The last drive

Part 1

Ishan Kishan gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles white against the darkness of the night. The car sped through the winding roads of the forest, a blur of headlights piercing the inky blackness around him. The news blared from the screen, a stark contrast to the turmoil inside his heart. “Prince of the Indian cricket team, Shubman Gill, is set to marry Sara Tendulkar, daughter of the legendary Sachin Tendulkar,”  ,"All Indian cricket team is hear but ishan kishan shubman best friend is no there to be seen .."the reporter’s voice echoed through the vehicle, a cruel reminder of the reality he wished he could escape.

“Best friend… fucking best friend it is ,” he muttered bitterly, the words tasting like ash in his mouth. Each syllable carried the weight of years of unspoken feelings, of laughter and memories that now felt like daggers in his heart. Images flashed in his mind: Shubman’s infectious smile, the way his eyes lit up when they were together, the moments of jealousy and possessiveness that Ishan had dared to hope meant something more. Did Shubman love him too? The thought flickered in his mind like a dying candle, only to be snuffed out by the overwhelming truth.

As he drove faster, tears streamed down his cheeks, mingling with the rush of wind that whipped through the open window. He was supposed to be at Shubman’s wedding, standing by his side as he celebrated the love he had always wanted for himself. But instead, he was alone, lost in a whirlwind of emotions he could no longer contain.

The pain was too much, and he couldn’t bear to face the celebration that should have been his. “How will I live now?” he thought, his heart aching at the prospect of hearing Shubman’s name forever intertwined with another. “I’m just the third wheel in this fairy tale. I tried… I tried so hard to tell him,” he whispered, choking on his despair. He had left hints, moments where he thought he might finally break through the wall between them, but Shubman had been too focused on Sara. The thought of it twisted the knife deeper.

Frustrated, Ishan changed the channel, hoping to distract himself. But as the next song filled the car, the lyrics felt like a cruel twist of fate.

Turn down the lights
Turn down the bed
Turn down these voices inside my head
Lay down with me
Tell me no lies
Just hold me close, don't patronize
Don't patronize me

'Cause I can't make you love me if you don't
You can't make your heart feel something it won't
Here in the dark, in these final hours
I will lay down my heart and I'll feel the power
But you won't, no you won't
'Cause I can't make you love me, if you don't

I'll close my eyes, then I won't see
The love you don't feel when you're holding me
Morning will come and I'll do what's right
Just give me till then to give up this fight
And I will give up this fight

'Cause I can't make you love me if you don't
You can't make your heart feel something it won't
Here in the dark, in these final hours
I will lay down my heart and I'll feel the power
But you won't, no you won't
'Cause I can't make you love me, if you don't

He couldn’t help but let the song resonate with his feelings. The words wrapped around him like a suffocating blanket, each line pulling him further into his despair. “I can’t make you love me if you don’t…” he sang along, his voice breaking with each note. The reality of his situation crashed down on him, heavy and suffocating. “You can’t make your heart feel something it won’t…”

With every beat, Ishan felt the weight of unfulfilled dreams and unspoken words pushing him toward a precipice he didn’t even know he was approaching. The music filled the silence of the car, drowning out the thoughts swirling in his mind, the feelings he had kept buried for too long.