Estranged | ✓

→ ch 5 | his secret - part II

His Secret — 02. kids in love

anupamaa:

"What?", I asked softly, wishing this was some kind of a nightmare.

He simply wrapped his arms around me. Resting his forehead on my shoulder, pulling me close.

"I.. I got to know.. three months back.. there's a valve malfunction.. if I go for surgery, there's just a twenty to thirty percent chance I live..", he mumbled, almost breaking down.

"And.. you didn't.."

"I didn't want to hurt you.. I-I can't watch you die everyday of the four years I breath..", he mumbled, I could feel his tears trickling down as they dropped on my arm.

I felt numb, frozen.

He looked up finally.
He brushed my hair back, and held my face with both his hands, his eyes boring into mine as the silver moonlight bathed us.

"I-I am sorry, Anupamaa.. I wanted to grow old with you and you know stay in some random countryside riding horses and sipping green tea.. but.. I mean I am fifty and all but that's a different story—"

I placed my lips on his, desperately.
My hands on both sides of his face.
He simply gave in, as we shut our eyes, just feeling each other, cherishing it like it was our last kiss.
As if, he had been yearning for me, for ages. His arms tightened around my waist, mine rested on his shoulder now.
He tasted of strawberries today.
My favourite flavour.
Sometimes I wondered if it was really always a co incidence.

We parted after a while, breathing heavily.

"We will go to the doc tomorrow..", I mumbled, his arms still around my bare waist, mine around his neck.

"Anu, the doctor will say the same thing.", He replied looking up with pained eyes.

"I have contacted every top cardiologist in the country, online appointments with the best from all over the world.. everyone says the same.", He said.

"But how?! You are this fit! You exercise regularly, you go to gym, you quit smoking!", I said, almost a rebellion.
He placed his hand on my cheek, holding my face.

"It's a genetic anomaly. It had been there since long, my smoking had elevated it, but now it has started affecting my body.", He whispered.

"You can't die, Vanraj Shah! You are you! How can you just randomly die?! You are the kind you'd fall off the cliff and come back with only a broken hand or something that heals in a couple of weeks! You can't—"

"Let's go in, Anu.", He whispered as he slowly stood up.
He gave me a hand.
I clasped it tightly.

"We have four years. That's a long time.", He said as I stood up.
He forced a smile.
"You need sleep. You're tired.", He added.

He lovingly tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear.

"And you will tell no one of this.", He added.
"But—"
He placed his finger on my lips.
"Toshu is working on his new project with Kinjal and is already trying hard to be a good Dad, Samar is managing your academy and his girlfriend which is definitely a big deal.. and Pakhi, for once, is studying instead of making stupid Instagram reels. I can't let them lose the momentum of their lives for me."