The Demon Within.
The man keeps sitting on the couch. He has been sitting on that same couch for the last five hours. His emotionless grey eyes look dead, lifeless. They are fixed on the ground, his hair disheveled, his legs spread wide apart, his hands rest on his knees as his fingers remain interlinked at the front. He doesn't move.
The very few things indicating that he is not a statue are his blinking eyes, heaving chest and his clenching and unclenching jaw. Leo and Purnit comes at every interval to check on him, only to find him sitting on the same couch, in the same position. They tried to offer him food, a glass of water but received no response. Defeated, they left those on the table beside him. Ritwik is the only person who is still standing at a distance patiently, looking at his brother. He is shocked, frightened, because he still can't believe what he witnessed in Vulcan's eyes. They held a promise, a dangerous promise. Something one should be scared of.
For the last three days Ritwik kept following his younger brother, because he kept feeling uneasy about his sudden change of behavior. Right now, as he observes his brother, he feels thankful that he did that. This man sitting on the couch is not his harmless, innocent brother anymore. This is someone else, someone who is craving to see bloodshed, someone who can kill and not regret. He can see him having an internal battle. But he is yet to figure out what triggered him. He is certain that it's something related to Pihu and he kept a watch on her too, but he can't recall seeing anything that could trigger his brother. Above all, why is he suddenly affected by her presence. As much as he could remember 'Manik', his younger brother, had feelings for Teressa. He is the same man who sacrificed his first love for his brother, Dev. He remembers seeing him sad, hurt even, but never this angry, never this crazy....never this vengeful.What has changed? What is making him this way?
Ritwik's hand keeps trembling as he slowly brings out the phone from his pocket and walks towards the balcony. He slowly brings the phone to his ear.
"He is not my little brother anymore, Pratima ji." He begins. His grey eyes tearing up.
"He is becoming someone else. And I can't do anything. I am apologizing in advance but I can't see this anymore. For the first time in the entirety of my life I am feeling helpless. I need to bring him back to you people. You and Teressa are my last hope, because it seems as if he has lost his faith on both, Dev and I.
He needs love, he needs someone to make him believe that he matters, that he exists, that his life is important. I am hopelessly failing at that. I need you Pratima ji, I need you to bring him back. I need you to save my little brother from his own demons. He is fighting there, all alone and I keep watching, like the useless shit I am. Help me. Please, help me." He adds stifling a sob.
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"Are you kidding me?" Pihu says placing the rice back to the plate.
"Do I look like I am kidding? I am extremely serious sweetheart. I see nothing but a gentleman in him. He has sincere feelings for you. He respects us and not to forget he is one of the biggest business tycoons. What else do you want?" Dibakar says chewing on his food.
"What else I want? I want my freedom to choose my life partner back." Pihu says, straightening her back.
"I love both of you. But just because I love you, i won't allow you to impose your decisions on me like that. I am not a kid anymore papa. I am a grown up independent woman. I work for my own living. You cannot force me to do something that I don't want." She says with a tone of finality.
"Wow. Seems like we raised you wrong. The audacity you have to talk back to your father like that is surprising, Pihu." Bratati says.
"Well, I can surprise you more. Trust me I am capable of that." Pihu responds, unbothered.
"Stop. Both of you. Listen sweetheart, I don't want to impose my decisions on you, it's a request. Give him a chance. That's all I am asking for. And I've never asked for anything before." Her father says.
Pihu closes her eyes feeling tired.
"Please. I want nothing but you to be happy, Pihu. If you don't like him, you can leave him." Dibakar urges again.
Releasing a deep sigh Pihu responds,
"Fine I'll give it a try. But just a try, nothing serious."
Her father's face breaks into a huge smile.
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3 days later
"If that's the plan then what are we waiting for? We can't keep using the sleeping peels forever. They are loosing there effects. He keeps fighting against his drowsiness. What if he gets to stay awake a little more? He will leave for that woman again." Purnit says, looking at Vulcan's lying figure. He keeps moving even when he is under medication. He keeps mumbling, keeps groaning as if he is in pain.
"How many days has it been since we started? Three?" Ritwik asks.
"Yes sir. The medicines aren't working as they should. I can't take him back to my country like this. If Mr. Bucher finds out Vulcan isn't doing well, the old man will go insane." Leo responds.
"Bucher who?" Ritwik asks out of curiosity.
"Mr. Vincent Bucher, the once photographer and the current owner of 'Vincent's'." Leo explains.
"You mean The Great Vincent Bucher? What does he have to do with Nik? Does my brother work for him?" Ritwik asks. Leo looks at him and a smile breaks on his face, as if he is recollecting the good old days.
"No, he doesn't work for him because he doesn't need to." Leo says looking out of the glass wall.
"What does that mean?" Ritwik asks.
"It means Mr. Bucher is extremely fond of your brother, sir, more than what's normal you can say. The man lost his wife at a very young age, never got married ever since, never got to feel the pleasure of having a family or being a father. Lived the entire life alone without any expectations, any attachments. Although he kept helping people like us, like me. Whatever I am today, wherever I am today is because of his greatness.
Your brother took his heart at the very first meeting. His perspectives towards looking at his subjects were way too similar to Mr. Bucher's. He kept pushing Mr. Bucher's limit and kept breaking the rules Mr. Bucher made for everyone else. He saw himself in Vulcan and named him after his best work called 'Vulcanous'. Vulcan unknowingly became an integral part of the old man's daily life. He started living with him and as time passed he achieved what no one ever could. He is everything to Mr. Bucher now, a mate, a disciple.... a son." Leo says, releasing a sigh. Ritwik keeps looking at Leo.
"Th-that's.. I don't know what to say anymore. I can only say that I am grateful that he loved my brother, took care of him when we couldn't." Ritwik says hanging his head.
"We need to bring him out of this, sir. I've been with him for the last three years. He never acted this way, this is something else and it's scaring the shit out of me." Leo utters.
"I know, I know. Fine, today is the day then. Let's not waste anymore time. As planned, I am going out for now. Purnit, leave me a text when he wakes up." Saying so Ritwik leaves.
¤¤¤¤¤
That day he did leave the couch after sitting on that for five more hours. What happened after that? He doesn't remember anything apart from eating and sleeping. He knows they are using medicines to keep him calm. But they don't know that the pills aren't working anymore, otherwise he would've felt comfortable. Feeling extremely drowsy, he comes out of his room and pours some water in a glass for himself and gets back inside. Purnit does as directed. He calls Ritwik.
Some fifteen minutes later the script begins as Ritwik keeps pressing the calling bell but no one comes outside. Apparently the script sent Purnit inside the washroom and Leo inside the soundproof studio.
Standing inside the open balcony, Vulcan keeps looking at the sky, releasing rings after rings of smoke towards it.The sculpted bare body displays nothing but sheer beauty. The right side of the body has some tiny scars whereas the left side is entirely covered in tattoos. The white sweatpant is the only cloth remaining on his body.
The grey eyes keeps staring at the sky. He stopped, he really stopped depending on anything even close to cigarettes, but today he finds it impossible to endure the increasing pain. A part in him keeps telling,
"it isn't a big deal, she can have as many friends as she likes, you're no one to her", but the other part keeps pushing him towards the dark unknown path, a path he would've avoided if he was the old Manik. This part confuses him, puzzles him, plays with his mind. So much so that he has started fearing himself. The mere picture of her with someone else is doing something weird to him. He closes his eyes to get rid of this but all he sees is her with that useless fellow.
Frustrated, he kicks the wall infront of him and immediately holds his head within his hands, trying hard not to scream out his frustration. That's when the calling bell starts ringing abnormally. He waits for Leo or Purnit to open the door but they are no where to be found and the bell doesn't stop.
He walks out of his room and opens the door ready to punch the shit out of whoever the person might be, but to his surprise he finds Ritwik standing at the door, looking utterly devastated.
Ritwik looks at him but he says nothing only looks back at his elder brother with his eyebrows furrowed.
"Pratima ji has fallen sick. We need to leave." Ritwik utters and for the first time in so many days he sees something other than a grumpy poker face. He sees how Vulcan's eyes widen, how his lips part, how his chest heaves up and down. He is worried.
Before Ritwik could utter anymore words Vulcan moves inside his room.
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"Fifteen days are long Brinda. If I was the CEO, I would've never allowed any of my employees to have such a long station leave for no good reasons. A long leave like this needs a valid reason, not something like 'you need to spend more time with your parents'.
What I am getting is a clear priviledge for being Mr. Dashis Sharma's love interest. I look nothing less than an opportunist right now and I am so done with my parents! They are acting pathetic." Pihu says while packing her luggage.
"But I want to be there with you." Brinda whines.
"I know that very well and that's why you will be accompanying me for five days. Then I'll send you back. Don't worry, Akansha will stay here with you for the time being. And don't make that face, I cannot make you skip your college for fifteen days straight. Even saying this feels like a crime to me. God knows what am I going to do with myself." Pihu says as she finishes up her own and starts packing Brinda's luggage. Brinda sits on the sofa and keeps looking at her with a smile of admiration.
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Love, Puja. 😊