"Are you sure I look good?" I voiced my doubts to the phone. On the other end, Nisha laughed for the third time. "Don't laugh," I whined, picking the rest of dresses from the bed.She didn't understand how important it was for me to look good because I wanted to impress Kabir and show him that in my sickness, I wasn't too much of a burden. I had no idea how he forgave my foolish behavior every single time.From past two nights, we were having too much drama in our lives and it was affecting me too much, pushing me to edge again and again. I had no idea how would I explain it to him, explain the things going through my mind, the demons conjuring it again while I strived to put them at the back of everything.It was like reliving everything, all at once."You look beautiful," She replied. "He's going to love it. By the way, where you both are going?""I don't know." I grabbed the black wedges from the cupboard. "Heels or wedges.""Wedges. Heels will hurt your ankle for a long time," She
"What?" I whispered slowly, the night wind bringing shivers to my bare arms."I was a jerk," He said slowly, letting the words enter my mind. "You were so closed off that it intrigued me. For a year, I waited to talk to you, and when we did, most of the time you would yell at me and then I saw the napkins." I tensed, endeavoring to stand up from here and hear nothing else. "I'm confessing, Alina, please don't leave." I nodded, waiting for him to explain me further. "But I didn't know that inside that angry girl lies a girl who could make me turn my whole attention to her, just her."He picked at his cloth napkin. "Instead of breaking, I wanted to remake you. You just changed everything when you smiled at me that night." He smiled at one of the memories I had no idea about. "Everything was fine." He laughed. "But then you smiled. You have the prettiest smile, do you know that?"How could I get angry when he knew what to add to make me melt every inch of annoyance that was rising when he
Before I could say anything, he started dragging us out of the hotel, ignoring my protests. Was he angry at me for being this rude to that man? What was my mistake? He was insulting Kabir as if he meant nothing as if he wasn't any person but an object he owned. I may not know business but this was not how you behaved with people below you.He called for the car, and as soon it came, he ushered me in and settled into the driver's seat. The anger was evident on his face, his hands clutched the steering wheel tightly, his eyes didn't turn to look at me and let me help him or anything.I called for him, but he didn't turn to look at me and when we reached our apartment, he parked the car rashly and without explaining anything, entered the apartment and shut his door with a hard bang and next I heard something breaking in his room.I flinched. Should I enter? What if he was too angry? What if screamed at me? What if I wasn't strong to handle his anger? Time. I should give him time to relax
[ A L I N A ' S P O V ] Checking the calendar on the mobile, I chewed my lower lip. Our one month was ending, and I had to move out, but I didn't want to. I craved spending time with him, felt the relief pouring to me when we would talk late at nights, laughing or somedays, we didn't talk but sat beside each other, watching TV and that used to be enough.I loved getting up in the morning and finding him coming from the GYM. I loved sleeping next to him when I would have a nightmare and waking up to find him sleeping soundly. I loved leaving the apartment together for college and coming back together. However, some days I took my car because he would have basketball practice. I loved waiting for him to come back from work and just see him even if we didn't say anything more than few words.But it was ending.And he didn't even ask if I could stay further. It wasn't his mistake. What we did was so wrong in so many parts. Dad would kill me if he got to know I lived with Kabir under
[ K A B I R ' S P O V ]Switching off the TV, I patted my jeans and got up from the couch to go to my room and sleep. Stretching my arms in the air, I yawned loudly, ignoring Alina's scowl at my back. She hated it whenever I did it.Well, she had to live with it if she wanted to live with me.Our month. It was ending. She would be gone by the end of this week. I wouldn't hear her laughter in the morning, wouldn't hear her constant battering of putting things on place, wouldn't see her sleepy head after coming back from GYM, wouldn't hold her close to me whenever she would have a nightmare, wouldn't shout at her to get ready fast when she would be doing yoga, wouldn't remind her to take medicines, wouldn't be there with her.She would be gone.Turning, I faced her, busy with changing the channel. Could I ask her to stay with me? Could I hold her close to me no matter how wrong it was? Would she be angry at me? Would she be disappointed at me?Not once, she expressed how she wanted t
"Kabir, we're getting late!" I called, washing my breakfast plate.I frowned at the soap tumbling down the surface, surprised by Kabir's behavior of not coming out of his room early. He hadn't even gone to GYM today, stayed in his room and woke up when I had knocked on his door.Swirling, I gawked at his untouched breakfast and sighed. Looks like I would be missing my first lecture of the day.Drying the plate with the cloth, I placed it inside the cabinet and covered his breakfast plate.Worried, I was about to retreat to his room when he wobbled inside the kitchen. His head bent down, bag slung over his shoulder and tired actions. He gave a stare to his breakfast and asked, "Let's go. I'm not hungry. Your lectures start early."Dropping the cloth, I trudged to his side and asked, "Are you okay? You don't seem fine.""Just a bit tired. Slept late." He blinked his eyes rapidly. "My shoulders are aching." He sat on the kitchen stool and leaned his head on the slab, moaning in pain. Tens
"Kabir." I tried to shake his shoulder, but his breath was shallow, body was shivering and sweating too much.Break the fever.Following what Meena Auntie used to do with me, I strolled to the kitchen, poured the cold water along with cubes of the ice in the bowl and my handkerchief from the pocket. Walking back to his room, I sat next to him, dipped the handkerchief in the bowl, soaked it, squeezed the excess water and placed it on his forehead.Repeating the process rest of the evening, I changed the water two times and did it again to break his fever. When his shivering had calmed down, I sighed in relief and settled on the chair, staring and waiting if he needed something.Battling with my thoughts, I left his room, grabbed my phone from the hall's table and called the person who could help me in this situation."Hello," His mother voice invaded."Auntie," I sighed in relief. "I need your help.""Is everything okay?"I clenched my hand at her worried tone and controlled the jealous
"Alina, sit." Meena Auntie pointed to the chair. "Everyone is coming.""You made my favorite?" I asked, grinning and for a while forgetting what had happened in my room an hour ago.She nodded, tapping my cheek and grinned back. "Rishi said me to make your special."The smile left my face. She noticed it, and before she could ask further, Misha entered the dining room, ruffled my hair and sat opposite to me."Di, sit next to me," I pleaded.She wouldn't touch me."I love this seat," she said. "Don't irritate me.""Please, I will sit next to you." Dropping from my seat, I walked to her sit and settled next to her. "I love sitting next to you."She laughed, nodded and started filling her plate. I pointed at the stuff I wanted on my plate and she helped me placing each of them.Soon, mom and masi came, sitting opposite to us.A hand rested on my thigh, slipping inside the skirt.Gulping, I skidded my gaze to look at the side and all the things of an hour ago came back. He didn't care to t