My Summer Love Story | ✔️

ch. 50 ✰ changing the course of life

We had stayed the night there, and I got a full night of slumber by sleeping on the bench I had slept before when I almost had a full-blown panic attack. Rahul told his wife to take the kids home and that he will stay here with me and Akash, although I had told Akash that he can leave but he completely insisted that he will not leave me, so Rahul's wife left with the kids, leaving us three to sleep on the benches outside the ICU.

Rahul had taken the bench across from us while Akash and I slept on the other bench, my head placed on his lap while his fingers stroked my hair, and he had finally fell asleep as well. We also had a nice dinner in the cafeteria before, which mine basically consisted of frozen pizza and a can of coke, but hey, it was better than nothing.

The next morning had occurred, and we knew that it was time for us to go back home. I had informed Sasha about my situation, and she had told me that there was no need to worry and that I can take as many days off that I want to, just to recover from this traumatizing experience. Even though I am super grateful that my boss is flexible with my problems and doesn't require me to come back to work after I have gone through a whole ass emotional rollercoaster, I still cannot afford to take any days off simply because I am on a financial strain right now. My bill of the month should be coming soon, and if I cannot afford to pay off my certain bills, then consider myself homeless.

Since today was a Sunday, I can have this day off to myself, just to regain some physical and mental energy, and then I can come back to work tomorrow. Akash had also asked me whether if I wanted to stay over at his place, just so I can have some company, but I had told him that all I need right now is time to myself. Don't get me wrong, I would love to be coiled up in Akash's arms and feel loved and protected, but all I need is some me time at this moment. After going through that panic regarding if my parents were going to survive or not, I just need some alone time to process my thoughts and figure out what the hell just happened this whole weekend.

It was a bright and early Sunday morning, and I felt extreme grogginess taking me over as I sat up from Akash's lap. Rahul and Akash were sound asleep, and I took a deep breath as I looked at my almost dead phone and saw that it was 7:08am.

Yawning to myself, I look back and see that Akash's head is slightly laid back against the wall, his full lips slightly parted as dainty snores erupted out of him. Man, I love him and his adorable snores. I decide to wake him up by giving him a peck on the cheek. "Good morning, sweet cheeks," I tease him.

His eyelids flutter open as a playful scowl grows on his kissable lips. "Sweet cheeks? That's a new one," he murmurs, his sleepy voice sounding like a harmony to my ears.

"Oh, honey, I have a whole list of embarrassing pet names to call you," I muse.

"Oh, really? Care to list them?" He raises his eyebrows.

I clear my throat. "Well, we got Shmoop—or Shmoopie—cutie patootie, thunder chunk, cuddle bug, swamp ass—"

"Alright, alright, that's enough!" he yelps, and I laugh out loud, wrapping my arms around his waist. "I'm just kidding. Calling you thunder chunk would be a total turn off for me."

Akash snorts. "Yeah, I bet it would be."

Once our little conversation had ended, Akash and I had decided to wake Rahul up. Once he had woken up, we decided to talk to our parents for a little, check up on them one last time, and then we can finally depart back home.

We entered the ICU and I felt the familiar feeling again of being ambushed by crowds, certain medical crowds to be more exact. But this time, I didn't feel anxiety or panic bubbling inside of my chest. Instead, I felt calm, peacefulness, and amity with not only myself... but with life as well.