Chapter 19: chapter-19
*****
The group of four, namely- Bhavna, Sharad, Yuvani, and Krishna, waited until one o’clock. By then, Bhavna had fallen asleep on the sofa. Shortly after, Sharad left, carrying a sleeping Bhavna towards their room. Yuvani fell asleep too, refusing to leave until Sayyam returned. Krishna remained awake though; she paced back and forth, feeling too guilty to rest. It was two in the morning, then three, when Sayyam stumbled through the door, into the hall. Krishna head snapped towards the door. Sayyam’s arm was bleeding profusely, and there was blood trickling down his face.
Krishna reached for him as he fell on the ground, wincing in pain. She realized he was drunk, as he looked around in confusion, talking to himself. “I thought this was the outhouse,” he slurred, sitting up slowly. Krishna considered calling for help, but decided against it, not wanting to wake up Suhani, or any of the other elders. She tenderly touched Sayyam’s arm, and he hissed, flinching away.
He looked up at her like she was some angel, “Girnewali? What are you doing here?” she was shocked at first- it had been a long time since he had called her that. Sayyam pouted, turning away, “Did you come to yell at me again?” Krishna shook her head in guilt, but he looked down, “You were right, it’s all my fault…How could I hurt maa?” he clenched his fist and closed his eyes; more blood oozing out of the cut on his forehead.
“Get up, we’ll take care of your wounds,” Krishna tenderly placed a hand on his back, but Sayyam moved away.
“I’ve been bad, I deserve this,” he looked so vulnerable.
“No…nothing that happened was your fault…It was no one’s fault,” Krishna cried, seeing how deep his cuts were.
“Promise Krishna?” Sayyam whispered.
Krishna froze, hearing her name come from his mouth. This was the first time he had called her something other than ‘Girnewali’ or ‘Bewakoof’, his voice made her name sound so different- so special; it was like she was hearing her name for the first time. Something inside her awakened and she looked at him, as he gazed deep into her soul.
“Promise.” Krishna said, urging Sayyam to stand up. Sayyam slowly rose, leaning heavily on Krishna, placing an arm around Krishna’s waist for support, she looked up at him briefly, and for a split second, an unknown feeling took hold of her. She shook her head immediately, scattering all meaningless thoughts.
“You’re not my friend,” Sayyam stated, reminding Krishna of everything that had happened the other day.
“I know,” she replied stiffly, guiding Sayyam to her room.
“Then why can’t you stay away?” He questioned. Krishna remained silent, not having a valid answer.
“Why are we here?” Sayyam questioned drowsily, glancing around the room.
“Because the first aid kit is here-”
“But why here? There’s a first kit in the outhouse, right?”
“But you can’t walk all the way there in this state.”
“Who said I can’t? I’ll walk now and show you.” Sayyam stood up, almost falling over, when Krishna came and pushed him back onto the bed.
“Excuse me Mr. Khadoos! First of all, you’re bleeding…on top of that, you’re drunk; and now you’re going to act childish! If something had happened to you, what would I do?” Krishna stopped, realizing what she had just said. “I- I mean, what would I say to Suhani aunty and everyone else, huh? They all care for you so much-”
“Chup! (Quiet!)” Sayyam placed a finger on Krishna’s lips. “You talk sooo much…Sometimes, you’re like an angel,” he slurred, “but when you start talking, you turn into the devil!”
Krishna ignored his comment and examined his wounds.
“Stupid girl,” Sayyam remarked, “looking at my cuts won’t heal them.”
“Sayyam, I need to look at them to know how to treat them.”
“Whatever,” Sayyam pouted, his ego clearly bruised. Krishna turned away to get some gauze, smirking to herself. By the time she turned back around, Sayyam had already fallen asleep; one of his legs was hanging off the bed, and his arm was draped over his chest.
“Good, he won’t remember what happened when he wakes up,” she voiced her thoughts aloud, “I just won’t tell him that I bandaged him.” She cautiously lifted his head and placed it in her lap, wiping the blood off with a damp towel. She looked down at his arm and wiped that up with antiseptic too, tears pricking at her eyes. She caught sight of the gash on his leg and bandaged it, noticing that he’d sprained his ankle. She rolled her eyes and took care of that too, getting up to leave. She carefully placed his head on a pillow, making him comfortable, and covered him with her favorite blanket. She had never let even Yuvaan touch that blanket, she smiled unconsciously, walking away, when she felt a hand holding hers.
“Goodnight Krishna, thank you…” Sayyam drawled, letting go of Krishna’s hand and falling asleep.
“Goodnight…Sayyam,” Krishna felt an unknown warm feeling as she walked out. But somewhere inside her, she knew this wouldn’t last for long. Something told her that this was the calm before the storm.
*****
Aww, drunk Sayyam is too cute for life! Hope you guys are enjoying the thrill of this ride, the next chapter will be out soon 😉
Also guys, the OS entries are on the SSEL page (on page 2 or 3), so check them out! The last date for voting is June 3…so do read them (there are four) and guess which one is mine 😉
Until next time!
– Shreya <3