He waited patiently in the hospital corridor in hopes for the positive news.
True he asked her to go away from him but he never knew she would try go that far away.
"Jo Tum na ho. . ." He unknowingly muttered her favourite song.
"Rahenge Hum bhi nah...
"Kanya ko bulaiye." The priest announced causing soft buzz around. (Please, call the bride.)
"Ishita." Her mother whispered as her baby girl stepped down the stairs. The hall went silent admiring her beauty.
Clad in beautiful red bridal dress, golden jewelleries adoring her ears and necks, soft makeup touches highlighting her cheekbones and the most important her downcasted gaze adding the humble touch.
Many heart skip a beat, girls fumbled in jealousy and the groom smiled to himself thinking about all wicked ways he could do with such beauty.
But unknown to all, her heart cried longing for him.
Her eyelids hiding her red eyes proof of her sleepless night.
The make up touches hiding her swollen eyes proof her continuous cries.
She shut her eyes tight as her mother pecked her forehead.
She fisted her lehenga as her father passed her a teary eyes.
She asked for his forgiveness as her brother guided her to the mandap to her would be groom.
She mechanically perform the rituals, ignoring the teasing from her cousins and the hungry looks from the man beside her.
She smiled as image infront of her turned blurry.
"Ab kanya ka maagbhariye." (You can fill her partition now.)
She smiled hearing him whisper her name in that chaos.
The red colour in his pinch was coming near her partition and as she timed her body refused to sit.
Two pairs of arm warped around her. One balancing her while other patting her cheeks softly.
Seeing tears on his eyes gabe some kind of relief to her.
"Na chahiye kuchhtumsezyaada tumse kam nahi."She whispered before closing her eyes. (I don't want anything more than you, neither less than you.)
Taking her on his arms, he rushed toward the door as her brother ran along them with car keys in his hand.
"I will die without you, Raman. Please don't leave me." Echoing in his ears.
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"Doctor. Doctor." His shouts echoed in the hallway as he cried with her lifeless body in his arms.
Some wardboy came with a stretcher his arms empty in no seconds as they put her in the bed. Doctors and nurses rushed inside the operating room, the red light glowed asking everyone undivided attention.
He felt a hand on his shoulder, nodding softly with his teary eyes to her brother both of them sat on the chair.
Her parents came rushing to them asking about her whereabouts and they silently pointed toward the operation door. Her father trying to sooth her mother's soft sobs; he closed his eyes tight pressing his head on the wall behind him.
"Raman" he hummed as his best friend took his name praying for his sister's good health "Do you know why did she do that?"
He gulped the lump in his throat, shaking his head as the words didn't left his throat.
"I thought she was happy." Her father whispered "You should have just told me once Ishita, I would have declined that alliance."
"Raman, they want me to marry him. Please tell them you love me."
He stood up with a jerk as her voice echoed in his mind.
"I will get coffee for everyone" He said feeling their eyes on him.
"I will help you." Her brother joined him maybe too anxious to sit there.
"Four cup coffee." He muttered passing a two thousand bill to the man behind the canteen cabinet. He took the seat beside his friend as they waited.
Even with the chatter going on the canteen, he could only hear her voice. His mind going back in time.
"Raman, I love you."
Jo tum na ho Rahenge hum nahin Jo tum na ho Toh hum bhi hum nahin Na chahiye kuch tumse zyada Tumse kum nahin
Jo tum na ho... Jo tum na ho... Jo tum na ho.
(I am not myself without you; I won't be able to live without you; I don't want anything more than you, neither less than you; Without you . . . Without you . . . Without you. . . )
