"Good." Vikrant walked over to pick up the violin."Good? How can you say that?" She questioned."Are you scared of Divya?" He studied her face. There was a tiny bit of fear in her eyes and he almost suddenly regretted telling Kalyani about it. Almost, being the keyword here."No!" She sputtered. "I'm not scared of a girl like me, but I'd rather avoid any kind of confrontation, thank you very much." She wrapped her arms around her middle.Vikrant dropped the violin and went to meet her then he pried her arms loose and hugged her. She was a perfect fit. He tried not to inhale her citrus scent but couldn't help himself. If care wasn't taken, he could become addicted to her."It's okay. I won't let anything happen to you." He told her."I don't want a knight in shining armor." Her voice was muffled against his chest."Well... It's too bad that you're getting one anyway." He pulled back to grin at her but his smile faded when he realised she was biting her bottom lip. "Don't bite your lip
"Argh!" Sarita cried out as Divya's elbow connected forcefully with her nose and she fell to the floor groaning in pain. "Anu!" Vikrant called, slid under the net and rushed over to her. He knelt down beside her and placed his hand on her shoulder willing her to lift her head. "Are you okay?" Sarita clutched her nose as she felt something wet sliding down her fingers and when she looked, she suddenly felt nauseated by the sight of the blood. "You're bleeding!" His eyes widened. "Pinch your nose Miss Madhav." Mr Rawlings ordered in a gentle voice. "Let her sit up and lean forward Vikrant." "Yes sir." He helped her into a sitting position but didn't move from where he was even when Kaly knelt beside him. "Hold that position for ten to fifteen minutes and breathe through your mouth." Sarita did as he said but she still felt dizzy and couldn't hold her nose for that long before she promptly passed out. "Carry her to the infirmary." Mr Rawlings said. "She's bleeding too much." Vik
Sarita felt a hand on her cheek - it was probably meant to be a feathery touch but she felt it anyway and slowly opened her eyes. She felt like a thousand little men were hammering away in her head singing their favorite song as they worked and she groaned because she hated feeling like that."Anu." The voice she'd heard before she passed out earlier breathed beside her and she turned her head to look at the person. It was Vikrant. "He's so handsome, isn't he?" A voice in her head questioned."Yes." She thought. "Are you okay?" He looked very concerned as she kept staring at him without saying anything."No." She replied. "I feel like lead has been placed on my head. My nose feels weird too.""Your nose is fine. Thankfully it's not broken." He told her."Where am I?" She asked."Infirmary. Kaly called your mom. She's on her way." "I slept all day?!" Her eyes widened."Yes." He replied. "Don't worry, Mike and Kaly helped you copy notes from your classes.""Aww. That's so nice of the
"Thank goodness my nose isn't broken." Sarita thought as she stared at her face in her small compact mirror. She was standing in front of her locker with the door open, waiting for Kaly to arrive."Shouldn't you be at home resting,Red?" Vikrant asked her.Sarita turned around to look at Vikrant and smiled. "Hey, you. Good morning to you too, Mayank.""Morning." He smiled. "Why are you in school?""I'm fine. My nose is fine too." She said. "Don't be a worry wart.""I'm not." He said. "Here." He handed her the coffee cup in his hand."Thank you." She opened the lid and took a sip. "Ooh, my favorite.""It is?" He looked surprised. "I just ordered for any one.""You dropped by a coffee shop to get me a latte?" Sarita couldn't help smiling. "Yet, you claim that you are not kind.""Maybe it's just you." He shrugged. "This is a one time thing though. Don't expect it tomorrow.""Sure." She grinned."What are you having for the first period?" He questioned."Calculus." She replied. "Why?""Are
Sarita kept twirling her spaghetti around on her plate with her fork wondering how to ask her father if he'd let her go out with Vikrant. She knew he'd probably say no and tell her to sit at home and study instead but she hoped he wouldn't. She didn't want Vikrant's words to be true about her father treating her like a little girl instead of a young adult.In a few months, she'd be out of high school and off to college and she was sure she wouldn't have any time to date or go out with friends when she'd rather work on her assignments and stuff."Papa?" She swallowed her nervousness and looked up from her food."Yes?""I won't be home early this Friday." She told him. "We're playing against the Bisons and I heard it's going to be a tough game." "I've never stopped you from going, have I?""No." She said."That's not what you want to tell me right?" He guessed."Well... Vikrant Suryavanshi asked me out on a friendly date." She blurted out. "Can I go?""Friendly date?" He arched a skept
Friday couldn't come fast enough for Sarita. She was excited to wear Vikrant's jersey and nervous at the same time because she didn't know how the other students would take it. Just like he had a fan base on social media dedicated to worshipping the ground he walked on, it was the same in school too which made it all the more scary."You look good so stop fidgeting." Kaly scolded her after she was done with Sarita's make up."You're sure I'm going to be able to wipe it all off?" She asked."Yes. I'll wipe it off for you if you want." Kaly assured her."Okay." Sarita took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "It looks quite big on me.""Nah, you're fine." Kaly smiled. "Let me take a picture." She quickly grabbed her phone, ignoring the loud knocks on the door of the restroom and clicked on her phone camera icon."Is there any need?" Sarita whined."I don't want this to be a dream." Kaly grinned. "Say cheese."Sarita grudgingly did several poses before Kaly was finally satisfied with th
Sarita cringed as she kept hearing the words she'd chanted in the basketball court during the game from everyone. She'd immediately gone to the restroom after the game ended with Kaly to wipe off the paint on her face and to take off the jersey which she kept folded inside Kaly's tote bag so she could give it back to Vikrant.She wasn't sure she could face him or Raj after what she did and she quickly made her excuses but Kaly didn't let her leave."That was a wonderful thing you did Sarita." Rohan walked up to them. "As Vikrant's friend.""Right, uncle?" Kaly grinned. "I don't know why she's so shy.""Um... It was nothing sir. I made a promise and I had to fulfill it." She looked down at her feet."I've never seen my son smile like that before." Rohan said. "It seemed to light him up, inside and out."Sarita didn't like all the praises she was receiving from his father because she didn't think she'd done something so swoon worthy but after the posts she'd seen on Instagram, people we
Sarita knew she was staring too much at Vikrant even though he was also staring back at her and she saw the look in his eyes; the look that Kaly had been talking about but it was gone before she could dissect what it meant as he turned and picked up the bouquet from the table."I didn't know which flowers are your favorite so I just picked this one." He handed it to her."You guessed correctly. I love sunflowers. Lilies come second." Sarita took them from him with a smile. "Thank you.""This is yours too." He gave her the bag."I didn't get you anything." Sarita shook her head."It's fine." He said."I'll be right back." She smiled, turned and went down the hallway to her room. She needed to change the flowers in her room anyway so it was all good that he'd brought her these sunflowers. Her heart skipped a beat in her chest as she realized that this was the first time in her life that she'd receive flowers from a boy. He was her friend but he was still a boy nonetheless.She removed t
Samishka Singh stood in front of the buffet table wondering what to eat. There were different assorted dishes and desserts laid out for the guests to choose from but she was finding it hard to pick a specific dish. It was her youngest cousin Vikrant Suryavanshi's wedding and anyone who was somebody in Cardenia was in attendance. She snorted as she vaguely remembered that two years ago, Vikrant Suryavanshi would never have expected to find himself a married man before he turned twenty or worse be a father to two adorable gorgeous boys. But here he was, two years later, happily married to her little sister Kalyani's best friend Sarita Madhav. Now known as Sarita Suryavanshi. "Love... Look what you made him do." She muttered. They'd had an Indian wedding and this one was a church wedding. "Are you going to stare at the canapés all day or take a bite from them?" An amused male voice questioned beside her. Sam turned to face the newcomer and her breath hitched in her throat when she saw
They were married. She was his wife but Vikrant still felt very nervous as he stood at the altar waiting for Sarita to walk in. Her father had not been very happy after they told him that they intended to wed in the church after their traditional wedding but he'd given his consent, agreeing to walk her down the aisle. He straightened his jacket, checked his cuffs as the pianist began to play the wedding march song and almost wiped the sweat off his brows but he caught himself and silently cleared his throat. His breath hitched in his throat as the doors opened and Kaly walked in holding a small bouquet of peonies, followed by the ring bearer; Michael's cousin Sean and the flower girl and finally his bride appeared with her father. The walk to the altar took forever but he didn't mind as all he thought of was how gorgeous she was in the embroidered tulle wedding dress with a sweetheart neckline that she was wearing. He thought that he was a very lucky bastard because she was his to h
Vikrant stared at his ex-best friend's face in shock. He couldn't have heard him correctly, right? "Unfortunately, Divya beat you to it." Vikrant said. "Why are you telling me this?" "I can't... I can't do this anymore. I've not been able to sleep or study. I want things to go back to the way they were." Raj replied. "I came here to ask for your forgiveness, Vikrant." He dropped to his knees. "Please forgive me." Tears sprang to Vikrant's eyes as he stared at his former best friend on his knees. He'd cherished his friendship with Raj and he'd even thought of him as his brother from another mother, but he'd been the only one with the clear conscience in that relationship. He was eternally grateful to Kaly for exposing Divya and whose betrayal made him see Raj for who he really was. He was starting a new chapter in his life. He was a father and soon to be husband to the most wonderful girl in the world. He didn't want to bring his past into his future so he had to sever all ties w
Three weeks later Tears streamed down Sarita's cheeks when she walked into Vikrant's hospital room and saw him awake. The first week had been a rollercoaster ride for her as his blood pressure had dropped all of a sudden and the doctors had fought really hard to bring it back up. She'd been in school when she got a call from his father that he'd woken up and was asking to see her, so she'd gotten a leave from school and came straight to the hospital in the car his father had sent for her. She settled down on the chair his father had been sitting on and moved it closer to the bed, clasped his hand in hers and raised it to her lips. "You scared me to death, Mayank." She accused amidst tears. "I thought I'd never see you again." "I'm sorry." His smile was faint and his voice hoarse. His face was regaining its pallor but he still looked pale. "Don't ever try that again. Do you understand?" She hit him gently. "I forbid you." "Are you hitting a patient, Anushka? A very sick one at
Raj stopped in his tracks when he saw the crowd gathered in front of the music room and his brows furrowed. He moved closer, wondering what was happening but couldn't see anything until he heard Divya's voice calling out Vikrant's name. He fought his way to the front and froze when he saw the scene; Sarita sitting on the ground in a daze while Divya cradled a bloody Vikrant in her arms. His eyes traveled to the gun on the floor and his heart skipped a beat."Oh, God." He muttered. He was shoved aside as someone rushed into the room and he watched as Kaly rushed over to where the two girls were and knelt down beside Sarita."What's going on here?" The crowd parted for Principal Marek to walk in and he also went still upon seeing the scene. "Call for an ambulance!" He ordered. "Please tell me an ambulance is on the way.""I already did that sir." Michael spoke up."You killed him." Sarita's detached voice made everyone turn to look at her. They knew she was squeamish around blood but s
Two days later "I did tell you that he'd come around, didn't I?" Kaly reminded Sarita as they stopped by her locker during the second period. Kaly's definition of Vikrant 'coming around' was a hello from him and a concerned look. She figured that it was better than behaving like strangers but in Sarita's books, that was nothing. If anything, it made her both anxious and angry wondering when they'd make up. She wasn't scared to admit that she'd missed him like crazy and hoped she wasn't the only one feeling miserable. She inputted the combination for her locker, opened the door and gasped when she saw the flowers and hearts littering her locker. There was a bouquet of red roses, a chocolate box wrapped in red ribbon, a handmade heart-shaped card and a heart-shaped globe that had tiny red hearts floating inside of it and a photo of the two of them smiling at each other. "Oh. My. God." Kaly's jaw dropped open. She grabbed the card, opened it to peruse what was written inside and
He rose to his feet as well. "Are you sure about that?" He arched his brow. He walked up to her, snagged her around her waist, and pulled her flush against him. "Will you stop me if I tell you that all I'm thinking about right now is kissing you senseless. Will you stop me?""I don't want your stupid kiss." She bit out.Behind them, Kaly started singing the Little Mermaid 'kiss the girl' song mimicking the crab's voice. Her antics diffused the tension as Sarita burst out laughing and Vikrant followed suit but instead of them kissing as the song suggested, he wrapped his arms around Sarita and she did the same."Do you still want my stupid kiss?" He whispered in her ear."No." She pulled back. "It'll make me like you again. I don't want to like you again."Vikrant's lips curled up in a half smile. They were going to be good again. He was going to win this fight and get his girl back. Sarita Madhav was his and no one else's."Just... Be careful." She murmured. "Come back."Vikrant chuck
"Not on your life!" Vikrant roared. "Never!""Never?" Karan chuckled softly."NEVER." Vikrant repeated emphatically. "I'd prefer to die than to give them up. They're mine." He took a deep breath to calm himself down and flashed Karan a smile. "Sarita included.""Is that so?" Karan challenged. "Are you sure you want to go down this road?""You got greedy... Friend." Vikrant answered. "You upped the stakes so I'm doing the same. I want all three of them for myself."Karan laughed. "I like your son, Mr Suryavanshi." He told Rohan as he rose to his feet. "He's brave, but I'm sorry to say... Stupid." He seared Vikrant with a death glare. "Friday 5pm, Exodus Arena. Don't be late.""You want to fight with him?" Rohan asked."Fight to the death." Karan said. "Loser relinquishes his rights to the girl and the babies." He sized Vikrant up. "I heard you won the U18 MMA award two years ago and your opponent was a year older than you were - bigger than you were too.""So?""You're not green behind
"What?" Sarita exchanged puzzled glances with Vikrant. "Twins?" "Yes." The doctor nodded. "Hidden twins are common in mono amniotic pregnancies which is true in your case. Your babies are sharing the same sac which would make them identical." "You know, mom thought so too, Sarita." Kaly said. "She was right." "So... They're fine, right?" Vikrant's voice came out a bit shaky. "The fall didn't hurt them?" "Their heartbeats are strong." He assured him. "Baby A seems to weigh more than Baby B but it's not so much that we have to worry." He pointed to the screen to show them the babies' fingers and toes and whatnot. After a lecture from the doctor about safety, Sarita was discharged and they left the hospital. Kaly looped her arm around Sarita's as they waited for Vikrant who'd gone to the restroom to come back so they could leave. "I'm so happy for us, Rita." Kaly squeezed her hand lovingly. "Twins! I hope they're both girls." "Absolutely not." Vikrant growled from behind her, havi