The Addiction of Love

I

I've been freaking trying to reach you for the past two hours. Where the hell are you? Call me as soon as you see this. It is urgent.

Misha Darwish read the text of her childhood best friend, Kiaan Malik, and frowned at the word urgent. There were also six missed calls from him. She took off her doctor's coat and stethoscope, washed her hands, and gathered her belongings before bidding bye to her fellow doctor colleagues. She walked out of the hospital she worked in after a really long day.

Getting in the driver's seat of her car, that she had recently bought with her hard-earned money, and connecting her phone with the car bluetooth, she dialed Kiaan's number. He answered in the second ring.

"So you do remember me?" His sarcastic voice came from the car speaker.

She maneuvered her car out of the parking lot into the busy streets of Delhi. "Cut out your drama. I was in surgery."

"Are you free now?" He asked.

"Yes, tell me what was so urgent?" She spoke.

"Are you ready for it?" He said in an exciting voice.

"Yeah!"

"I'm coming to Delhi."

"What do you mean by coming to Delhi? Like a holiday?" She questioned while pressing on the brakes to stop the car on the red signal.

"Not like a holiday. I'm shifting to Delhi." He cleared.

She went quiet for a minute, processing the new information.

"Mish, you there?" He asked.

"Are you serious? You're not playing a prank on me, right?" She carefully asked.

He chuckled. "You remember the promotion I was talking about last month. Well, it is happening. They're making me the head of the finance department. But for that, I'll have to join the Delhi branch. So.."

"So you're telling me that they are giving you a bigger designation, increasing your salary and sending you to Delhi. That is like that best package deal ever!" Misha would be jumping up and down in excitement but she couldn't as she was driving.

"Yup. So I'll shift there next week." He told her.

"I cannot wait."

When Misha reached home, she parked her car in the garage and ran inside. She was greeted by her parents watching television in the living room.

"Maa, you won't believe it." Misha's voice was filled with excitement.

"I know. Kiaan is coming." Her mother, Aamna, smiled at her daughter.

Misha pouted sadly as her mother already knew and looked at her father, Ramza Darwish. "Kiaan's mother called to inform us." He told her daughter.

Almost three decades ago, a newly married couple, Zahra and Amir Malik, had moved into the bungalow beside the Darwish's. Aamna and Zahra befriended each other very quickly and the husbands got along as well. A few years later, both Zahra and Aamna got pregnant and gave birth to Kiaan and Misha months apart. Because they were neighbors, and their families were close as well, it was natural that both the kids grew up together. They went to the same school, had the same group of friends, studied together, partied together. Basically, Kiaan and Misha had grown up together. But before they could start their college, Kiaan's family had to shift to Bangalore because of his father's job. Misha was scared that they would drift apart if they stayed in different cities, but thankfully it didn't happen. Yes, they met very rarely, but they stayed connected through video calls. Distance couldn't kill their friendship because they both put in efforts equally.

They both were just 17 years old when Kiaan had left, and now, nine years later, he was coming back to Delhi. To live in a city that was filled with their memories. And Misha could not be anymore excited about it.

After having dinner with her parents, she went to room and changed into a pair of comfortable pyjamas. Stepping into the balcony attached to her room, she looked straight and saw the bungalow that had been empty for nine years. Even after the Maliks left, they decided not to sell their place as it was Kiaan's first home. Just in front of Misha's bedroom was Kiaan's bedroom, and their balconies were facing each other. Misha remembered all the numerous nights that they had spent sitting on their respective balconies, counting the stars and talking about the moon. And now, with him coming back, they could do all these again.

____________

Kiaan rolled his charger wire around his fingers and placed it inside his luggage before zipping it.

"It's time to leave." Zahra, his mother, spoke.

He turned around and found her standing on the threshold of his room with a sad smile.

"Yeah," He looked around his almost empty room. All his stuff was cramped into five suitcases that he was taking with him.

Zahra walked closer to her and stood in front of him. He entwined their fingers and said to her, "Aap bhi chalo mere saath."

Zahra chuckled, "Aur tumhare papa akele kaise rahenge?"

That was true. Amir was still hopelessly in love with his wife and couldn't go a day without her. Amir was the CFO of a bank and there was still a year left in his retirement.

"Apna khayal rakhna. Aur khana time par khana. Mai Misha se phone par tumhari kharab leti rahungi." Zahra warned her son while caressing his cheek.

He leaned into his mother's warm touch. "Aacha! Matlab aapko apne bete se zyada bharosa Misha par hai?"

"Bilkul. Tum se zyada pyari aur zimmedar hai woh."

Kiaan knew that Zahra loved Misha like her own daughter. And daughter's are always more close to the parents' hearts than sons.

Before leaving, Kiaan gave a long hug to Amir and Zahra and also wiped the tears that had escaped her eyes. He hated leaving his parents, but the job opportunity was too great to let go. And it was only a matter of a year. After his father retired, he'd be taking them to Delhi with him.

After he was done with the security check at the airport, he fished out his phone from his pocket and dropped a text to Misha about the same. She replied back instantly with a thumbs up emoji. He was surprised that she responded so quickly. A doctor's life is quite hectic, and he was not used to getting these immediate replies from her. So he asked her about it, to which she replied to him that she had taken an off from the hospital so that she could pick him up from the airport. This made him smile.

He was sad about living away from his parents, but everything has a positive side. Of course his job was a major positive, but other than that what was making him happy about going back to Delhi was Misha. When he had to leave with his family for Bangalore, he was devastated over the fact that he would have to leave her as well. It was really tough for him to adjust in a new city, mainly because he didn't know how to live without Misha.

His boarding started soon after and before he knew it, he was seated in a flight that was taking him to Delhi, to a city where his best friend was.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

There, you have it. The introduction to our lovely protagonists.

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