MIRA

45. A friend in need...🤒

A few months ago in Boston...

One winter morning, Mira woke up feeling really unwell. This was a few days after she had spent a day playing in the snow with Vikranth. She had already had stomach cramps all night (Yes...it was that time of the month) due to which she couldn't sleep and now she had a soar throat. Mira decided to stay home today and called up HR from work to inform of her absence. 

Mira had a warm bath and some soup as she didn't have the appetite to eat anything else. She looked out her window, the street was still covered in snow. She took some medicine before going back into bed. It was one of those days when Mira didn't have the strength to do anything else and preferred to lie down as it felt less painful.

***

She woke up to two missed calls later in the evening, each from Preeti and Vikranth. She dialed Preeti and they talked briefly before Preeti asked her to get some rest. Mira had started coughing and sneezing by now and cursed her fate for being so sick. It was times like this that it sucked to live alone, Mira thought. If she were in Bangalore or back home with her parents, she would've had the luxury of eating some comfort food made by her mother.

Just then, Mira heard the doorbell ring. She opened to find Vikranth standing before her in his coat and work attire.  He studied her face then slightly frowned to find her in sweatpants and a sweatshirt with her hair in a loose ponytail...Suddenly Mira felt conscious as her appearance was screaming the word 'tired!'.

''Hey...umm, you didn't call back or text, so I thought I should check up on you to see if all's good before heading home.'' he said as he walked in.

Mira smiled and felt all fuzzy and warm inside again. Vikranth's impromptu visit  was already working as she felt better.

''Right...sorry, I was asleep.'' 

''Oh. That explains it. Wait, you left work early today?'' '' he asked.

''Uhh...no, I didn't go today...wasn't feeling so well..so I took a sick-leave.''

Vikranth frowned at Mira then said, ''Oh...what happened? No wonder you look so tired...''

Mira spent the next few minutes telling him about her flu and the medicines she had already taken. She also told him about her lack of appetite when he asked her if she had eaten anything. The next moment, Vikranth was up on his feet, tapping his phone and heading for the door before he said,

''Okay...you get some rest, I'll be back in a few minutes.''

He was already out the door before Mira could ask where he was going.

***

Vikranth came back after twenty minutes with several bags, that revealed fruits, many ready-to-eat soup packets and some general flu medicines.  He had even bought take-away dinner of Miso noodle and tofu soup from an Asian Vegetarian place nearby, and stated that the food there was best when sick. Vikranth insisted that they eat first so that Mira can take her second dose of medicine. 

The next few minutes, Mira wasn't allowed to get up from her spot on Vikranth's instructions as he walked around fetching utensils, warm water and other things. Despite Mira offering to help, he didn't let her move an inch. It was a delight to watch him roam around in her apartment doing all the work with his shirt sleeves rolled up. They ate dinner together mostly in silence apart from Vikranth occasionally asking if the food was okay and if Mira was feeling any better, to which Mira would nod and smile. The Miso soup shed off some weakness in Mira as she felt slightly better afterwards.