“I got your sms, so is it true?” she asked once they were in the cave. His back was turned to her.

“ you know dad told me a lot of things,  I can’t believe he would make such awful things up to split us up, can you believe him, I know you, you  wouldn’t even hurt a fly” He slowly turned around to face her. She saw it in his eyes, but didn’t want to believe it.

“oh my gosh.. he wasn’t lying..” Kartik didn’t know what to say.  

“what Maya said and my dad?.. its true, you deal drugs, are you a dealer? ! she was shocked and wasn’t ready for the answer.

“y-yes I am, but i..” she took a step back.  

“do you take them yourself?”

“no absolutely not, I’ve never touched that stuff in my whole life, I swear”

“oh so you just ruthlessly beat people up for a living,” she said trying to keep her voice from cracking. “you actually did that?” she was disgusted.

“once y-yeah, but I didn’t want to”

“stay away from me..

“Naira please just hear me out” he said holding her arm.

“Kartik don’t touch me !

“wait..

“ Kartik don’t! ever come near me again!” she said her voice going teary on the last word as she walked out crying  leaving from there. He hoped she’d turn back and run into his arms but she left, he stared at the ground, feeling the tears well up in his own eyes.  Naira came home fast.

“I’m going to bed” she said passing Varun and her dad on the sofa, then paused her tracks “you were right, everything you said” she said wiping her cheek,  running up the stairs. “Varun I’ll just come in a minute”

“Naira wait” called her father. “why so you can tell me I told you so, I didn’t listen to you, everyone warned me off him but..” she sobbed.

“Hey beta” she was broken he could see that.

“papa” she cried into his arms. “oh beta, I’m sorry you are going through this” he said holding her.

*

“shall we at least call him an ambulance?” Shakti chuckled “lil bro when will you get it, you don’t need to be sorry they deserve it ,if they can’t pay for the goods then”

“they must be sad in their lives if they are doing drugs no normal person would” shakti rolled his eyes.

“oh just shut up!, sometimes I wonder how on earth are we from the same family”

“sorry don’t get angry, I get it, they deserve it, if no payment talk to the fist”

“that’s what I am saying little bro.” He got Kartik in a playful headlock. Once Shakti made himself absent he quickly called the ambulance for the man Shakti’s men just got beaten up.  He tried to call Naira again but she didn’t answer his phone. Since that night Naira waited for him to call, she needed to hear him give an explanation as to why.. but he didn’t call, and looking at her phone was just making her cry, so she gave the phone to her dad.

It had been 3 days since, she told herself  to forget him but it wasn’t easy
“Dad i need my phone now, I need to call a friend.” He nodded and gave it back to her. She opened it and saw 90 miss calls from Kartik and that changed everything in her mind.

“Varun what else shall we get for tonight’s dinner?” said her dad as they were leaving, Naira stayed home, she stared at the phone her mind contemplated whether to listen to his voicemail or to delete it and him from her life.  It would be easy to do just that, but why what more can he say to her. She decided to listen to it. “Naira this is the last time you will hear from me, I know there is no way forward for us but I just want you to hear my side, I don’t want you to think of me as a bad person for the rest of your life, that’s not who I am, so please I beg you call me back so I can tell you everything, please give me this chance to clear my name, I still love you” she breathed heavily and squeezed her eyes, wiping her tears.  

He was sitting in his room, playing his guitar it gave him peace of mind., and his phone buzzed, seeing her name flashing his face lit up.

“Hello?” he said eagerly

“hi” she replied in a uninterested tone.

“Its feels so good to hear your voice” she sighed feeling the same way.

“Me, t.. ahem..  she couldnt complete her sentence.. she took a deep breath. "so what do you want?”

“to meet you so I can tell from a-z everything”

“fine, where?”

“at the caves later tonight”

“I can’t come late”

“ok when is a good time?”

“now, my dad’s out with Varun, I’ll have to come back before he does.

“ok how about now?”

“ok I’ll try come around 7pm, no promises though”

“Ok thanks”

“bye” she cut the line, that was the worst conversation he already knew he has lost her. He just didn’t want to admit to himself.  It was almost 6:45pm she took her jacket and left. He waited for her.

*

“I’m here I’ve not got much time” he turned around.

“oh my god what happened to your face” she rushed over to him, “its’ nothing, I “ she caressed his bruised cheek, their eyes met.

She quickly took her hand away. “so tell me quickly what you want to say" she folded her arms keeping a distance. 

“ok um when I was 14yrs when my mum died, I found out dad never loved mum or me.. I was just conceived as a pawn so he could get my inheritance” he walked in further and sat on the rock as he narrated his life to her.
" then my dad remarried, I got uprooted and shifted to LA, leaving my nani behind. He coughed. She was about to rub his back but stopped herself and just sat next to him.

“and then I started high school, here me and Shakti both, my dad wouldn’t give us our fee for studying my step mum stopped it, so Shakti started to deal and then I started to do small deliveries. I didn’t know what I was doing he only told me it was to help the other people study its medicine.  Then one day I went with him, and he told me to beat someone up, but I couldn’t do it and then he hit me, hard.”  Naira’s eyes started to fill up, but she looked up to stop them. “Then I hit the guy pretty badly” He confessed not being able to tell this as he was so ashamed. Naira was shocked at the same time feeling bad for him. “But I called an ambulance straight away, you have to believe me” she nodded.
“I do” he turned to her.

“I’m not a drug dealer but I have been trapped into it I have no choice, I don’t like seeing people get hit, after he made me do It I have never done it again I don’t take any pleasure in hurting others, I seriously thought  I was helping with deliveries like I use to with the maths work.

“that’s it the whole truth” he looked at her with hopeful eyes.
“ok thanks for your time, and I’m sorry that you had to go through all this, I better get back” she got up. Walking to the exit way.

“no wait” he said getting up and she turned around to face him,

“is that it? She asked

 “give me one more chance please. He gently held he face.  "I still love you bahut pyar karta hu tumse  He touched his forehead to hers. . She closed her eyes. Hearing those words,“I still love you too Kartik, but its too late we can’t be together anymore” she removed his hands.

“no you don’t mean that you can’t!” she looked down avoiding his gaze. “look at me” she remained silent. “look at me Naira!” he held the sides of her neck making her to face him.

“what?” she said tears streaming down her face. “I don’t know what to do I’m so confused.” She shook her head looking at him for a solution. “gosh I’ve missed you” he said wiping the tears away. “I- I’ve missed you too..” she said breathing loudly trying to stop her tears, he tried to smile but it hurt his cheek. “ow”

“does it hurt a lot?” she gently stroked it. “better now that you touched it” she half laughed half cried, then leaned forwards and held his face gently and kissed his bruise. Holding his face, she looked at him, her mind confused whether to leave or let her lips run away with his. He made the decision for them and crashed his lips on hers. It felt so good to feel him so close again, she kissed him back with equal feeling. her mind kept contemplating what to do. She reluctantly broke the kiss. She hands his hands in hers.

“we can be together  on one condition” she sniffed.

“name it?”

“you stop dealing, and stop all this.

“no, you know I can’t do that its not an option” she let go of his hand.

“well neither are we, you have to choose” she said and left him with his thoughts.

Naira came home, a few minutes before her father, then she helped put the shopping away. “How has your day been?”

“um ok, what are we having for dinner I want to help prepare it” she smiled. Her father smiled widened.  “yes that will be great then you can tell me all about your day”

*

“If  I don’t punch your face in so help me”

“bhai please, don’t I’m really sorry” Kartik yelled.

“frankly we want nothing to do with you anymore” she said looking at her step son.

“uhh just get out of my sight” said his dad  Kartik ran fast from there, he was sweating and afraid.   Shakti came to him. “well just because your out of the house doesn’t mean you are out of the business you still owe me, I’ll see you Friday don’t be late”

Naira looked at her phone Kartik hadn't rang her, that was clear to her that he didn’t choose her.  It had been a week since he spoke to her. She spent time with her family and her mum had come from NYC too for a day they had a family day out which was a great distraction. But when she was alone she checked her phone and tears flowed when there was no message from him.

*
 “I’m going out I haven’t had a good walk in ages” she said to her dad. “ we can do that together” said her father getting up.

“um dad if its ok I want some me time, just to clear my thoughts. “ok sure beta, have a nice walk” she nodded. “thanks”

She walked along the beach, looking around and she could see him everywhere, his smiling face, their first kiss, them taking cute selfies together.

"I love you so much Kartik"
"I love you too Naira you are the love of my life" the conversation rang in her ear. She stopped her tears.

She saw the cave, memories of it washed over her, she walked over and went in. “K-Kartik?” he turned around.

“are you living here?” she asked