[ A L I N A ' S P O V ]Words. Too many words. Too many sentences and yet my eyes couldn't concentrate and grasp any of it.Narrowing my eyes, I made myself comfortable with the book, leaned back and took a deep breath. Start again. Forcing myself, I tried to pay attention to the letters inscribed in the second para of the book and was reading through it when again, my concentration halted and I drifted off to some other part, some other nightmare.Why she did it? If she never loved me, she could've said it. Why couldn't she show her real face like Rishi had done? It would have been such a relief to see the reality than the lie hidden beneath it.Had I done something to offend her? Had I come off as a spoiled girl that she wanted to ruin me? Her words reeled back, her actions ran through. Again and again, she turned the blind eye, and again and again, I acted as if she was my mother.Was my love too false? At the back of my head, I knew the truth. Why couldn't I get a bad feeling f
"I got the right apartment." But my concentration was on the clothes he wore. What the actual fuck? Who wear formal clothes for a simple working of a gown? Controlling my gasp, I bit my lip to stop the smile. "What are you wearing? Are we going in a party?" Frowning, he looked down at his clothes, shrugged his shoulders. "I was in the hotel." That explained nothing. "Business, bookworm. I wasn't joking about working." "Aren't you feeling hot?" "Truth? A bit, but I can't wear casual in office. People don't take me seriously." "Serious?" I chuckled. "You're twenty-one. Who takes a kid as serious?" Scowling, he leaned at the door. "I'm an adult. I work. And invite me in." "Yes." Stepping back, I allowed him to enter the apartment and pass his gaze through the apartment which was nothing as compared to the one he owned. I preferred a small one. Why have such a big apartment when I would be living alone? "Nice." His words flew out of my head as I took in his blue tailored suit wit
"I hated them too." That brought my attention to him. "I despised them. Everyone acted as if it was fine when nothing was fine, but Alina, you know what I have learned? That faking everything is fine for a while makes it feel real." He placed his hand on top of mine. "I know everyone flaunts it, but we ignore them. I need you there with me. This is a first time I'm going and I wouldn't have gone if the host hadn't personally invited me. You're not a trophy girl. You have a personality of your own." He flicked my nose. "Remember those days when I was known as Alina Gupta's boyfriend? I still get. Just come. Trust me. I won't make you who you're not. As long my work would be done, we'll leave. It's just a party and we'll enjoy.""There will be strangers," I whispered."I will be there as I said. I won't leave your side like your parents. I won't flaunt you around by putting someone else down. I won't suffocate you. I won't let anyone suffocate you. And you'll be Alina, the same selfless
Write, Alina.I ordered, screamed, yelled and shouted those words in my mind but none worked as I tried to further than the word The or the date I had put up or the heading.The blank page stared back at me, waiting to be filled up but my fingers didn't move and I shut the lid of the laptop with a bang. Staring at the silver lid laid on my lap, I threw the laptop across the room, frustrated by my own behavior.Alina, you were not spineless. You were more than what she had said.Irritation pricked and jabbed at my sides as I stared at the almost destroyed laptop and every other document of mine destroying itself if I didn't check it out. Alina, care about it. Your book was in there.But I didn't.I fucking don't care.I wanted to care, but something in me wasn't satisfied with it. Something in me was snapped down to the ground, killing all the urges I had stored in my heart. Something in me felt dead to even breath anymore.Rubbing my hands on my face, I laid down on the bed, staring a
"Do you want something?" He asked, lightening the apartment. Shaking my head, I wondered my eyes around the apartment. Three months. I hadn't been here for three months. Automatically, my gaze swept to my room's door. My previous room.I didn't live here anymore.He lived alone.I lived alone.Friends didn't live together as couples.I shouldn't have agreed to come with him after the shooting academy, but it felt tiring to go back to my apartment and lay down to watch the boring ceilings, blaming myself for not doing something productive.Being with him at least divert my mind, but the impact of seeing what I had left three months ago was a blow to my gut.I had thought he would have sold it, taking he wasn't going to come back and I had given my key back to his mother when I had gone to his house during summer vacations.Good thing he didn't sell it. This apartment held too many moments of us.Kabir dropped the laptop bag on the couch. "You should start this." Nodding, I revealed the
[ K A B I R P O V ]"I'll be there," I talked into my phone. "Is it my mistake the dry cleaner ruined his clothes? Where is the manager?""Just handle it," Jennifer insisted. "Give him an extra stay.""Then convey to the manager," I said harshly, leaning my back on the elevator's cold wall. "Give the guest anything. Transfer him to the presidential suite for a night, gift a white wine bottle and end this. If he still troubles or threatens, then get him another piece of cloth.""Yes, Mr. Oberoi," She clipped.With the ding of the elevator, I walked out to the direction of the apartment and instead of using the key or ringing the bell, I entered the code. "I will come in an hour or so. I can't even stay in college in peace.""You only wanted to join," she sassed. "Your dad said it wasn't easy. You're complaining about this. Imagine him.""What's the status of New York?""Good. Better than the start. No doubt, your dad was shocked by your performance. I will meet you soon.""You can le
[ A L I N A ' S P O V ]"Can we talk?"Kriti swirled her face to stare at me, the shock apparent visible there. For three weeks, we hadn't talked with each other even though I had shed off the anger. I couldn't carry the guts to go to her and apologize for my behavior on how I had acted with her for past few months.She had nothing to do with my life and past, and I had been venting out on her without caring how she must be feeling. I was back on the track of pushing people out of my life because I thought it was easier that way. Less people, less trouble.But I missed her.Nodding, she stood up from the chair and cocked her head to the door. Sparing a glance at Kabir from across the canteen, I followed her to the benches resting outside the canteen. Sitting next to each other, we avoided looking and stared at the floor.What should I say? How should I confess about the apology bubbling in my throat?Just go for it, Alina. Get over with this."I'm sorry," I said quickly, pulling my
"Suck in more," Kriti shouted from the back. Glaring at her and the artist, I sucked my breath to create space for the corset to be tied around my back.As Aabha's assistant pulled the strings to tie the knots, I squeezed my eyes shut to ignore the stinging pain wrapping my abdomen."I told you to wear a lingerie corset beneath," The assistant grumbled, fumbling with the knots. "It would have been easier that way."Glancing at the oval-shaped red skirt with a cut in the half starting from my hip to provide space for black ruffles, I tried to control my annoyance. Rich people. Rich parties. And here I had thought, I wouldn't be dragged into that part of my life anymore.I had been avoiding them ever since, only attending where the whole family was invited. I never knew dating Kabir would be like dashing into that world again. I never knew he was part of the world I used to despise. I never cared about it. But as we were growing up, I realized we weren't teenagers and as adults, respons