• ADVIKA •

If you hadn't known this, you'd question your existence when you're forced to sit idly and overthink during circumstances like taking a day off from college and trying to cure your mild fever.

That was what I was doing at my house, sending off my best friend to the college— hoping that she'd teach me in the evening what I had missed— and rewatching Me Before You in a bid to traumatise myself.

Just then, I heard my mobile ping— a sign that further trauma was on the way for me.

A message from Aadya Chatterjee.

aadyachats ✓:
Hello, Dear. Just stopped by to tell you that where the wife went, there goes the husband. Bye!

Where the wife went, there goes the husband? What did that mean? If Ishaan was the husband, was I the wife? Or, was that Maahi? Are Ishaan and Maahi going to reunite? Or, was Aadya Chatterjee planning to give a green signal for our relationship?

Just then, a new surge of thoughts— which could potentially fit the sentence— entered my mind, which in turn brought realisation into me.

Before I could even react to it, the light and fan and TV switched off out of the blue due to the electricity going off. I switched on the mobile data in my mobile, only to realise later that I depleted my 1.5 GB of mobile data half an hour ago.

Then, an idea struck my mind and I dialled Aarvi, acting faster than usual. Four to five rings later, the automated voice message of Airtel was what I heard. Even before the lady could completely tell me that she couldn't pick up my call, I disconnected and dialled again. Then, that time, the call connected.

“Hello?” I heard a low-decibel whisper from her: a sign that she was in the classroom.

“Bro? I need your help. Could you please play You Belong With Me for me?”

“Bitch, are you serious or what?” She whispered an “I'm watching my tone” one. “No way that— Wait.” She raised her voice a little and came back to her whisper as she asked, “Is everything alright?” Knowing that one “No” wouldn't suffice for what I wanted to explain, I chose to be mum while she added, “Okay, fine. Wait.”

A few footsteps and a granted permission to the restroom later, I heard Aarvi— in a louder whisper— asking, “You ready?”

I hummed in response, giving my consent.

A few seconds later, I heard the guitar portion of You Belong With Me while I knew that I was already making it to his world.

***

“What do you mean, Advika?” was the first thing Ishaan asked when I dialled his office number from his landline at his house and confessed everything I knew. “Now… Okay, I'll come there now. We'll go to his house. Bye! Love you.”

Fifteen minutes later, he came in his red convertible car and we rushed to our destination, giving zero fucks to our safety.

Nearly ten minutes later, we reached the destination. Ishaan pressed the doorbell but nobody answered. I knocked on the door repeatedly, but again, nobody answered. Finally, to check if the door was locked for real, Ishaan turned the doorknob, and…

The first thing we saw was red. A crimson red liquid was flowing down the white marbled floor which led us to a man lying on the floor with his right hand holding a small pocket knife, leaving the very same red liquid drain out of my face the moment I realised that it was Ved lying there almost lifeless.

***

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