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Her heart was beating faster now and she was breathing deeper.
Recognizing the signs of an asthma attack, Koyal rummaged through her bag for an inhaler. As seconds passed, her movements became more and more desperate as breathing became more difficult.
Gosh, no, have I left it at home? she wondered, aghast, and that thought triggered such fear that she felt she was about to collapse again.
And then just when darkness seemed to gather, the blurry image of an inhaler appeared before her eyes.
Koyal stared at it, wondering if she was seeing things.
‘Take this,’ came Atharv’s voice, his doctor, I-am-in-charge-now voice.
‘Huh?’ Koyal looked, dazed, at Atharv who was now crouching beside her.
‘Inhale,’ he said, gently pressing the inhaler closer to her mouth.
A few gulpfuls later, Koyal closed her eyes, exhausted. A warm, kind hand was pressed against her forehead and Koyal focused on it, her entire being straining towards that comforting touch, her limbs wrapping themselves hungrily around that feeling.
When, a few minutes later, Koyal felt strong enough to open her eyes she saw that Atharv was still crouched near her, a serious, worried look on his face.
‘I am sorry,’ Koyal mumbled apologetically, ‘I … I…’
‘You promised me once,’ said Atharv, his eyes boring into hers, and Koyal stilled because she knew exactly what he was going to say, ‘that you would never be without your inhaler.’
Koyal stared at Atharv, unblinking.
‘I never broke any promise I made to you,’ she said quietly. She pulled her bag towards her, and now that the shaking had stopped and her hands were more in her control, she was able to quickly find the inhaler.
Koyal and Atharv
.
Once friends.
Ex-soulmates.
Lock and key.
Pieces of a puzzle.
They stared at each other, and for a while time conceded to stand still. When he finally nodded, the spell broke.
Atharv took the inhaler he had given to Koyal and was pocketing it when Koyal, surprised, put a hand on his arm.
‘You are carrying an inhaler?’ Koyal asked, making no attempt to brush away the tears that had pooled the moment realization had hit her.
‘Yes,’ he said, staring at the tears, transfixed by their melancholy perfection.
‘Because?’
‘Because I too remember, Koyal,’ he said.
A blanket of warmth enveloped Koyal’s heart and she smiled her widest even as the tears continued to flow. This had to be the sweetest thing anyone had done for her in ages.
Didn’t matter that it involved an inhaler, of all things, she thought to herself, smiling.
Didn’t matter that it came from someone who she had spent the last ten years hating.
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