Blooming Flower ✔️

Epilogue

Song: Tujhe Bhula Diya

(Ashwini)

Depression. The real deal stuff. It's happened. It's been cursed upon me. All these stressful months of medical school has caused me to fall into its deep pits. Thankfully, with the help of Jen and my family, it's been a little bit easier to deal with. But, for now, I'm stuck in here. It's something that I have to deal with. Shit's inevitable.

I knew this was bound to happen. I knew that eventually, I would be dealing with mental problems somewhere down the line. All those years of Isha's torments were going to take a toll on me, and the only thing that I could do was prepare.

After being degraded for a while, there comes a point where you grow tired of fighting it off. No matter how many people tell you that you shouldn't give up and you should keep fighting, it just becomes exhausting. I definitely became exhausted, and those torments eventually dug their way up to my mental state. They were like hungry wolves feasting on a wild animal. They ripped it up, drank the blood, chewed on the bones, and ravished the tender meat.

The only thing that I'm glad about is that I'm finally away from her. She's off earning money at a job, screwing another guy, making him feel like shit now that I'm away from her, and probably enjoying herself. It used to be easier to deal with stuff when Manish was around. Now, things have been slowly descending into pure shit.

Now that it's winter break, it's the nostalgic season. I think it's really because of the fact that the holidays are all about spending time with your family and having lots of fun with them and other loved ones. I'll thankfully have Jen, but I don't have Manish anymore. It's almost as if we've grown so distant over these past couple of months.

We don't talk much anymore, and things just weren't what they used to be back when he still was around. We've all been so busy with work to catch up with friends. We're either at a new job, doing grad school, or travelling the world. Nobody has time anymore to hang out with their high school friends, grab a drink, or talk about life now that the next chapter of life has begun.

School and college life is over, and it's time for people to start moving on with their lives. It's scary how things are evolving at a rate that's quicker than how a pop quiz will smack you in the face to almost knock you out cold for a couple of hours.

And now that Manish has adjusted to his new life in Seattle, and I'm studying to become an ICU doctor, life's taken its course. And our courses don't seem to intersect anytime soon.

"So, Ashwini, what do you think about a massage? We've been stressed out of our minds. You know, with all that's happening, I was thinking about a massage, and then dinner at that really nice Thai place nearby. Does it sound like a date, my lady?" Jen asked, to which I let out a snicker. It all sounds so appealing right now.

After all the studying that I had to do for my medical exams, a massage sounds like something that we both desperately need. And then Thai food almost right after sounds like the perfect girls' night. "I'm down, madam. And this time, we are getting spicy food. Mild is not a fun thing, especially if your parents gave you chili peppers as teething rings as a kid."

Jen lets out a chuckle, and then I hear her plop down on the couch, and I honestly want to do the same. But, I realize I'm in bed, with the sheets all over me, and moving would take way too much energy. "I'm glad you're excited. By the way, have you talked to Manish lately?"

I let out a sigh, being reminded of how we haven't even talked that much during the weekends, when none of us had work to do. It's a cruel notice of the fact that our lanes are starting to shift to different destinations in life. "No. And honestly, I think he's settled down, and I'm going to settle down eventually. The point is, I still have you, and that's more than enough," I say, to which I can almost feel a smile come on the other end. It's nothing but the truth.

Jen has been tied with Manish for the past 6 years almost, and I thank life for those amazing six years. I also thank Jen secretly for mustering the courage to leave the Cactus Nose and actually stop torturing herself. "Well, that's plausible. But anyways, Irfan is asking me to help him. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Definitely. See you." I hang up, and then throw my phone to the side of the bed, wondering about everything else that was going to happen in life.

I can't deny the truth any more. It's the fact that since Manish left the Bay Area, it's like he decided to steer his car into another direction of life, which changes his destination. We're both on very different pathways right now. We're both wanting different things in life. He's got a solid job in Seattle, preparing to settle down, maybe even start a family, and I'm studying to become a doctor. I don't even know if I plan to find a man to settle down and start a family with, or if I just want to live by myself, with my four Siberian huskies, treating them as if they were my children.

Life has taken its path, and it's directing us to different parts of its city. That's just how it is. And by some miracle, if Manish decides to steer his car onto the same pathway as mine to be near my motorcycle, then I will have no problems rekindling our friendship. If he doesn't want to rekindle it, then I have no problems with that either.

But, if we ever are reunited in the future, then it's going to be several years from now. Manish is going to have that job for a solid 2 to 4 years, and it's going to take me a good 7 years to become a doctor.

During that long ass time, life is definitely going to take its course, and I can't spend all those long years fretting over one choice that I made back when I was a naive 22 year old. That's why, although it's extremely painful for me right now, it's necessary for me to do what's crucial.

I have to let him go.

I've cried about him, I've missed him, but it's all in the past. Life only goes forward from now. If we ever reunite in the future, then that is something I will thank the heavens for everyday.

But, for now, as I'm ready to take the next step in life, all I can do is wish the best of luck to him for whatever comes his way. I will never stop loving him, and hopefully, one day, I hope that he finds a woman that not only makes him happy, but he makes her as happy as he made me for over 7 years.

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I will announce when the sequel's release date is (hopefully by April of 2022). I hope you enjoyed the book!

Lots of love,

Shree