Prologue

Renuka Shekhawat was going to her best friend Anju Agarwal's naming ceremony for her newborn baby. She was carrying her son of six months Randhir, in her arms. He was sleeping soundly, unaware of what was happening or where he was going.

Renuka was late because she had gotten into a really bad argument with her husband Harsh. She had been trying hard to convince him to attend the naming ceremony, but he had been fighting with her a lot and claimed he had no interest in her or her friends.

Upon arrival, she noticed that all of the guests and the priest were already there.

"Ah Renuka!" Anju exclaimed, and Renuka forced a smile upon seeing her best friend. "We were waiting for you! Come sit here, beside me."

She had been crying in the car and her heart was hurting after that argument with her husband which only ended badly, but she couldn't ruin a happy atmosphere like this with her negative thoughts.

Renuka walked in holding her son who was still asleep and she took her seat next to Anju who was holding her sleeping daughter in her arms.

"Kishore and I want you to name her," Anju said with a smile, handing her daughter to Kishore. "I know none of us are related by blood, but you and Kishore have been friends for so long, we consider you our sister."

"Me?" Renuka exclaimed with a gasp, and then smiled, feeling touched that there were people who considered her their own. "Okay."

The priest started the rituals and when it came time for Renuka to decide the name, she was told to whisper it in the baby's ear.

"Randhir, what do you think we should name her?" Renuka whispered to her son whose eyes were now open.

"Ssss aaaannnaaakk ta!" Randhir exclaimed and everyone in the hall started laughing.

Anju pulled Randhir's cheeks and Renuka with a smile, knew what she would name the girl. Anju took Randhir from Renuka and Kishore handed his daughter to her.

Holding Anju's daughter in her arms, Renuka whispered into the girl's ear, "Sanyukta."

Then she looked up at the crowd and announced, "Sanyukta."

"Gaaga," Randhir voiced in Anju's arms, as if he were stating his approval and everyone started to laugh again.

"Sanyukta is a beautiful name," Anju commented. "Thank you Renuka."

"It seems like this boy has connected her to him by indirectly deciding her name," the priest commented.

"Thank you Randhir," Anju then said with a smile, pulling on Randhir's cheeks again.

Randhir then reached over and grabbed Sanyukta's hand causing everyone to giggle.

"I think he likes her," Renuka said, grinning.

Sanyukta opened her eyes and smiled.

"I think she likes him too," Anju laughed.

Nobody was aware at this time, that Randhir and Sanyukta were not just connected by birth, but connected by fate. What seemed like a coincidence and childish antics, were actually a scheme by destiny. As they grew older, destiny would pull them apart, only to throw them towards each other with such force, that they would have no choice but to crash into each other. Together, they would learn about a beautiful phenomenon that was known as love, while being tangled in this intricate web woven by destiny.

1

Randhir was only four years old when he was playing with Sanyukta in the park. Sanyukta's mom was sitting on the bench with his mom. He did not know much about what was happening at home, but he was happy he was here now, because he was scared at home. His father would beat him and yell at his mom. At home his mom was always crying.

Right now, he was running after Sanyukta, trying to catch her. They were playing tag.

"Ouch!" Sanyukta screamed and fell to the ground, scraping her knee.

She started to cry and Randhir ran to her and fell to the ground too, touching her shoulder.

"I caught you!" he exclaimed and she looked at him with teary eyes.

"It hurts!" she cried.

"Mommy! Anju Aunty! Sanyu got a booboo!" Randhir yelled.

They didn't react. Perhaps they were far, but they didn't seem to hear him. Randhir looked at Sanyukta's knee. There was a big scratch on it.

"Don't worry Sanyu! I will take care of you," Randhir said. "You know what happens when I get hurt? Mommy kisses it!"

Sanyukta kept crying, his words not going through her ears. Randhir leaned forward and kissed her knee softly, just as Renuka and Anju looked up.

"It's better right?" Randhir asked and Sanyukta sniffled.

"A little bit," she replied.

Renuka and Anju came rushing towards them.

"Oh Sanyu are you okay?" Anju asked, bending down and looking at Sanyukta's knee.

"I'm sort of okay," Sanyukta said, looking up at her mom. "Randhir kissed it so it is a little bit okay."

Anju looked at Renuka with surprise.

"Mommy you always kiss me to make it stop hurting when I have booboo's," Randhir said innocently and both Renuka and Anju started to laugh.

Renuka wrapped her arm around Randhir.

"Keep taking of care of Sanyukta this way," Anju told him, smiling.

"I will always take care of her," Randhir said firmly, and Sanyukta continued to sniffle as Renuka took out a bandaid from her bag and placed it over Sanyukta's knee.

"That's - not - fair," Sanyukta said in between sobs. "I - I have to take care of him too then!"

"Then you take care of him too," Renuka told Sanyukta.

Sanyukta grinned.

"Okay!" Sanyukta agreed happily.

Later on that night, when Renuka took Randhir home, Randhir witnessed a sight that was going to traumatize him for a long time to come. His father was brutally beating his mom with a rod.

"Mom!" Randhir had screamed, but as he rushed to stop Harsh from hurting his mom, it had been too late.

She was already taking her last breaths.

Randhir started to cry and Harsh glared at Randhir with eyes that held only fury.

"What happened to mommy?" Randhir was crying, but Harsh had run out of the room.

After throwing some important necessities into a suitcase, he grabbed his wallet, his and Randhir's passports, and a sobbing Randhir in his arms and ran from the house.

Harsh took Randhir out of the country to a place far, far away, but not far enough for him to run away from his destiny, because destiny kept calling him back, and for Sanyukta, Randhir had to come back.

Years flew by, but their fate remained firmly in place.

2

Sanyukta was fourteen years old when she first went on the chat website. Her mom and dad forbade her to speak with strangers, but she found the Internet so deep, that there was so much to discover. She just couldn't stop herself from creating a fake identity.

When she joined the website, she came across a lot of perverts who seemed to only want one thing: sex. It was disgusting and nearly turned her off completely, but the thought that there must be someone like her who was just exploring made her stay.

In a general group chat, she made a profile using the penname Aahana. Then she made her first post.

She wrote: Hello... I am looking for someone who wants to be friends. My name is Aahana and I am 14.

A few seconds later, a response came through right away. Someone with the penname "LonelyBoy". Sanyukta's first reaction was to laugh at the name. Who would name themselves "LonelyBoy"? That was the stupidest name ever. She almost even ignored the person based on his name itself, but decided to give him a chance to speak.

His response was: I am 14 too.

She replied right away: What kind of stupid name is LonelyBoy?

He replied: I don't know... I feel alone.

Then she replied: Why?

His response was: Don't worry... it's my life so my problems

Sanyukta found that weird. Why would he name himself that and talk to people then not explain it? Whatever. He was right. It was his life. Why did it matter to her?

She replied: What are you doing on this website?

LonelyBoy replied: Same thing as you... killing time.

She responded: How do you know I'm killing time? You're so judgemental.

LonelyBoy then replied: Coming from the one who judged my name without knowing what it means... anyways I got to go, my dad is calling me.

For some reason, his witty answer back to her set something off inside her, and she figured that she couldn't lose contact with him right away.

She messaged.: Wait... first give me your e-mail address.

His response was: What?

She replied: I mean...we barely talked. Please?

He replied: Fine... it's [email protected]

She replied: K I'll email you. Bye.

Then Sanyukta logged off, and for some reason, she had a smile on her face. At least he was different from those other perverts on the chat site.

Aahana and LonelyBoy kept in touch over the next few years, unaware of the real identity of the other one, yet strangely drawn to each other, making both of them want to know more and more.

3

Sanyukta was waiting for class to end so she could run home and turn on her laptop to speak him. It had been eight years since she first spoke to him, but he still didn't know her real name and she didn't know his. In fact, they preferred it that way because they believed that they would lose interest in each other once they found out who the other one really was. He revealed that she could call him Akshay, and he still called her Aahana. She knew Akshay was not his real name.

Finally, class ended and she rushed out. On the way out, she ran into Sameer Mittal.

"Ugh what do you want?" Sanyukta asked, irritated.

Sameer was two years older than her, doing his masters and he never left her alone.

"I told you, I want you to go out with me," he told her.

"Stop it! I am committed!" she told him.

"To who? To that man who doesn't even know your name and you don't even know his?" Sameer asked with a dark laugh.

Although she had never officially committed to Akshay, she couldn't help but have a small crush on him. He never revealed that he liked her, nor did he lead her on, but she had to give an excuse to people like Sameer who were after her and she used him as the excuse.

"Look Sameer, you won't understand! We may not know each other's names, but he is very special to me," Sanyukta defended. "Now, please let me go... I am late. I need to get home."

"To talk to that coward guy who won't even tell you what his name is?" Sameer provoked.

Sanyukta gritted her teeth together and pushed past Sameer, ignoring him, so she could go and talk to Akshay.

At home, she turned on her laptop and checked her e-mail. With a smile on her face, she opened the e-mail he had sent her.

Hey Aahana,

That guy you told me about seems to be bad news. You should stay away from him... speaking of, I think I'm coming to India soon. I have some things I want to look into there... some things about my past. I told you, my mom is dead... and my dad claims she killed herself, but for some reason, something doesn't add up. I don't remember much from that time, so I wanted to investigate.

I don't know if it's possible, because we said we'll keep our identities hidden but... maybe we can meet?

Take care,

Your Akshay

Sanyukta blushed as she read his e-mail over and over. He was coming to India and wanted to meet her? She took a deep breath and typed her reply.

Hey Akshay,

Actually... I don't know if it's a good idea to meet. My mom and dad won't let me meet a stranger, and I know you'll say I'm 22... but things here aren't like how they are in Canada. I have to listen to them. They are strict... they know the time I come home from college and if I say I am going out to meet a friend, they will ask for contact numbers and everything.

I believe in destiny though. I think if we are meant to meet... we will somehow. What do you think?

By the way I know that idiot is bad news. I have been trying to get him to leave me alone forever, but he just won't stop. He's crazy about me... but you know I've never been with anyone or thought about anyone. Anyways, forget that. Tell me if I can be of any help to you when you come here. Even though I won't be able to meet you directly, at least I can help by telling you what places you can visit!

Sincerely,

Aahana

Sanyukta sent the e-mail and then closed her laptop with a smile on her face. Maybe she could get one of her friends' to even cover for her if she went to meet him, but the thought was so scary that she brushed it aside.

Little did she know that destiny itself had sent an invitation to Randhir Singh Shekhawat... and the invitation wasn't limited to just visiting India, but it even reached the extent of visiting her heart and soul.

4

A few weeks later, Sanyukta was chatting with him on messenger using her phone. Her battery was about to die, but she was dying to know... she couldn't help but ask him the one thing that had been nagging her.

Aahana: You have told me so much about your life but you are still so discreet... have you had a girlfriend?

Akshay: No

Aahana: Do you like anyone?

Akshay: No

Sanyukta felt her heart break a little when he said that, but she bit down on her lip. Maybe he was just saying that because he didn't know her feelings for him.

Aahana: And if I told you I liked you? Then what?

Akshay: Don't make stupid jokes

Aahana: But what if I'm not joking?

Akshay: I'll never talk to you again... stop it now...

Aahana: Why does it matter so much to you if someone likes you? It isn't like it's in their control

Akshay: I don't believe in love... I lose faith in all those people who claim to love because it's just a manipulation technique

Aahana: What? Why?

Akshay: My mom claimed to love my dad but she hurt him... you know how? Because she cheated on him. Then when he found out and threatened to divorce her she killed herself.

Aahana: What???? Seriously? You never told me

Akshay: What's there to tell? I've barely told you about my life Aahana so don't think we're that close...

Aahana: Why don't you tell me? I want to know

Akshay: It's better for me to keep it within myself. It's too painful to share.

Aahana: Can't you give me a chance?

Akshay: No.

Aahana: Please?

Akshay: No... I don't think of you in that way, and this is a time pass.

Sanyukta's eyes filled with tears. This was a time pass for him?

Aahana: I'm only a time pass? You don't care for me at all?

Akshay: I have forbid myself from caring for anyone.

Aahana: But I really do like you...

Akshay: I swear I will never talk to you again if you say that again.

Aahana: Then don't. I won't hide my feelings from you. I've liked you for years... I thought it was a crush, but now I don't know anymore... it's like all I do is think about you. In my mind I've even committed myself to you. If you think I should hide my feelings and be ashamed of this then I don't care! I am going to be honest and true to myself!

Akshay then logged off. He never logged in again.

5

Two years later, Randhir Singh Shekhawat stepped foot in India. He had been meaning to do this for the last few years, but his father kept him back using higher studies as an excuse.

The truth was that he wanted to come to India to investigate. His father claimed that his mother committed suicide, but there was one memory he had from when he was young, where his mom had kissed his face and told him she would never leave him. Could a woman who swore to never leave her son commit suicide?

It wasn't that he didn't believe his dad. He did. He hated that lady because she cheated on his dad, but the suicide part left him confused. Perhaps his father didn't even know that his mother's death was not suicide.

Whatever the truth was, Randhir wanted to dig deeper. He wanted to find people who knew his family, and he wanted to figure out what had happened. It would surely be easier to just believe his dad and forget it, but something was nagging him inside, and the part didn't stop nagging him until he finally bought his flight tickets to India.

It was like somewhere deep within him, it was etched that he had to return to India for a vow he did not even remember.

As the unique scent filled his nose upon landing, he squinted his eyes and looked around. There was one person that he remembered everytime he thought to India and that was Aahana.

He hadn't spoken to her in the last two years. Their last conversation had been when she had professed her feelings for him, and he logged out on her, never speaking to her again.

He didn't even open that e-mail ID again.

He was scared... he was scared that he may even believe her, and fall for her too. He was already becoming attracted to her. She would tell her all about her life, all about the people she met, the dreams she had, the things her parents' would say to her... but the moment she confessed her feelings for him, it was like a red signal flashed in his mind telling him to run far away.

Love was not genuine. It never could be.

He had hidden so many things from her about his life, despite her being so open about her own. He hid the fact that he had nightmares every night that a man would beat him. He had scars from being whipped across his back and stomach. He hid that his father once told him that his uncle used to abuse him as a child, and the reason they moved to Canada was to get away from all of that. He even hid the fact that he never had a friend in his life. The one friend he had, it had been her. The one person he opened up to even a little bit, had been her.

So many times, he had ached to log in again, to speak to her again, but he remained firm. He couldn't end up like his dad, heartbroken. He couldn't be vulnerable.

He was happy being alone. He didn't need anyone in his life, not even her.

Randhir had lied to his father that he was going to England for his office. Randhir worked in IT. His father hated the sound of India, and forbade him to ever go there. Perhaps his father was still hurt by the memories of his mother.

That evening, Randhir checked into a hotel and opened his laptop. His first destination was his old house... the place where he used to live. He knew the address, even though his father had kept it well hidden somehow. One day, while Randhir was about sixteen years old, his father had taken his phone from him because he was always on it. While his father had gone out, Randhir was searching through his father's room for his phone because he desperately wanted to speak to Aahana. Instead of finding his phone, he found documents, which listed his old address.

Randhir had written the address down, curious to Google it and see where they used to live. He never told his father about this.

After he got ready for bed, he took his laptop to bed and lay down beside it.

Opening up his saved chats on his laptop, Randhir re-read his old conversations with Aahana.

This was a nightly ritual for him, because her words were the only thing that was able to put him to sleep.

6

The hype with messenger was now done and over with, yet there was not a day where Sanyukta was able to stop herself from logging in to the same application, just to check if maybe he would come online.

She had sent Akshay countless e-mails right after he stopped talking to her where she had apologized, taken back her words and begged for him to log on again. When he didn't respond to her e-mails, she didn't stop.

In fact, every single day she would send him a new e-mail before she went to sleep, telling him about how her day went, about what her thought process was like... and at the end of every e-mail she would sign off with 'I miss you... forever yours, Aahana'.

That day in particular, everything seemed to change in her life.

"Sanyu, we're thinking about bringing proposals for you," Anju, her mother told her over breakfast that day.

Sanyukta frowned.

"I don't want to get married," she replied stubbornly.

"You don't have to get married now. Just meet the boys. If you like one of them, you can get engaged and then married later when you're ready," Anju told her.

"What's the point? I'll meet, get engaged, and married when I'm ready," she retorted.

"Okay Sanyu, go to work. We will talk in the evening," Anju said with a sigh. "You have gone to your dad... just as stubborn."

Sanyukta finished having her breakfast, got up and kissed her mom on the cheek.

"Love you mommy! See you later!" she said before she ran outside.

Sanyukta worked in an IT firm. She was always excited about technology and had studied computer engineering in college. She knew Akshay studied the exact same thing. The thought of Akshay made her heart ache. Where was he now? How was he? She had no way of knowing.

She got in her car and started to drive to work. Everyday on her way to work, she would pass by the house of her mother's good friend Renuka Shekhawat. Renuka had been murdered when Sanyukta was just four years old and her husband Harsh and son Randhir had disappeared from India the same night. The police seemed to have dismissed the case, because tracking them down was too much of a hassle for them.

Anju would tell her about how Randhir was a sweet young boy who was a really good frend of Sanyukta's when they were small children. Apparently he had even been the one to choose her name. Sanyukta didn't remember him at all though.

The immediate suspect of murder had been Harsh and even Sanyukta's parents' didn't dismiss this because they knew that Harsh used to treat Renuka horribly.

Her mom would often tell her the stories of how Renuka considered Sanyukta as her own daughter, then she would reminisce about Randhir, wondering how he was. Anju told her that Randhir was just like her son.

Although Sanyukta didn't really remember him, she felt a strange connection to the idea of him.

That day, as she passed by Renuka's house, she noticed something different. The house that the Shekhawat's used to live in was deserted. Nobody lived there for the last twenty years... however, today there was a figure looming in the doorway.

Sanyukta frowned and pulled into the driveway of the house, wondering who was there.

Who could it be to have such a curiosity towards that house?

7

If there was one thing he hadn't been expecting, it was this: a girl to randomly sneak up on him while he was visiting his old house. He was by the door, trying to break the lock. He knew how odd he looked, yet he didn't care.

"Hey who are you?" the girl exclaimed from behind him.

Randhir ignored her and continued to try and break the lock with a rock. He heard her footsteps get closer, yet he remained focused. He only lost focus when she screamed.

"Ouch!" she screamed, having tripped and fallen to the ground.

Randhir felt like his heart jumped out of his chest and he turned around to look at her. Her hair was covering her face and she was holding her knee to her chest, as if she was in great pain.

His head started to hurt and he vaguely heard a little girl scream the same thing.

"Ouch," she had screamed.

Then he heard his voice in his head say, "I will always take care of her."

Randhir glanced down at the girl and bent down.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

"No," she complained. "It hurts!

She was wearing a skirt so he was hesitant to touch her knee, but he still did it. His fingers lightly brushed over the top of her knee, where a scrape had formed.

"How did you trip?" he asked her.

"I don't know," she mumbled. "But I'll be fine."

"Yeah... okay," he replied, and let go of her knee before standing back up and facing the door again.

She would be okay, so she didn't need him to help her.

Sanyukta's mouth fell open when he didn't even hold out his hand to help her up. Pressing her lips together in annoyance, she got up on her own and glared with such intensity at his back, that she was surprised there wasn't a hole there already.

"Why are you trying to break in? Nobody lives there. You won't find anything to steal," she commented.

Randhir turned around to glare at her.

"I'm not planning to steal anything," he retorted.

"Then why are you breaking the lock?" Sanyukta asked.

"That's not your business," he replied.

"But I want to know," she pressed on.

"Leave me alone," he told her seriously. "I'm not someone you want to mess with."

"I'm not scared of messing with people," she replied, crossing her arms. "You better tell me what you want because this is my Aunt's house."

Randhir's mouth nearly fell open when she claimed that this was her Aunt's house. His mother didn't have a sibling, then how could this girl be his cousin? This nosy girl probably didn't have a life and was looking to irritate him today.

"Look, I am a real estate broker and I wanted to look at this house," he lied. "Now please, let me be."

"What's your name?" she asked him, narrowing her eyes.

"What? None of your business," he snapped.

"Tell me your name," she pressed on. "I want to keep a record of who comes and goes from this house."

"Look I don't know who you are, but you better get out of here before something bad happens to you," he warned.

"I'm not going anywhere," she replied stubbornly. "Tell me your name."

Randhir sighed loudly and said the first name that came to his mind without revealing his real identity.

"Akshay," he told her.

Sanyukta's eyes widened out of shock.

8

As soon as the man in front of her told her that his name was Akshay, her heart began to ache as memories of her Akshay filled her mind.

Of course this man in front of her could not be her Akshay, because Akshay hadn't even been the real name of the one she used to speak to. Yet, the way he said the name Akshay made her feel nostalgic.

"Okay then," Sanyukta said, "You do what you want. I have to go to work."

She knew if she would stay here any longer, she might show him her vulnerabilities. She didn't want to do that. She didn't even know who this guy was... and if she got any closer, then all that would happen would be heartache, because he had the same name of the one who had once been her everything.

"Good," Randhir muttered under his breath as she turned around and started to walk away.

Sanyukta got inside her car and rested her head on the steering wheel for a moment, trying to change the topic in her mind and think about something else. She would often get panic attacks when she thought about Akshay, because the ache in her heart would start to control her breathing... and she would start crying because she missed him so much.

She watched the man who called himself Akshay out of the corner of her eye, as she tried to think about something else. He finally seemed to have finished breaking the lock and he disappeared inside the house.

Sanyukta frowned. What was there in that house anyways? In the last twenty years, she hadn't even been in the house.

She got out of the car and started to walk back towards the house.

Inside the house, Randhir's heart started to beat much faster. Sweat formed on the palms of his hands and he trembled as he walked forward.

There was old furniture in the dark house, covered by dust. As the dust filled his nostrils, he began to cough. Taking out his cellphone, he turned on the flashlight. All of the windows had been sealed so there was no natural light that entered the house.

"Randhir... Randhir," he could hear a soft-spoken voice in his mind say. "My baby Randhir."

Randhir squeezed his eyes shut and his hands balled into fists as he realized that it was his mom's voice. He opened his eyes and continued to walk forward, hoping that there would be some clue here, some clue about his past, about the reality of his mom's death. At least some kind of picture that would tell him about the people his parents' used to know.

With his sweaty hands, he opened one door and upon seeing the sight in front of him, he felt like throwing up and suddenly a dizzy feeling overtook him.

There were blood-stains on the carpet.

"Mom!" he heard himself scream.

Louder than the screams in his head, he heard footsteps approach from behind him, but before he could even register what was happening, he had fallen to the ground and passed out.

Sanyukta looked with shock at the sight in front of her. From the bloodstains, to an unconscious Akshay on the floor.

For some reason, she heard a soft voice tell her "You take care of him too" and a younger sounding version of her had replied "Okay". Ignoring the voices, she ran upto his unconscious body and touched his face, trying to wake him up.

"Wake up," she said to him, "Akshay wake up!"

He didn't respond and even his breaths had become faint.

9

It was a mission getting him to a hospital. She had to call an ambulance for him. She had been so scared... it was her first time being alone with an unconscious man, and she didn't even know what happened to him. Plus, the streaks of blood on the carpet was terrifying.

"Who is he?" the doctor asked her upon arrival.

"He just told me his name is Akshay and he's a real estate broker," she admitted. "I don't know him."

"He hasn't carried any identification with him either," the doctor said with a sigh. "It doesn't look serious, but we'll take care of him. Thank you for bringing him here. You may go now."

Sanyukta didn't want to go... she wanted to make sure he was safe first. It didn't feel right to just leave him.

"Can I know what happened?" she asked the doctor.

"Sorry, it's confidential," the doctor told her.

"Okay, I'll go then," Sanyukta mumbled.

She turned around the corner of the hallway, and when the doctor had disappeared she re-emerged. Sanyukta decided that she would wait for him just to make sure he was okay. After all, she was not a mean person to just leave someone alone like this. It was just because she was a nice person. Of course it couldn't be because of another reason.

Inside the hospital room, Randhir opened his eyes. Upon realizing he was at a hospital, he sat up.

"Relax," the doctor told him and he nodded.

"How did I get here?" he mumbled.

"A girl brought you here," the doctor explained. "You passed out at an old house."

"Oh yeah," Randhir murmured. "Okay, I can go now right?"

"Yes, but don't take so much stress," the doctor warned. "Maybe that old house left a psychological impact on you or caused you stress in some way. Your blood sugar fell low and you passed out."

"I saw blood on the floor," Randhir admitted.

"Do you have a fear of blood?" the doctor asked him.

"No," Randhir confessed. "But it's okay. I will be okay. Thanks doctor."

Randhir then got up, before the doctor could say anything more. He didn't want anyone to know his identity here. If anyone found out that the house belonged to him, there would probably be so much sympathy for him and he wanted to avoid all that. He would draw attention towards himself as well and that was the last thing he wanted to do.

Randhir wanted to complete his work quickly and then return to Canada.

As he was walking out, he failed to notice the girl from earlier who was waiting for him, but she didn't fail to see him.

"Hey don't you have to sign discharge papers?" she asked him, running after him.

Randhir stopped in his tracks and turned around to face her. She had waited for him here too?

"That's not your problem," he told her harshly and she pressed her lips together.

"I brought you here and you're showing me so much attitude?" she asked him.

"Thank you for bringing me here, but now if you can kindly leave me alone, I'd appreciate it," he replied. "I have some work to do, so please do not follow me."

"What work?" the girl asked him curiously and he sighed loudly.

"What part of mind your own business do you not understand?" he snapped.

"You scare me," she told him. "What if you pass out again?"

"Why do you care so much?" he snapped.

"Your name!" she replied with irritation, then she bit down on her tongue. "I mean, I - I don't have anything to do. I'm already missing work, so I might as well see what you're up to."

"Why are you so nosy?" he asked her rudely.

"Why are you so secretive?" she replied to him just as rudely.

"Okay, you know what, maybe you can be of help to me. Follow me," he told her.

"Where?" she asked him suspiciously. "I don't exactly trust you."

"Then don't follow me," Randhir replied, shrugging his shoulders. "It isn't like I'm the one who's being persistent."

Then he started to walk out of the hospital with Sanyukta still rooted to the spot, debating about whether she should follow him or not.

"Screw it," she muttered under her breath and ran after him.

She didn't know why she felt so connected to him. Maybe it was his name that sparked a bit of care within her, but she truly was concerned about him and was worried that he was going to run into trouble. Plus, she was really curious as to why he had been investigating Renuka Aunty's house.

There was an aura of mystery about this guy, and she was determined to find out more.

10

They got into the backseat of a cab. Sanyukta had left her car parked at Renuka Aunty's house and had come to the hospital with him in the ambulance.

Randhir gave the cab driver the address of the house again and Sanyukta looked at him with shock.

"Why are you going back there?" she asked him.

"I haven't finished looking at the house and your car is there," he told her. "Now stop asking me questions."

Oh. So that was why he told her to come with him, so he could take her to her car and he would be alone.

All of a sudden his phone started to ring and Randhir sighed.

It was his father.

He glanced at the girl next to him - he didn't want to take the call in front of her, but his father would suspect something if he didn't pick up right now.

"Hey dad," Randhir said, answering the phone.

"Have you got there safely?" Harsh said into the phone.

"Yeah, I'm just doing some work now," Randhir replied as Sanyukta watched him from the corner of her eyes.

"Okay good. When are you coming back?" Harsh asked.

"I don't know dad. They want to keep me here for longer... it seems like it could take some time for me to come back," he responded.

"What kind of job is it where they won't tell you how long you're going for?" Harsh asked suspiciously.

"No it's not that. Once I got to London, they told me they may need me for a few more days... I was given a week, and it's good for my career, so I said I'm free. Don't worry about me. I will be okay," Randhir responded.

Sanyukta looked at him with a confused expression. London? Why was he lying to his father?

"Okay then. Take care, bye," Harsh said, and then hung up.

Randhir hung up the phone and noticed that the girl was watching him with a weird expression.

"What?" he asked her.

"Why did you lie to your dad?" she asked him.

"Didn't I tell you to stop asking questions?" he snapped.

"Fine," she said with irritation.

They managed to get to the house and Sanyukta reached for her wallet, but Randhir took out some cash from his pocket and paid the cab driver.

"We could have split it," she told him. "I don't want any favours from you."

"It's for taking me to the hospital, so we're even," he replied, and then got out of the car.

She followed him out.

"Leave me alone," he told her darkly.

"You said you needed my help," she replied with a frown.

"Yes I do need your help. I need you to leave me alone," he informed and she breathed sharply.

"Fine!" she snapped. "I am not interested in being insulted by you over and over again. I'm going home!"

"Finally," he muttered under his breath and walked away from her.

She glared at him as he disappeared - he was so rude!

As Randhir entered the house again, he knew of one thing that he needed to do. His stay in India seemed like it was going to be much longer than he had expected. He wouldn't be able to live in a hotel for so long... he would have to find a different kind of accommodation.

Later that night, as Sanyukta was having dinner with her mom and dad, her dad spoke.

"Sanyukta, we've put an advertisement for a paying guest," Kishore told her. "Your older brother Ankit left last week to Dubai for his business, so his room is free now. We thought to generate some revenue."

"Yeah, whatever," Sanyukta mumbled, still irritated by her encounter with that idiot named Akshay earlier.

She hoped to never run into him again, but little did she know that destiny would ensure that their paths would cross again very soon.

11

That night before bed, Sanyukta logged into her e-mail account and started typing her nightly e-mail to her Akshay.

Dear Akshay,

You know so much happened today. I ran into someone with the same name as your penname, but he's such a rude person. He was investigating my Aunty's house. He said he was a real estate broker, but I'm sure even real estate broker's would find a better house to sell... this is an old house where someone died, who would buy it? Anyways, talking about him makes my blood pressure go up. He passed out in that house and I had to take him to the hospital. When he walked out, he was so rude to me! He kept telling me to mind my own business. I just wanted to help. How can someone be so rude? I'm sure if you were in his position, you would have at least had some manners.

Anyways, my mom is starting to look for proposals for me... I told her I'm not interested, but she's adamant. It's hard for me to say no for a long time too... but you know, I can't give my heart to anyone else like that. I know I shouldn't say this because you wouldn't like it, but I can't help it. It's only always been you Akshay.

My dad also put in an ad for a paying guest today and he already got someone interested. They're coming tomorrow to see the house, but I'll be at work. Oh... because of that idiot with your name, I had to miss work today. Tomorrow I'll have to make up for it. He makes my blood boil! He was lying to his dad too about being in London. That's such a huge lie! I would never have the guts to lie like that.

I hope you're doing well Akshay...

I miss you.

Forever yours,

Aahana

Sanyukta sent the e-mail, sighed, turned off the laptop and then closed her eyes to sleep.

Randhir on the other hand, was in his hotel, lying in bed, reading old conversations with Aahana. She had been the one reason he would smile back in his teenage years.

He wondered how she was now. Was she okay? He hoped that boy stopped bothering her.

Maybe she had moved on and was even happy in life.

Earlier today, when he was about to step back in the house, fear overtook him and instead of entering the house, he had cabbed back to the hotel. For some reason, he had lost the courage to go back in there. The thought of that place made him start to sweat anxiously and tremble with fear. He was going to visit a place to stay tomorrow and he decided that he would take things slowly.

He thought back to the nosy girl from earlier who had asked him question after question about his life... who behaved that way to strangers? There was a basic concept called etiquette. He hoped to never run into her again.

He didn't know though, that no matter how fast you tried to run away from destiny, it would run after you with greater speed.

12

The next day, Randhir went to visit the house he had been interested in. The pictures that were up on the advertisement attracted him to it for some reason, and he couldn't help but want to know more.

Once he got there, a man opened the door with a smile.

"Are you here to see the house?" the man asked and Randhir nodded.

"Yes," he told the man.

"I am Kishore and my wife Anju is in the kitchen cooking. Come in son," he told Randhir politely. "You said in your response to the advertisement that your name is Akshay. What is your full name?"

Randhir took off his shoes, following Kishore in.

"Akshay Rajawat," he lied.

"Okay Akshay, let me show you the house," Kishore told him, and took Randhir around the house.

Kishore took him from room to room, showing him all the different rooms.

"This is my daughter Sanyukta's room. She's at work right now," Kishore said, opening the door to a messy room with clothes everywhere. "Oh! I told her to clean! Sorry, please excuse the mess. She isn't very tidy. It's just her room though, she leaves the rest of the house clean."

Randhir smiled. He remembered that once Aahana told him she would always get yelled at for not cleaning her room.

"It's okay Uncle," he told Kishore.

Just across from Sanyukta's room was the room he was supposed to stay at.

"This one will be your room if you decide to live here," Kishore explained. "It's across from Sanyu's room, but don't worry, she isn't loud. She doesn't listen to music late at night."

"Thank you Uncle," Randhir said, examining the room.

It had a double bed and a lock on the door, with an ensuite bathroom. He didn't need anything more.

"I've shown you upstairs already where mine and Anju's room is. You and Sanyu will be on the ground floor. Is there a problem with this arrangement?" Kishore asked him and Randhir shook his head.

"No Uncle. I keep to myself most of the time, so I am okay with it," he told him.

"Okay, come to the living room and I will get the paperwork ready," Kishore said.

Randhir followed Kishore into the living room and took a seat on the couch. Anju, Kishore's wife, came out of the kitchen carrying a tray with three cups of tea.

She placed a cup in front of Randhir and he looked up at her with shock. For some reason, there was something familiar about this woman. Something homely... something that made his heart warm when he looked at her.

"Thank you Aunty, you didn't have to," Randhir said politely.

"You will be living here now... you will be just like our family," Anju said compassionately and sat next to Randhir. "You can eat with us and share your feelings with us."

Randhir was touched by her genuine tone.

"Thank you," he said, feeling warm inside.

He never felt this accepted before.

After Randhir signed the paperwork, he went back to the hotel to pack his stuff and move it.

As he was unpacking, he heard the front door open and close, then the door across his room slam shut. It seemed like Anju and Kishore's daughter was home from work.

Then he heard the door across his room open again before footsteps approached his room. There was a knock on his door.

He opened the door, only to face the girl he had tried to push away yesterday.

"You?" he exclaimed, his eyes wide.

"You're the paying guest?" she yelled, her eyes just as wide.

They both cursed their stars as they looked at each other with shock.

13

Sanyukta could not believe it.

How could her parents' let this idiot stay here? Did they not know how rude he was or how badly he treated their daughter? Why didn't they do any background investigation?

"You're their daughter?" Randhir asked. "Great!"

"What do you mean great? You can leave if you don't like it!" Sanyukta replied irritably. "What's wrong with mom and dad? Why would they keep you here?"

"I'm wondering how they got a daughter like you," Randhir retorted. "On one hand they're so nice and calm, and you are so rowdy!"

"Ugh!" Sanyukta nearly screamed.

"Just stay away from me," he warned.

"This is my house! I'll do whatever I want to!" she replied.

"Then don't blame me if I become even meaner to you," he told her.

Sanyukta pursed her lips together and stomped her foot in frustration. She would have to go and speak to her parents' about this. This arrangement was not going to work for her.

She turned around and walked straight to her mom and dad's bedroom.

"What were you thinking?" she snapped, as soon as she entered.

"What happened Sanyu?" Anju asked, looking at Sanyukta.

"The paying guest! Why did you choose him?" Sanyukta asked.

"He seems nice and he was interested," Kishore intervened. "That's why. You don't like him?"

"N - no nevermind, I was just wondering," she told them, deciding that she wouldn't reveal what happened yesterday.

It would just attract more unwanted questions to her. What was she doing with a boy? Why was she at Renuka's house? What did he want? She thought it was best to just keep quiet and avoid him.

Later that night, the four of them had dinner together. Randhir and Sanyukta avoided each others' gazes.

"So Akshay, what do you do?" Kishore asked over dinner.

"I work in IT," he explained. "I came to India just to visit for a few months."

"A few months?" Sanyukta interrupted. "Why a few months?"

"Sanyu!" Anju warned. "That's rude."

Randhir looked at Sanyukta with a smirk - hadn't that been what he had been trying to tell her all this while? Not to mind other peoples' businesses? He liked Sanyukta's mom... she voiced what he thought for him.

Sanyukta bit down on her lip.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"How is the weather in Canada?" Kishore asked him.

Canada? Sanyukta's head shot up. He worked in IT, he lived in Canada, and his name was Akshay. Was all of this a coincidence? Of course it was. It had to be... her Akshay's name was not even Akshay.

This guy was just going to be a painful reminder of the one she couldn't forget.

Later that night, Sanyukta took a deep breath, deciding that she would need to set some ground rules with him. Her mom and dad were already upstairs, probably fast asleep, and she heard his shower running just a few minutes ago, so she knew that he was still awake.

She tiptoed out of her room and knocked on his door.

He didn't answer.

She turned the doorknob and was surprised to see that his door was unlocked. Entering his room, she closed the door behind her and noticed that his laptop was on his bed, with the screen lit up. Curious, she tiptoed closer to the laptop, to see what he was doing on it so late at night.

Then the door to the bathroom opened and she froze on the spot. Biting down on her lip, she turned around slowly to see that he was just wearing a towel and had well-built abs. She didn't fail to notice scars across his body and her breath caught in her throat... why did he have scars on his body? For some reason, her heart began to ache badly as she witnessed that sight.

Randhir's eyes only held fury though and he charged towards her angrily, turning her compassion into fear.

14

Randhir charged towards her and her eyes widened with fear. Why was he running towards her with such an angry expression? She hadn't even done anything wrong!

As soon as he reached her, she squeezed her eyes shut, expecting him to strangle her. Instead, he rushed past her to the laptop, which he slammed shut. Her eyes sprung open and she turned around to look at him with surprise.

He was worried about that laptop? What was so secretive in that laptop?

"You were watching adult videos?" she asked, her mouth falling open.

"Are you mad?" he snapped, turning around to glare at her. "What are you even doing here? Do you know the meaning of privacy?"

Sanyukta crossed her arms.

"My house, my choice!" she responded haughtily. "Can you get changed? I want to talk to you."

"I don't want to talk to you," he snapped. "You can leave. I need to sleep."

Sanyukta pressed her lips together, annoyed.

"It's for your own good," she pressed on.

"Hurry up then," he retorted.

"First change," she ordered.

"I'm not changing. What will you do about it?" he argued.

"Okay fine, don't. I just wanted to set some ground rules since we will be sharing a house," Sanyukta said.

"I've already set one - you leave me alone," Randhir replied.

Sanyukta bit down on her lip - he was right. If they left each other alone, there surely couldn't be any other rules that they would need to follow.

"Okay... but I have a question," she told him, glancing back up at him.

"What?" he asked her.

"Why did you tell me you were a real estate broker?" she questioned.

Randhir's eyes widened, as if he forgot that he even told her that. The truth was that Sanyukta nearly forgot too. It was only when he snapped his laptop shut, that she remembered.

"I don't need to tell you anything," he retorted. "Now get out."

"Fine," Sanyukta said, irritated, and then stormed out of the room.

As she lay in bed that night, she wondered why he was so strange. There was something fishy about him for sure, and she had to find out what he was hiding.

He lied to her that he was a real-estate broker, he was interested in Renuka Aunty's house, and on top of that he closed his laptop so quickly, like he was hiding something on it.

He didn't seem like the type to leave an adult video on his screen while he took a shower... there must be more to the story.

Who was he really?

15

"Stop - stop it - it hurts," Randhir was sobbing in his sleep as he felt a dark figure hit him with a belt. "It - it's painful."

He woke up sweating from the nightmare and rubbed his eyes. He had been having the same nightmares for as long as he could remember, but the terrifying feeling had never gone away. Every time he had these nightmares, it was like it was his first time having them.

It was scary.

He looked at the time and saw that it was four in the morning. He had about three hours of sleep... that wasn't bad for him. In fact, he preferred to not sleep because at least when he was awake, he wouldn't get the nightmares. He got ready and then walked out of his room to the kitchen, to get a glass of water.

Sanyukta, who had been sleeping, heard footsteps in the kitchen and woke up with a start.

Was there a thief in the house? She knew it could very well be one of her parents' or Randhir, but she didn't want to risk it.

She got out of bed and quietly tiptoed out of the room towards the kitchen. The light was on and upon seeing Randhir's figure she breathed a sigh of relief. When she saw that he wasn't in night clothes, but looked like he was ready to go out, she frowned.

"Where are you going so early in the morning?" she asked him.

Randhir sighed loudly upon hearing her voice.

"Wasn't our ground rule that you would leave me alone?" he asked her.

"Hey, you do weird things! It isn't my fault!" she replied, crossing her arms. "Plus you woke me up. I have the right to question!"

"The only right you have is the right to mind your own business," Randhir replied to her.

"Why are you so mean to me?" she argued. "I'm just asking questions!"

"Why do you keep asking questions?" he asked her, taking a sip of his water.

"I want to know! I'm curious!" she answered.

"Curiosity killed the cat," he warned her. "Remember that."

Then he placed the glass down on the counter and pushed past her to go back to his own room, leaving her stunned.

16

Sanyukta decided to give him what he wanted and left him alone. She was still curious to know what his motive was behind going to Renuka Aunty's house, so she decided that she would work undercover to find out what his intentions were.

The next week passed quickly. Randhir had rented a car that he was using to visit different places in the city. He knew he hadn't come here for sight-seeing, but he wasn't ready to face that house again yet. He had to be mentally strong first, otherwise he was scared he would pass out again.

One night, it was three in the morning, and Sanyukta was staying up to complete some pending office work. She had left her room, in her night clothes, to make a cup of coffee for herself, and as she was passing Randhir's room, she heard noises from inside.

Frowning, she pressed her ear against the door, and she heard him mumble, "It hurts".

Her heart started to beat much faster as she heard this, and she turned the doorknob to open the door, but it was locked. Sanyukta reached for her hairpin and used it to unlock his door.

Once she managed to unlock it, she slipped inside the dark room and closed the door behind her, before approaching him on the bed.

"Akshay," she whispered, touching his shoulder, but he was shaking and his whole body was wet with sweat.

"It - it - hurts," he was sobbing. "Stop - please."

Sanyukta got on the bed beside him and started to stroke his hair, trying to wake him up. Randhir reached up and unconsciously grabbed her hand, holding it tightly.

"It - it hurts," he mumbled, and his breathing slowed down as he held her hand.

Finally he fell back asleep, this time peacefully, and Sanyukta watched him. It was like he was a child, who was desperately seeking for his mother's solace as he held her hand. Her heart ached painfully to see him like this, and for some strange reason, she didn't want to let go.

17

After she was sure that he had fallen asleep, she left his hand and with an aching heart, was about to get off the bed to go back to her room. Then he started to mumble again, and her heart jumped out of fear. She sat back down on the bed and held his hand once more, his breathing becoming stable again.

Why was he having such nightmares? Who was he telling to not hurt him? Could it be that there was a connection to the scars on his body?

Sanyukta leaned against the headboard of his bed and rubbed his hand reassuringly.

At one point, she almost dozed off and his hand slipped out of her grip. She was woken up by his sobs.

"Please - please - stop," he cried, and he grabbed her legs, pressing his head against the side of her thigh.

Sanyukta slowly lifted his head and placed it on her lap, stroking his hair again.

She didn't know what it was about him that made her want to comfort him like this. She didn't know why she wanted to take all of his pain away... or why she felt the strong ache in her chest, as if it was her pain. All she knew was that right now, she wanted to comfort him, to be there for him, to feel for him.

Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep. Strangely, although she was seated in an upright position and hadn't slept more than a few hours, this was the most peaceful sleep she could remember having.

It was in the morning that she finally woke up... that too, only after Randhir himself had opened his eyes.

18

After having a strangely peaceful sleep, Randhir woke up. The first thing he felt was a different feeling underneath his head... he was not lying on a pillow. His eyes opened and he was looking up to see Sanyukta's sleeping figure, leaning against the headboard of the bed.

He sat up immediately wondering how she even got in here. He was about to shake her to wake her up, but something stopped him. She looked angelic, like she was peaceful. He didn't even realize that he had reached over to brush some stray strands of hair off her face until it was too late.

She opened her eyes as his fingers were lightly caressing her cheek. Giving him a surprised expression, she sat up straight.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, trying to change the subject and make her forget that his fingers were just on her cheek.

"You were saying something in your sleep so I got worried," she told him.

Randhir's eyes turned dark with anger and he grabbed her arms angrily, causing her to wince with pain.

"Ouch!" she yelped.

"That doesn't give you the right to come in my room and listen to me talk," he told her darkly.

"Sanyu?" Anju's voice called from the kitchen. "Where are you Sanyu? You aren't in your room!"

"Shit!" Sanyukta said, her eyes wide, and Randhir's eyes widened too.

She scrambled off the bed and ran towards his door, before peeking out to make sure the coast was clear. Then she tiptoed back to her own room.

"The - the bathroom mom!" she called.

Randhir shook his head and went to take a shower. This girl was getting way too close to him for her own good.

Later on, as the whole family was having breakfast together, Kishore made an announcement.

"Your grandma is not feeling well Sanyu," Kishore said, and Sanyukta looked up with shock. "Your mom and I are going to visit her... but she's all the way in Delhi, so you will have to stay here alone for a little while."

"I will be okay," Sanyukta told him. "But shouldn't I come see her too?"

"You can come for a few days if you want," Anju intervened, "But your father and I are going for a couple of weeks."

"Weeks?" Sanyukta exclaimed, and Randhir nearly choked on his food. "Why weeks?"

"She's very sick and we have nothing to do here," Anju said. "We want to spend time with her."

"Okay," Sanyukta mumbled. "I have work, I can't miss it for weeks on end. When are you going?"

"The day after tomorrow," Anju replied. "Akshay, you will take care of Sanyu right? Make sure she eats on time and -"

"Mom!" Sanyukta whined. "I can take care of myself!"

"Yeah, I'll take care of her," Randhir mumbled.

"But mom, how am I supposed to stay here with him alone? He's a boy?" Sanyukta asked loudly.

"We were wondering the same thing," Kishore said. "But he is a nice boy. He always stays to himself. Plus, we will give Sarika Aunty a set of keys, so she will come and check up from time to time."

Sanyukta frowned.

Whatever. It wasn't like it mattered to her. He could keep to himself and she could keep to herself.

Neither Randhir or Sanyukta would have expected that their equation with each other was going to change to such a great extent within the next few weeks.

19

Two days later, Anju and Kishore left for Delhi, leaving Randhir and Sanyukta home alone. She avoided him like the plague ever since that day where he caught her in his room. The way he had grabbed her forcefully scared her. She had only been trying to be nice and was concerned for him, but his reaction was totally uncalled for.

So she decided that the only solution was to stay away.

However, she was still curious to know about what secret he was hiding, and that curiosity wasn't leaving her.

The day that her parents' left for Delhi, Randhir had gone out. She was all alone in the house, so she used her hairpin to get into his room. There, she turned on his laptop.

It was password protected. Frowning, she wondered what his password could be. She didn't know his birth date or anything about him.

With a loud sigh, she closed the laptop and went through his drawers, trying to find some sort of clue about what exactly he was here in India for.

As she was shuffling through his drawers, her eyes landed on something... a Canadian passport.

Sanyukta picked it up and opened it.

There was a picture of him, but on the passport his name wasn't written as Akshay Rajawat.

The name listed on the passport was Randhir Singh Shekhawat.

Sanyukta gasped loudly.

It all made sense now. He was at Renuka Aunty's house because that was his own house. Renuka Aunty was his mom. This was the Randhir Singh Shekhawat that her own mother used to refer to as her son.

"What are you doing here?" his dark voice said from the doorway, and she dropped the passport, freezing on the spot.

20

Randhir had just left the house temporarily to talk to his dad on the phone, without having that nosy girl eavesdrop on his conversation, but it turned out that she was more clever than he thought of her to be. She had broken into his room and gone through his belongings, even finding his passport.

She seemed to have thought he had left the house to go out for a longer period of time, so the one mistake she made was by not verifying whether he was actually gone.

As his eyes bore into hers, she started to shake.

"S - sorry," she told him. "I - I am sorry!"

He was confused now - why was she apologizing to him? She wasn't the type to apologize for something. In fact, she seemed to always believe that she was right and she could never be wrong.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked angrily and stormed towards her.

She squeezed her eyes shut, tears falling down her cheeks. This made him more confused, and for some reason, he softened up towards her.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I didn't know who you were."

What did that mean?

"What are you talking about?" he snapped.

"Y - you're Randhir... Randhir Singh Shekhawat, Renuka Aunty's son," Sanyukta cried.

"Okay," Randhir told her, awkwardly placing his hand on her shoulder to calm her down, surprised that she knew his mom's name. "First stop crying."

"M - mom always talked about you," Sanyukta sobbed.

"What?" Randhir now asked, his eyes wide. "Your mom knows me?"

She nodded.

"Renuka Aunty and my mom and dad were very good friends," Sanyukta sobbed. "Mom considers - you - her - son!"

Then Sanyukta started to cry even harder and Randhir removed his hand from her shoulder, holding her arms instead. She took a step forward and buried her face in his chest. He couldn't help but wrap his arms around her too.

"S - sorry," she choked. "I'm - I'm emotional because you probably went through - through so much in your life and mom - gave up hope of ever seeing you again."

She started to hiccup through her tears and his hands seemed to move of their own accord, rubbing her back soothingly.

"How did my mom die?" he asked her after a few moments, his tone turning dark, as she cried into his chest.

She broke the embrace and looked into his eyes with her own wide ones.

"Y - you don't know?" she gasped.

21

Sanyukta, with an ache in her heart, looked into his eyes that held so much depth... why didn't she notice how much they held before today? She believed that his name was Akshay, that he was an arrogant person who was needlessly rude to her... but of course he would be arrogant. Who wouldn't be arrogant after their mother died in such a brutal way?

Yet, he didn't seem to know.

Why didn't he know?

She recalled the conversation he had with his dad while she was sitting with him in the taxi that day. He was in touch with his dad? That meant his dad probably lied to him about the death of his mother. It meant that Randhir wouldn't know that his own father killed his mother.

How could she tell him, when she herself didn't know whether it was true? His father was merely a suspect, but he had ran off the same night to a place far away. The police of the city were very corrupt at that time, and dismissed the case because they didn't want to waste resources to track him down. They had no definitive evidence against him and only ever labelled him a suspect.

How did he think his mother died?

"I - I don't know," she whispered, and he grabbed her shoulders, shaking her with anger.

"What do you mean you don't know? She was your parents' friend!" he yelled angrily.

"S - sorry Akshay - I mean Randhir," she whispered. "I - I will ask mom and tell you."

"That's the whole reason I came here," he snapped, pushing her backwards. "To find out how the hell my mother died."

Her back hit the wall and she winced in pain, but she took a deep breath.

"I - I will call mom. Give me one minute," she told him, and shakily took out her phone.

"No!" he snapped at her, looking at her darkly. "Don't tell her who I am."

"Why?" she asked him.

"I don't want anyone to know yet," he answered.

"O - okay," she said and ran out of his room, closing the door to her own room.

They avoided each other for the rest of the day, and both of them went to sleep in their respective rooms at night. Sanyukta never left the door to her room locked because her mom would come and wake her up in the mornings.

That night, in the middle of her sleep, someone entered her room and pressed their hand against her mouth, causing her eyes to shoot open.

She bit down hard on the person's skin.

"Ouch!" he yelled.

Sanyukta turned on her cellphone and pointed the light at the man who had entered her room.

"Sameer what the hell are you doing here?" she snapped, her eyes landing on the familiar face. "Do you know what time it is?"

22

Randhir was woken up in the middle of the night by the sound of a man screaming. The sound was coming from Sanyukta's room. Frowning, he got up and rushed to her room, his heart pounding quickly.

He didn't know why he cared so much to protect this girl, but it was almost like it was a reaction from deep within. Something he couldn't justify with his reasoning.

As soon as he entered the room, he saw that Sanyukta was holding her phone, flashing the light at the man and the man was sitting on the bed beside her.

Randhir turned on the light, looking at the two of them with shock and they both looked up at him with surprise.

"You didn't tell me the paying guest was a man?" the man said to Sanyukta, and Sanyukta gulped as she looked up at Randhir. "How come you're living alone in a house with a man?"

Sameer then grabbed her arm. The way that Sameer was holding her arm as if he had rights on her, made his blood begin to boil with jealousy. Why did he care?

"Sameer stop it," Sanyukta snapped, and pushed his arm off.

"Cheap girl," Randhir muttered under his breath and left the room, ignoring them. "This is what she does when her parents' aren't home."

As soon as Randhir left, Sanyukta glared at Sameer.

"What is your problem? Just because my parents' aren't home doesn't mean that you can come here and do whatever you want. Now what's he going to think of me?" Sanyukta snapped.

"Your parents' left the keys with my mom," Sameer stated. "I couldn't pass on the opportunity. You know it'll only be a matter of days before they start talking to your mom and dad about our wedding."

"How many times do I have to tell you Sameer, I don't think of you in that way!" Sanyukta yelled. "Stay in your limits! I think of you as a friend, that too sometimes!"

Sameer glared at her angrily.

"You know I've been crazy about you for years. You're still after that guy who logged off on you and never came back online? That guy whose name you don't even know?" Sameer responded furiously. "Why don't you see how much I want you? Why don't you see how happy I could keep you?"

"I don't feel anything like that for you," she said firmly. "Now please get out of here."

"I came to spend time with you, and here you're pushing me away?" Sameer asked her.

"Yes because I need to sleep!" she responded. "I know we're friends but please stop doing things like this. It makes me feel awkward."

"Fine," he hissed angrily. "But stay away from that paying guest."

"What I do with anyone is none of your business. You have no right to interfere! And anyways, for your information, he doesn't like me. In fact, he stays far away from me," Sanyukta mumbled, for some reason not liking that Randhir did that. "You have nothing to worry about. Please leave now... and stop taking the keys from your mom. They were meant for Sarika Aunty. Not for you!"

"Yeah whatever," he muttered and then left her room and exited the house.

Sanyukta sighed loudly and then lay back down in bed, trying to fall asleep again. Sameer was so irritating. She had been pushing him away for years, but he still wouldn't let go of her. On top of that, Randhir saw them. She hoped he didn't misunderstand her.

She wasn't able to understand why it bothered her. Why did it matter to her whether he misunderstood her or not?

Randhir on the other hand was in his room, trying to fall asleep, but instead, he was angrily thinking about Sanyukta. He had never seen a disgusting girl like her before... she behaved like an ideal daughter in front of everyone, but the same night that her parents' left the house, she brought a man into her room? How low could she get?

He wasn't able to understand why it bothered him. Why did it matter to him if she shared an intimate relationship with another man?

He didn't even catch the word "another" as the thought entered his mind, subconsciously implying that it was allowed if it was with him.