Doomed

Chapter 27

        Dhruv remembered that day very clearly. In fact, he wished to forget it but he knew he couldn't. It would haunt him till he would breath his last. He suppressed that memory with brandy but it would surface again when it wore off.

      It was new years eve. He was fifteen then. The age where you're embarrassed of your parents, your body, everything. He was ashamed of his mentally ill mother. Later, he found out she had Bipolar Disorder with severe depression.

     But he didn't know then. He just thought living with his father had made her crazy. His father didn't believe in therapy and wanted to keep it under wraps.

       He walked out of the balcony with Viren. His heart clenched at the sight, a sight he often found his mother in.

      "Poor girl." Viren said.

      "Yep. Bet it's a guy who made her cry like that." Dhruv said to him.

      It was some party that his dad had dragged him to. Honestly, he didn't even know who the hosts were.

       His phone rang again and it was his mom. His mom would call him like this, when she spiralled into her illness. He would usually pick her call, she would slur her words in her drunk state and he would hear. But now, with Viren by his side, he couldn't.

       Viren had excused himself to get himself a drink. Dhruv went to the balcony which was now empty. He couldn't find that girl.

      He called his mother and she picked up and she was sobbing. He could hear her. "What happened, Mama?" He asked.

     "I'm so sorry.." she broke out in sobs. "I'm sorry." "It just hurts so much..."

"What's wrong?!" He asked in panic.

"Don't you become like your father okay? Okay?" She yelled gibberish.

"I'll be right there."

Until the time he had reached their home. He knew it was too late. There was so much blood, it smelled disgustingly like rust and he had fainted.

His mother had gone forever.

***

Aghanya was literally dragged from the room by Viren. As they reached their room, Aghanya saw the lights were still on and now she wasn't in the mood.

"I cannot believe Kushi said something like that." Aghanya slumped on the bed removing her shoes.

"Let it go. Don't take it at heart."

"That's not it, Viren. What she said to Dhruv was horrible. But what was it about? Do you know about it?" She asked.

He slumped beside her. "His mother committed suicide. We were best of friends and then he just grew distant after that. It was on new years eve. She shouldn't have dragged it out."

"That was cruel of her. I did not expect this trip to go this way."

"It's not your fault. Let's just go to sleep." He sighed and went to the bathroom.

***

Janvi was walking to the hotel back from the beach when she saw Nikhil standing there. "Hey." She said to him. She had comforted Dhruv but she couldn't comfort herself.

Kushi's behaviour in the evening had reflected her past self and Janvi didn't like her past self one bit.

"I came after you to see if you were alright, but I saw you both together."