Yawning, I closed my books and stretched my legs. Getting up from the bed, I walked out of the room to find something to eat. Switching on the lights, I found a note stuck to the refrigerator.Food is in the microwave. You were sleeping. Must be hard practice 😝 Ps. Heat and eat.Chuckling at her handmade emoji, I crumbled the note and threw it in the dustbin before opening the microwave and found the plate in it. She never forgot about me. Twitching my lips, I brought the plate out and grabbed a spoon.Cold food was better than hot food and she wouldn't understand that.She wouldn't understand why I had gone straight to the bed after coming back from college, she wouldn't understand how much it was killing to know that how deep secrets we both were holding.Before I could take a spoon, the kitchen walls were invaded by the screams.Alina.Dropping the spoon, I sprinted to her room, opened the gate and saw her struggling in her bed. She hadn't gotten any dreams since she had started s
"Come again?" Dr. Sha asked, her hands flying from right to left, hitting the ping pong ball with the red colored bat.Hitting with my bat, I tried to dodge her attempts to make me lose a point. "Why are we playing ping pong?""Don't you get bored staying in a room?""Kind of."But this wasn't what I had expected when she called for an outside meeting instead in her building's cabin. I had thought a café maybe, or someplace quiet but she had surprised by calling me to a club and assured nobody would come in this room."Your dad was ready to allow it.""His friend owns the club," I mumbled dryly, the sound of the hitting echoing in the four walls."And he loves you," She pointed out, smashing the ball and before I could hit, it flew from my side. "And you lost a point.""Funny," Grumbling, I walked to one of the corners, picked the ball and started the game again. The sweat had started forming on the forehead, my grip on the handle of the bat was losing, my wrists were aching. What was
Rubbing my neck with the hand, I felt his presence on my back. "What is he doing here?"I turned to face him. "Kabir--""Alina, no." He cornered me, caging between his body by placing both of his hands on the counter table. "It's ten at the night.""He came. I couldn't say him to leave.""Or you could have said it's not ideal for him to come," He shot back, straining lines visible on his forehead. "You looked uncomfortable. Did he say something?"Nothing just confessed it to me and I had no idea why he thought he loved me when he knew nothing about me except the things I shared in the support group when he had no idea how needy I was, how I seek for attention."No," I whispered. "You got late.""Work." Pranit voice from the hall echoed in the kitchen and Kabir's eyes darkened. "I hate him. When I see him, I see how you said you loved him." But it was a lie. I was trying to hurt you, make you see how you leaving had impacted me. "I know you both have same past," He dragged a shaky brea
[ A L I N A ' S P O V ] "I don't think I can do this," I mumbled to the phone, clutching it tightly under my grip. My words seemed shaken, my hands seemed shaken. Huh, the whole of me was shaken to the core. The white tall building sat across me with its intimidating look . The students peered in and out, some in groups others lonely like me, trying to adjust to the first day of college. College. Finally, I was in college, away from my family and learning to live on my own even if I had been doing it since a long time ago. I closed my eyes and scolded myself for thinking about it again. It was a new start, a new place and a new dream. It was College. All I had to do was enjoy like any other adolescent, make friends and live my life to fullest even if it meant I had to pretend about it. No more sadness, tears and the pain of the past. "You're worrying for no reason," he said from the other side. "It isn't that bad. Just some seniors bonding with juniors." I bit my lower lip. "Yo
[ A L I N A 'S P O V ] "Where are you?" Kabir said loudly from the other side of the phone. "I--I--" I couldn't say a word to him while Kriti was busy burying down in her chicken biryani and a bottle of bear. "Not in the college." "What?" He screamed. "Where are you? Are you okay? Are you ambushed?" "Relax, Kabir." As if hearing a boy name, Kriti left her dish and pulled her attention to me with a snarky smile. Ignoring her, I paid attention to my over worrying boyfriend. "I'm very much ambushed by this girl, Kriti." "Where are you? I'm coming," He replied in haste. "I'll be back soon. Don't worry. I talk to you later, bye." I didn't wait for his response before I cut the call and placed it back o the table. I took my fork and started playing with the noodles. I was trying to avoid Kriti, who was looking forward to some news from my side about who was Kabir because one thing I learned about her was that she was very talkative and had a curious mind. She was from Pune, doing t
"Want another?" Kabir asked, grinning at my behavior. Agitated, I threw the tissue box at him but he shifts his body at the right time, letting the box fall across the hall, disappearing into his room. How could he grin at it? "I don't want to stay with her!" I exaggerated. "She tore my book. That was my favorite book. Poor Jace and Clary." Sniffing, I cleaned my cheeks with the help of tissue paper. As soon I had seen my torn book in her hands, I had screamed, like a big scream. All she had to say in her defense was that she lost her mascara. For a mascara, my book had to be killed. What was fair in all of it? So, like a mature girl, I waved it off, but intentionally, I was thinking of inviting my fellow shadow hunters to come and hunt her because she was a demon. A demon who could kill Jace. My book boyfriend. I had even gotten my stele and ruins ready. "But I like that girl." Wearing a smug look, Kabir sat opposite to me. "Some guts she has to tear your book and not even sayin
[ K A B I R ' S P O V ]"Yes, mom, I locked the apartment." I rolled my eyes at her constant battering. No matter how much grown up I had become or how many months I had stayed away from home, she would always tell me or more like scold me for being careless.Well, no doubt her worry was valid compared to my behavior in Delhi, but now, I was a responsible man. I had been living in Bangalore for three months, and that conveyed something, but what to do about her. Overworrying Indian moms."Did you eat? Is the chef good?""Mom," I said in a laughing tone. "I'm on top of the world." She sighed from the other end. "How's Nisha?" I asked carefully, gripping the steering wheel tightly under my grip.I should ask more, ask how she was doing at home after everything that happened, ask if she was eating, ask if she started preparing for her exams again, but held everything. I should've been there for her at this point of life, not left to Bangalore. She never left my side, and I left in a min
Throwing my bag on the canteen table, I took the nearby chair and slouched on it. I cursed lowly under my breath seeing Grisha barging into the canteen along with her friends at the backside. Frantically, I roamed my gaze around the small packed area, crossing my fingers to save me from the wrath of my girlfriend, and there she came. I ran my hand over my face, chanting all the prayers I had stored in my mind while on the other hand, my friends laughed at my side. Glaring at them to shut up their stupid fiasco, I stood up from my chair and greeted Alina. She sat down next to me, and the longer I stared at her, I realized she had no idea of anything. To confirm my doubts, I looked at Kriti, who passed me a disgusted look and paid attention to her books. Kriti was overreacting. It wasn't like I slept with Grisha. It was just a unharmful dance. "Guess what?" Alina jumped in her seat, clutching my hands in hers. "Mom called last night. Nani and nanu are ready to talk to me." That brou