ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜰᴇᴇʟɪɴɢ ᴡʜᴇɴ [ᴇɴ- ᴘᴏʟʏ]

Bonus: One Year Anniversary

4th April 2024. 
One year ago.
Time passed by so quickly. We finished part 1 with 145 chapters, crossed 360k, and even started the rewritten version. All of this had been possible only because of you guys. TFW has given me so much till now. A large group of audience, many of whom have become my friends. 

Not to mention it gave me the two best things in life. One, my passion for writing. Second, my soulmate starillusion13. One recurring daydream in classes, and now life actually feels more lively because of TFW.

Thank you for supporting me till now. And I hope we go to the end together as well. 

Now let's come here to the chapter. I was planning this for a long time. And what better than today? 

This is the route two from my 'Delusional Vents' chapter where things go south after Leah wakes up in the hospital. I promised I would drop a snippet of my original plan. Here it is. But remember, the personalities will adhere to the characters of this book and not the new ones. 

Let's get right into it.

*****************

The pounding in my head was so raw I could feel it even in sleep. It was thumping like a separate heartbeat. But instead of giving life, it seemed to be crushing the remaining bit out of me. Maybe, if I opened my eyes and felt the cool air in them, the burn would go down?

I shifted with all of my strength. Or at least tried to. My whole body felt like lead, refusing to move even the slightest. The only sense of relief came from the soft surface under me.
And the hand over my head.

I moved instinctively, turning my head into the palm. The touch was gentle, soothing even. The fingers pressed down on the right spots, exactly where it hurt the most. A soft string of whispers fell into my ears, becoming clearer with each passing second.

There you are...

... my darling...

... it's okay. You'll be fine...

"Can you open your eyes for me?"

Just the soft tone of it gave me enough will to crack my eyes open. The lights were blinding at first, making me shut them again. But the hand didn't stop. Neither did the encouraging words. They kept going—stroking my head, whispering.

I finally managed to crack them open again, and this time, kept them open. Peeking at the person beside me, I tried to take in his features. But it was all too blurry. All I could tell was that it was a man. And his presence evoked a sense of comfort within me. I turned further to my side, away from the glaring lights, closer to him. But a sharp pain in my hand made me jerk.

"Shh, shh. Don't move much."

He put my right hand back to my side. And the movement made me feel the stiffness in the back of my hand. It felt heavy as well, aching even when I moved my fingers. But it was soon gone out of my mind. Soft lips pressed to my temple. I might've stiffened for a split second before melting. He pulled me close, holding the other side of my head.

"Few more minutes, hmm? Do you want to sit up?"

I hummed. He retreated back for a second before the bed under me started lifting up. I clutched the bedsheet tighter, eyes becoming more alert with the movement. Propped up against the pillows now, I blinked hard, trying to make sense of where I was.

The room had wooden paneling on the ceilings. It was spacious, with a coffee table and a huge couch at the side. The many monitors on the bedside and the IV line in my hand were the only indicators that it was a hospital room.