Don't Love Me √

Keep Me From Dying

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.