POV : Shubman Gill.
It wasn't like Shubman to feel this way. The anger, jealousy, hate, possessiveness wasn't something that Shubman felt before. Ishaan is a beautiful boy, no matter where he went, admiring eyes followed him. Shubman never felt insecure about those admirers, because he knew, at the end of the day, Ishaan would come back to him. So why was he feeling this way now? Why was he getting bothered by others looking at him?
‘ Mein Tumhe chaand keh dun, ye mumkin toh hai,
Magar log tumhe raat bhar dhekhein, ye muhje gawara nhi’
‘ It's possible for me to call you the moon, but I cannot accept others looking at you in admiration’
Shubman thought about what he said about Ishaan's career. Ishaan's dreams were something they had discussed when they first met, and Shubman had wholeheartedly believed in those dreams. In fact, Shubman was ready to do anything to help Ishaan achieve those dreams. But lately, Shubman hated the fact that Ishaan had those dreams residing in his eyes, eyes which should have only space for him.
Shubman let out a groan and rested his head on the kitchen counter. He moved uncomfortably and gripped his shoulders trying to ease the pain which tormented him. His entire body ached, his shoulders and neck felt stiff. He didn't know what was making him feel more terrible, the sickness or his behavior.
Shubman heard the door open and someone walk in. With his head still resting on the counter, he stared at the hallway.
‘ Hi,baby’ it was Simran.
Shubman made a noise as a greeting and watched her line up the counter with a bunch of bags.
‘ Accha, so you can't even greet me properly?’ she asked going towards him.
Shubman shrugged and hugged her.
‘ How are you?’
‘ I don't know…. Not good’
‘ What happened? Where's Ishaan?’
‘ he's… he's in Delhi’ he hugged her tighter.
‘ why?’
‘ he got a chance to work with some, Abhinav Mishra’
‘ oooooh he makes the prettiest lehengas. Ishaan is so lucky!’
Shubman let go of her. That's not what he wanted to hear.
‘ he left while i am sick. Isn't that inconsiderate?’ he asked, frustrated.
Simran narrowed her eyes at him.
‘ He can't put his career on hold, you know. Plus he probably left knowing that I would show up’
Shubman got up in anger.
‘ Shubhi, if the tables had turned and he was sick, would you miss an important match to stay back with him?’
‘ This is different. My matches are …it's important’
‘ Are you saying that Ishaan's career and his projects aren't?’ She looked confused by his statement.
Shubman opened his mouth to answer but couldn't find the right words to say. He let out another frustrated groan as his body ache worsened with his anger.
‘ Come on, let go of your anger. Let's have dinner’
‘ I don't want to eat,’ Shubman mumbled.
‘ You can't take medicines on an empty stomach’ she said, setting up the table.
‘ I don't want to take medicines’
Simran sighed deeply.
‘ Look, Clearly, you are only telling me half of the story. Something else must have triggered you to behave this way, and maybe your anger is justified too. But, that doesn't mean that you neglect your health. I'm not gonna say it again, so…wash your hands, and sit down to eat!’
Simrans anger scared Shubman. He nodded obediently and followed her instructions. Her anger was something Shubman didn't want to face. At least not right now.
He didn't feel like eating at all. The smell of the food made him nauseated. He knew that complaining would get him nowhere, so he quietly tried to eat. After a few bites, he immediately regretted the decision, he felt vomit rise up in his throat.
Shubman never made it to the sink. He stared in disgust at the undigested food all over the floor.
‘ SHUBHI’ Simran came and patted his back and held his head as he vomited again.
He collapsed onto the floor as his knees gave out beneath him. He leaned into Simran and took a few deep breaths. His throat burned from the bile.
‘ Is that….is that blood?’ Simran asked, her voice shaking in fear.
Shubhman was too weak to open his eyes. He held Simran's hand tightly and tried to ignore the metallic taste in his mouth.
POV: Ishaan Kishan.
Ishaan watched the skyline get smaller and smaller as the flight ascended higher in the sky.
‘ Na jaane konsi shikayaton ke hum shikaar hogaye,
Jitna Dil saaf rakha, utne gunahgaar hogaye’
‘ I don't know I became victim to what all complaints, the more i tried to stay true to my heart, the more I became convict.
‘ Are you and Shreyas fighting?’ Aditi asked him quietly.
Ishaan shook his head and avoided her eyes.
She rolled her eyes and tugged on his sleeves.
‘ I know you better than you know yourself. Tell meeee’ she pouted.
‘ yeah I guess’ he shrugged.
Aditi clicked her tongue.
‘ you fight with the people you love the most.’ she said flicking through the movie options.
Ishaan looked at her confused.
‘ You know this once, my mom tried to take embroidery classes at the community center near our house. Problem was, the classes were at night. So, my dad refused to let her go’
Ishaan watched her narrate the story while still flicking through the movies.
‘My mom kept asking why, but he never said anything. They had little fights and eventually stopped talking. The cold war went on for WEEKS!’ Aditi laughed.
Ishaan would have never guessed by looking at them that they had a phase like that. Mr & Mrs Sharma always looked as though they were still falling in love with each other.
‘ one day, my brother and I had enough of their silence, so we sat dad down and asked him why he wasn't letting mom do it, you know what he said?’
‘ what?’
She smiled before she answered.
‘ “I'm afraid that something might happen to her.” my dad wasn't sure if he could come back from work to drop her there, nor was he sure if he could go to pick her up. He didn't want to give that responsibility to us. His wifes safety was his responsibly, that's what he kept thinking’
‘ But my dad, he was too afraid to tell my mom that. He didn't want her to know that he was afraid. He hoped that mom would understand the silence in between his refusals’
‘ Then what?’ Ishaan asked curiously.
‘ Then one day we woke up and saw them laughing in the kitchen together’ she looked at Ishaan.
‘ They talked and made up?’
Aditi shrugged.
‘ Mom said that she asked him if he wanted chai. And that was that. Maybe she finally understood his silence’
Ishaan looked down at his hands and adjusted the ring.
‘ what I am trying to say is, maybe Shreyas is afraid to tell you what he really wants to say, maybe he's waiting for you to understand his silence’
Ishaan thought of Shubman, how he kept indirectly asking him not to leave. Maybe he was afraid of being alone. The whole time, Ishaan kept thinking that Shubman was being selfish, by asking him to stay. But in reality, Ishaan was the one who was being selfish. He left Shubman alone while he was sick. Even if he had to leave, he could have left after talking to Shubman. After making him feel okay. Ishaan felt horrible thinking about it.
‘ Thank you’ Ishaan said after a while.
‘ Always’ Aditi smiled sweetly at him and pinched his cheeks.
Ishaan smiled and watched her start a movie. Aditi always knew how to make Ishaan feel better. In school, everyone was after her, but for her, the world started and ended at Ishaan. She would cover up for his mistakes, talk to Ishaan's parents as his advocate, help him pass his exams so his dad would stop grounding him. On some level Ishaan knew that Aditi loved him, but she never expressed herself and he never bothered to ask her.
‘ Why are you staring at me?’ she asked, removing her headset.
‘ Nothing’ he laughed and looked at the window.
Aditi stared at him for a while. The smile still lingered on his beautiful face. No matter what she tells the world, no matter what she tells herself, she still loves Ishaan.
‘Chahun Tujhe Duur Se, Itna Toh Haq Hai Mera’
‘ I have the right love you, even if it's from a distance’
It was almost midnight when they had reached the hotel. All of them checked into their room and decided to have a quick meal from a nearby restaurant before turning in.
‘ Aditi!’ Ishaan called out to her.
She turned around and watched Ishaan run up to her.
‘ help me talk to Shreyas’
Aditi made a face.
‘ how????’
‘ he will listen to you, just… please Aditi?’ he grabbed her hands and pleaded.
‘ Okay okay. Let me see.’
Aditi made a quick plan. She asked Ishaan to go to her room and wait. She would tell Shreyas that she left something behind and ask him to go and get it, that way they could talk in private.
‘ thank you for this!’ Ishaan said as they entered the room together.
‘ Buy me ice cream tonight!’ she threatened.
‘ at this time??’
‘ yes. At this time’.
Ishaan agreed to whatever condition she put forth. He knew that he couldn't do any of this without her.
She gave an evil smirk and blew a kiss to him and left the room. Ishaan shook his head and laughed. His classmates were right to nickname her ‘ wild cat'.
Ishaan nervously paced around the room as he waited for Shreyas to come. The minutes felt like centuries. He thought of all the ways Shreyas could refuse her. He was about to call Aditi when shreyas entered the room. He paused after seeing Ishaan, realized it was all a plan, and tried to leave as soon as possible.
‘ Shrey!’ Ishaan's voice made him stop.
‘ Let's talk, jaani,’ Ishaan pleaded.
Shreyas stood in the doorway for a few seconds, before he closed the door and went up to Ishaan.
‘ yeah?’
‘ why are you angry with me?’
‘ you really don't know?’
Ishaan sat down and covered his face.
‘ Ishaan, you are my best friend. I cannot see you with a selfish, arrogant, rude, inconsiderate person like Shreyas said to him.
His words against Shubman felt like whips on Ishaan's skin.
‘ He's not like that…’ Ishaan mumbled.
Shreyas let out a frustrated groan.
‘ Shubman was never like that, Shreyas! I know he's behaving differently right now, maybe….maybe he's afraid of something. He… he keeps having these nightmares and .. and he's sick, so maybe because of that?’ he tried to explain.
‘ Are you saying that to me, or to yourself?’
Ishaan looked at shreyas who was leaning against the wall, hands in his jeans pocket.
‘ No matter what he's like, no matter what he has become, I love him.’ Ishaan said, determined.
‘ You are blind in his love, this is bordering on a toxic relationship!’ Shreyas yelled at him.
Shreyas grabbed Ishaan by the shoulders and shook him, trying to knock some sense into him.
Ishaan freed himself from his hands, tears streaming down his face.
‘ Maybe… maybe I am blind in his love!’
‘ I cannot see beyond Shubman. I…I don't want to see beyond him. I love him, Shreyas’
‘ Zaleel hone ki had tak main use chahunga. I will love him to the point of humiliation!’ Ishaan answered back to Shreyas.
Shreyas stared at his best friend, crying for a man that Shreyas didn't think deserved him. His heart ached for Ishaan. He wanted to scream at him, tell him that he was making a big mistake, but their friendship had a clause. Support each other through their madnesses.
‘ So you have decided? You are going to ruin yourself?’
Ishaan wiped his tears and cleared his throat.
‘ Shubman wouldn't let me get ruined’
‘ There will be Old Monk when you come home, battered and bruised in love,’ Shreyas said, rolling his eyes.
Ishaan smiled and they hugged each other.