two: glowing last hope

"My boy, I know you like pests, the small rodents and the sound they make. Won't you like to greet them and be a good boy?" He he'd said as I stared at him dumbly. "Chat with them, they must feel bored." He'd said yet again to my horror as he had pushed me into a mysterious door, the darkness sprawling over the miniature version of my real room.

As his hands went up to the knob, I fell on my knees, tears brimming my eyes, "Badepapa," I'd pleaded but it went deaf in his ears. "Please, I promise to do whatever you say. Don't leave with those rats." I had said wiping the tears furiously not wanting to give him the satisfaction of crying.

"Really? Anything?"

I nodded too naive to comprehend the hidden meaning behind his word.

"Shivaay!"

"Huh?"

"Back to Earth."

"Yeah," was my response. The fresh air hit me right on the face making me snap out of my thoughts. I shuddered as the picture of rats came into my view who crawled and nibbled on my skin for hours, the ravenous me begging for food to him as everybody else was too busy to notice the happenings. My mom was too busy with her small gatherings, Badi Maa engulfing alcohol as there is no tomorrow and rest everybody too oblivious.

"O, but I still can't believe that Sharvi is getting engaged? I mean it seems that yesterday only she was flirting with the guy wearing those tight fitting jeans and looking all junkie."

"Rudra," Om said.

"Yeah?"

"Don't believe then."

I heard a smack and forced out a smile at their playful antics. My heart was still heavy thinking about the nauseous days when living was a curse for me. My eyes started feeling heavy as I took deep breaths.

What if I was born in a normal family, where simply getting an applause from my teacher would shower a trail of appreciations? I wonder.

And what my minds tarry the most is, what if I hadn't got these two guys sitting beside me cracking lame jokes, what would my life would have been? A black hole that attracts uneasiness and is filled with so much desperation and has so much to give to someone that the other might be scared of me.

My chest rose and fell relentlessly as I looked at the duo who had stopped their ramblings.

"Shivaay, what happened? Are you okay?"

A swallowed the lump in my throat afraid that my voice will break any moment. Afraid, really afraid.

"Tell me Bhaiya, did something happened?"

"No."

"Do not lie." Om stated as he tried searching for an answer in my electric blue eyes.

"No, I am not okay." I said finally as they stared at me. "I am not okay."

"Bhaiya," Rudra started.

"Are you seeing here?" I pointed to my chest. "Its paining. A lot."

I closed my eyes for a brief second trying to calm me. I just blurted out something that I wasn't supposed to.

I looked at them, their faces etched with sadness, worry, confusion and despair at the same time.

"I am sorry. I am good. I just went with the flow, I was being dramatic." I chuckled, their faces now turning into anger.

"We are not fools."

I know. You two are the best.

I looked away scared that their eyes would made me do the unthinkable.

They were quiet. A silence settled, relaxed and slept.

"Can I ask something from you two?" I said looking at them, their faces laced with anger. They didn't reply, just kept mum. Their cold shoulder made another pang of pain shoot through me and trust me, this was more worse than the other. I wanted to breakdown that very moment. I motioned the driver to stop the car and stepped outside.

They aren't going to talk to me! They will leave me just like that. I didn't wanted to be like this, feeling weak and miserable but maybe, maybe they are tired of me. They are tired of pampering me, of listening to me. They won't bug me now, they won't just talk to me and let me be in my state.

But what I feared the most was that they will stop trying.

Just like everybody else, just like my Dadi who is in the ICU, just like her..

I heard some shuffling behind me. I took a deep breath ready to tell them that they can let me go. They don't have to hold me.

"Its okay," I choked. My back was still turned. "If- if you are tired of me, its-its okay. Uh," I said as a tear slipped my eyes, the first time in so many years voluntarily. I hastily rubbed it. It just did, because it all these years I never lost hope, I never lost my ray of sunshine but this time my last hope broke.

I wanted them to say something, just say I am wrong or anything but they were mum. Quiet.

I suddenly felt pressure on my back.

"You think so low of us Shivaay?" I heard Om's broken voice. "That we will leave you?"

"Just like that?" Rudra said quietly still hugging me.

I shook my head furiously as I hugged them with all of my strength. I closed my eyes savoring the moment.

×××

"You came!" Sharvi shouted, her tanned skin glowing in the bright sunlight.

"No we went back." Rudra retorted warily before hugging the life out of her.

"So who is the unlucky guy?"

"Here I am." We heard a tired groan from behind and turned to look at a guy carrying six fat shopping bags.

"Yash," Sharvi smiled.

"One and only." He smiled back.

Honestly I felt a small ounce of pity in that guy. Those bags sure didn't look light.

"Get ready already." She said whining looking at her wrist watch as he gave her a horrified look.

"Two hours are left." He said gasping.

"Only." She patted him as he pouted before she murmured something in his ears which turned him a light shade of red which I sure didn't wanted to hear.

"Om cover my ears. Sharvi has become so perverted. Where is the cute and innocent girl I once played Hide and Seek with?"

"Rudra, we met after I completed my graduation." She stared at him amusedly.

"Whatever. You have become so-"

"Shut up will you?" She said hitting him lightly on his shoulders.

I looked around the place as a certain figure caught my eye. The familiar face hovered around my mind again as I felt my heart beat quicken.

It just my imagination, I soothed myself.

Heyaa everyone. Sincere apologies for being a tad bit late. I hope this chapter satisfied you. Vote, Comment, Share and Love.