Can't I Touch Your Heart?

Chapter 35 The Recovery

Ember sat on his bed with an empty glass tumbler between his hands, his bangs fell over his eyes, diminishing the blue in the darkness. Loraine sat beside him as the soft morning sunlight fell over his golden hair. It had rained heavily that night, so the morning was colder than other mornings. Ember had wrapped a silk shawl around his shoulders, Loraine stared at him, 

"We should return to the States and call Elford-"
"No," Ember reacted immediately, "Not yet,"
"What's the problem with that?"
"I do not want to leave India yet," Ember looked at him, "There's so much left to do,"

"What's there in this third world country that is keeping you from leaving?"
Ember smiled and looked down, "People...I like spending time with,"
"Lemme get this straight, we don't have a lot of time, especially now that it's starting to get worse," Loraine grabbed the glass tumbler from him and kept it back on the table.

"And you know those people will abandon you the moment they find out how fucked up you are," He slammed the door, leaving him alone. Ember looked into his phone and saw Rhea's text on his notification bar. He kept his phone aside and tried to get up from his bed. He pressed his hands on the mattress and pushed himself up. He got up on his feet and walked towards the window. 

"Just one more year, please just one more year. I have so much to tell you...Rhea,"

"I had so many ideas," Rhea stood in her balcony while Neel ate some seasoned lentils, "Next time, use a sketchbook. It's good for practice and is handy. You first imitate what you can see in the real world to draw what you see inside of you. That's how art is mastered, learned through imitation but given wings by imagination," Neel preached.

"You mean I should try painting real things first?"
"Yeah, try still life art,"
"Still life?"
"Like painting a vase or flowers,"

While she submerged herself in painting, she learned to cope with Ember's absence. But, every time her mind wandered, it stopped at him. She felt anxious, 

'You disappeared all of a sudden...And I have no way to contact you except this number.
You can leave me anytime, and I would be completely helpless. I kind of wished I hadn't given this power to you.
The power to destroy me.

"I will fight for you,"
"I know you will, Rhea,"
Rhea opened her paint box and looked outside her window. Mrs Laghari knocked on the door "You're not going to school?" She asked.

"No, I don't feel like going," Rhea continued painting.
"Go to school," Her father ordered and she kept the paintbox aside. She splashed some water on her eyes, still thinking about Ember. She felt like a forsaken lover. Even though they never dated, he never said he loved her, she felt abandoned. 

As she paddled her way, the roads seemed particularly dry even though it had rained last night. Where was he? With his other white friends, where he felt much more at home? Or with his family because well, they are his family, his home. Was he eating well? Because he was as thin as a stick. Was he still painting? A month had gone by without any texts or conversations. Everyone around seemed to forget his name as if he was an illusion that never existed. All the memories she had with him, there was no proof of them. Not even a picture. 

She remembered their last conversation under the bridge, where he refused to paddle the bicycle. Was he embarrassed to carry an Indian girl around? Did it hurt his pride? Did she do something wrong? What was it? How could she fix it? She was ready to apologise. Only if he would look at her again. 

She sat in her classroom, looking outside. Nikki came to her, "So, how's Ember?" She asked with an ice cream bar in her hand.
"He's...really good,"
"Cool. Sorry, I couldn't come that day. My aunt came over," 
"Yeah. Could you leave me alone for a bit?"