MIDNIGHT LOVE

MIDNIGHT LOVE

On a late rainy night, a woman stood on a bridge, crying about her breakup and deciding to consume poison. She passed out and a stranger joined her in the hospital. She wakes up to a phone call from her parents, who tell her that they have given up on her. Also, her friend pays her a visit and yells at her for her behaviour. After some time, the woman is finally able to relax. She had no idea what was happening to her or why anyone would save her. She sobs in agony. She thought it was better to be dead.

She couldn’t sleep at night. She hears a whispering sound from her fellow patient. And she sees a man covering himself with a blanket, whispering that he knows her and that he has a crush on her. The woman assumed he was teasing her and responded by asking to speak with her after uncovering the blanket. He removes the blanket. She looks at his face and says she had no idea he existed. “Yeah, I know that’s because I’m scared of you… sorry, I mean.. god…. wait, I’m going to tell you something… I have a crush on you. Whether you believe it or not “, he tells her. She then reacts “what? Okay, let me clarify: when was the first time you saw me?”

He started describing his first view of her. “But I’ve known you since butterflies began to fly in my heart. On Freshers’ Day, I still recall watching a clip of you wearing a saree. That day, you looked stunning. I tried to be one of your friends, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Even though I’m from a different section, I used to wander around in front of your class, waiting for that one moment. It’s an introvert thing. You were always surrounded by boys, and when I saw you with a random guy, I began to dislike him. After a few days, I discovered he was your brother.”

“Wait, You said you were an introvert, so how come you’re talking to me right now?” she asked in the interim. With a smile, he tells her that he is in his final days on Earth, and the moment he is looking forward to is today. She inquires about his parents, to which he responds that he does not have any. She felt sorry for him and asked that the story be continued. “There is no longer any continuity,” he admits, slightly bemused. “When your brother found out about me, he warned me sternly, and I stopped thinking about you for a month because of that fear.” She burst out laughing when he mentioned being afraid of his brother, and she apologises and wishes to continue the story. He was down and told her he wouldn’t say anything today and that she’d have to wait until tomorrow for part two. “But the story is just about to begin; anyway, the story appears boring,” she responds. Both of them say good night to each other.

The next day, she introduced him to her friend, and they spent the entire day cracking jokes and talking. Her friend leaves the hospital late at night to complete some office work. After dinner, she inquires about the release of Part 2. He responds to her question enthusiastically, stating that the story only runs when the lights go out. After a while, the lights went out, and he continued his story while holding a candle: “After 1 month, it’s time for Dussehra, where Ram kills Raavan and people kill the fear inside them”.

“Would you mind just continuing with your story instead of saying all these nonsense Google quotes?” She inquires. He responds in an amusing manner: “Actually, that quote is similar to our story; I didn’t steal it; I was simply inspired. Returning to our story, I’m not sure if it was a coincidence, but I saw you that day, the fireworks all around in the sky, and you were in the centre, glowing brighter than the fireworks. I left my fear behind, along with the fireworks, and began following you “.

“So you’ve been following me all this time?” she doubted.

“I am an introvert, so I just followed you on Instagram, which was private; despite my best efforts, I received no response from you,” he clarifies. Then she suggests to him that if he is brave enough to propose to her, she might consider it. He takes a flower and proposes to her in the hospital without hesitation. She got surprised, didn’t understand what to say, and tried to sleep facing the opposite side. After a few minutes, she calls him and whispers, “If your story was good, then I will answer your question. I thought the story would be like a Titanic, but in fact, the story was like the iceberg on which the Titanic got hit” and she sleeps. He also sleeps happily, thinking that the story has just begun.

For both of them, the night appears to be more beautiful than any other day. They slept in anticipation of tomorrow. They both awoke filled with joy, and her friend had just arrived to pay her a visit. She told her friend everything that was going on, as well as his stories. Her friend then proposed switching the story-telling roles. And she began to tell her story: “My story…. It’s nothing special; neither my parents nor my brother were interested. For the rest of my life, she was my one and only best friend. My parents were upset that I was more interested in singing than in studying, so I used to sneak into singing competitions. I was caught sneaking one day and was denied entry to the competition. That was my final, and I couldn’t make it because of them; I quit singing and was constantly irritated with my parents. And I graduated from BBM, and we got a job; everything was fine for a few years, until I met this man…. I apologise for deviating from the topic…”

He inquires tentatively about the person she attempted to mention. She gets up uneasily and walks outside for some fresh air. He wanted to inquire about that person, but he felt it was inappropriate at this time. He sat back on the bed, not wanting to disturb her, and talked with her friend.

After dinner, he inquires about the person in hushed tones. “Don’t talk about it, and if you want to continue your story, you are welcome,” she says affirmatively. He begins directing his story because he has no other option. He claims, “We took a tour of Golconda Fort from college. You and your friend were taking the selfies”. “So you’re just following us and abandoning your friends the entire trip and you didn’t dare to propose me?” she jokes. And he challenges her, saying he had three plans for that day to propose her.

“Plan 1, I wrote I LOVE YOU on the wall, and I noticed you saw it and even took a selfie with it, but you never thought about the person who may have written it,” he says, implying that the entire plan has simply became useless. She can’t stop laughing and claims it was the oldest thought ever, and she actually thought some idiot wrote it. He then tells about the execution of the second plan, “I tried to call you, but due to some connection errors, the entire plan was ruined; however, it doesn’t matter because I have the third one, and that is, I planned the fireworks, but I don’t know why god hates me because it started raining and all my crackers were…”. “Wasted…. That’s cool that you tried to do that for me. Even I am beginning to despise the god now” she expressing her feelings about the plans.

Her words moved him, and he continued his story, saying, “We made a campfire after the rain stopped, and everyone began shouting to sing a song to you, but then you stood angrily and quickly left the place. I followed and observed you as you sat on the ledge, gazing at the moon. You appeared depressed, and I stood there doing nothing but watching you from behind “. She softly inquires, “Are you always this way? Because you have a great opportunity and have done nothing, you must be brave and propose, regardless of the outcome; we must try. Don’t you get tired of just following me around and doing nothing?” He responds with a smile “Bored.. What if I made you a proposal and you accepted? That’s a happy ending, but what if you reject it? Then I feel bad, and that rejection haunts me. So I just enjoy watching you from behind; nothing bad can happen and there is no disturbance from either end. My motto is, “Life is short; enjoy it; don’t squander it”.

She had an inexorable face: “Nobody can change you; by the way, I apologise for forgetting to ask why you’re here. And what is your story, rather than ours? “. “Isn’t your story also my story?” he jokes. The other patients began yelling at them to stop their nonsense because it was causing a disturbance. They both said “Tomorrow” to each other, smiled, and fell asleep.

Over breakfast the next morning, he began telling his story: “So you want to hear my story, right? To begin, I am a good student in school, an average student in inter, and a BBM. failure, but don’t worry, I passed. No job. Single. What more misfortune do you want to see from me? Nothing special happened in my life “. They finished breakfast and went back to their beds, and she offers him a job in the company where she currently works. He entered shock mode. She offers to help him with his job if he so desires. She gives a speech about life, saying that he has a talent and that people like you deserve a chance. His eyes well up with tears; he hugs her, and she is relieved to see him in this state. He can’t stop crying because he is overjoyed. and he is grateful to her.

The doctor called him for checking and he returned in the evening. She started sharing her story: “After joining BBM, I got a boy friend after a few months. It was fun to talk and wander at first. However, after about a year, everything about him began to gradually change. He changed drastically by the end of our college years. He got into a lot of fights and even went to jail. I saw him roving around with a lot of girls, but he keeps it a secret from me. Small squabbles began between us. It got worse by the day, and four days ago I revealed everything about him that he had been keeping hidden, and he said he was happy with his life and didn’t want me because he had another rich girl who never questioned him like me, and then I drank poison without even thinking”.

“There is no one who loves; everyone showing fake love towards me. Why are they doing this to me? why me?” She weeps. He hands her a tissue and instructs her to stop remembering the past and start living in the present. and inquire of her, “poison.. Why are you thinking about someone who doesn’t care about you? Simply disregard it. I know it’s hard, but we need to keep moving and you said no one loves you, so I am nobody then in your view”. She responds while wiping her tears away. “You are not nobody; you are something special in my life. Because of you, I began to forget what had occurred, and you made me happy. I don’t know how to say thanks for that”. She hugs him and tells him that he is a unique and unpredictable gift.

He began asking other patients’ details alongside her the following day. Their stories, their problems, and their solutions teach her about how life works. After some time the sun is setting, and they are sitting beside windows, watching the sunset. He begins by explaining that everyone has their own problems and that we must each deal with them in our own unique way. Suicide is the worst option we have in life to avoid dealing with problems. She began to feel guilty. He comforted her. He called the doctor and took her to the operation theatre after she unexpectedly fell out of her chair. He sat outside the operation theatre all night, waiting for her.

While waiting, he slouched. He fantasised about taking her out and delighting her. He got up early, met her, and persuaded her to go out. She accepts it, and the two of them left the hospital unnoticed. He advised her to stop thinking and start living. They began roving around very happily. They saw a movie in the evening and then went to the Golconda Fort. A concert was taking place at Golconda Fort. He expresses a desire to hear her sing. She didn’t want to because it reminded her of the finals. But she didn’t want to upset him, so she went up on stage to sing as he told her to forget about the past and live in the present. She began singing one last time to fulfil his wish. Everyone began clapping, and she was pleased to see the crowd cheering. She was grateful to him because none of this would have happened without him. They went very high in Golconda Fort after that, and he bought a cake, saying, “Today is our day, because today, after so many years, you were happy, and seeing you happy made those butterflies in my heart start flying again. Isn’t that reason enough to rejoice? “. She nodded yes, and they celebrated the occasion with a cake cutting. As they sat on the ledge holding hands and gazing at the moon, fireworks began to explode all over the sky, which looked stunning. They went out for a candlelight dinner after the whole thing. They ate their dinner outside, near the lake. She claims that today was the day she will never forget, and then she fainted.

He rushed her to the hospital, and all the other patients and doctors started blaming him. He has no other choice but to wait for her to recover. She was close to death, but she wished to live for a little longer. She requests the doctor to call him, but they refuse, stating that they will, but not at this time.

He was permitted to meet her the other day. He noticed tears in her eyes. He is incapable of communicating. Before he asks, she says she’s fine and that you shouldn’t worry. He inquires about her health status. She says, “I really feel like shit, and by the way, I apologise on behalf of everyone, as they are scolding you because of me. And why are you down?”

“Nothing,” he says with a nod. His eyes were welling up with tears. He tells her he needs to say something. “All the story was fake; I didn’t know you and I wanted to help you get out of that sadness, Is this what you’re trying to say?” she replied. When he heard this, he was stunned and said nothing. she stated: “So you thought I couldn’t figure it out; I saw you talking with my friend, knowing my details, and you created a new, unexisting story with those details and I didn’t dress up for freshers day in a saree. Why did you defraud me? So I have to be sad again? Why did you subject me to this? The story made me happy, but every time I remember it’s a lie, I feel disappointed. I can’t bear it. I had faith in you and you.. Just leave it”.

“I… what? I admit that I made up a story for you. I saw you inflicting pain on yourself on the inside, in your heart. As I previously stated, the story is a fictitious love story about everything that did not occur in reality but did occur in my imaginary world. I’m not sure how you felt, but each scene in the story made me fall in love with you. “I made it, but it made us forget about our pasts and welcomed us to a new world,” he explained to her in a lovely way. “Still, it’s not real,” she said, feeling as if it didn’t make sense. He reassures her by saying, “When reality is bleak, it is preferable to live in a fantasy world. I apologise for the story, but the emotions are genuine, whether you believe it or not. This is my love story. Not every story has to be like Titanic; sometimes a simple story is better “.

“Everyone in my life has been terrible: my parents, brother, friends, co-workers, boyfriend… They never even try to understand me or stand by my side. I had always secretly despised them, but in this man’s story, they were all trying to help me. If I had a truly understanding boyfriend, he would have undoubtedly supported me. I should forget about everything, accept that everything has happened, and move on. My brain, on the other hand, says enough is enough and it’s time to die. I consider it impure because only my heart returns it to me, telling me to live. It became linked to what that person said. It wishes to respond to him in some way. I don’t care if it’s real or not; it felt real to me. My time with him over the last few days has been the most enjoyable of my life. I think I should say it to him after all”, she reasoned, and she said, “I… LOVE YOU; will you accept my proposal?”. She takes his hand in hers and looks him in the eyes. He nods his head and says yes while happily crying. They’re both smiling at one another. She passes away with a smile on her face. His tears fell onto her hand. Doctors arrived, and patients nearby consoled him, but he was unable to respond. He stood there, staring at her.

He returned to his bed and discovered a letter with the words, “I LOVE YOU… Next life, stop being afraid and propose to me; I despise waiting. I want to make my fantasy world a reality. Can you assist me with this? “. “Certainly, my love….,” he says with a smile. He proceeds to the top of the hospital, where he sits on the ledge and watches the sunset, picturing her beside him.