"What about truth or dare?"

"No way! That's so dorky and too high school!"

"This is sort of a high school reunion. Isn't it?"

Sakshi listened to the banter of the girls as she sat with them on the corner of the pool.

Even though the party was at full swing and she enjoyed every bit of it, she wished she could spend more time with Amit.

After being alone with him at the seashore and sharing a brief but heart warming kiss, she felt more at ease with him and wanted to open up her feelings.

But Akhil had interrupted saying the boys were going for a swim and Amit left her with the girls "only if you don't mind" he told her, softly kissing her palm "we can go home if you don't feel upto it".

"No" she took his hand "I'll be fine...you go on". With one last brief kiss, he had gone with the boys while she walked back to the resort swimming pool where the girls were chatting and having fun.

"Sakshi?" Apeksha called her "why don't you suggest something?" Sakshi gave a nonplussed look "I don't know...probably antakshari?"

A howl of laughter followed this statement and Sakshi tried not to look embarrassed.

"Poor Amit" Apeksha teased "he's going to be playing antakshari on his wedding night". Again they erupted in laughter and Sakshi blushed "I'm sorry guys...I told you before. I'm not used to these kind of things".

"Sure sure" Kiran winked at her "Amit will teach you slowly..don't worry about that".

"Have you guys decided about the honeymoon yet?" Apeksha teased.

"Of course not!" Sakshi squealed "and can we change the topic now?"

"Whose honeymoon?"came a voice from behind them and Sakshi watched as Deepa sat next to her.

She's flawless, thought Sakshi admiring her up close as she smiled at her.

"Forget that" Apeksha turned her attention to Deepa "what the hell are you doing here? I thought you were with Aman".

"Yeah, we saw you guys leaving hand in hand towards the lounge" Kiran winked "give us the details!"

Deepa gave a small shrug "nothing happened guys" she said honestly "we left things just like we had before".

"Oh come on Deeps!" Apeksha chided "don't tell me you ditched him!"

"I didn't, he did" Deepa fiddled with her hair "it's probably for the best".

"Are you kidding me?" Apeksha shrugged "the way he was looking at you...says a lot. He still has feelings for you".

"Yes but I don't want to force him to date me or something" Deepa sighed "let's leave it".

Sakshi who was quietly listening to the conversation quipped "Deepa's right" she said and turned to her "I'm glad you guys called it quits".

All eyes fell on Sakshi but Deepa stared at her intently "why do you say that?" Sakshi suddenly felt conscious of their gaze.

"As much as I've come to know him, he's not as nice as Amit" she told Deepa "he doesn't know how to talk to a woman...his tongue gets way ahead of him" she smiled "trust me, you're better off without him. I wish you never cross paths with him again".

"Whoa!"Deepa chuckled "now I definitely need to pursue him". She quickly caught Sakshi's eye and laughed "relax...I won't tell him about your opinion. It's between us".

Few minutes later, the girls excused themselves and walked away. Deepa looked at Sakshi "are you okay by yourself? You can call Amit if you want".

Sakshi nodded "I'm fine...besides, he just texted me he'll be back".

She walked inside the portico and sat on one of the chairs, feeling tired but thirsty. She caught sight of food counter and gulped the cool drink which was kept on the tray.

She sat back on one of the cushion chairs and closed her eyes.

A sudden wave of euphoria swept through her body as she inhaled deeply. She felt good, really good.

She didn't even realize someone was leaning beside her "are you okay?"a strange voice asked.

Okay? She hadn't felt so good in years. "I'm more than okay" she giggled and got up while the man stared at her in confusion "you look pale" he said.

"I'm fine dude!"she snapped, taking another swig of the glass kept on the tray. It only added to the ecstasy.

"Are you sure?"he asked doubtfully. She nodded as she sat back "yes yes yes".

Not realizing the temporary happiness she felt wasn't going to last long...

◇◇◇◇◇

Aman stared at her, lying on the bed but it didn't look the sleep was peaceful. She looked disturbed and her eyes were pressed together as if she was too scared to open them.

"What happened to you Sakshi?"he almost whispered into the eerie silence.

It was almost an hour when she finally stirred and slowly got up to find herself alone in the strange bedroom.

She then remembered and put on the sweater which was carelessly strewn on the floor. Had he removed it off her?

Embarrassed, she wore it and got down from bed and walked out to see him stretched his feet on the couch, the wretched cat in his arms.

"No milk because you spilled it you rogue" he was talking to the mute animal and she had to suppress her giggle.

He sensed her presence and turned "hi there". She didn't reply but sat opposite to him with a grimace "how long did I sleep?"

"Quite long" he replied but not in a mocking way for which she was grateful; she wasn't ready for his twisted tongue yet.

"Did you eat anything at all?"he enquired after a small silence. She didn't have the energy to lie and shook her head.

"I'm out of grocery...what do you want me to order?"he said, taking his phone.

She found herself lost in thought or rather confused about what to eat. Although she craved junk food, her parents had been strict about homely food in fear of her health. "You should always eat healthy food" Soumya had chided many times.

"I'll have strawberry ice cream"she said with a straight face. He blinked if he had mistaken "ice cream? Are you sure if you can eat it?"

"Yes please!"she said impatiently "I'm in the mood for ice cream". Although he looked amused, he didn't say anything and she watched as he called the grocery shop downstairs.

It took only few minutes for the delivery guy to get it and he watched in fascination as she dug into the big bowl with extreme enthusiasm.

She caught his stare but didn't bother to hide her awkwardness "it's been ages" she said, as if that clarified things.

He gave a short laugh "I can see that". She went on to slurp leisurely and he waited for her to finish before settling down next to her.

"What do we do?"he asked as she kept the empty bowl back on the table. "About what?"she asked.

"The whole situation that's thrust upon us" he said in slight irritation "by your father".

Even though she looked indignant, she didn't show it "I'm sorry I asked you to meet him" she said "it didn't occur to me he would ask you something like this".

He nodded in agreement "he's desperate and worried about you and I don't blame him because he has only good intentions for you".

"I know" she shrugged "but he fails to understand that my intentions aren't the same as his".

"I don't know what to tell him" Aman leaned back on the couch with a sigh "I think you should".

She didn't reply immediately and stared at him with a wistful smile "okay...I'll tell him you've a girlfriend and you've already promised to marry her...that way he won't force you".

He couldn't help but chuckle "actually I'm seeing someone else". She raised a curious eyebrow "whoa! Really?"

He gave a brief smile "yeah...you've seen her..at the party we went with Amit" he said "Deepa".

Sakshi gaped at him with wonder "no way! You guys got back together? I thought you ditched her that night".
His eyes widened in amusement "how do you know all this?"

She let out a small giggle and narrated the conversation she had with Deepa and the other girls at the beach resort.

"I even advised her against dating you" Sakshi finished with a grin.
Aman looked irritated "why would you do that?"

"Because you're obnoxiously annoying...and you've an even worse tongue" she said with a small shrug and caught his disgruntled expression. "Atleast that's what I thought before" she added carefully.

"What changed then?"his tone softened "strawberry ice cream?" She laughed "yeah...one full bowl can do wonders you know". His mouth twisted into a grin "I'll keep that in mind".

She tried hard not to gaze at him and turned away, feeling the tense atmosphere. Although they were friendly, she could find herself at ease in his company. But the best part was he had a girlfriend...that would stop things from escalating further.

"I've to go...I overstayed my visit" she said getting up "don't worry about my father...I'll explain to him about you and Deepa. He'll definitely understand".

"Thanks" Aman murmured in gratitude "don't force him now...he's still under recovery..it's best we dodge this topic until he really understands".

She didn't reply to that but simply nodded and walked towards the door but halted at the sight in front of her.

Amit's parents were staring at her in equal confusion and she was tongue tied.

Behind her, Aman looked stupefied but thankfully composed himself "maa?" he acknowledged his mother "what a..um..surprise".

Before she could reply however, his father intervened addressing his wife "I'll be waiting in the balcony..speak to him". They watched in silence as he slowly paced towards the balcony and close the glass window.

Sakshi wondered what it was all about as things couldn't get more awkward.

She politely greeted Devaki who merely nodded. "I'll leave" she told Aman and rushed out before they could say anything.

Once outside, she calmed her erratic heart; whatever it was, she hoped it was nothing serious. Poor Aman had already too much on his plate.

◇◇◇◇◇

Aman led his mother to his room and she sat on the bed,observing the surrounding.

He held her hand and realized she had become weaker than the last time he had seen her. Her fingers were trembling beneath his and he felt a sudden sense of guilt.

"I'm glad you came to see me" he smiled, kissing her hand in affection. She gave a meek nod "it was your father's idea" she said without any emotion "he wants you to come back home". He stared at her "what about you?"

"It doesn't matter" she replied blandly "my wishes haven't mattered to anyone all my life...not to my husband but to my children also".

Aman clasped her hand "don't speak such things maa!"he chided "no one has disrespected you among us...have they?"

She looked painfully at him "haven't you?"she demanded "one of my sons is dead and another is not bothered about us parents anyway".

"You know I wanted to stay" he retorted "I was prepared to overlook everything baba did to me...but he never made an attempt to change".

"Then change yourself" she said in a harsh tone but lowered instantly "anyway, I'm not here to teach philosophy. Your father wants you to come back...that's all".

He avoided her gaze "if my father wants me to come back, he can tell me directly. I'm sure he has enough voice for that". She looked like she was going to yell but she didn't.

"Why are you doing this Aman?"she groaned "how much more pain are you planning to inflict us? Don't you have an ounce of compassion in you?"

Aman stared at his mother "Amit's gone maa" he explained quietly "there's nothing we can do about it except facing the reality and moving on. Please don't expect me to take his place and be the son our father wanted. I can't do that".

She caught his arm "I know he's gone...but you're still alive! Do you want to be dead to us too?"

Aman didn't reply to that but held her hand in silence. Although a part of him felt pity for his parents, there was his life to think about and he was sure his father was here for some critical reason.

"Why don't you listen to your father for once?" Devaki asked after a short gap of temporary silence.

Aman looked at her in conviction "I know he's here for a reason. Why don't you tell me what it is?"

"You need a reason to come back to your parents?" Shekhar barged inside with a thunderous voice. Aman was sure he must have been listening to their conversation.

"I need an explanation" he replied with equal harshness "since you had cut me off entirely".

Shekhar gave a brief glance at his wife and then turned to his son "Ranjit had called us home...and told us about Sakshi" he paused for a moment and continued "he wants you to marry her...and told us he had already discussed the matter with you".

"Yes he did" Aman explained "but I told him I can't".

Shekhar looked at him "he said that you would agree only if your parents would. Is that right?"

Aman raised a puzzled eyebrow "well...I didn't want to reject him right away due to his condition. He was sick and I couldn't afford another attack...so I politely declined saying the matter rests with my father".

A small silence fell and he was sure his father would be glad about this as he was confident his father would never accept Sakshi in her present condition.

"Then you have to accept this proposal because I want you to marry her" Shekhar said in a matter of fact tone.

Aman gaped at him in disbelief, hardly able to believe "baba..." he began in a low tone "I can't and I won't..."

"Why? Because she's pregnant?" Shekhar snapped "you once accused me that I should have been there for my dead son's fiancee..isn't it? Now I'm taking responsibility".

Aman looked stupefied, not expecting his words to fire back at him "by responsibility, I didn't mean marrying her to me!"he yelled in retaliation "I can never marry her!"

"Why not?" Shekhar demanded and Aman shook his head vigorously "because we don't like each other...we both aren't ready for it and our lives are totally different! I don't want to hurt her by forcefully marrying her".

"Really? Then what was she doing in your room?" Shekhar asked calmly this time "you fought with us for her and took her right in front of her father's nose. And now suddenly you want to wash your hands off her?"

"God! I was only helping her out of humanity. There's nothing between us, I swear!"he shrugged in irritation, cursing inwardly for Sakshi's bad timing.

Shekhar wasn't convinced but glared at him. Aman took a deep breath and looked at his mother who looked nonplussed at the whole situation.

"Did he compel you to this?" Aman asked slowly as there seemed to be no other explanation "did her father blackmail you? Has he something against you?"

Shekhar gazed at his son for a while and then looked away "I'm only doing what's best for you...and Sakshi. She's in a lot of trouble and we are supposed to help her, just like you stated" he glanced at his wife "ask him to make a decision soon so that we can arrange a simple wedding".

With one final glance at his son, Shekhar walked out of the room.

Hi everyone!!
How was the chapter??
Please vote and comment..
Extremely sorry for the delay as lot of issues took up my time...will try to update regularly in future. If not, please bear me with patience...
Have a great day ahead ❤❤❤