REGRETS: An Unspoken Longings

NOTHING IS SAME

Arjun’s Point of View

It had been weeks since Veer had started pulling away from everyone, but in the last few days, it had gotten worse. At first, I thought it was just the stress of everything that had happened—the fights, the guilt, the promise to Suhani's parents—but now I knew it was more than that.

Veer was a shadow of the person he used to be. He was quieter, always lost in his thoughts, and every time I looked at him, there was this emptiness in his eyes that I had never seen before. It was like the light in him had gone out, and no matter what I did, I couldn’t bring it back.

I watched as he avoided everyone, including Suhani. He would pass by her without a word, his eyes downcast, shoulders slumped like he was carrying the weight of the world. It hurt to see him like this, to know that he was suffering so much and that he wouldn’t let anyone in.

He’d grown weaker physically too. His hands would shake sometimes, especially when he thought no one was looking. He’d lost weight, and his clothes hung off him like they were too big. The circles under his eyes were dark and heavy, telling me he hadn’t been sleeping. When I asked him about it, he just brushed it off, saying he was fine, but I knew he wasn’t.

Today, I had decided I couldn’t just stand by and watch anymore. I needed to talk to him, to get him to open up, to do something before it was too late. I headed to his room, hoping that I could get through to him, that I could find the right words to pull him back from the edge.

As I reached his door, I noticed that it was slightly ajar, something that immediately set me on edge. Veer was always careful about closing his door, especially recently. A bad feeling settled in the pit of my stomach as I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The room was dark, the curtains drawn tight to keep out any light. The only sound was the faint hum of the ceiling fan as it spun lazily above. My eyes adjusted to the dimness, and that’s when I saw him.

Veer was lying on the floor, his body half-slumped against the bed. His face was pale, almost ghostly, and his eyes were closed. My heart stopped, a wave of panic washing over me as I rushed to his side.

“Veer!” I shouted, dropping to my knees beside him. I shook him gently, then more urgently when he didn’t respond. “Veer, wake up! Come on, man, wake up!”

His skin was cold to the touch, and his breathing was shallow, barely noticeable. My mind was racing, trying to figure out what had happened, what I could do to help him. That’s when I noticed the bottle of sleeping pills lying on the floor next to him, the cap off, and several pills scattered across the carpet.

No. No, no, no.

“Veer, please,” I begged, shaking him again, harder this time. “Don’t do this. You can’t do this.”

I felt my heart hammering in my chest as I quickly checked for a pulse. It was there, faint but steady. Relief washed over me, but it was short-lived. He needed help, and he needed it now.

I fumbled for my phone, my hands shaking as I dialed for an ambulance. My voice was frantic as I gave them the details, trying to keep myself together long enough to make sure they knew how serious this was. Once they assured me they were on their way, I hung up and turned my attention back to Veer.

“Come on, Veer, stay with me,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “You’re going to be okay, just hang on.”

I grabbed a blanket from the bed and wrapped it around him, trying to keep him warm as I waited for the paramedics to arrive. My mind was racing with a thousand thoughts, a thousand regrets. How had I missed this? How had I let it get this far? I should have seen the signs, should have done something sooner.