Seven Days Before the End

Arya sat on the bus, staring out the window. lost in thought. It's been a week since it happened...

They were heading to another hospital, far from the city, because the earthquake had destroyed the previous one. He hadn't seen her since that day—the last time was when he saved her. I still don't know where she is... But she changed me a lot.

From behind the bus seat, a familiar voice called out.

"Yo, Arya! Come here!"

Arya turned to see a boy leaning out of the window, taking in the mountain view.

When I saved him, everything changed.

Back then, they were enemies. But now? Now, he called Arya a friend.

Why is he even on this bus? Doesn't he have his own car?

Just as Arya was thinking that, the rich kid slid into the seat beside him.

"Arya, bro! Why didn't you pick up my call yesterday?"

Before Arya could respond, the boy grinned. "Oh, right! I never introduced myself properly, huh? It's me—Ronnie Rai."

A loud voice suddenly echoed through the bus. "Finally! My name is in the notebook!"

Hian returned to the café, her fingers still gripping the notebook. She had been reading deeply, completely lost in the words.

"You idiot! Just shut up!" she snapped, slamming the notebook shut.

Ronnie flinched. "Hian—"

"I told you before—don't speak when I'm reading! You broke my flow!" She sighed, clearly frustrated. "That's it. I'm not reading in front of you anymore. You can leave now."

Ronnie held up his hands in surrender. "I'm so sorry! Please forgive me! I won't do it again—I swear!"

He hesitated before lowering his voice. "But… I really want to listen. Please, let me stay."

"Okay, just don't do it again. Do you understand?" Hian sighed, looking at Ronnie.

"Yeah! Thanks so much!" Ronnie grinned.

Hian took a deep breath and opened the notebook again, ready to read.

But then— RING!

Ronnie's phone buzzed loudly.

"Whose phone is that?" Ronnie asked.

Hian's eyes flashed with irritation.

Ronnie hesitated, then realized it was his own. "Ah… it's mine."

Hian shot him a sharp look. Annoyed, Ronnie quickly silenced the call.

She tried to focus again.

RING!

This time, Hian clenched her teeth.

Ronnie sighed. "Sorry! I'll switch it off!" He reached for the power button but paused.

Actually… it was his father calling.

He hesitated before picking up. "Dad, I'm busy right now. I'll call you later."

"Where have you been, son?" his father's deep voice asked.

"I told you, Dad, I can't talk right now." Ronnie hurriedly ended the call before his father could say more.

Hian folded her arms. "Are you done now?"

"Yes, yes! Go ahead!" Ronnie assured her.

Finally, she flipped open the notebook. But before she could start—

"Excuse me, sir. Your cold coffee," a waiter interrupted.

Hian groaned. Again?!

Ronnie quickly took the coffee. "Thanks. We'll call you if we need anything else."

The waiter nodded and left.

Ronnie turned to Hian with an apologetic smile. "Now you can read."

She exhaled, refocused, and started reading again.

Inside the notebook…

They were on a bus, heading toward another hospital.

"Ronnie, what happened to you?" Arya asked, watching him closely.

Ronnie looked away. "Nothing. Don't ask."

Arya frowned. "You were just fine a while ago."

Ronnie let out a deep breath. "I don't want to study. I don't want to go to college. So… I pretended to be sick."

Arya blinked. "Wait, what?! And the doctor? They didn't tell your father?"

Ronnie shook his head. "No. I already told them not to. So don't say anything either, okay?"

Arya stared at him for a moment before sighing. "You're unbelievable…"

Ronnie looked at Arya. "And you? What happened to you?"

"Nothing, just a small health issue," Arya said.

"Don't worry. If you need help, I can ask my dad. He'll take care of it," Ronnie offered.

"I'm fine." Arya hesitated for a moment before asking, "Do you know where Hina is?"

"No idea," Ronnie replied. "But I heard something about her being in a hospital on the hillside. I don't remember the name, but I think she's there."

So that's why I couldn't find her before. I waited for her on the bus, but she never came… Arya thought.

Why is he smiling like that? Arya wondered. "What? No, you've got it wrong. We're just friends."

The bus finally arrived at the hospital, which was far from the town. They got off the bus, carrying their bags.

"Finally, we're here. This is the hospital. It's very popular," Ronnie said.

"This hospital is huge and beautiful! I've never seen anything like it," Arya thought.

The doctor said, 'Will you just stand there talking, or are you coming inside?

They entered the hospital and walked into the counter hall, which was spacious.

A doctor approached them. "You can wait here until your turn. When it's time, the nurse will call you and give you the room key."

The doctor walked away, leaving Arya and Ronnie to find seats. Arya sat down, and Ronnie spoke. "After the earthquake, nothing happened to this hospital."

Soon, the nurse called Arya and Ronnie. "Come with me, please."

She led them to another large building. "We're on the 5th floor, left side," she explained.

They walked together until the nurse stopped at room 77. "Arya, this is your room."

"Where's my room?" Ronnie asked.

"Please wait," the nurse replied. "I'll show you in a moment."

She opened the door to Arya's room. It was spacious, with a comfortable bed and a private bathroom. The nurse explained everything about the room.

"Where's my room? Give me the key, I'll open it myself," Ronnie said, growing impatient.

The nurse hesitated, then said, "Your room is on the 4th floor, room 69."

"What the hell? I told you, my room should be next to Arya's!" Ronnie thought, frustrated.

The nurse apologized. "I'm sorry, but the rooms are all packed. We can't change anything."

"I'll talk to my father about this," Ronnie thought, determined.

The nurse replied, "Let's go to your room, Ronnie."

Before she left, the nurse turned to Arya. "If you need anything or have any problems, you can call us. You'll find the phone number in your room."

As the nurse escorted Ronnie downstairs, he turned back to Arya. "We'll meet soon. I'll be in the room next to yours." Then, he followed the nurse.

Arya stepped out of his room on the 5th floor. As he glanced outside, he admired the beautiful view of the mountains and the city.

After a few seconds, he turned back to return to his room then he collide with a girl.

She stumbled and fell to the floor, her file slipping from her hands as papers scattered everywhere.

"I'm so sorry!" Arya said quickly.

The girl looked at him for a few seconds, unable to respond right away. Eventually, Arya asked, "Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm fine."

Arya extended his hand to help her up. She hesitated for a moment before taking it, and he gently pulled her to her feet. Then, he crouched down, gathering the scattered papers and carefully placing them back into the file.

Handing it back to her, he said, "Here."

"Thank you," she replied.

"It was my mistake," Arya said.

But the girl shook her head. "No, I was in a rush and wasn't looking ahead. It was my fault."

Without another word, she turned and entered her room. Arya watched her for a moment before heading back into his own.

After entering his room, Arya closed the door and sat on his bed.

"I just collided with a girl, and the moment reminded him of Hina. Will we meet again? How is she? he wondered. But he had no way to contact her."

Just then, his phone rang. He picked it up. "Hello?"

"It's me, Ronnie," came the familiar voice. "I'm bored here. Let's go downstairs and explore the hospital."

"But, Ronnie—" Arya started.

"If you don't come, I'll come up there and drag you down myself!" Ronnie interrupted.

Arya sighed. "Okay, fine. I'll come."

"Good! Hurry up, I'm waiting!" Ronnie said before ending the call.

Arya stood up and walked to the door. Just as he opened it, he saw the same girl from before passing by.

He hesitated for a second, watching her. Should I say something? he wondered.

Before he could decide, his phone rang again. Shaking off the thought, he turned away and headed downstairs.

He took the stairs down to the lower floor and met up with Ronnie.

"Let's go," Ronnie said.

They turned left and headed downstairs. As they walked, Arya asked, "Ronnie, do you have Hina's contact number?"

Ronnie shook his head. "No, I don't have her number."

Ronnie raised an eyebrow. "Why do you need her number? Is there something going on? Tell me, I'm your friend. Is it love or what?"

Arya shook his head. "No, I told you she's just a friend."