7. Bitter Truth

I think when you love somebody, you're ready to be whatever they want and for some time you want them to like you. You start behaving according to their wishes, dress the way they like and chose words they would like to hear.

Because that was what maybe happening to me. Maybe I was falling in love with Ajay. We had been together for 3 months - longer than any other boyfriend of mine. And maybe this say something about us. We had been together, and now I tried to do the things he might like from me.

I knew this red dress would attract him, make him happy because as soon his eyes fall on me, a shocking look wore his face.

He opened his mouth but then closed it like a fish. Waving my hand in front of his face, he gulped badly.

"You make things hard." He whirled his head, started the ignition.

"I dress to impress."

His hand reached to touch my hand and gripped it. "Impressing me. This dress is killer. Red makes you sexy, which you already are." He gave me a side amused look.

He loves me.

I know he does.

Smiling back, I leaned my head back. The journey to the club was filled with our random talks, nothing else. He would say something, I would reply something in back. His hand just remained with mine, not going on my thigh like every time. He was being considerate today, talked rather than anything else. He was trying to know me.

It was for better.

Ajay was a charismatic, womanizer and attractive. His black hair always remained tousled. It was cool and stylish according to him. Clean shaved, leaned muscles and stylish clothes were his agenda. I had first met him in cafe, then the thing started between us. Exchanging numbers, talking and in last being together. He was doing MBA, which meant he was two years older than me.

I had no problem with that.

The goal to our destination was achieved soon.

"Wait." He said before he got out of the car. Confused, I saw him approaching my side and opening the door. He forwarded his hand. "Can I have the hand of such a fine lady?"

I raised my perfectly trimmed eyebrow. Since when he became this chivalrous?

I placed my hand on his, got out of the car with his help. Locking our hands together, we started walking to the club. When we were inside the club, I was met by the similar scene. Lights ravaging through the walls and bodies, DJ on the top, crazy people dancing and my area serving the drinks which I never denied.

Fuck what I said in home. I was going to drink and stop the thoughts of trouble entering my mind.

"Drinks?" I nodded and we made our way to the bar corner to get some drinks and finish my hunger of distracting my mind. Little did I know that I agreed only because I wanted to lose myself in the world of nothing, get away from the memories and forget about the things happening around me.

I wanted to be free and wild.

I ordered a vodka while Ajay ordered his thing which I didn't care about much to hear. Just as our drinks were placed, Ajay friends came near us. All had sweat covering their foreheads, some wore the look of hooded eyes and others were smiling.

He didn't tell me anything about his friends coming.

His hand was on my waist automatically, pulling me closer. I frowned at his act. He didn't touch me before, then why now in front of his friends?

"Hi, Sanchi." Mayank greeted, followed by other people.

Mayank was Ajay's best friend. Brown skin, dark hair and bulky body. On his left, Dev, Ritik, and Manas were standing. On his right, Tanya, Khushi were standing. They were wearing the same fakes smile which I had been accustomed with for past three months. They hated me, thought me as a bitchy girl and a slut who shouldn't be with their friends except Mayank.

What he was doing with them was a tricky question.

"Hey," I replied back. Their chatting started and I was zoned out of it soon. Ajay was busy talking with Khushi, barely paying attention I was standing next to me.

Angered, I took the vodka from the surface and swallowed it one single try.

"Dance?" I heard Khushi asking him.

Smirk appeared on my face, Ajay would reject her or - "Yes. I cannot ignore a girl like you." - I was wrong. My hands curled in annoyance and hurt.

If you didn't want to talk to me, then why asked me, though?

Without giving me a glance, he went of with her. Not wasting anymore time, I ordered shots, heavy shots to let me forget the rejection. The shots were coming. I was drowning each with anger circulating in my veins.

No hurt. Don't be weak.

"Sanchi." I felt a hand clutching mine and saw Ritik was wearing a smug look. "How are you?"

"Fine," I replied shortly, took a sip of my drink.

He cocked his head to one direction. "When a girl says fine, she never means it."

"Looks like you've done psychological study on girls nature."

I shrugged his hand off. My eyes swirled to where Ajay was dancing with Khushi. His hands were circling her and they were so close - a friend never be that much close. I wanted to go there, drift them apart but I couldn't do it. I had no idea but couldn't. I felt angry and jealous.

I hadn't realized when my grip on the glass tightened until someone took it from my hand. Turning my head, I saw it was Ritik.

"We can make him jealous."

"How?"

"Follow my rule." He offered his hand and without thinking I put my hand. My mind was whispering it was a bad idea but I didn't pay attention to it and let him lead me to the dance floor. His hand slipped to my waist, pulled me closer.

"Now we dance to make him jealous." I didn't get a chance to deny when he started dancing with me. I didn't pay much attention to it. I was seeing Ajay who still didn't pay attention to me but to Khushi. My anger surged more.

Just when I felt Ritik hands going down then it should be, I pushed him away.

"I'm not interested."

His eyes form a smirk. "Why? Isn't this what you do? Sleep around, behave like a slut. I'm being good enough to offer you." Not giving him one more chance to explain, I pushed him far away from me. People needed to see the truth of the things before jumping into conclusion.

With that, I flew away from the floor, to the door which would give me some air. The air enveloping had become warm, and it was suffocating me to some extent. I needed a cool air to clear off my mind. But I didn't regret slapping him. Something was going in me, the words my grandma said in the morning were coming back to me. People what said about me in the back were coming to me.

Slut.

Slut.

Slut.

But I wasn't a slut. Nobody knew anything, but they wanted to believe in it.

I didn't know when I reach out, but I felt cool air cutting through me, calming the anger. I needed to go out of this place.

Fuck Ajay and his friends. I didn't need to go in there again and behave like someone I wasn't.

"Sanchi. Sanchi." I heard Ajay from behind me. His face was red with frustration and anger. "What were you doing inside?"

My eyebrows formed in confusion. "If you wanted to insult me in front of my friends, then you should have told me."

"What are you saying?"

"That - " He waved his hand inside the club. " - act you pulled. I'm your boyfriend, not him. You were so close to him. Are you interested being his girlfriend?"

I laughed darkly in the cool air. "You were too dancing with Khushi!"

Such a hypocrite to judge me for my actions.

"Like friends. I wasn't having a look of come and - " He stopped but I needed to hear the word.

"Come and what?" I asked calmly. I knew I was going to explode soon. Very soon.

"Leave it."

I jabbed my index finger to his shoulder and asked him again, "Come and what, Ajay?"

"You want to hear it, then do. Come and sleep with me." He removed my index finger from my chest. This wasn't the word he was about to say. My disgusted eyes met his. Was that what he thought of me?

"Is that what you think of me?"

He closed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair, with thousands of curses flowing through his mouth.

"I don't want to fight." He mumbled. "How about we sort it out?"

Sort out means relish our anger while having sex, which you loved the most to do. But I wasn't interested after what happened today. I wanted to go home and think about it.

"No."

"You're overreacting." He moved his hand to touch me but I stepped away quickly, leading him to roll his eyes. He didn't even care to find out why I pushed his friend away. He didn't even see how he was standing close to Khushi and avoiding me.

He just saw me dancing with Ritik and insulting him in front of his friends.

Not that his own friend insulted me.

"I'm not in the mood. I'm going home."

"Sanchi, yaar, we'll talk out of it. Stop being a child." I removed his hand which was gripping my arm.

"I don't want to talk about it." I seethed out in anger. Just then Khushi appeared out of the club, showing a concerned look on our position. Like she cares about it.

"Everything okay?" She asked him, not even wiping her eyes to mine.

"Yes." I blurted out.

She ignored me and put her hand on Ajay's chest. Hello, his girlfriend was standing in front of you, but you're too blind seeing me here. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, you surely can. Handle him. You always love helping him, don't you?"

"Sanchi, don't speak to her like that." Khushi face filled with hurt, like I was the culprit here and Ajay proved her right.

"What? I'm just stating the truth. She was all over you a minute ago. I think she wants to sleep with you too. Friends don't behave like that." To add more drama, her eyes filled with tears.

"Sanchi, what are you talking about? I and Ajay are just friends." She started crying. Anything more you could do, then do it right now and be the drama queen. Ajay hugged her and shot me a look of warning on how I made her cry. How could he seriously buy that act? I hated girls like Khushi, who faked cried for sympathy. Did they even know why we cry?

What about me?

You didn't ask how I was feeling.

Giving them a look, I left them in their own world. When I was distance away from them, I called Mehak. She picked it up.

I didn't let her question me but spoke up, "Can you pick me up? I'm outside Jumpers club." She didn't ask any question and agreed to pick me up.

At least, I was free from one thing.

I hoisted my head up and saw the sky with a blank look morphing my face. Clouds covering the sky, thunder ready to roar, clashing of lights, and the sound of a future rain.

"Dhruv, why you beat him or more like got beaten?" I asked him with an incredible look descended my face.

He wiped the back of his hand over his mouth to remove the blood. "He was going to kiss you."

I rolled my eyes to his answer.

"I wanted him to."

Pushing his hand away, I scrutinized his injuries. "But I didn't want him to. You didn't want that. I don't know what crap you and your girly friends talk about. But you don't have to do it to appear cool among them."

"You look like a clown." I laughed on his face which was covered with bruises. "You lost the fight. Ah, he beat you really bad." I touched his cheek, leading him to hiss in pain.

He crossed his hands. "Stop making fun of me. I saved you from a bad smelling mouth."

"Oh, the great Dhruv who saved me by getting beat. Thank you." I giggled, and he laughed with me. Even if the act was foolish, but he saved me. Next week, I got the news that the boy had a new girlfriend and Dhruv had given me a sly smile saying he was right.

I didn't know I would never see those sly smiles after a month after the storm had swept our relationship. My eyes were on the sky with only one thought in my mind.

I needed you to save me again. Was it too much to ask?