If this was a movie, Vikrant's entrance into the building would be cast in slow motion and the rowdy students in the hallway would all stop to stare at him. The boys would admire him for his charisma and fashion sense - want to be like him and the girls would swoon as he walked past them with a mischievous smile on his face. One hand in his pocket and the other raking through his hair to make it look tousled and then he'd walk straight up to the girl he fancied and kiss her, much to the envy of the other girls.Sarita wished Vikrant was really walking towards her with a smile on his face but he wasn't. He gave Michael a side hug, ruffled Kaly's hair, waved at his other friends and moved on. He didn't spare her a glance and it was as if she didn't exist. She didn't know whether to be angry or sad but being sad won as tears welled up in her eyes. A cynical voice told her he'd gotten what he wanted from her so he didn't want her anymore while the other one told her not to give up hope
Vikrant set her down on her feet then bent and picked up her ruined underwear with a sheepish smile on his face."I'll get you a new one." He told her."You just had to go caveman on me, right?" She narrowed her eyes playfully as she grabbed her underwear, bunched it up and pocketed it."That wasn't me being a caveman." He countered as he tucked himself in, zipped his pants, buttoned up and buckled his belt. "You'd know it when you see one.""I have to go clean up." Sarita muttered. "You're dripping down my thighs."Vikrant's lips curled up in a wolfish grin and he crouched down in front of her and raised her skirt to investigate but Sarita squeaked and slapped his hands away."What do you think you're doing?" Her eyes widened."Investigating." He murmured in a husky voice. "I want to see it for myself."Sarita inhaled sharply as she noticed the hungry look in his eyes which she was sure would be reflected in her own if she could see herself in a mirror right now. He'd turned her into
Five days later "Hey Rita, what was the gift Vikrant gave you?" Kaly asked as she stood in front of her closed bathroom door. "Gift? What gift?" Sarita replied distractedly."The one I just handed to you." Kaly's brows furrowed. "The one you didn't want to open in my presence.""Oh! It's um... nothing." She answered.Kaly rolled her eyes and walked back to her bed, plopped down on it Indian style and waited for her friend to come out. Sarita was here for their usual slumber party and it'd taken a lot of begging on Kaly's part to convince Sarita's father to let her come. She'd sworn on her late Dadi's grave that Sarita wasn't going anywhere else other than her house before her father finally agreed. Immediately they walked into her bedroom, Kaly fished out the wrapped present Vikrant had told her to give Sarita and handed it to her. Sarita shook the gift, mumbled her thanks and made her way to the bathroom and locked the door behind her. That was fifteen minutes ago. The door was f
Vikrant got to the hospital a few minutes later than the time Sarita had texted him. He found her and Kaly sitting in the waiting room with other pregnant women and his heart skipped a beat as it finally dawned on him that in a couple of months, he'd be expecting his own child. A child he didn't want to have now but couldn't abandon."Anu." He called as he approached them.Sarita looked up at him with red rimmed eyes, shot up to her feet and ran to hug him. She'd thought he wasn't going to come even though he'd given his word that he'd show up but she'd cried anyway, ruining Kaly's gorgeous scarf which she'd used to blow her nose."Were you crying?" He asked her.She pulled back to look at him. He had bags under his eyes, like he'd not slept a wink last night. That'd make two of them."Something got into my eyes." She lied."Liar." He said."I'm fine now." She led him to the recliners and they sat down."You look like hell, Coz." Kaly remarked with a teasing smile on her face. "Found
Two weeks later "I think we should tell them." Sarita told Vikrant after she finished eating the chocolate cake he'd gotten her. She craved a lot of weird stuff these days and her mother was beginning to get suspicious. She was scared but it had to be done sooner than later."Yes, I guess we should tell them now." Vikrant nodded. They were seated on the floor in the supply room. That was their go to place. The place where Raj couldn't snitch on them. He searched her face. "Do you want me to come home with you?""And risk my father bringing out his gun? No, I'll tell them myself." She shook her head. "You tell your father."Vikrant wasn't exactly scared to tell his father that he'd be a grandfather soon. His father had never yelled at him or raised his hand to him but he was just a little apprehensive about his father's reaction to the news. Would he be angry? Disappointed? Indifferent?"I don't think they'll be mad at us if we tell them the truth." Vikrant said. "It wasn't on purpose
"What did you just say?" Jevan demanded."I'm pregnant." She said."That... That must be a joke, right?" He chuckled darkly. "It's a prank."Sarita turned and left. She returned a minute later with an envelope and passed it to her mother who opened the flap of the envelope and took out the content inside. Priya let out a gasp when she saw the sonogram.Jevan stared at the sonogram in his wife's hand, feeling like he'd been hit by a wrecking ball and looked over at his daughter. He didn't want to believe that she was pregnant but the proof was there. He knew what a sonogram was."How far along are you?" He asked."Three weeks." Sarita stared at her father from under her lashes wondering why he looked so calm. It was a calmness that terrified her because she knew he was probably concocting something sinister in his head."That's fine." He breathed. "It's not too late to terminate it." He stood up."What?" Sarita and her mother chorused, wearing similar expressions of shock on their face
Sarita looked up at the sky worriedly as the thunder rumbled and lightning bolts flashed across the dark sky. It was a sign of rain and she began to pray that Vikrant would get to her house before it started to rain because she was sure his father wouldn't want him driving in the rain. She'd have to go back into the house, back into the room where she'd had that horrendous nightmare and wait for her father to make his threat a reality. She couldn't have that. She refused to let her father commit murder because of his hatred for Vikrant Suryavanshi. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw a black car pull up two houses down from hers and a second later, someone alighted from the car, shut the car door and began to walk in the direction of her house. "Vikrant?" She called. "Anu?" She shot up from her place on the porch and raced down the driveway to fling herself at him. A sob caught in her throat as his strong arms wrapped around her and she burrowed her face in his neck, inhaling
"Sarita, is everything okay?" Rohan asked her when she walked into the living room with Vikrant. "Sit. I'll have a maid bring you water." He left. "No, sir." She found that there was no use lying to Vikrant's father. She was, after all, here in his house and not her father's house. "I told my parents about the baby and my father told me to terminate it." "What?" Rohan and Amalia exchanged puzzled glances. "He threatened to hurt me and my baby if I disobeyed, so I ran away." She said. "You'll be safe here." Rohan assured her. Vikrant returned with a glass of water and gave it to her then settled down beside her. "Thank you." She gulped down the water and he took the glass from her and set it on the coffee table. "Didn't you tell him who the father of your baby is?" Amalia inquired. "He must think you were raped by Pablo or Lorenzo." "He thought that at first, but I told him the whole story and..." Her voice wavered. "It's okay. Say no more." Vikrant said. She looked like it p