My hand was caught in a gloomy thing I didn't even know the name of. As I tried to stretch my body, it felt like something was pulling me back. I tried to lift myself, but the heaviness and load of my memories dragged me down. Everything was pitch black, not a single thing could be seen. Not a single person was around me, and there was no voice to be heard.
The more I struggled to get up, the more I suffered. I just wanted to wake up from this nightmare, but there was no reply to my thoughts. I lifted my right arm and looked at it—it was completely slimy and sticky. I didn't know what it was, and it wasn't just there, my whole body was covered in it.
Suddenly, I felt a heavy pressure in my chest. I wasn't able to breathe properly. As I tried to speak, it felt more and more like my chest was burning. The slime around me started increasing in volume. It lifted itself and tightened around me.
A large wave surged up and bound my mouth. Not only that, but two big waves tied both of my legs and tried to get inside my clothes. As it gathered in my underwear, I felt a sudden heat inside me. The feeling was warm, and at one point, I didn't want it to go away. But for some reason, it disgusted me. I tried to free myself, but it just wrapped around me tighter and tighter. I felt as if all my energy had been drained, and I was about to give up.
But I tried one more time.
"LET GO OFF ME."
I raised both of my arms, tearing the slime away from them. I threw the slime from my mouth and tore off the pieces covering my legs. I dragged myself back and watched as all the slime started disappearing into thin air. Everywhere around me was dark, but for some reason, I could see everything clearly. I tried to control my breathing, completely exhausted by the ordeal. I looked at my hands, asking myself in desperation,
"Why, why can't all of this end? I am tired. Please, someone, end it for me."
I lay down, wiping my tears with my forearms, when I heard that voice again—that small girl's voice. I opened my eyes, and she was sitting on my chest. Drawn with chalk lines around me, her face was clearer this time than ever before. I didn't know what was happening. Not only could I see her mouth, but I could also see her ears and the contours of her cheeks. She raised her head toward me and said,
"It can all end, just trust me."
She moved both of her hands toward my throat. Tightening her grip, she pressured me as my breath became weaker and weaker. She choked me more aggressively.
"Everything will be good if you trust me."
My eyes closed in front of her.
I woke up with shallow breathing and found myself on a hospital bed. I controlled my breath, sweating all over my body. I looked at my right arm, there was an IV drip attached to me. What are they giving me? I thought of unplugging it, but stopped myself. I wasn't even able to breathe because my throat was completely parched. I grabbed my throat firmly as I looked around for something to drink. My eyes caught a jar right beside my bed on a table. I picked it up and drank all of it aggressively.
Suddenly, the doors opened, and a doctor walked in.
"You are awake. How are you feeling right now?"
"Doctor."
"No need to worry about anything. You are lucky it was just a fever and nothing more serious. We gave you a glucose drip just in case because you were weak when you came here."
"….."
"But what were you doing outside in this much rain?"
"....."
"We asked your boyfriend and he didn't tell us anything either."
"my boyfriend?"
She sighed at my words.
"Look, I am not some dating expert, but if you ever have a fight with your lover, try to sort it out instead of running away."
I didn't say a thing. The doctor looked at me and sighed again before leaving the room. As she reached the door, she turned around.
"By the way….. nah, forget it."
I looked at her. She was about to say something but stopped herself beforehand. I don't know what it was, but I guessed it wouldn't matter.
[The doctor moved up to Dylan, who was sitting at the end of the hall.]
"She is in her senses."
"Really? Thank God."
[She looked at him as Dylan smiled in a soft manner.]
"In a while, you can take her home."
[She patted Dylan's shoulder, and he screamed in a muffled voice. The doctor became a bit suspicious.]
"What? Is it hurting? Is your shoulder broken?"
"No, everything's fine."
[She raised Dylan's hair and saw some bloodstains around his hairline.]
"You are bleeding too!"
"No, no, I am fine."
"Nurse, come here."
[A nurse came running up to them.]
"Yes, doctor."
"Take him to physio. It might be that his shoulder is broken. And also check if his head is fine, or if we need to sew it."
[The nurse took Dylan away. As he was going, the doctor wondered what kind of a person he was. He was worrying so much for her when he was the one in far more pain. Now it's more difficult to tell who was at the wrong end. She sighed, remembering the moment Dylan had first arrived at the hospital.]
[Everything was silent in the hospital. It was nighttime, with heavy rain pouring outside. The doctor approached the nurse near the reception desk.]
"Good evening, ma'am. Are you going home?"
"Yeah, it's about time. My shift is over and Dr. Girish will be here in a few minutes. I have finished my rounds in the wards."
"Have a safe night, ma'am."
"You too."
[As she was about to leave, she saw a man running inside the hospital alongside the watchman. He was soaked from the heavy rain, his feet covered in mud, taking deep breaths as if he were about to die.]
"Doctor, please..... Samayra."
[The doctor didn't understand what he was saying. She looked behind him. He was carrying a girl. The girl was also completely wet from top to bottom. The doctor signaled the emergency team. A nurse ran to get a stretcher for her. As they all rushed toward the emergency ward, the doctor checked her pulse.]
"You must wait here."
[Dylan sat on the chair, waiting desperately for the doctor.]
"Please be fine, Sam."
[After a while, the doctor came out to meet him. She saw Dylan waiting in the corner, praying with all his might. She walked up to him.]
"Don't need to worry. She just caught a cold in the rain, nothing else."
"Are you sure, Doctor?"
"Yeah, she was just having a fever from the rain and nothing else."
"Can I meet her?"
"She is sleeping right now. Once she wakes up, you can take her back. By the way, why were there so many cut marks on her body?"
"That..... I don't know, Doctor."
"Well, that doesn't matter to me. Take this, these are the medicines she needs to take."
"Doctor, when she wakes up, please don't ask her about her cuts."
"Okay, I will not."
[She was a bit suspicious of Dylan but still didn't showed much interest. She handed Dylan a prescription. Dylan read it as the doctor walked away. He walked up to the nurse at reception.]
"Excuse me, where is the pharmacy? I need to buy these medicines."
"Oh, that. Give it to me..... and fill out this form."
[She took over the prescription and gave Dylan an application form. Dylan looked at it in confusion. Before writing anything, he asked the nurse.]
"What exactly do I have to fill out?"
"Just write the patient's name, your name, her age, address, and your relation with her. Leave every other box blank, okay?"
[She explained everything and went to fetch the medicines. Meanwhile, Dylan filled out the form. But at the last box, he stopped, looking at its layout in worry. He asked himself what to write for the relationship. He thought hard about it, and in the end, he muttered.]
"I guess this might be good."
I got up from my bed as the nurse took the IV drip out of my hand. It hurt a little bit, but that was fine. I was glad it was only a glucose bottle. I looked around, grabbing my wrist with my other hand. The nurse handed me a bag of clothes and started cleaning up the area around my bed. I looked at the clothes in the bag. It was weird, because those were not my clothes. I asked the nurse,
"These are not my clothes."
"I know. Those are from your guardian. He told me to give you this pair."
"My guardian?"
"Yes. And what are you waiting for? Don't you want to go? He is waiting outside. Get ready and leave."
I looked at the bag again. Why is he so kind? I wondered. I took the clothes, and as I was about to put them on, they shocked me. I didn't know what to say about them, but I guessed being in these was better than staying in wet clothes.
"Yeah, yeah...…. yeah, that too?"
"Okay, Dylan. Don't forget your promise."
"Yeah, I will not forget it."
"Thanks for the car and the clothes. It is already the second time I've asked a big favor from you."
"Do you always keep count? I told you it was not a big deal. I have known you for years."
"I promise to repay you for everything."
"You don't need to do that. Just keep your promise and come back on time. I can't afford to lose my best middleman during an important series."
"Thanks. Bye."
"Bye."
I looked at my phone as the call disconnected. Sighing with relief, I thanked him in my thoughts once again. I had known Miraj for so long—long before I even met Nathan and we started dating. Despite having a shady business, he is a kind guy who thinks about everyone else more than himself.
"Dylan."
Hearing Samayra's voice from behind me made me so glad. I put my phone in my pocket and turned around. But what I saw was completely unexpected. What is all of this? For a moment, I didn't know if I was looking at Samayra or someone else. I had never seen her in these kinds of clothes. She was wearing a full-length, red-colored bodycon dress.
It didn't even have shoulder straps. It looked so tight, and I could tell she was feeling a little embarrassed wearing it. Her chest also looked emphasized. What have you done, Miraj? Meet me sometime, I will kill you.
I thought she was about to get angry at me for it, but she didn't even look at me. Making a sorrowful face, she avoided eye contact. I figured she might be upset because of what happened back on the bridge. I knew what happened wasn't supposed to happen. Taking the initiative, I walked up to her with a smile on my face and asked,
"Shall we go?"
She just looked at me with wide eyes and then turned her head back down. She nodded her head, signaling yes. We moved to the car, I opened the door for her, and once she settled down, I also got in. Then, we drove home. It really had been a long night.
We arrived at my house, and I looked around in case any other car was coming. I stopped the car at the front gate and stretched my body a bit. Relaxing for a second, I wondered what could have actually happened. What could her girlfriend have said? I looked at her in silence.
She was sleeping like a child, her head resting against the glass window, breathing slowly and silently with her mouth slightly open. Giving her a soft gaze, she looked so pretty. I wasn't able to take my eyes away from her. Is it always like this? Whenever I look at her, she always feels like someone you don't want to take your eyes off of. It had taken around an hour of driving, so she must be completely exhausted after everything. I needed to wake her up, but for some reason, I thought, 'I shall let her be for some time'.
*Ring* *Ring*
And just as I expected, my phone rang, and she suddenly woke up from the noise. It was a company call. She quickly glanced at me and then looked out the window.
"Did we arrive?"
"Yes, we did."
She asked me in a hesitant manner, rubbing her thumbs against each other. I noticed it. As we walked inside the house, she stared at the ground the entire time. She stopped near the stairs.
I walked inside and opened a closet. There were some of my baggy clothes inside, Samayra had worn them before when she stayed here. I grabbed a pair and walked up to her.
"Take these and change in my room."
"Change?"
"You might be uncomfortable in that. Change into these, I will be up there in a while."
"Won't you..."
"What?"
"Nothing. I will change."
She moved upstairs. As I watched her go, I wondered what she had been about to say. I came into the kitchen and poured out a glass of water. I drank the water and sat down for a while.
"AAggh."
It actually hurt. I couldn't really tell what had happened to me back then because I hadn't felt the slightest bit of pain, but now that I was resting, it was giving me a painful headache. I took out the medicine the doctor had prescribed for me and swallowed it. It would probably work in time.
That made me realize, I forgot to give her a towel. Not only that, but she also needed to take her medicine before sleeping. She shouldn't forget them. I took the meds out of the polythene bag and looked at them. I needed to go up and tell her. I took a towel and some water with me to give to her. She had probably changed her clothes by now.
I walked up the stairs and stood in front of my room's door. There was no sound coming from the other side. I guessed she might have gone to sleep already. I would have to wake her up. I opened the door, and it wasn't something I expected to see.
"Sam, have these meds before sleeping."
I walked into the room and froze. She was completely naked, holding the dress in her hands to cover herself. As I looked at her, the dress slipped from her hands. It felt incredibly awkward. Understanding that she must be deeply embarrassed by the situation, I instantly turned my back to her.
"I am sorry..... I will get back later."
"NO, wait."
As I tried to walk outside, her words stopped me. I didn't look back, keeping my eyes glued to the wall as she spoke again.
"Please, can you stay here?"
I didn't understand what she was trying to say. I asked her in a nervous tone,
"What… do… you… mean?"
"Please, I beg you."
"Wouldn't it be awkward for you?"
"It wouldn't be."
"....."
"Please, I am scared."
As she said it, I realized just how terrifying this night must have been for her. Being on the bridge, going to the hospital, and probably having a dispute with her girlfriend. She must be terrified of it all.
I turned around. She was looking at me with faithful eyes, and I wasn't going to break her faith. I gave her a reassuring look.
"I am here for you. You don't need to be scared."
I stood there while she changed her clothes. At this point, I could see her completely. Her body was actually beautiful. Her gloomy eyes looked down at the clothes as she put them on, her long hair falling down to her chest, her soft cherry lips, her skin entirely smooth, and the cuts visible all around her joints. I could see everything clearly.
*GULP*
I gulped intensely. Even though she had finished changing her clothes, I still wasn't able to take my eyes away. For a moment I froze, not understanding what had gotten into me, but I felt a nervous chill run inside me. I walked up to Samayra. She was still looking down at the floor.
"Here, have these meds. Eat them before sleeping."
I gave them to her and started to leave. I walked up to the door and turned around again. Looking at the ground, I said,
"Sam, I wanted to say something."
She didn't say anything, she just looked at me.
"I know it might be too much for you."
"..."
"Can we still be friends?"
She looked at me with wide eyes. Her face clearly showed she was surprised. I somewhat knew that, but still, if she didn't want me around, I wouldn't force her.
"I know you didn't want to see my face, but I still ran to you. I know you wanted to face things alone, but I stopped you every time. I did everything because I didn't want you to be in trouble."
"Dylan, I….."
"Your trust in me might be really low right now. But still, I don't want to lose my best friend like this. So please, can we stay friends like we used to be?"
Samayra stared at me, her wide eyes blinking in disbelief. Then, slowly, the tension melted from her shoulders. She placed a hand on her chin, letting out a soft, genuine laugh that I hadn't heard in days.
"Dylan."
She whispered, shaking her head.
"You are really stupid."
Those weren't exactly a grand choice of words, but they gave me more relief and comfort than anything else.