Love Deal

6. Last Touch

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Four years rolled by in the blink of an eye. Although a lot had changed around Anvi, Anvi was still the same. Her nose was always buried in her book. Her roommate, Swati, was her only connection to the outside world. She would bring in information, needs and food. Two days ago, Swati brought the best pani puri in the world. 

"Aree, but it's not the same Anvi. The essence of eating panipuri while standing at the roadside stall is lost if you carry takeaways," she complained. 

"Very soon," She replied. The truth was, she was exhausted. Every night, she would console herself. She had worked so hard that she could not let everything go to waste. So she would hold her patient for one more day, hour, or just one more minute. 

All these years, she never saw Rudra except that one dreadful day. She saw him trashing Raghuveer to the ground while Sita was crying. Sita....

Sita had to take a break from her studies because she got married...to Raghuveer. Yes, this was what she wanted, just not how she wanted it. 

She closed her eyes while resting her head on the study table. Today, she was exhausted beyond her limits. Maybe the tiredness is catching up. But she cannot give up now when her mid-semesters are just over a month away. Perhaps she will take a small nap. She dragged herself to bed and slipped into a blissful slumber. 

"Anvi.." She heard a faint voice. She did not want to wake up just yet. She just wanted a few more moments of peaceful sleep.

"Anvi bacche." She heard a male voice now. It was very faint. Why can't she have just a few more minutes of sleep?

"Anvi", this is irritating now. She groaned while opening her eyes to face the panic-stricken face of her family. Her mother's eyes were red and puffy. Her father had suddenly aged 100 years more due to worry.

"Where...I..." Anvi tries to understand the situation.

"Baccha, don't move. " her father stopped her from moving. She looked around, confused. She was not in her hostel room but in a hospital room. Her arms were attached with drips. 

"What..ha...happened?" She tried to ask but found her throat too dry to speak. " Wa..water." She wanted to convey her need.

Her mother immediately helped her sip some water and carefully laid her on the bed.

" You passed out in your hostel room with an extremely high fever. Your roommate with the college people shifted you to the hospital." Her father said while caressing her hair. " You were unconscious for five hours. We were so scared, "he whispered. 

Anvi found herself too tired to carry on a conversation. She tried to nod and closed her eyes. She needed a well-deserved rest.

To her horror, she was suffering from typhoid. The first few days were going through hell and coming back. She had an extremely high temperature. At one point, the doctors had to roll her to the ICU. After a week of hospital stay, Anvi was shifted to her home. 

"Dua...nai...khai khai", a tiny baby boy babbled in Sita's arms. This was Gola, aka Anjan Sinha, the most precious member of the Sinha household. 

"Gola, Bua will eat after some time. She is a good girl," Sita tried to console her worried son.

It has been two weeks since Anvi was discharged, yet she was bedridden. She was too weak to even walk for two minutes. She had lost taste in her tongue, losing weight rapidly, and losing her hair as well. She had no appetite, and it was a concern for baby Gola that his Bua was not eating well.

" Anvi, are you feeling well today?" Sita asked with a smile while she folded the laundry beside Anvi's bed. She was one woman devoted and dedicated to nurse Anvi back to health. 

"Sita...I don't know." a small sob slipped her lips. Sita rushed to her side.

"What is the matter, Anvi? Are you hurting somewhere? Should I call Raghu? We can go to the hospital. Just tell me, Anvi." She blurted out while trying to check her. 

"No...." Anvi tightly hugged her."I...I look so ugly...I am losing so much of Sita's hair, Sita, I feel so ugly." she broke down in Sita's arms. Sita patiently waited for Anvi to calm down.

"Anvi, do you want to shave your head? I have heard it helps. Also, it will grow back with proper diet and care." She consoled her." You are beautiful, Anvi. As a person, I have never met someone better than you." 

Avni shaved her head as watching her hair fall in bunches was painful. She looked into the mirror and cried that night. Her hair was the last place Rudra touched her.