34 I Tattooed Your Name

"Go ahead."

"Humph... After you completed your internship and you left the hospital forever, I was shattered. I was unable to believe that I had nobody who would take care me. I kept thinking of the moments I shared with you. You used to treat me as your friend. Taking care of me, reminding me of my medicines.... I remember once you had patted my head saying that you hope I will get well soon. For you I was a patient, for me you were and are my love. You know if cows swallowed their chewed food, they can again bring some food back to their mouth by coughing up. Similar to how I used recall everything we did together for 2 weeks and enacting it, talking to myself. I know these two things have least chance to be relatable but I am very bad at giving examples..

Both chuckled together.

"Eventually I became mad after you. I went crazy, insane, unbalanced..... I would run behind compounders, nurses, doctors repeatedly asking when will you return. Initially nobody believed that a normal guy has turned abnormal as you left, but as they witnessed those symptoms they realized that they were wrong. As everyone says, 'Mad in love'. But I was already depressed, and to make it worse, here was 'loveria'. While doctorsand nurses where used to such people, my unexpected comportment annoyed some wardboys. Some of my inmates used to tease me by saying that you won't like me because I am mad. At first I ignored them. But soon it irritated me. I became so obsessive for you that I did something that no one expected. I sneakily stole a doctor's scalpel and tattooed your name on the left side of my chest."

This was the time when Aliya's heart tried hard to make her blush but she resisted.

"Psychiatrists were scared. They shifted me to a general hospital. Surgeons could clearly see your name. When they were stitching the wounds, I didn't even scream out of pain. I liked it. Because this was going to make your name tattooed permanently. The scars are visible clearly till today. Even my heart doesn't wants you to go, so it is still holding your name tightly which I had inscribed on him. You asked why my dad gave me a fraud identity to register in the hospital. Because he knew I was the next CEO of his humungous company. He didn't want any kind of negative remarks in my history. Nobody except top officials of the hospital knew who was I. This case was confidential. He feared that this news will affect their company's future.... When he got the news that I was actually declared as mentally unstable, he extended my 'stay'."

"I remember some officials contacted me saying you were dying to meet me. I had a few conversations with you on phone. Maybe that was the reason I still didn't recognize you. But soon they informed me that you were discharged."

"Yes, that was because I soon recovered from depression and what not..... Someone close to me helped me to get out from what whatever I was going through. He showed me solutions to overcome this feeling called 'love'. But he too realized that my love was true and pure. So he said...

"But who was 'he'?"

"Gaurav."

Aliya was amazed, stunned.... Hearing this name, she quickly remembered his kind face. She was still hating the fact that she couldn'tthank him for helping her reach her home on that fateful day.

"G-Gaurav?"

"Yes. The one who helped you that day. The day that Gaurav hates the most. Because along with you, he too faced the pervert side of mine for the first time. But I have no such face now. He is my best friend right from the days when were roommates till today. He helped at my tough time. My dad allowed him to visit me. He showed me ways to get out of depression. Since only your loved ones can feel your pain. He used different techniques that pleased and spurred me to recover soon. He convinced me to prepare myself, work hard, to be that capable to propose you. Like a father bribes his son to convince him to study for exams, he too bribed me to be back as a normal person, persevering to become the 'Mr.Perfect' you want. But before I could propose you I heard you rejecting me."

"You said I should have the guts to listen to you. But nothing too scary....

Before she could complete Rishi delivered a India's famous and favourite dialogue

"The movie is not over yet."