The Love Maze

35) Bitter Flashes

Rishi's POV

With each minute of the call, the room was closing on me as my heart pounded too fast for my own good.

"I'm begging you. You can hate me all you want. But please, stop—", my voice cracked as I shouted.

Suddenly, the line went dead with a deafening screech. Her single scream turned my blood to cold ice.

"Moonbeam...?"

Silence has never been this terrifying when my own voice reverted.

Then, faint, agonizing groans filtered through the phone.

"Hey?—hey, I'm here. Speak to me, please", my shivering hands could barely hold the phone.

"Ri-shi?"

"Where are you? Tell me where you are", I urged, my voice shaking as I grabbed the car keys.

"I... don't know."

"Try, moonbeam. Look around. Anything you see"

"Dark... it's all dark"

Within two steps, the strong nausea hit back, my vision twisting as I stumbled. Pain surged through me, and I crashed to the hard floor.

"—Am I dying?" she breathed slowly.

"No!! Listen to me, you can't give up. You can't leave me"

"It hurts", she broke crying out loudly, "I'm so scared"

My chest tightened with a kind of panic I prayed never to experience again, my limbs heavy and unresponsive.

Why did I get wasted? Why did I let her walk out on me tonight!? How could I break her trust?

Minute by minute, her sobs grew low along with the sounds of her breathing.

"I'll g-et you...", I groaned, reaching for the phone that slid away.

However, my fingers felt numb, disconnected from my body.

The alarm continued to wail in the background noise as we both tried to stay awake.

"Rish, I can't... ", her cry was terrifyingly weak this time.

She was slipping away from me, torturously slow and unbearably real.

If this was really our final moment, I wish destiny had mercy to let me hold her at least.

"Shh... I will see you again, moonbeam. You will finish your story. You will do every fucking thing you dreamt of "

"Promise?"

"I promise... I'll do anything for you—for a perfect life with the choice that's actually right for you"

With tears flowing down my face, I crawled towards the phone to do the right thing.

~

"Roo? Rishi...Wake up!!!"

As someone shook me vigorously, my senses snapped into focus, and I jolted upright, panic coursing through my veins.

Tears pooled at the corners of my eyes as I struggled to catch my breath.

"Guess, you were having a bad dream", Kyra touched my arm gently as an act of support.

My mind was too far away to understand where I was right now or to acknowledge that she was talking to me.

I lost her.

"I have to go. I couldn't...", I buried my face in my hands, trying to get those images off my head.