Time was ticking away, she could hear ticking sound of her watch , it was that awfully quiet in the waiting area.
The metallic chair, she was sitting was so cold that it made a burning sensation on her bare skin , whenever she touched the arms of the chair unintentionally.
She was sitting there for the past thirty minutes and she was beginning to feel restlessness washing through her, spreading a wave of uneasiness and anxiety on her  features.
She took deep breaths to calm her nerves and eyed the doctor's cabin, which was closed.
Her lab reports came already in the morning, she got that information from the laboratory then why the doctor is taking so much time to see her.. She tried to reason her doubts and that made her more nervous.
She kept staring on the grey painted door to the doctor's cabin and as if  on cue , the door opened making her eyes   go bit wide.

'Nila Krishnan...' the attender called her name and she stood up quickly and nodded in response.
She took a deep breath and made steady steps towards the cabin.

         Nila sat on the chair facing her doctor, who was busy in checking her case file and lab reports.
When he raised his eyes to meet her's, there was something unreadable in his expression that Nila could feel in her bone that something is wrong.
She took a deep breath again and steadied herself on the chair.

'Ms. Nila , how are you feeling now??'

She weighed the question before giving an answer.

'I am doing good doctor and the shoulder pain is  better even though it still hurts, those medicines really works..' she gave him a small smile.

The doctor didn't say anything for a few seconds and Nila could see the concern in his eyes.

'Ms. Nila , Did you come alone?'
He enquired politely and Nila mumbled yes to him and concern filled his features making her falter on the chair.

'As you already know, your reports came, and I will be honest with you Ms. Nila, reports are not good and I would like to meet you along with your guardian.' he said and  she knew immediately, that the whole nervousness she was feeling for the past few days wasn't in vain,  something really bad is going to happen.

She looked outside through the open window, she could only see a part of cloudless sky from there, suddenly she missed her mom beside her,a longingness so deep and tender,filled her heart. She wished her mom was there, like old days, when she would take her to hospital and she will answer all questions regarding Nila's health, with that warm smile never leavings her lips... Mom..... She swallowed hard trying to keep her concerns and emotions  at bay..

Calling her parents here,when they live far away from her city, that is not possible, and she wanted to handle it herself whatever this report is all about. She doesn't want to scare her mom and dad, even if she was about to die.

Nila sighed and took another deep breath and turned towards the doctor, who was looking at her calmly.

'I don't have a guardian with me doctor. My parents are not here and I think I am old enough to deal with it, whatever it may be.' she sounded more calmer than what actually felt inside her heart. 

Doctor looked at her with his assessing gaze for a long moment before opening her file again and turned the pages.
It was silent for a few minutes except the shuffling sounds of  paper.
Nila kept looking down at her feet until the doctor gently called her name.
'Nila.. you have osteosarcoma and it's not in a good shape. We need to start your treatment as soon as possible.
That shoulder pain, you are having for the past few months, it's due to the tumor.'
'I will refer your file to the oncology department and we would like to see your parents , before we proceed further.' he said and narrowed his gaze to her.

'Osteosarcoma...bone cancer' Nila racked her brain for the detailed description of the disease.
She had studied about it in her microbiology class.

Suddenly,she remembered everything she studied in her class,  and she cursed her photographic  memory, that she was quite proud of in the past.
Why did she remembered everything about the disease and how dangerous it was...??. At least she would have blindly believed the doctor on  her health condition and would have been ignorant about her disease. Now...it was impossible, when she knew what kind of intruder is devouring her body. She released a nervous breath she was holding for the past few seconds.

Then the reality really hit her. It was about her. She wasn't sitting in her pathology class anymore.. and wasn't reading someone's case study.
It was about her, she is the patient here... And for the first time in her life she knew ,  she is really helpless and there is no running from the truth.

Nila could feel her heart hammering against her rib cage. It took all of her courage not to burst into tears right there.
She drew a sharp breath again, trying to steady herself.
'On which stage doctor?' she could hear the crack in her voice , she gripped on the strap of her purse and tried to act normal, which was not needed exactly, but she tried it anyway.

' We need to investigate more on your condition and I am afraid that we are a bit late ' he replied with lots of concern in his voice and Nila bit her lip instinctively.

She sat there in silence for a few minutes, then thanked the doctor and asked him to transfer her file to oncology department for the next appointment and with a slight nod, she stood up and proceeded towards the door.. but this time , she could feel how unsteady was her steps and how twisted and miserable she felt in her Herat.

               ****************

           It was evening, and Nila was sitting on the sandy beach, unaware of the time and place. She has been sitting in that uncomfortable position for such a long time that her body was numb and she couldn't care less.
She was still trying to come in terms with the fact that she has cancer and moreover how she is going to deal with it. She had to tell her family..
Moreover, she has to accept the fact she is not going to be there for them when they would need her. She is going to leave them sooner or later.

Nila has been a rational person throughout her life. She always weighed her options and made her choices with great expertise..but now, she felt irrational all of a sudden.
Why this is happening to me???
Why me??. When I am finally settling down, when my mom and dad are happy and at ease without all the debts they took for her studies and finally she was free from the responsibility of paying back the loan and the burden she carried around, and was happy to start afresh her life with Sid.

Sid.. Nila shook her head involuntarily, what was she going to tell him??
That, there's no future for them..
The love and friendship they shared for the past seven years not going to be enough for them to there for each other or she is going to leave him forever without looking back or that she is going to die soon....

How could she tell him that?
But she need to tell him , that to soon..
She needs him now, more than ever.

She kept staring at the sea, which was now had a calming effect on her.
The waves were touching her numb feet, trying to tickle and ensure her, she could do this, she have to do this , moreover she doesn't have time to play hide n seek.
The doctor said that they need to do more tests and examination before they decide her treatment schedule, but she knew deep down, the time wasn't really in her hand and that's what she wants more than anything right now. How strange...she never thought in her wildest dreams that she will be counting her days and minutes like this.

Nila tried to get up from her awkward sitting position, but her body didn't budge. So instead, she sighed and drew her knees up against her chest and hugged herself as her silky smooth hair covered her pale face.

She was drifting in her thoughts again when her phone started vibrating.
Seeing Sid's name on screen, she froze. She couldn't take the call , not now, when she was so drained to utter even a single word.
She kept staring at the screen until it went blank and then she took the phone in her hand and started typing away.

        *************************
             Sid was trying to contact Nila for the past few hours. She was out of reach for hours now and when he contacted her friend, she was clueless about her whereabouts and she wasn't working today.
Where did Nila go? He rubbed his arms in agitation and tried to call her again.
This time her phone actually rang but she didn't took the call and he was annoyed now.
Before he stared to call by her again, his phone shrieked with Nila's message.
'Not in a mood to talk Sid.. wanna chat?'
He looked at the message a bit too longer, Nila is bothered by something.. she didn't want to talk to him on her vulnerable state and cracked voice like always she did in the past, whenever she wasn't ready to face him, she chose to text him.

'That's more convenient when you get too sappy' she had said to him when he questioned her about this strange habit of her's.

'Ofcourse Nila... Where were you? I have been trying to reach you for a long time now. ' he quickly typed and waited for her reply.

'I was  caught up in something..  how are you Sid? Did you miss me more than ever I could miss you?'

Despite of his annoyance, a wide grin  broke out on his face.
'Yes I did miss you...more than you could ever imagine..' he typed back and stared outside through the glass window of  Dubai metro.

'That is the same cheesiest reply I get everyday Sid.. but today it is different...
I missed you more than you could ever imagine...'

He was a bit stunned while reading her confession like that, because Nila wasn't an expressive person. She never tried to put her feelings into words and present him in a silver platter.. It made him happy for a moment but on the next second , he was worried..

'I wonder why?' he typed back. When she didn't replied fast, he typed another one.
'Where are you?? On the beach?'

'You know me better than myself Sid.
Yes I am at the beach side, even though I have no clue or whatsoever how did I end up here.' she replied.

He sighed at her reply. So typical of Nila.
She had no clue but she always ended up at the exact place whenever she was bothered by something or was in a turmoil or when she was hiding from something.

'What's wrong Nila??' he texted back and get off the metro and walked toward the exit area. Sid came outside and walked towards his regular coffeeshop and sat on a chair near the window like always he did. When he didn't get any reply from Nila, even after placing his order, he texted her again.

'Tell me Nila, what's bothering you?'

'When will you be back Sid??' Her reply came as on cue.

Okay...there it was. So direct and blunt. He felt a tug in his heart . They were in a relationship for the past seven years and the long distance relationship they were in , for the past two years was slowly eating them up. Nila tried to act rational about it most of the time, but today she wasn't able to do so. So she had asked a question so obvious, that they avoided for a long time, like the elephant in the room.

'You know Nila, that I want to come back as soon as possible. This project has been dragged this long and I have no choice other than stay back and complete. Once it is over, our future will be secured and we will be together and we will have all the time in the world. You know all this Nila, better than me anyway. Then why are you suddenly asking me about my return?' he replied with annoyance.

'I don't have all the time in the world Sid. It has been twenty months , it's time that you come back. I need you here Sid. I really do' Nila hated how desperate she sounded, but that was the truth. She was really desperate and she hasn't got much time in her hand either.

Sid could feel that , she was hiding something. What she was telling  to him was only half truth. He loathed the fact , he was this far away from her and she wasn't making it easy for him to see through her half truths.
He sighed and typed back, sipping his hot coffee.

'I know that Nila.. I will be back soon. And what's with you don't have time and all??. Are you planning to go somewhere? What are you trying to hide Nila? Just tell me.. okay?
You are making it difficult for me to figure this out alone.' he replied.

Nila read his text and looked at the beautiful sealine before her eyes.
I need to tell him...

She hated to break the news like this to him...by texting. But she was sure, if she try to talk to him, she wouldn't be able to handle herself. So she took her phone again in her hand and tapped.

'Sid...I know, that I am making it harder for you..but believe me , I don't have much time in my hand Sid. I am diagnosed with cancer...and  it's in a bad shape. I hate the way things are falling apart for us. I hate how I am unable to tell you directly that I won't be there for you when you need me .
I hate everything right now.
But I am helpless here ..Sid I need you.. just stay by my side I have nothing else to ask you.
I am sorry Sid....
She hit the sent button and a tear drop made its way from her eyes wetting her cheek and she didn't bother to dry it.

Sid clutched the phone tightly in his hand as he read Nila's message. He felt like getting a tight slap on his face.
It felt surreal.
Nila has lost her mind. He muttered under his breath and tried to call her but she didn't took his call.

As time slowly crawled away, Sid knew Nila wasn't lying.
They were at a turning point of their life and she needed him...and they have got a very short time to be together.

It took all of him to text her back , without crying and cursing their twisted fate.

Nila..are you okay??

How can I be?' she replied in a second.

'I know..' but he didn't know how to deal with this, how to console her...to hell with consoling her...how he is going to live without her.
He let out a shaky breath and blinked back the tear drops.

'Sid??'

'Yes..Nila.. ' he texted her back.

'The sky is turning pink.. it's really beautiful...'
She typed as she tried to absorb all the tiny details of the spectacular view Infront of her eyes.
How it glows and lit the entire sky into a gigantic beautiful painting... The pink sky is a rare beautiful site to watch and admire and she wanted to watch this beautiful site along with Sid.

But is that even possible?? She wondered, and her phone vibrated with another message from Sid.

'Let's watch it together Nila.
Give me twelve hours..
I will be there.. beside you
Nothing is more important than you Nila..
And I want to spend each second of my life with you..
Let's get marry Nila...
Right there, under the sky , when it turns pink....
Don't rationalize your thoughts and feelings anymore...
Just say yes Nila..
And let us leave the rest to the fate.. '

Nila read that message with a thumping heart and she cried and smiled at the same time while typing  'yes...' in response.

As she sat down there, admiring the beautiful evening and the gentle wind on her hair, the pink beautiful sky turned into a dark one with glittering stars all over it, making it once more attractive and addictive......

Time will be kind to you...
The sky turns pink and purple again..
There's more rain
It's time to leave
Time to go
It's time for goodbye...

She hummed herself the bits of a goodbye song she heard somewhere and smiled with tears in her eyes....