Coming Home!!

Chapter 56

Ayaan searched for Inaaya backstage. Everyone was getting ready and running around to make all the necessary arrangements. He found her sitting on a prop fiddling with her heart-shaped pendant. He sat on his knees in front of her saying, "Hey, you okay?"

She nodded but he saw her hands shaking. He held them tightly. She swallowed, "There are many people out there. I think I'll get sick now"

She felt butterflies in her stomach. He held her shoulders and stared at her saying, "Repeat after me. I am going to be fine. Everything will be great. I can do this"

She chanted the same as he made her take her position. He went to take his position when a short girl came up to Inaaya. She smiled at her saying, "AK is such a good boyfriend"

Inaaya shook her head, "It is not AK. It is Ayaan. And yes, he is good"

"Good luck, she wished her before running to someone. Inaaya was confused because she had not seen the girl before. As she was thinking about that, the music started playing. She looked in Ayaan's eyes when spotlight fell on them. Her nervousness had disappeared. Her heart believed that he would not let anything go wrong. She felt two of them dancing in spotlight while rest of the world disappeared in dark. Their movement were synced with the rhythm. When the performance ended, the audience applauded loudly. Inaaya found her family, Charlotte and Nicholas in the third row waving and smiling at her. She waved back before they bowed and exited the stage.

Inaaya walked to her bag where she found a blue colored lunch box which had a sticker on it saying:

Universe sends Good-luck

She smiled as she remembered her grandmother sticking small notes like this when she would go to school. She found sandwiches inside the box. Ayaan came up to her asking, "What do you have here?"

Her stomach growled. She took one sandwich and took a big bite. Swallowing it, she answered, "I think Granny sent these. It has a note just like she used to give in my lunchbox"

When she was on her second sandwich, he took one sandwich from the box. When he took a bite, he panicked and turned to Inaaya saying, "Inaaya, it has peanut butter. Don't..."

He could see red rashes appearing on her neck and hands. She was breathing heavily and coughing as she scratched her skin. He made her sit on the nearby chair asking, "Why didn't you check the sandwiches?"

He called Charlotte and asked her to come backstage with Inaaya's parents. When he called for ambulance, he was informed that there was a big accident so they will not be able to reach there on time. When Mr. Nanda arrived, he suggested that they take his car. Inaaya started losing her consciousness. Ayaan took her hand saying, "No, no. Don't fall asleep. No. You have to stay strong"

He suggested, "I know a shortcut to hospital. I'll take her"

Mr. Nanda hesitated but glancing at his daughter, he agreed. Ayaan picked Inaaya in his arms like baby as they quickly walked to the parking lot. Sitting in the back seat, he cradled her and whispered, "Inaaya, just wake up. See, I am scared now. Your dad will kill me because I think he knows about us. Just wake up and save me..."

When she didn't respond, he felt himself choking on his words. The rashes have started spreading. He saw her face shifting colors in his hands. He tried to hold his fears in. Her breathing has slowed down when they reached the hospital. When doctors took her, Mr. Nanda turned to him and held him with his collar. He questioned, "Why did you feed her those sandwiches? She is allergic to peanuts. Why?"

Ayaan denied, "I didn't give her those sandwiches. She had them when I got to her. She thought it was a gift from her grandmother"

Mr. Nanda let go of him as Ayaan gave him the note. He was confused, "Her grandmother has brought her up. She knows that she is allergic to them. She would never give them to her"

Ayaan nodded, "That is what I was thinking. There is another person who knows about her allergies"

When Mr. Nanda locked his eyes with Ayaan, he knew what he was thinking. He shook his head, "No, she wouldn't go this far"

Ayaan nodded, "Maybe she just did"