Vivaan sat motionless staring at the long junk earring he had placed carefully on the table. The piece of jewellery needed to be returned to its rightful owner though, soon.
Vivaan could sleep last night. The sedatives worked again, and more than that it was an inner peace that worked better. The morning was fresh and the air was calm too. It had rained all night it seemed, in fact it was already raining when Riha left at almost 8 last night, but the sky was clear now.
Vivaan found Riha's earring near the door this morning. A single piece. She might have just unknowingly dropped that off her ears while she left.
Vivaan slowly picked up the earring from the table, placed it on the palm and caressed it with his fingers. It was a silvered junk, with pink velvet petals, beautiful, just like its owner.
A strange calm happened to Vivaan suddenly after yesterday. It seemed as if a long locked barrage had just opened up letting its emotions flow, and after a long time he wasn't even afraid of anything. Nothing at all.
Vivaan breathed in a lot of fresh air, his lungs felt fresh, his heart felt warm again.
Vivaan walked up to the cupboard and took out a mauve shirt after a lot of confusions. He had resorted to wearing mostly black or white or grey or something dull and faint. After a long time he chose to wear something that made him feel good.
The phase he was in had passed on suddenly after yesterday. Why? How? That could be someday else's matter of discussion.
Vivaan carefully put the earring in the left pocket of his shirt.
He then walked to his long unused Royal Enfield that stood at one corner of the basement for almost six months now. Still.
" Hello Duuudee!! Let's have a ride!"
He started his bike.
******
Riha couldn't sleep last night. Not even for a second. Vivaan's face crossed her mind every now and then. A face that showcased unbearable pain, a pair of eyes that held thousand more unspoken words. Such an eventful twenty eight years! Events of death. Only.
Riha had spent a long time last night standing at the window. She had drenched on her way back home because she had walked the whole distance. Almost in a trance. The rain did hide the constantly downrolling tears. Riha knew she was not the kind to be emotionally affected so much, being a doctor. But maybe this was what happened in love. She had crossed the fine line and now she knew, life was beautiful and yet people deliberately took up pain in the name of love, because maybe love was somewhere even more beautiful than life, despite being painful, just for the sake of it!
Riha was not well today. She had been sneezing since morning and felt weak lacking sleep. Though the first thing she did was to call Vivaan, and as usual, he didn't pick up. Though Riha had seen Vivaan a bit better when she left him last night, she wanted to make sure he slept. She had herself handed over the sedative to him. And he was a good boy. A good patient who listened to the doctor without a word. Riha really wanted to kiss his forehead, couldn't, obviously.
Riha had lost her favourite earring last night maybe on the road. But no loss on earth seemed more significant than Vivaan's loss now to her.
" Is it necessary to go to the hospital Riha?? You look not so well dear! " , Baba asked. Maa looked concerned as well.
" OPD, baba. If I can manage though, which maybe I can, I'll return home. "
Riha hugged baba and walked out. She lay sleepily resting her head on the backrest of her car. She didn't exactly know if she was tired mentally or physically more.
Vivaan stood at the gate of the medicine OPD for a long time now, at a position from where he could see Riha completely. Neither did he move, nor call Riha. He just kept staring at her and felt the earring safe in his pocket every now and then.
Vivaan knew, Riha's face had a simplicity, a cuteness, a charm that could make his day beautiful at a go. And he could listen to her voice all day long. But after last night, he knew that Riha had a strong shoulder too, on which he could rest forever, and a comforting lap on which he could sleep without being have to worry at all.
Vivaan smiled on his own. A gush of fresh air had suddenly as if blew off the curtain of fear that surrounded him. He as if felt like jumping up and shout, " It's such a beautiful day! "
Riha sat at a desk, with a heart touching smile on face, as the patients one by one sat with their problems. Vivaan thought looking at them, " you lucky bunch! You have just met the right person today. Your day would go beautiful as well! "
Riha's eyes were watering so much. Yet she had to keep on scribbling prescriptions and smiling and listening to an immense bunch of patients before her. " Are you alright di? " , an intern asked from beside. " ...yes.." , she slowly uttered. " Next! " , she shouted to the line before and just then her eyes caught a man standing at the gate of the OPD.
All of a sudden, every ailment, every malaise vanished. An immense smile appeared on Riha's face as she saw Vivaan stare back at her and smile.
" Shreya! " , she called the intern. " Can you please tell Joy to handle my patients for the morning? I really need to get out of here! "
Shreya smiled and nodded. And within seconds Riha and Vivaan were on the streets.
" You...here? " , Riha wanted to control her excitement, she felt weak as well. Her mental tiredness vanished off but her health did really betray. " How are you? " , she asked Vivaan instead.
Vivaan slowly brought out the earring from his pocket. And handed it to her.
" Ohhh...!" , Riha cupped her face. " It dropped at your place! And I thought I had lost it. "
Vivaan uttered nothing. Only smiled.
Riha smiled back. " Coffee? Our canteen makes the best of it. "
" And yet you go to CCD? " , Vivaan smirked.
" Mr, if you remember I hadn't ordered coffee the first day we met!" Riha smirked back. And added, " and you didn't say if you slept last night."
" I did. But I see you didn't. "
Riha felt a bit embarrassed. She always felt embarrassed if someone felt that she wasn't doing much well.
" I will be better if you accompany me for a coffee." , she insisted.
Vivaan looked here and there for sometime, and then at his watch. " but... I have a meeting Riha!"
Riha's face dropped instantly. But she wasn't in a position to insist. Not any longer.
" ...okay. "
Vivaan thought something for a while. And then said, " fine. I can postpone it. Let's go for a movie today. Can you? "
Riha couldn't just believe her ears. Vivaan was asking her out for a movie! She was so startled that she said, " for a what?? "
" A movie. " , Vivaan had already started checking showtimes in his phone.
Riha wanted to laugh, cry, sing, dance, jump and hug Vivaan all at the same time but did nothing apart from uttering a small word, " Fine! "
Vivaan got up his bike which Riha was seeing for the first time. He gestured Riha to sit on the backseat. Riha got up, and very carefully wound her hands round his waist because she just had to, she was afraid of riding a bike. To her pleasant surprise, Vivaan didn't even stir at that. Riha smiled and held him tighter.
*******
Riha and Vivaan sat at the food court of Infinity Mall.
" Dosa? Seriously? Don't you eat anything apart from dosa, idli, vada, upmaa?? " , Vivaan smirked again.
Riha frowned. They finally ordered an Italian platter when they both agreed to it.
But the fact was that, Riha though felt the best with Vivaan, her health felt the worst. The theatre was air conditioned at its best and Riha had almost freezed. Vivaan had even at times gone to request the temperature to be made comfortable enough but in vain.
At present, Riha could only hear Vivaan saying something staring at some ice cream store, but the world around her gradually became blur. She wanted to hold Vivaan's hand but couldn't. Everything slowly became black as she dropped her head on the table.
Vivaan was saying, " after this I'll go for a scoop of vanilla with chocolate sauce. ", when he heard a drop beside him.
The next moment almost the whole of Infinity Mall heard an immense wail, " RIHAAA!!!!!! "
++++++++
Do feedback.