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
She raised her eyebrow at me. "Hello, famous Alina.""Why you call me that?" I leaned my back on the door."Oh, you've no idea how famous you are." She dropped her lipstick in the purse. "Even in New York, Kabir couldn't stop thoughts about you. He was a little distracted. Now I know why he was." I clenched my jaw as she informally addressed him. I didn't think Kabir let his employees call him by his name, and no matter how wrong it sounded, I didn't want her to take his name.Damn it. She was assistant, Alina, don't be so overdramatic.Kabir wasn't dad. He wasn't dad. Just trust him."I don't get why anyone will leave America to come to India.""I'm not so fond of it." She passed her liner to me but I turned it down. Enough makeup for tonight. "But I'm getting more pay. Even if Kabir is good—""Mr. Oberoi," I interrupted her. "You call him Mr. Oberoi or sir."She raised her lips with an amusing smile. "Even if Mr. Oberoi is good, he's not made to handle all of this. He needs guidance
[ K A B I R ' S P O V ]"Kabir—""You stay out of it for once!" Shouting at Kriti, I strode to Alina's room and shut the door tightly.How could she leave like this without a proper explanation? Why she behaved out of nowhere as if I was the culprit without explaining what I had done in the first place? Why was she so complicated?Swirling, she gasped and shouted, "What the fuck are you doing here?"I was about to yell, scream and shout at her for always doing what she wanted, never caring to listen to me and running away at the middle of the night like this, but all my voice died when I saw her face.How do I yell at her? Why couldn't I raise my voice? Why to even yell at her?"For you," I said. "How could you even say it's over?""Because it is!" She screamed, anger wrapping her face but eyes glistened under the weight of lights. "It's over. I hate you. I hate you so much.""What are you talking about? At least tell me," I insisted.I thought everything was fine between us when sh
Alina's expression didn't change, her hands remained still at her side, her eyes narrowed at me."You're lying." Again, the same sentence. "She saw you without clothes.""I'm aware," I confessed. "Once she came in my penthouse. I was roaming in my briefs and she saw it." Seeing her expression, I added quickly, "I did yell at her for disturbing my privacy. I changed the code too. I didn't know she knew about it. She purchased the penthouse. I should've been aware.""But you kissed her." She clutched the arms of the chair tightly. And that was the reason I didn't want to tell her. "I can't stop imagining when you kissed her." She dragged a long, shaky breath before facing me, turmoil residing in her black eyes. "You wanted to forget me?" With reluctance, I nodded. "Was I that bad?""No, I just love you too much," I replied honestly. "Wouldn't you have done anything to forget me?""True." Standing on her toes, she trudged to my side, caught my face in her hands and inched it closer to he