extent that one cannot think anything apart from it.
Even light hurts at that point.
But then again, I had not banked upon having a friend who would make sure that I would see through it. I did not know that I mean so much to her. I did not know that she would be ready to go through all odds to save my life. She even got Baa to apologize to me (even though it was more terrifying than soothing, but still).
And I don't know, but maybe I did die that night in the closet. Because the boy who woke up at dawn was no longer the same. That boy knew how it felt to feel happiness finally. Being showered with love from the most unexpected of people does surprise you, but it works like no other magic when you see that they genuinely do care for you.
What happened to me in all these days is not something I can forget so soon, if not at all. Yet there is a strange hope bubbling in my heart as I can feel my eyes drooping, a strange satisfaction overtaking my fears and insecurities. Maybe it's the medicines, or maybe it's the ice-cream that has numbed my brain. But either way I like feeling like this.
Speaking of which, Ishaani and I are back on talking terms, even more so than ever before. We've grown much closer in this one week, and we know how much we mean to the other. She even fed me some ice-cream today just because my hands were swollen. Butterscotch, my favourite flavor. And the best thing? She even made me take a pinky swear that I would never try saving her again like the way I did.
She knew me well enough to know that I would have crossed my fingers, but she doesn't know me well enough to know that I will do whatever it takes to protect the people I love. Always. But then again, maybe she does know it. It's hard to tell with her, she's just like me. Too good at hiding the things she knows and wants to keep hidden. Maybe that's why I love her so much. Love, yes, not like anymore.
And for the first time in all these years, I can say that I finally trust someone even more than my own self. And I'm ready to let go of my shield. I'm ready to let her see me for who I am, to see my maimed heart under my several layers of darkness. But I won't let her penetrate into that darkness for I cannot hurt her that way, but I'll make sure to bring my heart up to her.
For the first time in three months, I feel genuinely happy. Even when I spoke to Maa this morning, I had this strange comfort in my heart that I passed over to her too. She was ballistic and inconsolable in this one week, yet I managed to do the impossible this morning, something that Baba had failed miserably at in this whole week. It was as though a new spirit had been infused into me. As though I never knew what it was to feel pain and sorrow.
My last three messages to you were me being lost, confused... alone. My this message to you is me being loved, cared for... trusted. Faith and love can make a lot of difference in how we live our lives, about how we see ourselves. I always underestimated this fact, but I now feel foolish for doing so. I'm only a nine-year old boy, afterall. How much could I know, really?
But we can ponder over this later on. Baba is back and is scolding me for being awake. We'll talk more upon this tomorrow. But before I leave, I just want to tell you thank you. Thank you for being there for me when I considered myself alone. You saw through my fears and gave me an unexplainable strength to see each day through, although those days were hell.
I just hope that I never have to lay eyes on those bunch of miscreants ever again.
Ranveer shut his diary and kept it in the drawer just as Kailash handed him over a couple of tablets. Ranveer swallowed them with a grimace, heaving a drowsy sigh as his father now made him lie down. Kailash stroked his head until Ranveer fell asleep, making sure that the latter was comfortable. The moment Ranveer fell asleep, Kailash looked at the empty bowl of ice-cream that was at the bedside and sighed.
In their world, everything was sweet. Only, people sought bitterness.
Constructive criticism will be more than welcome and sorry for any typos. :D :D
Next chapter:
Epistle 12
Edited by LadyMeringue - 8 years ago
Geet - Hui Sabse Parayee
Bade Achche Lagte Hain Naya Season
