"Jab maine paaya tujhe, kho diya
Dil aansuon ke bina, ro diya
Kyun khwaab aankhon mein aate hue door yoon ho gaya."
[When I found you, I lost you,
my heart wept without tears,
Why did the dream coming into my eyes went away like that?]
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
••| Chapter 49 |••
Playlist: Jaane Nahi - 3 Idiots.
Thori Der - Farhan Saeed.
Eleana:
There comes a time in your life when you become oblivious of everything, when all your senses seem to stop working, when you're not able to feel anything, when everything comes crashing down on you. That's what exactly I was feeling at this point of my life when I was perhaps breathing my last. I had never felt so weak and vulnerable in my life before. The room was silent and dark, horrifying the life out of me. I felt every emotion going past me as my life flashed like a sad and emotional movie in front of my very eyes. The smell of phenol and chlorine filled up my nostrils and I had to give my everything not to break down at this moment. Usually, when untimely death comes, you don't have to feel the pain. It comes like an unannounced guest and takes you away in an instant not allowing you to feel any emotion but when you know that you're going to leave soon, you're going to die soon and leave everything behind, even your most beloved ones, then there is no greater sorrow than this. I felt like the weakest soul that ever inhabited this planet. Here I was in the operation theatre, which could possibly be the last place I see with my open eyes, all alone. The creaking sound of the door alerted me as I saw Aryan entering in his casual clothes. His face held the look which broke my heart into further tiny particles if that was even possible. His face gave a look that read 'I am so tired of all this'. His eyes were all puffy and red as if he had been crying for really long now. He took slow steps towards me as I sat upright on the bed there. He clasped his hands with mine, intertwining our fingers together before kneeling down in front of me like a broken soul that could no longer pretend to be strong, that could no longer hold the burden on his shoulders and who just wanted to flee from here.
"Ena, don't do this to me." He cried in his broken voice. His shoulders no longer held the pride as they slumped down in defeat. His face could no longer look ahead. He could no longer meet my eyes. His head was bowed down as if he was ashamed to face himself.
"Aryan??" I looked at him accusingly as I cupped his face in my weak and trembling hands. I could feel tremors in my whole body. "You were my strength. If you will break, then how will I survive?" I whispered slowly, feeling vulnerable as he expressed his fears in front of me. Unknowingly, a tear slipped down my pale cheeks and he didn't wipe it away. That was enough to tell me how weak he felt at this very moment and how he was shattering slowly inside.
"I can't live without you Ena. I just can't breath without you. Whenever you're away from me, it feels like all my oxygen is gone. Why don't you understand that without you, I am no more? I love you so much to let you go away. I am too selfish Ena, I am too selfish." He cried as he accused me instead. "Ena, please don't do this to me. You can get through this. You can ease my pain, my suffering. Please come back to me."
"I can't do this Ena. I can't do this. I am too weak. I can't do this." He repeatedly said as he confessed in the most purest of the ways. Nothing seemed truer than his words that rolled off his tongue at this time and I just couldn't do anything to help him and ease his pain. I stared at his defeated figure in utter helplessness. At this time, I just wanted to scream so much, I wanted to cry so much, I wanted to accuse someone and blame someone for all my sufferings but nothing came out of my mouth. My throat went dry all of a sudden. I just couldn't do anything. We humans think that we are something very powerful and we are terribly immersed in some superiority complex that we can get anything we want but it's at the times like this when you feel that you're nothing but just a puppet of clay. Someday the clay will melt, the fires will burn everything and our once full of pride bodies would be returned to ashes.
Varun and Shraddha were also among the team of assistant surgeons. Besides them, two other assistant surgeons would be here and Dr. Khanna would be here too. But Dr. Aryan Khan, being the neuro surgeon would be taking the charge but here he was breaking down in front of me. The door opened revealing Varun and Shraddha. It was no surprise that they knew what was going on behind the closed doors of the theatre.
"We can do it! You can do it Aryan. It's your passion, your life. What you had always wanted to do. It's the greatest opportunity to prove yourself Aryan. Don't degrade or underestimate yourself. You can do it. You are destined to do it." Varun and Shraddha encouraged him as they squeezed his slumped shoulders from either sides as I laid there crying helplessly over my cruel fate.
"No, Varun! I cannot! I am too weak to see her in front of me like that. I don't know how would I be able to touch her body knowing that I might end up taking her life? I would forever regret this, Varun. I would forever curse myself for taking away her life with my own hands. I would never be able to live in peace if my feet, my hands shook at any step and I went wrong anywhere." He cried holding his head in his hands. He sobbed like a little child whining to get his favourite toy. He cried like there was no tomorrow and he cried until he had no more energy in him and I cried with him wrapping my slender and skinny arms around his head, trying to give him the strength that he needed very badly.
"How can you think like that Aryan?" Varun tried to calm him down as his own voice wobbled. Shraddha came towards me and squeezed my shoulder. She wiped away my tears and went towards Aryan.
"Aryan, look at me!" She demanded shaking him by his shoulders. "If your Ena has this life written in her destiny, then no one can give it to her except you. If you don't do this now, and if she might have a life written in her destiny by this surgery, who will you blame for it? Yourself of course. Don't run away now Aryan when you're so close to the finishing line." She spoke to him in a mere whisper, pronouncing every syllable ever so slowly to make him process her words. He looked up at her with his blood shot eyes longingly as if pleading her not to do this. All his sanity seemed to have abandoned him at this particular moment.
"Ena! Why are you making me do this?" He turned his attention to me, repeating the very first sentence that he spoke to me after entering the room. I sighed exasperatedly. He was not understanding that it was hurting me as much as him.
"It was your decision Aryan. You can't back out now." I whisper yelled at him, angered by his weakness. He was never like this. I never wanted to become his weakness. "You cannot leave me strangled in the middle of this abandoned desert. I have prepared myself with a lot of difficulty only for you because you wanted to fight for me. I had accepted my defeat long ago but you were the one who gave me hope when I didn't even want to see any positivity. You were the one who told me that you wanted to struggle till the very last moment. You made me believe all this then why are you doing this now? I have nowhere to go except you. Bring me home, Aryan. I believe in you!" I shook him slightly before hugging him to myself.
"It's so difficult for me Ena. You can never imagine what I am feeling right now." He replied, choking on his own words.
"Aryan you yourself said that you'll fight my demons and I want you to. What are you afraid of now?" I asked him in challenging way.
"I will fight your demons, your battles and your fears. I will fight it only for you Ena. I won't let you go. I won't let you slip away. I will find a way to hang around and annoy you everytime you search for peace." He replied, somewhat determined with a newfound hope in his heart.
"Aryan!" I whispered and he scooted closer to me. I cupped his face in my hands and looked into his deep brown shining depths.
"Even if I die today, I want you to know that you're not the one to be blamed for it. You're my saviour and have always been. I would never want you to blame yourself for something you never did. Aryan, I want you to know that you're my first and my last love and that I am sorry for hurting you. Even if I die today, I would have the satisfaction that I was with the one whom I loved the most, with all my heart and soul at my very last moment, so don't worry about me. I am ready to do it. I just need your support. Your strength is my strength. You give me strength because you, yourself are my strength, my hope and my beacon of light. If death means breathing my last in your arms, then I want you to know that I would gladly embrace it." I placed a soft kiss on his forehead as he closed his eyes and let his tears run down his face. He placed his head over my blanket clad chest and placed his arms on either sides of my body hugging my petite figure to himself.
"Please don't go na!" He cried like a little baby breaking my heart. "What would I do without you?"
"Then, stop me, Aryan. Only you have the power to stop me." I told him truthfully.
"You're going to be okay. I got you!" He mumbled before backing away from me as the rest of the team knocked on the door marking their arrival. He went to the corner and changed into his scrubs. He washed his face several times with cold water at the sink as Shraddha stood with him for moral support. He brought himself back to his senses completely before turning to look at me once again. He came near me wearing his mask and everything. I smiled at him proudly and nodded reassuringly.
"Aryan!" I called him in my weak and strained out voice. He leaned his head near me. "I love you!" I whispered in his ear. "Tell me that you love me, one last time please."
"I love you so much Eleana. I love you so so much!" He told me what I needed to hear the most at that time as he wiped away the traitorous tears from my glassy eyes.
"Just remember one thing that I, Eleana Virat Kapoor, will always love you solely and catastrophically!" I whispered and brought his face in front of me. I kissed him with all that I had left within me, not caring if everyone was watching or what. This was my last moment and I needed it like anything. At this point I held onto him because my life literally depended on him.
"Dr. Nikhil! Anesthesia!" Varun instructed the assistant doctor, looking into my eyes and gave one last kiss at my forehead. He brushed away my hair with his hands before whispering. "Be strong. You gotta fight Elly, for yourself, for us. Promise me, you won't give up and that you'll fight till the last particle of your being."
I nodded at him. I felt the syringe penetrating in my skin as I felt a piercing pain. My eyes felt heavy and I slowly felt the anaesthesia kicking in. Soon enough, I was drifting towards oblivion and peace at the same time, remembering Aryan's last words, "I love you so much Eleana!"
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
As soon as Eleana was given the dose of Anaesthesia, she drifted off into a peaceful slumber looking like the most innocent princess on this planet. Aryan was staring at her with horror visible in his eyes. Anybody could see the inner turmoil in his eyes. Anyone could see the battles that he was fighting with himself to stay strong. It required everything in him to stand there at this time when he just wanted to run away. He was looking like a lost child, abandoned in the middle of a vacant desert with no way out. He kept staring at her, the love of his life lying lifeless in front of him, wondering when did their perfect little bubble of life become so complex. Her life was now solely in his hands. He could make her or break her. Suddenly he backed away, shaking his head and muttering to himself incoherently.
"I will just be back!" He told the team and ran out, trying to escape from his fears. Varun and Shraddha followed him and found him beside Eleana's parents. He was kneeling down in front of them on the tiled floor.
"Aunty, tell me to back away. Please! I don't want to do this." He begged her, he pleaded her.
"Aryan beta [Son]! I trust you. I believe in you. She has trusted you with her life. To trust someone with your life is the bravest thing anyone can ever do. When you love someone truly, you surrender yourself to them. She has surrendered herself to you. Go and hold her. She's waiting for you. You can do it. Just be brave, be in your right state of mind and you got her. Go, my son! The strings of her life are in your hands now." She patted his back and encouraged him.
"Uncle?" He spoke looking at him for some support.
"I know you, son. If my daughter has trusted you that means you're definitely something. Go back to her. She needs you to be there for her. She asked you to be strong. Give one last chance. Give all your efforts. Don't be a coward. Be a man and face your challenges. Fight your own battles and fight her battles as well. Go and show your true potential." He hugged him and patted his back to make him go.
All their friends were present there outside the theatre room and they were just waiting for the surgery to end as soon as possible. Aryan, with heavy steps marched back to the room but his mother grabbed his hand midway. "Aryan! show the world today that you, Aryan Khan, are my son. You claimed to love her. Now show them how strong is your love. Give your best shot and God will be with you. Go and bring her home. She needs you, baby." Aena Aunty told him with tears in her eyes. He nodded and she kissed his forehead. "Be brave, Dr. Aryan Khan. Make your Mom a proud parent today."
He walked back into the operation room with a newfound hope in his heart and mind. He put on his surgical gloves and pulled his mask back over its place. And so the longest surgery of his life started. Aryan did the brain mapping first to find the functional pathway near the tumour and then was the biopsy which was done by the method of endoscopy. He could have simply done stereotaxis but he didn't want to take any risk. The pathologist, Dr. Shiv took his time to examine the type of cells that the sample taken with endoscope contained, under his microscope.
"Dr. Aryan! There's no other choice except for surgery." He gave his final verdict.
"Are you sure? Did you check thoroughly?" Aryan asked.
"Yes!" He confirmed.
"Then, doctors it's time for the surgery. Are we all ready?" He spoke professionally. All nodded and agreed with him. But the question was that was he ready? Shraddha didn't know. Varun didn't know. Even Aryan didn't know.
"I need you people here in an hour. The surgery will be starting at sharp 5. You can go for now." He announced and everybody nodded. Varun and Shraddha stayed there. Aryan grabbed one of the steel stools and sat near Eleana holding her hands in his. He whispered words in her ear as if she was listening to him. The operation theatre was dark and silent. A neon light bulb was glowing over the bed on which Eleana was lying like a lifeless body. Her whole body was covered in the forest green sheets. The computer and monitor screens were turned off right now. The atmosphere was scary for any normal human being.
"I want you to fight for me. I got you Ena. Don't give up." He kept on whispering to her, more like begging her. Their hearts broke. Their hearts bled. It was a very painful sight. They just wanted her to be safe, to be alive again. They wanted her to be the jolly Eleana again, the one who was the life of their group. She was the most craziest of them all. She brought life to everything she did with that glorious smile of hers. She was there to help you whenever you were down. She was there to save your ass from all the troubles. She was there when you needed a shoulder to cry on. She was there laughing behind your back whenever you landed yourself in some trouble. She was there whenever you failed. She was there to pick you up whenever you fell but not before filling the atmosphere with her contagious laughter. She was the the first one to help you at any time of the day. She was one of those friends who were just one call away. She was the one who held your back like a true sibling whenever you were in any problem. She was the one who made you do all the adventures and taught you how to live life. She was the one who was ready to share your punishment if you went down for something. She was the one who you had done all the shenanigans with. She was literally their everything. Without her, their group seemed lifeless. Without her inside jokes, her weird laughter, her sarcastic remarks, her tears, her giggles, her mischiefs, her non-stop stories, her funnier than the joke laughter, her inability to pause her laughter, their life was meaningless and when she needed them the most, they were afraid. They were scared. They were behaving like cowards. They had to get up together for her only. The hour was spent staring at Eleana and making mental decisions not to let her slip away easily. Aryan was unable to feel anything at this crucial time of his life. The doctors entered one by one and before they even knew, the clock had struck 5 o'clock.
"Back to work, everyone." Aryan ordered. He took in a deep breath before leaning down and kissing her sleeping form softly on the forehead.
Everybody was present there holding the surgical instruments in their hands, waiting for Dr. Aryan's orders. The machines and the monitors were turned on. The luminous machine was brought towards the operation table.
"We're going for craniotomy. I want you all to be extremely alert and be in the right state of mind. You know how difficult it is. So control your nerves and be alert. Be present here. Dr. Nikhil, you're supposed to keep a record of the cardio machine. We don't want the heart rate to slow down at any time interval." Aryan instructed taking charge.
Dr. Nikhil nodded and took his position.
"Dr. Shiv, you're going with the monitors and check for any problem that might be occurring during the surgical procedure." Dr. Shiv took his position behind the monitors.
"Dr. Khanna will be with me and Dr. Varun and Shraddha, you both are going to assist me in the surgery. You both are surgeons so it would be easy for you." He spoke and they nodded at him.
"Dr. Rishi, you'll assist Dr. Khanna in his work." He spoke finally before they could properly start the surgery.
The CT scan and the image of her brain was displayed on the large screen in front of them. The part with the tumor was displayed as a red spot.
"Blade." Dr. Aryan spoke. For the craniotomy, it was necessary to shave a certain area of the head because the skull had to be opened. It was a very painful sight for everyone. Nobody knew how Aryan was controlling himself. He never seemed to tremble or shiver. He held the blade in front of him and one could easily see his hands literally trembling. Before he could proceed, he backed away and took deep breaths to calm down his body reactions. His sympathetic nervous system seemed abnormally active as Varun and Shraddha could see him sweating and breathing heavily. In order to avoid any anxiety and nervousness, he took deep breaths and rubbed his palms together to calm himself down. He took the blade in his hand and shaved a small portion of her head. Her hair fell down on his gloved hands and he quickly put them away, not daring to look at the painful sight in front of him.
"S-scissors." He spoke, his voice showing a hint of fear. Dr. Rishi quickly handed him the scissors. He grabbed the scissors in his hand and cut through her soft skull. The monitor screen in front of them was displaying every thing clearly. Shraddha gulped the bile in her throat. She was sweating like a pig. This was too painful for her to see. This would horrify her for the rest of her life. This surgery was proving to be her most horrible nightmare. She just wanted to wake up as soon as possible.
"Micro scissors." He leaned his hand forward. They could see on the screen, a three dimensional image of everything. He temporarily removed the part of a bone from her skull, which was the bone flap. It would be replaced after the surgery would be completed. Now her naked brain was visible. Everybody else, except for Aryan was seeing a human brain for the first time ever in their life and that too of a very dear friend. Shraddha felt like puking. Had it not been for Varun, she would have definitely collapsed on the floor until now. He inserted the micro scissors in her skull and then inside the convoluted cerebrum.
"Sir!" Dr. Nikhil shouted, alerting all of them. Panic kicked in all of them except for Dr. Khanna who remained calm. They all looked at him with horrified expressions.
"The heart rate is dropping!" He dropped the bomb on all of them.
"Oxygen mask, quick!" Aryan ordered and Dr. Rishi ran to get an oxygen mask. Aryan immediately made her wear the oxygen mask.
"Anything?" He asked Dr. Nikhil.
"Sir, It's normal now." They could see Aryan sighing visibly. He moved the scissors in her temporal lobe as he tried to reach the target area.
"Dr. Varun, hold it here." He ordered making Varun hold the micro scissors.
"Forceps?" He leaned his hand forward. Dr. Shiv grabbed the forceps. He inserted them gently and carefully inside while looking back and forth between the screen and at her in front of him. His hands were trembling again. The sweat beads were travelling down his forehead, shining like the morning dew.
"Sir, we are losing the heartbeat." Dr. Nikhil's voice croaked as he announced the terrible news.
Aryan immediately pulled out the forceps. "Ena, fight for me. I got you. Don't give up. I am here. You're here. You're not alone. You got me." He whispered into her ear, although she was asleep. His words seemed to have a positive impact on her brain and body as her heartbeat could be seen relaxing instantly at his voice. It was as if she knew who was talking to her and asking her to do that. He inserted the forceps again and this time, they could see a dirty mass coming out with the forceps. He succeeded in taking out a small portion of the tumour. He inserted it again and repeated the process.
"Sir, you need to do it quickly. The heart rate has not been normal ever since you have started. It keeps on dropping." Dr. Nikhil warned again.
"Dr. Shiv! I need you to take a quick CT scan from the monitor." Aryan spoke. Dr. Shiv nodded and her brain was mapped again. The three dimensional structure of her brain was displayed on the screen again and Dr. Khanna examined every single part which was suspected to have been affected by the tumour metastasis.
"Everything is clear." Dr Khanna announced.
Hearing this, Aryan did not waste a second in replacing the bone flap over her skull.
"Sir, the heart rate is dropping and it's not raising this time." Dr. Nikhil spoke frantically, making all of them go into a shock, not able to understand what to do now. Panic struck in and Aryan suddenly left everything. The instrument suddenly dropped from his hand as his eyes forgot to blink.
He stepped back shaking his head furiously, making himself understand something. He was not being able to think straight. All his sanity was long gone now. Varun had told her to fight till her last breath. Aryan had told her not to give up in between but she was disobeying both of them. She was giving up slowly. She was losing her battle. She was surrendering herself without putting up a fight. The Eleana they used to know was a fighter but this Eleana was someone different. She was not fighting for herself. She was giving up. She was tired of everything. She wanted to run away from everything, every pain, every sorrow. She wanted peace and serenity. She wanted tranquility and everything was being offered to her at this very instant as her heartbeat continued to slow down with every passing second.
"Eleana, fight back. Eleana!" Shraddha cried out loud. "Don't give up, darling please."
Varun went near her body.
"Elly, Please don't do this. You can't do this to us. Elly, you're a fighter. Elly, don't let your demons win. Elly, you've to fight."
Aryan pushed everyone aside like a caged animal set free and held her in his arms. He kissed her head. "You're not helping me Ena. I told you to fight for us. What are you doing? This is not the way. You've to show a little strength, please baby. You got me. Don't lose hope too easily. We all are here for you. Ena baby please, don't do this to me! Ena, there would be nothing left of me. Please come back Ena. Try to come back. Show some strength. You're my strong girl Ena. I need you Ena, my baby. Please listen to me for once, please." He pleaded her as he broke down in front of them, in front of all the doctors. All the professionalism was long forgotten and the head of the surgery, Dr. Aryan Khan was down on his knees, begging the love of his life to live for once, to fight for his love for once.
"Dr. Khan what are you doing?" Dr. Khanna shouted at him, horrified to see him shattering. But Aryan did not answer. His tears had made their way out already. The most strongest of the doctors had shown his vulnerability and his weakness to all. He no longer cared about his ego or hard earned career. How could he when he was losing the love of his life?
"Dr. Aryan, we're going to lose her!" Dr. Khanna yelled at him and shook him strongly by his shoulders but who could make Dr. Khanna understand that Dr. Aryan Khan was losing his heart beat too along with the patient lying in front of him. Aryan was dying a little with every lost heart beat of hers.
"Dr. Aryan! We need to do the stitches quickly." Dr. Khanna yelled at him angrily. Aryan remained glued to his spot, not moving an inch from his place. It seemed like his brain had seized to function. He had turned a deaf ear to everything. Varun went towards him and pushed him away. He grabbed the thread and the needle that was needed for the stitches and started doing it.
"Doctor, Sir." Dr. Nikhil cried out frantically. "Do something!"
Aryan's eyes were left open wide. He had lost the sense to think and reason. He had lost the sense to process anything that was being shouted at the moment in the operation theatre. Everything was taking place in a few instants. It seemed like he was lost again somewhere. It seemed like they were talking to a dummy, a mannequin, a living corpse here. He was stunned. He was slowly backing away from everything and everyone. Varun finished doing the stitches when Dr. Nikhil sighed heavily making all of them too stunned to understand anything.
"We have lost the heartbeat, Sir. We have lost it." He bowed down his head in front of the screen.
"No! No! Do something Dr. Khanna. Dr. Shiv. Dr. Rishi. Someone do something. This cannot happen." Varun yelled frantically as a strangled cry came out of Aryan's throat before he broke down into hysterics right in the theatre. Dr Khanna placed his fingers on the side of her throat, on her wrist and then in front of her nose, removing the oxygen mask. He shook his head in disappointment and Shraddha backed away, completely horrified. She was not prepared to hear this. This was not what was supposed to happen today. They had been continuously fighting her battle here since the last 9 hours but she decided to betray them all. She decided to find her escape. No, she couldn't. They felt tears falling down their cheeks as Aryan continued to cry uncontrollably.
"She-is-no--m-ore." Dr. Khanna declared and Aryan stormed out of the operation theatre like a wild animal that was set free. Varun and Shraddha tried to reach him, but he was just staring at all the people standing in front of him, looking at him with hopeful expressions, waiting for a good news. The blood shot eyes of theirs gave away everything as they could hear the gasps and unbelievable sounds. Aryan fell on his knees in front of them all like a corpse shot dead and cried his heart out holding onto himself for his dear life. Life seemed to stop. It seemed like somebody had stabbed him to death, slicing the knife through his body cutting his heart into two. No words were coming out except horrible cries. All the crowd in the hospital had stopped. Time had stopped. The clocks forgot to tick. Eyes forgot to blink. Hearts forgot to beat. Breaths stopped. People forgot to talk. All the staff had forgotten to perform their duties as they witnessed the most heart-wrenching sight of one of senior doctors breaking down in front of everyone. Dr. Aryan Khan just cried and cried, forgetting every ego that was attached to men before this day. Men do cry. Nobody had ever seen anyone crying this badly. Nobody knew what he was feeling at this time. Maybe we was cursing himself, maybe he was blaming himself, maybe he was crying to God and complaining to him. But when he spoke, all of their hearts broke into pieces.
"I--I Failed The Love--Of--My--Life---She trusted me with her life and I broke her trust. I let her go away from me. I am a coward. See, Ena! Your Aryan is nothing but a coward. I killed her."
Aryan:
I was numb. I couldn't see anything. I couldn't feel anything. I couldn't hear anything.
"We have lost the heartbeat Sir." Dr Nikhil spoke and I knew it was my end. My world had come to an abrupt ending. The earth forgot to spin and revolve. I was done. I broke down. My love, my life had been snatched away right from my own hands. She was in my arms a few moments ago telling me that how much she loved me. How could she just go away like that? She assured me that she would fight. Was it too much for her? Was it too painful for her? I didn't know anything about her. I wanted answers to my questions. What was the reason of her being snatched away from me? What was her fault to deserve this cruel life? Why couldn't it be me instead of her? Why was she the one who suffered from all the pain? But nobody could answer them. Nobody!
My questions were left unanswered. I would not get to see her as often as I liked. I would not be able to hold her in my arms all through the night. I would never be able to say her that 'I love you!'
I don't want this life. Ena, wake up. Listen to me. Ena don't do this to me. Ena, come back home. Ena, come back to me. Ena, come back to your Aryan, the one you love. Ena, come back and teach me to love, teach me to fly, teach me to live a little. Ena, come back and fight with me. Ena come back and laugh with me. Ena come back and cry with me. I cannot laugh alone. I cannot cry alone. I cannot talk alone. I've forgotten to do it because you're not here beside me. Ena, come back my love. Come back. Please come back to me.
"Enaaaa!" I cried out loud for the first time, my voice screeching through my own ears. I thought I had lost the ability to speak. Suddenly, I felt two warm arms wrapping themselves around my head as I buried myself into that embrace. I looked up to find Mom giving me a look of pain, grief and sorrow.
"Mom, Ena left me! Mom, Ena has left me. How could she so this to me? She has gone away leaving me all alone." I cried in her hold feeling like a 2 year old Aryan begging to his mom to bring back his something precious.
"Mom, Ena! Somebody bring her back. She promised me that she would fight for me. Mom please do something." I shouted and cried like a mad man.
"Aru, Ena is not coming back!" She cried with me, shaking me and making me understand something that was beyond my capacity. I pulled back from her and glared at her.
"Mom, Even you're saying this? How could you? I don't believe anyone of you. She's coming back. Bring her back to me. Ena! Come back to me please. You cannot do this to me." I cried hysterically pulling my knees up to my chest and holding them in my arms. I saw Dad coming towards me. I ran towards him,
"Dad, Ena!" I spoke with a broken voice. "Dad, my Ena----Dad, Ena Mujhe chorh k chali gyi." [Dad, Ena has left me!] "Dad, please bring her back." I shook him as he stared at me dumbly.
"Somebody bring her back to me!" I screamed, my voice echoing in the whole ward. I clutched onto my head tightly.
"Aryan, tell me that you love me."
"I love you so much Ena. I love you so so much"
"I will always love you Aryan."
"If death means breathing my last in your arms, then I would gladly accept it."
"No." I screamed, I yelled, I cried. I did everything that I could do but none of my efforts brought my Ena back to me. My Ena, my princess left me, her prince, to suffer all alone and mourn over her.
Those special memories of her would always bring a smile on my face. If only I could have her back for a little while, then we could sit and talk again like we used to do. She always meant so much to to me and will always do too. The fact that she was no longer here would always cause me pain but she would forever remain in my heart until we meet again. I fell in love with my best friend. I had the privilege of being heart broken by her and I don't regret even a single bit of it because I loved a gem, an angel.
"I will always love you and only you Ena." I vowed to her as I sat on the floor outside the theatre staring into the empty space, smiling at our memories. Even though she had told me not to fall in love with her but I did and I fell hard. I loved her like I loved none. I breathed her, I saw her everywhere, I felt her everywhere. I drank her presence. She was my most addictive drug. I was intoxicated by her. As I looked at the rain drops travelling down the glass window pain, I heard her melodious laughter when she used to dance freely in the midnight rains. Today the sky was also crying for an irreplaceable loss. Her melodious laughter was still echoing in my ears, her scent was still lingering in my clothes and I could hear her saying to me,
I will always love you Aryan.
🌸🌸🌸🌸
Fact: This book was supposed to end here but I personally don't like sad endings. So I've an alternate ending too. Read on.
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸