His Favourite Book

Chapter 48 - For The Boys

A typical boy's life.

Who gets what depends solely on the odds of individual lives.

Kartik was no exception. Growing up for the world, taking care of others, and living up to the expectations was all his life was about. A jolly, sunshine boy was successfully converted into a mature, serious man, by the ways of the human. After his younger sister's death, he devoted himself to giving out to his parents and other elders, until a major burnout.

Finally, in college, when he met Muskan and Aashna, he felt a spark of hope taking birth inside him. The girls filled up the void left by his sister. They gave him the caring touch he had craved for. The Kartik who had once buried himself in his phone for temporary shutdowns, was slowly returning to a brighter life. Wanting to spend more time with his friends, he started to find ways for the same. Occasionally, he picked up and dropped Muskan and Aashna from and to their university, arranged frequent meet-ups to study overtime, stayed after classes so he could freely gossip with them, and much more. All the while, he became well-acquainted with Girisha as well.

However, his tendency to live for others did not vanish. Being the only one with a car, he was still in charge of driving his friends to wherever their destination resided. The initial days of college saw all his friends being extra busy with their internships, and expecting him to handle their absence in the classes. Submitting their assignments, making detailed, legible notes to later share with them and sometimes getting food for them in case they were too busy to pay attention to themselves. Things became easier for him once Girisha cut the ribbon of her book cafe. He could now stay there for as long as he wanted, around the people he liked. It was only after he met Abeer at a public library that changed the course of his, and everyone else's life. He had found a boy-best friend. He could now create bro-codes with him.

Things were going great. Or, that was what he thought. Not long after he realised that Khushi's facial features unmistakably matched those of his late sister, his behaviour towards others changed. His brain could barely focus on things other than Khushi. He wanted to talk to her and be around her in undying hopes of having his sister back from the ashes. That was not possible, of course. Expecting another girl to take the place of someone else was wrong and against his heart.

Just when he had decided to get rid of the thoughts of Khushi and focus on his own life instead, he noticed himself drifting apart from his sole friends. He could notice conversations that he was not expected to be a part of. No, they were not private conversations. His already heavy heart made him think that his batchmates were deliberately keeping him out of the loop. Insecurities and a fatal collection of haunting experiences took the best of him, resulting in his last night's outburst on Aashna and Abeer. He could not bear to stay away from his only happiness. To make it worse, Khushi, with whom he had unwillingly broken unmade ties, was lying in a hospital room, fighting for her life.

'Did I say too much? I did. Most probably. No, Absolutely. It might have hurt their sentiments. It did, definitely. But, If I can understand them, why can't they understand me? They are the only ones from whom I expect empathy for myself. Can't I even do that? But no, wait. They have their personal lives to take care of, too, just like me. My problems remain mine ultimately. Shouldn't have taken out my frustration on them. But how could I not? It hurts me too! They don't get to decide what hurts me. I said it hurts, so it does. No. I shouldn't dive into someone's privacy unasked like this. But what else could I have done? UGHHHH! THIS WILL BE THE DEATH OF ME!!!' Kartik's thoughts were on a spree. His sitting alone in the hospital corridor was not helpful at all.

That afternoon saw a mild bustle in the hospital, none of it addressed to him or Khushi. The world was going on its way while Kartik drowned in regret and sorrow, alone. With each passing minute, It was getting harder for him to keep his tears from falling. His head hung low when he was called to the reception desk. Another instructions-filled talk roared in his ears when all they needed were words of assurance and care.

He headed out of the hospital and left the premises for a while. The hospital staff was taking good care of Khushi so he had space for himself to untangle his thoughts. Walking unaware of his path. He reached a bus stop. The blazing sun and undefeated heat made his vision wavy as he stared at the shining silver seat under the promotional banner stuck to the ceiling of the stop. Not witnessing any pedestrians around, he settled on the seat, facing a park across the road.

He could count the number of people present there on his fingers. There was nothing around, that could distract him. Still oscillating his eyes, his gaze finally locked on two people sitting on a faraway bench in the park. The distance did not let him guess their age and faces. The tears dwelling in his eyes added to his blurred vision.

Guessing from their behaviour, they seemed like a couple. However, even after a while, they remained on their individual phones. Occasionally showing each other their respective screens, sharing probably a meme they smiled at or an edit they liked. And again, they were back to their own phones separately.

Soon, a car stopped right before the park's entrance. Having both of them settled in it, the car decided to move a bit forward and take a U-turn from the next intersection open to such turns. The moment that car passed by Kartik's side of the road, he caught a glimpse of the couple sitting inside. Both the boy and the girl looked quite young but well-maintained. The girl, however, looked terribly familiar to him. His hurt-filled thoughts were now shifted to something else, thanks to that girl.

'Might have come across her in the neighbourhood somewhere,' he thought and stood up to return to the hospital to be beside Khushi.

Entering the room designated to Khushi, his sour eyes saw his parents sitting there, having a conversation on their own.

- X - X - X - X - X -

There he was, standing with a tiffin and a bag around his shoulders, at the doorstep of Aashna's apartment. His eyes saw right through those of Aashna.

"Abeer, you... here—" She uttered and immediately halted when he raised his hands holding a tiffin.

"Girisha once told me that you like peanuts. So... here. Peanut butter cookies." He said and pressed his lips when even after standing there for a while, Aashna didn't ask him to enter the house. "May I...?"

Aashna snapped out of her distracted vision and stepped aside. "Oh! Yeah! Hello! Please—"

"Relax," Abeer forced a chuckle. He settled on the sofa and put his bag aside. Extending his tiffin to her, he continued, "I thought you might not have eaten anything since last night... And you came to my rooftop directly from... wherever you were and then... you know—"

"Oh no, that—" It was awkward, the reason being unknown to both of them.

Abeer was already dying to talk to her and apologise about last night. He kept blaming himself for entering their lives and ruining Aashna's friendships. The present awkward air and the dark house were not helping him carry the conversion any further. Dark house. Right. The thing clicked to him.

He dashed all over her apartment and opened all the windows after unveiling them, along with the balcony doors in both the rooms there. "Argh! Why do you live in such darkness all the time? It's a home, not a house!" He said in the most normal tone he could form in his vocal cords.

Aashna smiled with no happiness in her eyes. "I don't choose to live in darkness, Abeer. Darkness chooses me for a tenant." She muttered low enough for him to stay oblivious to her words. She lowered her gaze to the tiffin handed to her by him.

She could feel her heartbeat taking pace. Before her words could stick to her throat, she decided to toss them out. "Abeer." She continued after he turned his attention towards her. "Please don't do so much for me... I can't repay—"

"Stop acting like your book boyfriends haven't done a thousand times better things." He said in an attempt to make the situation lighter.

"Agh, you—"

His gaze softened. "Please accept it, because I genuinely want to do it... for... You. All these years, I haven't had anyone to care for. Now that I have you, I want to give you my all."

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A/N: The next chapter will be "For The Girls"