Page 234 - Till the Last Breath . . .

‘Are you scared?’ he asked.

‘Are you?’
Dushyant nodded. She nodded in return.
‘What are the doctors saying?’ she asked.

‘I need a transplant. Liver, for sure. Kidneys, too. And still … Anyway,
what’s with you?’ he asked.

‘Thank you for saving me. I almost died.’
‘It was nothing,’ he said.

‘You saved my life. It means a lot. But that also proves one thing.
Although I am sure you would beg to differ,’ she said with a grin.

‘What is that?’
‘We are room-mates, and we will always have each other’s backs. We are
2-1 now. You’re a better room-mate than I am!’

‘Oh, c’mon. My favours were small.’ Dushyant blushed. ‘But fine, if you
say I’m leading by 2-1, how can I disagree?’

Dushyant looked at her and smiled and then they both laughed. They
laughed till their stomachs hurt. Days or even hours before their probable

last breaths, they shared their first moment of camaraderie.
‘What does Arman say?’ Dushyant asked. ‘Are you getting any better?’

‘Worse,’ she said and told Dushyant about the surgery and about the
possible outcomes. Pihu hadn’t really expected any reaction from Dushyant
and was positively surprised when his face turned pale and it looked like he

had seen a ghost. He was agitated even behind the pain, his fists were
clenched and his face was a tense tangle of muscles and veins. It was only

after Pihu repeatedly assured him that she would be okay that he relaxed a
bit.

‘But at least I am not dying unloved,’ she said and added, ‘No offence.’
With her eyes she pointed to the gold chain and the pendant on her wrist.

‘Arman gave it to me. It was meant for his wife.’ Her face was a million
shades of scarlet. ‘And should I add, he used the word beautiful.’
‘He didn’t have any choice! Who else would marry him?’ he mocked.

‘That’s mean!’