"Where is papa?" I asked Meena Auntie, passing both of my bags to one of the helpers.She turned, smiled and hugged me tightly. "Welcome back. Good thing you called this time.""Papa had said he would come, but he sent a driver," I complained. "I came with Kabir."I couldn't handle sitting with a stranger without preparing my mind for it. Whenever I would take a cab, I would be hitting in my mind to control yourself and don't get anxiety. Unexpected situations wore me down.Kabir had seen the distress on my face and suggested he would drop me home. I had insisted him to come inside but he was sleepy and wanted to go home. Reluctantly, I had nodded and bid him bye."He had work." I nodded tightly. Of course, he and his work. Breaking her grip on me, I stared at the floor. "Alina, your new room is ready.""Is it?"She nodded, smiling. "Your dad wanted to show you himself, but since he had work, he had to go. It was really important. He had said he would be back soon."I bit my lower lip,
[ K A B I R ' S P O V ]"What?" I asked for the tenth time to Nisha, who was grinning at me. "Why are you acting stupid? Mom, Nisha pagal ho gyi hai!""Shut up!" She kicked my ankle. "Tell me.""I'm not telling you what I bought for you. End of discussion." I paid attention back to my home, leaned my back against the tree and replied to the early birthday wishes.Where was Alina?She hadn't messaged me since I dropped her at her house. Did she forget my birthday? But she couldn't. She remembered Nisha's birthday, then, of course, she would've remembered mine as well."Our birthday is in ten minutes. Tell!" She insisted. "I won't tell you what I bought.""You're such an annoying twin. Get out.""I'm not a fan of sharing my birthday with you." She scowled. "I will tell you what Alina bought for you.""No need." I rolled my eyes at her. "She's buying me nothing. I forbid her.""What?"Facing my annoying twin, I smirked, "If she shows drama for accepting my gifts, I would do the same. I
[ A L I N A ' S P O V ]Someone knocked on my door—my new room door. Stopping the brushing of my hair, I opened the door to find Misha staring nervously at me.Stepping back, I let her enter the room."Do you need something?" I asked her. "Shouldn't you be getting ready?""Alina." She caught my hand and made me sit on the bed. "Don't think bad, but I need a favor from you.""Okay," I drawled out at her strange behavior.She was supposed to get ready to meet her boyfriend's parents who were coming today to our house to ask for her hand.I was supposed to get ready too."Bijoy's parents are orthodox. Please don't think it's something I want, but can you cover your arms?" Automatically, my gaze fell on my hands or the white scars standing prominently in the bright light of the day. "Please, Bijoy is very important for me. His parents won't get ready for the marriage if they see my little sister is suicidal."Was suicidal."I talked with mama, she's ready to hide your past as well. Yo
"Bookworm." Kabir caught my hand, dragged me to the sofa and made me sit as he crunched in front of me."What happened?" I asked, confused by his behavior of making me stop reading. I had my exam tomorrow and I still had to revise the poems for the last time."You." He frowned. "You aren't talking much.""We've our exams, Kabir. How can I talk?""You talk too much, bookworm. Is something troubling you?""No," I chuckled at his worry. "Kabir, I'm fine. Truly fine and happy. It just studies. I promise." To remove his worry, I kissed his forehead, then his right cheek, then his left cheek, halted at his nose and grinned. "See? You worry too much. You distract me from studies. That's why I wasn't talking much.""Promise me one thing?""What?" I played with his hair, and my distraction had started the moment I touched his soft hair."If something troubles you, my bookworm will come to me." I rolled my eyes at his promise. He worried too much without any valid reason. "I will always listen t
We retreated out of my room, jogged downstairs and halted at the sight of her father sitting in the hall. His sharp gaze cut to me and I stumbled back a bit.He scared me.But he didn't bear the hard look, but a tired. "Is she okay?" He asked me."I don't know," I replied. "I was going to check on her.""You both remain with her," Mom told me and Nisha. "Inform when she wakes up. She needs to eat."I nodded, withdrew to my parent's room, but as soon as I was inside, I caught Nisha's hand and whispered, "Take care of her. I will be back.""You're snooping on them?""Obvio. I need to know why she was crying in the first place." Rolling my eyes, I gave the last stare to Alina and left the room to hide behind the wall and listen to their talks."What you did was wrong," Dad whispered yelled at her dad. "Who deny their daughter in front of others? No surprise she was crying."What the fuck?"She only told us. I thought it was stressing her. I was trying to help her.""Nice help," Mom snorte
As we both vacated the room, I was met by the sight of Kabir, leaning the opposite wall and shaking his head at me. Coming forward, he placed the Nutella box in my hand, but then, he got it and screamed, "Get me a spoon!""Kabir.""Hush. Feel good that you're eating chocolate. Have you forgotten what had happened last time when you drove when you were crying? What's with you and accidents? I had told you thousand times to listen to another person before screaming at them, but no, I'm Alina, this is not in my nature." He opened the lid of the box, dipped the spoon, caught the scoop of it and presented it in front of me. "I hate chocolate.""I love it." Grinning, I buried the spoon in my mouth and melted the chocolate in my mouth. "Stop acting so angry." I stared back at dad. "I will come in ten minutes." He gave a stare to both of us, groaned and left us alone to talk."Stay five feets away from my daughter, Kabir," Dad shouted before disappearing into the hall."Should we tell him I've
Are you sure this is Rahul's address?I shot the message to Dhruv for the second time of the day.Yes. Why you need it?Nothing. Thank you.Switching my phone, I hopped off the car, pressed my sweaty palm on my jeans and took a deep breath.You came here for a reason, Alina, don't you dare back down. Only Rahul could help you with it.Gulping, I rang the bell of his house, waiting for him to open the door and confess everything to him. Kabir had assured me before that Rahul was trustworthy and he would try nothing other than some flirting that I need to get used to it. He did it with Nisha too much, and if she could handle it, I could handle it as well.What if he tried something? What if he tells Kabir before the task was even completed? What if he thought I was being absurd and shut the door at me?But Rahul wasn't rude to me. I wasn't Nisha."Who are you?" I snapped my gaze to a boy standing in front of me and frowned. It wasn't Rahul. He narrowed his eyes at me from behind his spec
"Kabir," I said in surprise as I entered my house. He was sitting on the armchair, drinking coffee. I had seen him last week in his house when I had turned mad and forgot what was happening to me, but it felt good being with him, felt relief when I talked to him, felt soothing to be in his arms whenever something bad happens to me.I was so in love.He stood up, placed the mug on the table. "Where were you?""What are you doing here?" I passed him the packet of Nachos but he waved his hand. His loss. Taking a piece, I chew it, wondering what my boyfriend was doing in my house."Nothing." He passed a look to Meena Auntie. I didn't know she was sitting there. "Just a bit chit chat. Isn't it, Auntie? I realized I never talked much with her. We were talking about you.""Me? What about me?""That how you nice you are," Kabir smiled. "And how much I'm in love with you that I'll do anything to protect you from bad people.""Is it?" I directed my question to Meena Auntie.She nodded tightly, p