Part 21:
Very gently he tucked her in the bed while Chandni was now holding onto his hand in her sleep, he was about to leave when he felt her grip tightened on his hand as if her life depended on it. He sat down on the bed beside her fragile frame, at the same time lightly caressing her cheek with the back of his hand as if he was trying to sooth away her pain. He stayed there in the same position, didn’t even try to move a muscle fearing that it might disturb her, he wanted to give her peace and comfort, he couldn’t watch her in pain. “Chandni if this is how you find peace and comfort then I’m more than willing to stay like that for forever…” he whispered to her.
(Note: Guys another one of my favorite songs that perfectly suits to express Advay’s feelings and his pain for Chandni please do listen to my recommendation.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScVPbyZvtFE
One More Day – Vast
“Have you heard?
Have you tried to understand?
It’s all right
It gets easier with time” After a few hours he watched her opening her eyes still filled with sleep and may be tiredness, she was feeling disoriented and was looking at him confusingly. “You fainted again in Naani’s room, so I carried you here and you were also not in a good shape to be left alone so I stayed here” he provided politely understanding her confusion but he omitted the details of his staying here as of how she had asked him not to leave her alone. He touched her forehead gently “how are you feeling now? Are you still dizzy hmm?” he asked again, his agitation clearly visible on his face. “I’m fine now Advay, thank you” she replied in a small voice not daring to look into his eyes as she remembered what had transpired between them and why he had stayed here with her.
“How are you?
Are you ever coming back?
I have changed
And I’ve realized I was wrong” “You must be hungry, let me get something for you to eat” he got to go from there but something stopped him in his tracks a thought or a question in his mind “Chandni can I ask you something?” she nodded lightly giving her consent “what did you feel; I mean was there anything that happened to you before you fainted? Like any buzzing sound, any pounding or pain in your head or anything else?” he finished his question, looking at her with waiting eyes. A few seconds passed by adding to his concern for her “Chandni are you going to tell me or what?” he emphasized again. She knew that there was no way he was going to leave her alone until he gets the answers to his questions. “Yeah, I had a minor headache and little pounding inside my head as well, but nothing else than that” she tried her best to avoid any further questions. “And did you tell Dr. Khanna about it?” he threw another question at her, “why doesn’t he stop asking me these stupid questions,” she thought to herself now irritated with his inquiries. “Chandni, I’m waiting for you to answer me” he interrupted her thoughts, “yeah, I told him” she nodded her head as well, “and?” another question from him. “Advay please, can you stop with all your stupid questions, I’m starving here” she wasn’t going to let him know yet what was wrong with her.
“I was wrong
Now I’ll never see your face anymore
Oh, my Love
I’d give anything for one more day with you” “I’m sure now that she is definitely hiding what’s wrong with her from us and maybe she has asked Dr. Khanna not to tell us either… I guess I would have to check it myself… But I have to keep it from her” he thought decisively. “Advay, weren’t you going to get something for me to eat?” she asked him with an innocent smile plastered on her, his heart skipped a beat watching her beautiful face “yeah, I’m going.” A few minutes later he came back with a tray carrying a bowl of vegetable soup and orange juice “here just take this, for now, it’s only 3 hours for dinner… I’ll ask Shilpa to prepare something light for you to eat okay…” he handed it over to her. Just when he was about to leave he heard her “Advay… Err… Can you… Can you stay here…? While I finish off my soup?” she was again asking him, the man who was the sole reason for all her sufferings to be with her. He felt that someone has gutted him alive, why didn’t she understand that he was her destroyer, not her savior, her innocence, her naivety, her forgiving nature… everything was making him burn in hell but he couldn’t do anything because he didn’t want to hurt her… every time he tried to push her away to hurt himself he ended up hurting and he couldn’t take that risk now, so, sighing to himself he sat down at the corner of her bed till she was done with her food. “Now have your medicine and try to rest, I’ll send Shilpa to check up on you,” he told her avoiding looking at her.
“I’m getting through
I wish you felt the way I do
I have changed
And I’ve realized I was wrong
I was wrong
Now I’ll never see your face anymore
Oh, my love
I’d give anything for one more day with you” After giving her the prescribed supplements, he went to his study “I have to check out what’s wrong with her… I have to do it before it’s too late…” sitting at his work-table he opened his laptop and Googled the symptoms Chandni had told him. As he entered the phrase “what causes minor headaches, pounding head and faints” the results and images that popped up on the screen were horrific enough to knock out every single last breath from him. For a long time, he sat there in a shocked state ignorant of the reality that silent tears were making their way out of his shock-stricken eyes. He came out of this state when he heard Chandni softly chuckling and talking to Shilpa. He went to the door look outside and his gaze fell on Chandni, she looked beautiful smiling over Murli and Shilpa’s bickering. “No God! Please don’t let it be the truth, please don’t let it happen to her” Advay was silently praying for Chandni with his tear-drenched eyes.