Calming her nerved she asked,

"So... as per these reports, there are chances that...."

"That I may be paralyzed? Or lose my complete memory someday? Then Yes, chances are there, if that's what you asked Akira".

"And as you can see, the chances keep on increasing week on week", saying that he took a deep breath.

But she was still reeling under this sudden revelation. She couldn't understand why fate always had to play some dirty joke or the other with her.

She closed her eyes and then opened them and asked him,

"Is that the reason why you stayed away from me?"

Hearing her question, he sat on the bed and held his forehead in between his hands for a while. He wanted to find the right words and the right explanation for his actions. So after some deliberation,

he said,

"You are very young Akira. You are yet to see the world. I didn't want to ruin your life by being a burden on you. Things might be all ok between us for a while, but what about the future Akira? What if I become paralyzed, what if I don't even remember our first kiss. What if all this happens in a month or two? I can't let you live with a person who will become nothing but a piece of extra baggage on your shoulder."

"You think...."

"Let me complete Akira", Raymond said and interrupted her.

"You are the best thing that has happened to me, THE BEST. And I want you to remember me as the best thing that had happened to you. And that could only happen if I stayed away from you Akira. So maybe yes, I was selfish in staying away from you, but I hope you can understand the fact that nothing is more important to me than your happiness", he said and looked into her eyes, expecting her to understand his feelings, his intentions, but she said only one thing,

"You Liar !!!"

"What?"

"If my happiness mattered to you, then you would have come back to me the day you woke up. I love you, Raymond, I always have and I always will. If you think I will move on someday just because of your absence then you are so wrong. Probably you haven't known me at all Raymond."

"If I can spend this one day with you, then that's all that I need and this much only is good enough for me. Your presence around me is all that I need."

"I don't care if you forget me one day, because I will make you fall in love with me, AGAIN. We will start as new lovers every single day".

"I don't care if one fine day you can't move your limbs, because I will run the whole world for you Ramond."

"Why didn't you just try to tell me once about it? Do you think I am so shallow? Do you think my love wasn't enough?"

"What if I forgot how to love?", Raymond asked, with tears stinging his eyes.

"I will teach you again, every day, again and again how to fall in love with me, until you forget how to forget it, Raymond. I love you so much that it will be enough for both of us to survive. Why didn't you think that way?"

Looking at her, hearing those words that she spoke, he was unable to understand what noble deed he had done in the past to be able to be with such a wonderful girl like her. He didn't deserve her. She was way more than anything that he could have ever wished for.

Looking at her he said,

"I thought, you could move on. I thought maybe someone else can give you all the happiness that I couldn't Akira. I did all this thinking about you and only you. Trust me !!!"

Somehow after hearing these words from his mouth, made every inch of her skin curl in disgust.

She slowly walked towards him and before he could realize,

"SLAP !!!"

She etched her palm on his cheeks with a tight slap that came out of nowhere.

She slapped him hard, venting out all the anger that had been built up inside of her.

"Akira !!!", He exclaimed.

"That was so uncalled for !!!"

"That's for disrespecting our love, Raymond. I have no words to describe how repulsed I am feeling right now. How could you demean what we have between us?"

Before Raymond could speak anything, Akira's phone chimed with alarm notification.

Taking a deep breath she looked at Raymond and said,

"Unlike people who keep on procrastinating and imagine unrealistic things, I have some real work to do", saying that she picked up her bag and was about to leave the room when he said,

"I LOVE YOU AKIRA"