More Than Friends ✔

44- "You really are crazy about me"

Pallavi closed the door behind her once she was certain no one was around her. She held the phone to her ear, speaking to none other than Adhvik. It was the first midnight of January, 2020. “Ehehe... Happy new year, Adhi!”

“Happy new year to you, too, Pallu! 2020, huh? It's a new decade now.”

“Certainly is. Wonder how this year will go.”

Trust me Pallavi, you would be better off without knowing this. Enjoy it while you could.

She walked ahead the small gallery that lead to the double bed attached by a blanket under the dim golden lights. She sat on a black cushioned sofa and took a packet of milk powder amongst other packets of beverages. Apparently, her family was taking a small vacation on a resort in Ranthambhore which wasn't too far from their home. They had booked two rooms and she was in one of them with Deepali.

“I hope we get hitched this year... atleast one of us.”

“Uh, yeah, let's see...” Pallavi replied, lacking enthusiasm. Why did he had to mention marriage all of a sudden? She mentally prayed to God for both of them to remain unmarried this year. Evil, she knew.

They conversed on about their respective days that passed and supposed plans to meet each other again. Pallavi was keen on talking more but Adhvik was more interested in hitting the bed for the night. She reluctantly ended the call to called Saumya instead.

Pallavi and her family returned home after a lovely stay at the resort and a visit to the Ranthambhore National Park. Everyone resumed to their normal boring lives. Adhvik did his job while Pallavi took graphic designing classes, three times a week. It was certainly fun talking to people who shared a creative mindset and learning about it. An environment she wasn't exposed to in either of her previous jobs. She was supposed to meet Adhvik outside for a while after classes but couldn't make it. They made plans to watch a movie and fuck next time.

Unfortunately they couldn't make it. Neither for the movie, nor for sex.

Adhvik's stomach was acting upset again.

He took medicines to stop the pain as usual. Except the pain didn't end this time. Instead, it got worse with nausea and fatigue. Even going to the toilet became a painful business for him. At first, Pallavi was disappointed for not meeting him but then, she got worried. He consulted a doctor later on. With appropriate tests, he found out that a stone has been formed in his liver and that it needed to be surgically removed.

Pallavi always felt odd how frequent his stomach pain was. The last time was when they went to watch the movie. He had them ever since she met him in Mansur. The pain would last for days. Remember a Mansur episode when he took medicines and got high enough to play a staring game with Pallavi. If you do then congratulations, you have a sharp mind. It was partially his fault for not delving into it. If he had conducted those tests back then, he could have gotten rid of the stone with medicines alone.

Moreover, the doctor had asked him about the regularity of his smoking and drinking habits to which he replied honestly. Adhvik smoked one or two cigarettes every alternate day while he had alcohol twice or thrice a month. Though smoking could never be the sole reason, it could very well be one of the triggers that caused it.

“I don't get it. I mostly had one cigarette a day and my alcohol intake is even lesser. People in my office have way more than that for years and they are perfectly fine. I haven't even been smoking regularly this past month...” He complained to Pallavi on phone.

“Who know, they might face a problem later on. Its not like everyone will suffer at the same time. Moreover, this has been happening to you for a year, not just this month. Your stone has been forming and getting bigger since that time. If only you had these tests earlier on...”