Till Death Do Us Part

The wind ruffled through my hair. My eyes stung. I didn’t blink. I let myself fall till my hands suddenly met the cold metal. I grasped. It was muscle memory at work. I held on to the grill and pulled myself over the railing and into the tiny balcony. Then, I ran across to the other side, flexing my fingers in preparation. I climbed over the ledge and launched myself towards the window sill jutting out a few inches from the wall. My fingers latched onto it, my toes placed flat against the wall. My limbs strained themselves as I climbed first onto the scaffolding, and then finally, onto the parapet of the roof.

My throat was dry; with every breath I took, I felt the cool air against the back of my mouth. Sweat trickled down my forehead, slid against my eyebrow and down my cheek. My muscles pumped blood, throbbing with a rhythm.

The neighbourhood stretched out before me, houses stacked up against each other, lights pouring out of the rooms. The street lights added a fluorescent glow to it. I smiled. I had crossed the entire area in... I looked at my watch... 5 minutes.

I deserved it. To win.

I took a deep breath, letting the wind cool my skin, my aching limbs glad for the relief. I could hear my heart beating inside my chest, such was the rush that Parkour brought me. It was my favourite bit about this. The thrill. It was all consuming. As long as I was in action, I didn’t even need to think about anything else.

I didn’t want to think about anything else.

Completing the stretch in record time was an added bonus. 5 minutes! My heart leapt with joy. It was the best attempt ever!

“Second best,” a voice rang out from behind me.

No. Not you. Not here. Why can’t you just ... No.

Suddenly, the wind felt way too cold against me. It was only September, the cold was unnatural. I could feel goosebumps erupting on my skin. I became aware that my legs were too tired, so I slowly sat down on the parapet itself.

I didn’t answer.

I heard his footsteps coming towards me.

“You think so?” I asked, dryly.

He pulled himself up beside me and settled down.

“You know so.”

I stayed quiet.

“4 minutes and 20 seconds.”

I glanced at Prateek. He was staring ahead, a slight smile playing on his lips, as if remembering a very fond memory.

My mouth felt really dry.

“That was just one time,” I replied with some difficulty.

He laughed.

“It was enough to terrify you.”

I felt shivers rising through my spine. My eyes stung, this time, there were tears.

“I am the champion! I deserved it!” I growled.

Prateek laughed, again. I felt overwhelmed. I scrambled to my feet, anger... and was it terror... coursing through me.

“I won! I. WON. Not you! Now stop torturing me!”

Prateek stopped laughing. He kept his cold eyes trained on me as he got up, leveling with me.

“Tell me. Did I lose? Or did you not let me win?”

I could hear the blood thumping in my ears.

“You fell! It was an accident.”

“You knew the scaffolding was broken. You it broke it yourself,” Prateek replied, calmly.

My fingers felt numb. The cold had reached my bones, I was shivering. Tears were rolling down my throat by now.

“You don’t understand! I needed to win. I had to win!” I yelled, my voice trembling.

Prateek took a step closer to me.

“You watched as I fell. You saw me die. You killed me.”

I choked on the sobs that wracked through my body. It was so cold. Too cold. Almost like... dead cold. I was shivering harder now.

“Please, you were my best friend,” I whispered.

Prateek raised an eyebrow and tilted his head slightly.

“You still are my best friend.”

He closed in and wrapped his arms tightly around me. I stood frozen in his embrace. He was supporting almost my entire weight. My knees felt too weak to carry me. I let him rub soothing circles on my back.

“It’s okay. I understand,” he said, holding me tighter.

“You do?”

“Yes. Do you remember what we used to say?” he asked, his lips almost touching my ears, his breath, frigid.

Of course I remember.

“Till death do us part...”

He took a step towards the edge. I went with him. I didn’t really have any option. I was scared. I held him closer, tight. There was no separating us now.

“Till death unite us again,” he whispered.

 And then, he jumped.