Hues Of Dusk

Chapter 108. Pinky Promise

It was 8am and Ved hadn't yet replied to my texts. I checked my phone multiple times, called him too but there was no sign of him being online. I was getting a weird feeling in my stomach since midnight, but I ignored it by taking it as my nervousness of meeting Natural Heater in college.

I couldn't even eat the breakfast properly for which I received a nice scolding from Mom. She packed more lunch in my tiffin and warned me not to bring back any food. I nodded absentmindedly and exited the house after grabbing my scooter keys and helmet.

I took out my phone once more to check if there was any reply to my messages when I heard a loud screech of car tyres in my pavement. Within seconds, Shreyas and Shree were out of their Mustang and dragging me with them.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"There is no time for questions. Just come with us," Shree said.

"But I have to go to college. And you guys should too."

While I was struggling to know why I was getting kidnapped by my friends in the broad daylight, the twins were making calls simultaneously and murmuring something. They loaded me in the back seat, and Shree took the driver's seat, while Shreyas sat beside me.

"Don't panic, okay?" he said.

"Just tell her, will ya?" Shree started the car.

"What's going on? Did something happen to Ved?"

"He is in the hospital," Shreyas said.

"What?! How did he... no, what the hell are you saying? He was fine yesterday then what happened suddenly? And why didn't anyone inform me earlier? Is that why he didn't see my texts? Is he okay? He isn't dying, right? Oh no, what am I supposed to do-"

Shreyas put his palm over my mouth to shut me up. "Relax, woman. He is all fine; his dad suffered a stroke in the early morning and had to be hospitalized immediately. We are taking you there only."

"Drive faster then."

"You want me to run over everyone on the street?" Shree snapped.

Shreyas wrapped an arm over my shoulders, and Shree picked up Nikhil from his home. He also looked disheveled after hearing the news but assured me that everything was going to be okay. Till the time we reached the hospital, Shree was on the verge of exploding after hearing me cry throughout the ride.

"Are you done?" he asked me after we got out of the car.

"Don't be so rude, bro. She is just worried," Nikhil argued.

"I know that, okay? Ved is already dealing with a lot, and if he sees her crying rivers, he will lose his shit," Shree said. "We have to support him."

"He is right." I nodded and wiped my tears.

Shreyas guided us towards the VIP ward where Ved's father was being operated on. In the waiting area, we met Parth, Karthik and Krittika Aunty. She told us that she would inform us when the doctors would come out, so we could go and check on Ved; he was the one who needed more attention.

"I have tried to cheer him up, but he is getting more depressed by each passing second. I don't know how to make him understand that his dad won't leave him," she said painfully.

"Don't worry, Aunty. Now that Sandhya is here, she will handle it." Shreyas smiled.

What? Me?

I thought of expressing my doubt, but my friends shot me a warning look, and after taking updates from Krittika Aunty, they took me to the room where Ved was. Nikhil told me to call them if the situation got out of my hands; they would be right outside.