Moonflower

CHAPTER 33

She curled her toes and her fingers, holding a bag of clothes, fidgeted awkwardly as she stood in front of her brother at the parking ground after being discharged from the hospital. Rishabh, who was standing three feet apart, was himself in a predicament as to what stance he should shape his body into; whether he should casually fold his hands or hold his head high in authority.

Their eyes met when Mehek finally decided to break the silence, "So..."

"Mehek!" Rishabh interrupted.

She blinked at her brother in silence.

He fumbled with words, "Will you forgive-"

"Bhaiya, I know I have been mad at you for leaving us like that and not being there for me when I needed you the most but," Mehek took a long breath, "Was there ever a time when you needed...me?"

Rishabh's pupils dilated in bewilderment.

Mehek gently smiled as she lowered her gaze, "I know that you and dad were really close. It must have been hard for you too."

As soon as those words fell on his ears, his stiff body was loose. Rishabh opened his mouth to speak but he was at a loss of words. His body was shivering in so many contradictory emotions that his brain malfunctioned into procreating words that would have been enough to express the sentiments of the moment.

"So please, don't go looking for Ayaan's brother."

Just one sentence and Rishabh lost all the value of those emerging sentiments.

"Things have already been hard for everyone and there is no meaning in you killing his brother in spite of revenge."

"How did you know about that?" Rishabh blurted in surprise and annoyance.

"You were really loud and angry outside the room when Ayaan had come by," Mehek responded calmly.

Rishabh, utterly stupefied, was getting angrier.

"DON'T YOU KNOW WHAT THAT BASTARD'S BROTHER DID TO YOU?!" He took a few steps forward.

"His brother shooting me had nothing to do with Ayaan and I am alright now. If something would have happened to me then you could have done whatever you wished to but I am alive and breathing, so, let it go. Don't make things more difficult for you than they already are."

Her brother sighed worriedly in disappointment, "You have changed, Mehek."

Mehek shook her head, "Actually, I am back to being me again."

"Doesn't the truth surprise you even a little?"

"It does. Of course, it does but there is someone else who is suffering more than I am because of the same truth."

Rishabh raised his eyebrows in question.

Mehek's face tensed up, "Where can I find Ayaan?"

"YOU ARE GOING TO HIM?" Rishabh held both of his sister's arms in an attempt to stop her.

"He needs me," Mehek said softly as her worrisome gaze begged to know his whereabouts.

Rishabh's determination was no match to those eyes and he dropped his arms. After being informed on Ayaan's location, Mehek was already running in the opposite direction but in the process of her thoughts, she slowed down and gave a sudden halt. She turned around to look at her brother and gave a shout, "About us, I don't know who needs to forgive and who needs to be forgiven but bhaiya, if you ever need me, I will be there for you."

Saying that, Mehek was out of sight.

~

Mehek was looking all around the place while standing on the side of the street where the address had bought her to. She had asked a few people around but it wasn't that helpful because she had reached a dead end of a street surrounded by walls of back sides of the houses. She was back to the T-Section of the road and traveled to the other side. This time, she immediately spotted the house she was looking for. It was a single-storey house with a lot of open space around. Mehek rushed towards the main door in the hope of meeting Ayaan soon.

Trisha, who was about to leave on her scooter, quickly applied brakes when she recognized Mehek standing by the door. Mehek had become uneasy and restless when she saw the door was locked. When Trisha came over, she recognized her a beat later as the girl who knows Ayaan.

"You are Mehek, right?" Trisha asked.

"This is Ayaan's younger brother's house, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Do you know where Ayaan is?" Mehek asked anticipatedly.

"I don't know. He went somewhere yesterday."

"WHAT!? HOW COULD YOU GUYS LEAVE HIM ALONE LIKE THAT!" Mehek had lost her cool. She squirmed around desperately as she placed her hands on her forehead in a worrisome gesture. She rushed to the back of the house in search of him but there was no sign of him. She was about to turn around and go back when she noticed a familiar plant that was blooming with white flowers.

Moonflowers.

Mehek's eyes turned moist when she was welcomed with the sweet scent of the flowers and the touch of the soft petals carved a sad smile on her face. She plucked a flower and lurched back to the front and in no time, was out on the streets to look for Ayaan.

"What is this anxious feeling that keeps growing inside me?" Mehek balled her hand, holding the Moonflower, into a fist.

"Mehek, this time, can you come and save me from myself?"

"No, he wouldn't!" The ground beneath Mehek felt like it was slipping away, "He wouldn't think of...he is not planning to..."

"Is Ayaan going to kill himself?"