7 days

September 1

‘ You… you aren't angry?’ he asked, blinking back tears.

‘ Why would we be?’

Ishaan burst out crying and hugged both of them. He wanted to hide in their arms and stay there forever.

‘ Baby, listen to me’ his dad patted his back.

Ishaan cleared his throat and calmed down. He smiled and nodded.

‘ Baby, we love you no matter which side you play on. You are our flesh and blood, there's nothing which would make us hate you’

‘ but…but, what about the society?’ what about the people?’

Ishaan dad scoffed.

‘ What about them? They would always have something to say, we have never listened to them. We never will’

‘ I.. I thought you would be disappointed’

‘ We are disappointed because you thought that you had to hide this from us’ Ishaan's mom hugged him.

‘So.. who's the lucky boy?’

‘ There was one, not anymore’ he sniffled.

‘ Haye, Mera bacha!’ his mom hugged him tighter as he cried.

‘ Ishu, these heart breaks, the sadness, it's all part of life. One day, it will be nothing but memories. But, beta, think of what we said to you. It doesn't matter when, or whom you get married to. You are allowed to do it on your own terms, lekin please, think about it. We don't know how unpredictable life can be, we want to see you happy, like Raj and his wife' his dad explained and patted him.

Ishaan nodded and held his dad's hand.

‘ Mom, someone is here to see you’ Raj announced as he came into the room.

Shreyas and Aditi followed him in.

‘ Surprise!’ both of them yelled.

Ishaan sat up shocked.

‘ Why are you here? What????’ he was confused.

Both of them laughed and settled down around them.

‘ We took a few days off. Aunty was sick, we had to see her’ Aditi explained and held Ishaan's mom's hand.

Ishaan's dad went and put his arms around Shreyas.

‘ How are you my tiger! How are things at home?’

Shreyas looked down and let out a sigh.

‘ They disowned me, tells the world I am dead to them’ he replied.

When Shreyas came out to his military officer father and his mother who valued reputation above all, all hell broke loose. It was Ishaan's father who saved Shreyas from the beatings, who saved Shreyas from killing himself.

‘ Well, you are now ours to take care of’ he patted Shreyas head.

Ishaan looked around him and smiled a little. Maybe staying home will help him heal.

POV: Shubman Gill.

‘ Shubman!’ Simran screamed as Shubman threw things at the nurses who were trying to change the IV.

‘ LEAVE ME ALONE.’ He screamed at them.

In a fit of anger he grabbed the cannula and ripped it off from his hands. Blood splattered everywhere. He tried to get off the bed, but the nurses held him down.

‘IBRAHIM!’ He screamed for help, but to his disappointment, Ibrahim was the one who was holding him down.

He thrashed around in bed, kicking the security men by his feet. He tried to claw and bite the nurses who held him down.

‘ Simran, we have to sedate and restrain him’ the doctor told her.

Simran nodded against her will. If she didn't do this, he would hurt himself. He watched as the doctor injected him with sedatives and restrain him after he passed out. The past two days were hell for the three of them.

Shubman had two more seizures after he was admitted. Every time he woke up, he would scream and yell at anyone who came near him. Anything he ate, he kept vomiting out. He was on multiple medicines. Top specialist came to work on his case, but no one could figure out what was wrong with him.

Ibrahim put all his power and got him transferred to a private wing of the hospital, beefed up the security, and made sure all the doctors and nurses and even the attendees sign NDAs so that word about Shubman's bad health won't go out. Simran was dreading the day their parents would come back.

‘ what is happening to him? Why.. why can't you figure it out?’ she screamed at the team of doctors.

They had their head lowered.

‘ Ma’am we are trying our best. But…but nothing is showing up on the reports. His MRIs, his blood reports, they are all okay. We have started new medicines, hopefully this one would help’

Simran glared at them.

‘ I swear to God, if anything happens to him, or if he doesn't make any sort of recovery, after all this nonsense that you are saying, I am going to sue you into oblivion!’ she said through gritted teeth.

She went and sat down near Shubman and caressed his head. In two days time, he has lost so much weight, his eyes were sunken, his lips chapped. Shubman had tried to hurt himself on the first night, luckily Ibrahim had saved him before he could do anything.

‘ Is he going to be okay?’ she whispered to Ibrahim.

‘ In Sha Allah'.

Simran looked at him. He looked exhausted. He took breaks only to pray. She had to force him to sleep for a few hours.

‘ Why is god testing him?’

‘ We don't question his decree. All we can do is pray. Dua changes qadr. Keep praying Simran madam. This too shall pass’ he said softly and touched Shubman's head.

Ibrahim hoped with all his might that, Shubman would recover soon. Ibrahim who's son was a young soldier lost his life in a civil unrest in the Kashmir border. He now sees his son in Shubman, and vowed to protect him from whatever that comes at him.

Shubman stirred as he slipped into a dream. The dreams were all the same, he would be happy in the beginning. Happy with Ishaan. Both of them walking on the streets ln London, under the beautiful Christmas lights. They would stop to kiss under a mistletoe, laughing while their lips pressed against each other. Slowly Shubman would start to get fearful as the crowd around them grew. His hands losing Ishaan's grip. Shubman would look around frantically for him in the crowd, but he never finds him. Shubman would stay frozen in the same spot as the world moves on around him. He would then feel cold arms envelop him, his face, his torso. Something heavy would climb on his back and bringing him down to his knees with it's weight. It would then keep whispering things into his ears. Things he didn't want o hear. Things about death, things about Ishaan's hate for him. The voices would tell him to kill himself, before they cover his mouth to suffocate him. He would then wake up, wake up screaming, crying. Crying for Ishaan to save him, crying for Ishaan not to let go of his hands.