Hues Of Dusk

Chapter 79. Don't act stubborn

I thought my immune system was strong, but now that I had been down with a fever for about a week, I concluded that I should stop overestimating it. Usually, I didn't fall sick that much but whenever I did, it was nothing less than hell.

"Sandhu, why are you still on the laptop? Didn't I tell you to rest?" Mom scolded while coming in my room.

"I am fine, mom. I will just make the PPT in half an hour and then rest," I assured.

She shook her head when I began coughing violently, feeling like my lungs would come out of my mouth any second. I calmed down after a few minutes and gave her a sheepish smile. Five out of six days left for the project submission passed by in a blur and tomorrow was the deadline.

I had to take a leave from college for two days after I couldn't bear the cold anymore, and Ved was chewing my head for not listening to him. I wanted to hit him but I had no strength left, so I requested Mehta Sir to grant me a sick leave and have been home for two days now.

Apart from Ved, Surbhi and Parth also scolded me for acting like an idiot when I was not fine. I understood the concerns of my best friends, but what about Ved? Why was he acting like he was really worried about me?

What was going on in his mind? Why was he being so nice to me? I wanted to dismiss it as one of his tactics or gameplay, but his actions seemed genuine. I didn't expect my enemy to take care of me; why would he?

Was there something else that I was missing?

"Sandhu," Mom's voice interrupted my brainstorming.

"Yeah?"

"Wear more warm clothes, you are shaking badly."

On her command, I put on one more sweater on my already three layers of warm clothing and tied a navy blue scarf around my head, covering my ears tightly. Mom laughed at me as I dressed myself like a scarecrow and told me that I looked like my grandmother.

"I am going to my room, if you need anything, call me. And don't stress yourself. I don't understand why you are doing a group project alone," she mumbled.

"Chill, Ma (mom). You go, I will handle it."

She nodded and left my room, closing the door on her way. After she left, I got back to work but my body started aching badly after some time. I sneezed, coughed and the cycle repeated over and over. I seriously hate getting sick.

I still had some work left to do, but my body was begging me to rest. I checked the time on my wall clock: 5:07 pm. I calculated the amount of time it would require me to complete my task and went to my bed.

With the thought of a quick nap, I pulled the quilt over me. I closed my eyes but sleep was nowhere near. The worry of not being able to make the presentation and losing marks didn't let me rest, so I got up and went to my study table again.

I was about to sit on my chair when I heard a soft knock on my door. I wondered why mom would knock when it was only two of us in the house. I went to my door and opened it.

I blinked rapidly when I saw my group members standing in front of me. Ved was smiling brightly while Ayush and Nikhil had a blank expression on their faces.

"Hey, Grandma," Ved greeted.

"Why are you guys here?" I asked in a nasally voice.

"Aunty called me and informed me that you were really sick. So, we are here to help you," Nikhil replied in a plain tone.

I sighed. Mom... She didn't had to. Well, the situation was already awkward but inviting the guys over was worse.

"It is okay, you guys don't need to bother," I said.