7 days

DAY SEVEN (Part Three)

‘ No…NO. No one wants to help me. No one believes me. I..  I lost Ishaan. I… I want to be alone.’ he was hyperventilating.

Shubman turned around and tried to open the door, but missed the handle as darkness engulfed his sight. He lost balance and fell down. He heard his sister scream his name, before he let out a long painful groan. He felt his body go rigid before he started convulsing.

Ibrahim turned him over to his side and instructed Simran to call an ambulance. Shubman was frothing at the mouth, his eyes rolled back, jaws tightly clenched shut as he bit the belt that Ibrahim put into his mouth.

Simran watched in horror as Shubman slowly stopped moving and started letting out raspy breaths.

‘ Is…is he okay?’

‘ We need to get him to the hospital ASAP’ Ibrahim said as he lifted Shubman into his arms.

POV: Ishaan Kishan.

Ishaan watched as the rain splashed against the windows of his living room. The tears falling out of his eyes, competing against the rain drops, what would fall more? Ishaan brought his knees up to his chest and laid down on the cold floor. He wept into Shubman's shirt he had pressed against his chest. He cried till he couldn't breathe, till he coughed for air. He cried till his jaws ached.  He wanted to rip his chest open and take out the broken shards of his heart. Every breath he took, felt like damnation.

‘ Ishaan!’ he heard Shreyas.

Ishaan slowly walked to the door and opened it. Shreyas collided with him as he barged in.

‘ Shrey…’ Ishaan's husky voice trembled.

‘ I…I uh, went to the hospital to see Tilak' he said pacing around.

Ishaan didn't know what to say, he lingered near the kitchen instead of facing him.

‘ You should have killed him’ he finally said, turning to face Ishaan.

Ishaan stared at him in utter shock.

‘ Yeah, you should have killed him, for cheating on your best friend!’ Shreyas went to him and held his shoulders.

‘ I'm sorry…’ Ishaan mumbled.

‘ It's a good thing I found out his true colors, before I got too invested in him’ he said.

A hint of sadness lingered in his eyes despite what he said. Ishaan hugged him.

‘ Do you want me to kill Shubman, for hurting you?’ Shreyas whispered.

Ishaan broke down crying again. His knees gave out beneath him. Shreyas hugged him tightly and patted his back.

‘ Why did he do that, Shreyas? I…I loved him so much. I..I loved him more than anything else’ Ishaan sobbed.

‘ Mohabbat ki aakhir had hei zaleel hona, aur Maine woh had tak mohabbat nibhaai hei’
‘ The last stage of love, is humiliation, and I have loved you till that.’

‘ Maybe the hate he had towards me, was greater than the love you had for him’

Shreyas let Ishaan cry as much as he wanted to. He let Ishaan soak his shirt in tears and drool.

‘ That's enough Ishu….’

Ishaan pulled away and stared at Shreyas.

‘ I'm sorry about all this. I know you liked Tilak.’

Shreyas shrugged.

‘ I liked him. That was it. You loved that Shubman Gill, and this is how he returned your love’

Ishaan shook his head while wiping his tears away.

‘ He isn't like that. He…he's sweet and kind and he's.. he's my jaan-e-jahan. He.. loves me.’

‘ But he loved his ego more. I hurt his ego by kissing you, and he was trying to take revenge, so he slept with Tilak' Shreyas sounded angry.

‘No…my baby isn't vengeful like that'

‘ Then why was he in bed with Tilak? Why did he take Tilak home?’

‘ I…I don't know’

Ishaan shut his eyes tightly and tried to forget what he saw. He tried to forget seeing Shubman as he snuggled into Tilak's arm. Tried to forget seeing Tilak's finger move across Shubman's waist, as they stirred in their sleep.

‘ Look Ishu, You know perfectly well what you saw. I already let you go back to him once, I won't let you go back to that man again.’ Shreyas said sternly.

Ishaan looked down and started sobbing again. Shreyas pulled him into a hug again.

‘ Yaar, Jo tera Haal hei, woh Mera Haal hei. Let's drink our heart breaks away? I promised Old Monk, didn't I?’

Ishaan nodded. Maybe he could drink till he forgets this whole day, till he forgets what he saw and how he's feeling.

Both of them drank silently for a few minutes, before Shreyas burst out crying.

‘ I fucking liked that guy. That loser!’ he cried out.

‘ I'm sorry, I didn't kill him’ Ishaan's speech was slurred.

Shreyas nodded in agreement.

‘ You should have!’ he yelled and poured another drink.

Ishaan drank his third glass and lied across the floor. He covered his face with Shubman's shirt and tried to breathe in the scent.

‘ You …you have a phone call’ Shreyas nudged.

Ishaan grabbed the phone and looked with his one eye open. It was his brother.

‘ Hello’ Ishaan tried to sound sober.

‘ Ishaan, you need to come home. Mom's…. mom's in the hospital.’