As the evening sun painted the sky with hues of orange and pink, Jane stood near the window, savoring each sip of her warm coffee. Memories of the past month in New York flooded her mind, filling her heart with contentment. She couldn't have asked for a better place to stay than with her Uncle Ross's family.
Uncle Ross, Aunt Mary, and little Liam welcomed her with open arms. It had been so long since she last met them. They always made her feel like a cherished part of their family. She always felt their love and care enveloped her, making her feel at ease in their presence.
To ensure her comfort, they even arranged a cozy one-bedroom apartment on the floor above theirs. It became her comfort zone within this short period. Her own home, where she could just be herself.
As the gentle breeze caressed her face, Jane couldn't help but feel grateful for the warmth and hospitality she had experienced since arriving in the city.
As she leaned against the window railing, her thoughts wandered to her main purpose for coming to this city. Her dream of becoming a doctor. The recent enrollment in a prestigious MCAT coaching center filled her with determination and love for the challenges that lay ahead.
Jane always wanted the superpower to heal. That excited her like nothing else.
Her mind suddenly drifted back to Isabella, her newly found friend. Who was at the same institution as her.
Jane's skepticism and prejudice towards big cities had been swiftly dispelled by that sassy girl.
Isabella's friendship had become a source of comfort and support for Jane in this unfamiliar city.
" Oh, God!"
Lost in her thoughts, Jane was suddenly jolted back to reality as she remembered her aunt calling her for dinner a while ago.
Putting the mug down in the sink she hurriedly went towards the elevator.
Arriving on the floor below, Jane entered the dining room with a smile on her face, ready to savor the delicious meal that awaited her.
But her joy was momentarily replaced by a sense of alertness as her gaze fell upon an elegant lady, likely in her 50s, gracefully seated in the room. There was an undeniable air of sophistication and positivity that surrounded her, instantly capturing Jane's attention.
She couldn't help but feel a tad intimidated by the presence of this distinguished woman.
Sensing Jane's apprehension, Aunt Mary quickly came to her rescue.
"Jane, come come! Meet my dear friend, Kathrine.You must have seen the grand mansion across from our apartment. This is hers. So she is my neighbor as well."
Mary gave a brief introduction of the lady who was smiling warmly at her.
"Oh! That's beautiful." Jane replied shortly, not knowing what exactly she was supposed to say.
"And Kathy, this is my sweet Jane, our family friend's daughter. I told you about her, remember? She is like a daughter to me."
Mary continued with the introductions.
"Hello Mrs. Kathrine, It's nice to meet you," Jane said politely.
"Oh, come on dear! Don't call me Mrs.Katherine. It sounds too formal. You can call me Kathy," Kathrine said to Jane with a warm smile.
Jane paused for a moment, feeling a mixture of uncertainty and politeness.
"Sorry, I can't address you by your name only. I'll call you Aunt Kathy. How about that?" Jane asked, a little hesitant.
Kathy's eyes twinkled with amusement as she nodded in agreement.
"Of course, my dear. Aunt Kathy, it is. Such a sweet girl she is, Mary." Kathy replied, her voice brimming with warmth.
Jane blushed, embarrassed by the compliment.
As the night unfolded, the initial intimidation that Jane had felt melted away, replaced by a sense of comfort and ease in Kathy's presence.
The conversation began to flow effortlessly, and Jane found herself increasingly drawn to Kathy's engaging personality. Jane's fondness for Kathy grew deeper in no time.
…………
After almost two hours Jane was back in her room. She immediately went to the balcony for some fresh air. Stars weren't visible there in the night sky. The City lights were trying to make it up for them. But still, it was peaceful.
She had an amazing evening.
Tomorrow would be a new day, something new would happen in life. And Jane was totally looking forward to that.
Suddenly a loud horn invaded the peace of the night.
" Mom ! I am home"...
Somebody shouted from not a very far distance. Jane cringed at the high pitch. Looking at the source of the sound all she could figure out was a man. A really tall one. Jane had figured out that much from the way he tilted his upper part of the body outside the window, shouting and honking the horn.
Even though it's not inside her complex, but close. Jane felt a tad irritated at the disturbance.
" Why doesn't he just get out of the car?" Jane made a face.
" Great Jane! You are annoyed by someone you don't even know! " Her subconscious mind spoke.
"Hey shut up. It's not my fault though. " She tried to defend herself.
As a loud yawn escaped her lips, she decided it was time to call the night. Locking the balcony door she went back to sleep.
…………..
Since the morning, Adrian couldn't help but feel restless. His Dad and brother kept asking what happened but he didn't even know by himself!
Then what was he going to tell them?
After office time the restlessness was still there. It was like something would happen!
At last, he decided to pay a visit to his family. But coming here he saw the gate was locked.
" Where the hell were the gatekeepers?" Adi rubbed his temple impatiently.
" Huh ! Didn't I tell any of them that I am coming?" Adrian frowned.
"No fool, you didn't." His subconscious mind mocked him.
" Whatever!" Rolling his eyes he kept honking the car instead of calling them or ringing the bell.
Well, he is who he is!
"Isn't the morning a little bit brighter today?" That was the first thing that came into Jane's as she stirred awake in the early morning, a gentle glow filtered through the curtains, casting a warm embrace upon her face. Her mind immediately drifted to Liam, such a little bundle of joy he was! His thoughts alone made Jane an optimistic person. Children are angels. a bunch of hopes to give you peace in this cruel heartless world. Without fail, every day upon returning from her coaching sessions, Jane had to play for at least one hour with Liam. He made her feel happy, dispelling the shadows that had clung to her soul in recent years. She also met Aunt Kathy, twice after that day. There was an undeniable allure in her motherly aura, a comforting essence that tugged at Jane's heartstrings. Jane liked her already. It was Sunday so she didn't have any classes. The promise she had made to Liam and Aunt Mary to go to Central Park loomed ever closer. A bubbling excitement brewed
The leaves on the tree were vibrant and spread their glory like warriors in the spring morning, having risen successfully after the winter. The weather felt serene, capable of calming anyone's mind, except one.Adrian found himself in a contrasting situation with nature. Counting down, "201... 202... 203..." he put his weight on his elbow, bending down to the floor, inhaling as he descended, and exhaling as he returned to the starting position, contracting his abs. Sweat glistened over his tanned, ripped body, and his mind raced at a speed of 100 miles per hour as he counted the number of push-ups.A certain pair of honey eyes had been running through his mind since last week, and he didn't know how to make it calm down. He would have thought that the girl was just his mere imagination, only if he hadn't seen her taking a cab with that kid coming out of the park.He felt irritated with himself for allowing his mind to obsess over a girl he had seen for a few minutes, who might not e
" Jane, you? Please come inside, Where are your manners, Addy? Won't you even tell guests to come inside?"Hearing his mom Adrian came back to his senses. Guest! He had no idea they were about to have a guest. That's too this particular girl! Was he missing something! "Hello auntie! Aunt Mary sent me to give you this. I should come later probably. " " Don't even think about that. Come inside" Kathy dragged her inside without even letting her finish. ' Jane!' So her name is Jane! Hmm, Nice name." Adrian thought in his mind.Whispering her name from his mouth gave him an odd type of satisfaction! Even made it sound better, at least to him. "What am I even thinking? Maybe I really need some food." He murmured.Adrian followed them gradually. He had a lot of unanswered questions in his mind which needed to be answered." Everyone, this is Jane. She is my friend Mary's relative."' Kathy started introducing her to everyone. Suddenly all of the eyes were on her. Everyone was extremely
Jane smiled to herself, remembering all of their kind words as she entered her room. After coming to the city, she had met so many kind people. She felt that it was a misconception that the people living in a big city had small hearts. Until now, she hadn't met anyone like that. Though she was not a person to be intimidated easily, it was their kind behavior towards her that made her feel something.Throughout her 21 years of life, she had hardly met anyone kind and genuine to her. But her new friends, Uncle, Aunt Mary, Aunt Kathy's whole family, they had all been so good!Now, thinking about her family, she felt a little bit uncomfortable seeing her grumpy son. The way he had constantly looked at her as if he would throw her out of his house if he had gotten the chance. The food was so good, but she couldn't even have her breakfast peacefully. His constant gaze had made her nervous. No wonder when he complimented her dish, she was surprised at first. Maybe he had said it out of for
"SORRY ".She still didn't understand what this was all about. "Sorry about what?" She asked, surprised."Can you come to this side? Just for a minute?" Without even giving a chance to her he excused both of them from their friends and took her to a side the time holding her hand into his strong grip."So in the morning...." he started reasoning out of his act. "Can you please leave my hand? It's kinda uncomfortable" Stopping him Jane spoke out."Oh! I am extremely sorry, I haven't even realized" Adrian tried to show how this was unintentional even though all the time he was well aware that he was holding her hand. Holding her hand wasn't necessary in the first place he could've just told her to stop listening to him but his mind decided against it, and there's no way he regretted his decision, as soon as he touched her hand he felt a jolt of spark he hadn't felt before. Her hand was soft, warm, perfectly fitting into his large rough ones. But a wave of disappointment hit him wh
Standing near the office Adrian looked at his wristwatch to realize he was ten minutes earlier. Satisfied with himself he entered the office straightening his posture and with a cold face. The lady in reception was just sitting back lazily. She jolted up immediately seeing him entering the office.He wasn't the boss, yet. But everybody knew this company belonged to his family so he would be the future owner of the company. Although he maintained a friendly gesture with the staff, when it came to working he was extremely professional." Good morning sir ". The lady tried to sound calm as much as possible. " Morning" Adrian gave the shortest reply out of formality and she immediately knew he was in a bad mood. Not only today, but for the last few days." God bless the people who would be the first one to face his wrath!"Shrugging her shoulder she sat back on her chair to start working.Adrian, as usual feeling annoyed with himself, entered the elevator and pressed his floor button. F
Entering his house Adrian saw no one around . Without bothering much he went directly to his room. Going straight to the balcony he looked towards her room keenly. But to his utter disappointment, there was no one on the balcony and the room was pitch dark. He immediately understood she wasn't in her apartment. But it was almost eight at night. Shouldn't she be back till now? Not his business though. " Yeah, sure! " Again his subconscious mind. Adrian decided to take a shower to get rid of his thoughts.............Water droplets were coming out from his hair wetting his towel and falling on the floor here and there as he kept drying his hair. Standing in front of the mirror he checked himself out. With only a towel on that's hiding his lower portion, his ripped tanned body on show, his jet black hair wet and messy, he truly was a sight. " Damn, I really am handsome! How can she not get affected by this ! " Huffing he went to wear the clothes. Putting on his sweatpant he was ab
As they turned their gaze toward the door they discovered Britney, his sis-in-law standing there, with a confusing look on her face.Without any further words exchanged Adrian freed her from his embrace, and immediately started missing her warmth. Her lavender smell still lingered in his senses. Taking a deep breath one last time he cleared his voice to reply to Britney. " Nothing Britty. She was about to fall, but I saved her."He let out every word clearly and loudly without diverting his gaze from her. Jane didn't like how he put extra pressure on the words 'saved her' as if he didn't startle her in the first place.Smiling lightly at Britney she declared,"Yeah. At first, people invade your personal space. Then decide to portray themselves as self-declared knights in shining armor. No?"Though she was looking at Britney, it was as clear as broad daylight that her words were pointing to him.Britney was perplexed, more like confused to see this interaction between them. She could
PAST CONTINUES _____When they arrived home, Jane's father shoved her inside and slammed the door, locking her in her room. She heard her mother's hurried steps coming closer, and then muffled voices through the door as her father explained everything he thought had happened. Soon, her mother's voice pierced through, furious and hurt. Moments later, the door flew open, and her mother's face was red with anger."What did you do, Jane! You've tarnished our family name. All the respect that your father earned through the years, you ruined it all." her mother shouted, her voice sharp and loud. "Do you know what people will say now, huh? A good, religious Christian girl would never do something like this. Never!" She raised her hand and slapped Jane, the sharp sting ringing in her ears, then hit her again, harder.Jane stood there, numb. She barely felt the slaps, barely registered her mother's words. She just stared blankly, her mind empty.The next day was her birthday. All Jane did was
PAST CONTINUES ____Robert's voice thundered through the room, making them all freeze. "No," he growled, his eyes darkening. Everyone froze for a moment. "Not before I get her first." His words brought a nasty cheer from the others, filling the room with their hoots and whistles."Now that's like our big bro, " one of them jeered.Jane's chest tightened as terror washed over her. Desperation surged, and with all her strength, she shoved Robert back. He staggered, stunned for a moment, but then his eyes turned furious. He lunged forward, shoving her so hard that she stumbled, her head colliding with the edge of a table. Pain exploded through her forehead as she fell to the ground, a warm trickle of blood beginning to run down her face.“ No … no.. this… it can't be happening. I have to do something. I have to get out of here.” Jane kept repeating the words continuously in her mind. Dazed, she tried to get up, her mind spinning with fear and pain. Jane barely had time to steady herself
Jay leaned back on his couch, his voice dripped with frustration as he muttered, “Had you guys not given me that stupid challenge, I’d have never gone for someone like her. I mean, seriously! It’s been months, and we haven’t even made it to first base. I keep acting all sweet and cringe, but she keeps acting like a fucking prude!”One of his friends raised an eyebrow, smirking. “So, what’s the plan with her then?”Jay shrugged, rolling his eyes. “Honestly, I was thinking of ending this whole stupid drama. Plus it’s been way too long since I hooked up with Ivy, and I’m already bored. But now…” Jay’s gaze flicked over to Robert, who was sitting silently, a drink in his hand. “Seems like I have to tolerate her for a few more days. Right, Robert?”One of the other guys frowned, looking between Jay and Robert. “Robert? What’s he got to do with this?”Jay smirked, leaning in a little closer, “You don’t know, do you? Well, not sure what Robert saw in her but apparently, that ‘wannabe innoc
A month later, Jane made her way through the school corridor, looking for Jay. When she finally spotted him with his friends, they were all laughing and teasing him about something. “ Jay!” She called out his name, and all of them turned her way, hooting and grinning. Her face warmed, and she looked away, biting back a smile.As her eyes swept the group, she noticed Rick watching her, his gaze steady. Her smile faltered a bit as memories came rushing back. Rick’s older brother, Robert, had proposed to her last year. Jane’s stomach twisted at the thought.She remembered how uncomfortable she’d felt back then. Robert was much older than her, but he had been so persistent, refusing to accept her polite rejections. But she knew what he was really like. Robert was infamous for his gambling, drinking, and Casanova image. When he didn’t take “no” for an answer, she’d had to stand her ground. She even had to get her family involved, and finally, Robert backed off.Now, seeing Rick’s gaze m
You’re looking a bit different. Oh my gosh! Did you straighten your hair? And… is that lip gloss?” Camilla’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she studied Jane, a wide grin spreading across her face.Jane shifted uncomfortably, her fingers brushing over her hair. “I… I just thought I’d try something new,” she murmured, trying to brush it off with a weak smile.Camilla’s grin only grew as she nudged Jane playfully. “Oh, stop. Spill it, Jane! Do you think I am too dumb to not understand? All these are because of a certain someone… named… Jay Black?” Her voice dropped to a teasing whisper, eyebrows waggling.Jane’s face flushed, and she tried to deny it, but her cheeks betrayed her, turning bright red. She fiddled with her glasses, feeling her heart hammer as Camilla giggled.Just then, Jay walked over. “Jane, can you please help me wit….” as his eyes flicked to Jane, he paused mid-step. For a moment, he seemed at a loss for words. “Uh… you look different today, Jane,” Jay said, looking a
“You are suspended for the next one week.” Jane heard the principal’s voice roar from inside his office as she stood outside, her hands fidgeting nervously. She waited, biting her lip, feeling a twist of guilt in her stomach. Jay didn't need to be there, getting the scolding. But he had taken the blame without saying a word.Finally, the door opened, and Jay walked out. He glanced at her and Camilla, who was awkwardly standing by the wall. Camilla looked at him with guilty eyes. “Thanks for… you know, covering for me,” she blurted, looking with guilt and gratitude. “I was just trying to mix those reagents as a joke. I didn’t think—”Jay raised a hand, brushing it off. “It’s fine.”Then his eyes met Jane’s, holding her gaze for just a second. For once, Jane didn’t look away. “Thank you,” she said quietly, feeling the weight of her words.He gave her a small smile, one that was softer than anything she’d ever seen from him. Jane’s heart skipped, and for a moment, everything around the
HER PAST (CONTINUES) Jane was rushing down the hallway, trying to find her locker when she suddenly collided with someone. Her books scattered across the floor.“Hey! Can’t you watch where you’re going?” a sharp voice rang out.Startled, Jane staggered back, and when she looked up, she saw him—tall, broad-shouldered, and standing over her with a frown. His blonde hair was slightly messy. He had sharp features, a strong jawline, and striking blue eyes that looked down at her with irritation.“I—I’m sorry, I didn’t see you.”The boy rolled his eyes, clearly not interested in her apology. “Whatever. Just stay out of my way next time.”Jane felt her anger rising at the rudeness in his tone. She was about to snap but stopped herself. “Look, I didn’t do it on purpose. You don’t have to be so rude.”The boy raised an eyebrow, his eyes cold, “Maybe you should pay more attention.”Jane’s cheeks flushed with frustration. “Maybe you should be less of a jerk.”The boy gave her a once-over, his l
“Don’t even dare. Just let me go,” Jane spat, trying to pull away, but Adrian wasn’t listening.In a split second, he pressed his lips against hers. Jane’s entire body froze, her heart stopping in her chest. She turned her head sharply, trying to escape, but before she could shove him away, a voice echoed through the room.“What’s going on here?” Jane’s father’s voice was stern as he entered the room. Jane saw Camilla behind him, entering the room. Her eyes were wide with disbelief.Jane’s face turned pale. Her father and Camilla standing in front of her, Jane finding herself in this position with a boy…. All of these just gave her a flashback. Memories from five years ago flooded her mind. It is the same situation, almost the same people, and the same misunderstanding. And now She was frozen thinking that she had to live that same nightmare once again. Jane could barely breathe as she watched her father take slow, deliberate steps toward her and Adrian. His eyes were blazing with f
The brutality, the swiftness of it all— made Jane feel sick. Adrian just killed him! He just killed him in the most brutal, animalistic way. Death came in an instant, without hesitation.Aria clung to Jane, her small body trembling, and Jane could barely hold herself together. Right then, she felt more helpless than ever. The fear, the adrenaline, the horror—it was all too much.Adrian finally turned to face her, his calm expression unchanged. He slowly walked in front of her and held her hands. “ Are you okay?” He whispered, like a lullaby. Unable to form any words, her body trembled. Adrian held her face gently and Jane got back her senses as the warm blood touched her face. She visualized a slideshow of everything that happened in the last few months. How she came to this city to fulfill her dream of being a doctor. But now, her hands felt heavy, tainted by the bloodshed she had just witnessed. The lifeless bodies on the floor, the violence she never imagined being a part of—it