Roli walked out of the building getting Ansh's message. She looked around for him. But sudden;y Ansh came and caught her hand and pulled her along to the back of the building. And he appeared very agitated.

"Ansh... What is happening?" Roli asked.

"Your brother is mental. He will never understand." He said, leaving her hand.

Roli thought about what he said. "So...? Are you going to give up on me again? Because of Rith?"

"No. I am done with him now. I don't want to give up."

She smiled and put her hand around Ansh's neck. "Now that is more like it."

Normally Ansh would be conscious of her touch. But he just let it be. He was getting more accustomed to their relationship and wanted all these intimacies with her.

"If he can be selfish I can be as well. He is not some kind of god for me to keep thinking about his likes and moods." Ansh said.

"Exactly."

"He is just thinking about himself only. His feelings. His moods. If he doesn't like something he won't deal with it."

"He is like that since he was a kid. It's as if he never had to bear with something that he does not like. Things always went his way as a kid usually though. To the point it was weird. He always got what he likes, or he never mess up or got scolded. He lived a bit too much in a world where everything goes according to him." Ansh noded.

They stood like that for a second. Roli continued, "So are we just going to talk about my brother or...?" She stepped closer. Ansh looked at her. Her eyes were flirting with him. But suddenly Ansh pushed her a bit away, "Uh No."

"What?" She asked, angry.

"I still want to keep that distance. Till you turn 18, no physical stuff."

Roli rolled her eyes. "Are you even serious?"

"I am not giving you up. And this is my way to protect our relationship from your brother or anyone who will accuse us."

Roli took her hand away from his neck. "This is ridiculous. And do you understand that even in your mind you have made it up as something dishonourable? Is it, really? Ansh you are just 2 years older than me. People marry people ten years older than them. We are the correct age gap."

"I know. But you are in school."

"So what? You were in school two years back. You know what, this is all my brothers doing. He planted crap in your head about us. I don't want you to think of us as something bad. If you do, I don't want to date you."

Ansh looked at her. She looked a bit distressed. " See, even now, you don't even want to touch me. Do you know how that makes me feel?" Ansh understood. And he could not watch her sad. He tucked her hair under her ear affectionately. "I am working on it." He said. "Okay... I am sorry. You are right. Rith planted all this crap in my mind. I don't want to think of us as bad either. I want us to be like any other normal couple. Not feel this guilt inside every time I think about you."

Roli smile and put her hand back around his neck. "Really? And you think about me a lot? Tell me what do you think about?"

Ansh blushed and looked away. "Don't..." he said.

"You don't." She said. "Don't feel that way, Ansh. Please..."

Ansh looked back at her. " Okay. I will try." She smiled. Ansh hesitated and put his hands to her waist. " So...stay here for a while?" Roli smiled. Ansh held her a bit closer, looking into her eyes.

Rithvik rang the calling bell to his house and no one opens. So he rang again. And then the elevator door opened and Roli comes up with Ansh. Rithvik turned to look at them with a bit sharp eyes, targetted especially at Ansh. " Where were you?" he asked Roli.

"To buy milk."

Rithvik looked at her empty hands. "And where is the milk?"

"I didn't buy it. The shop was out of milk." She ignored him and opened the door to the apartment. Rithvik was looking between Ansh and Roli. "I met him downstairs," Roli said to Rithvik. And she then walked inside the house.

Rithvik turned to look at Ansh. "What?" Ansh asked. "Can't I even talk to her now?"Ansh turned away to ring the calling bell of his house. Rithvik just decided to give it up and walks into his house.

A few days later, Rithvik was lying on Dhun's lap on the college grounds, while she was reading a book. Rithvik was drawing a 'D' on his wrist, matching to the 'R' on Dhun's wrist. When he was finished with his work Rthvik held up his wrist for Dhun to see. She smiled at it.

"If not for the time turner chaos, our Goa trip was fab, right?" Rithvik asked lying on her lap.

"If not for the what?" Dhun asked cluelessly. Rithvik looked up at her. He smiled realising that she has forgotten about it again. "What is your opinion about time travel?" He asked, just to amuse himself. "You know like they show in movies."

"Oh... I think it would be cool," she said.

"Liar. If you ever get a time machine, you would not even use it." He teased her.

"Why? Why wouldn't I?" She asked. Rithvik laughed out loud. "I know you would not," he said. "Shall we go to a movie tonight?"

"Can we go on Sunday? If I don't get home by 10 pm, papa makes a fuss."

"Then let's go on a normal date." Rithvik said, "I don't feel like sending you home early tonight."

"Sure," she said.

Rith and Dhun were on the bike, riding home when it started to rain. Rithvik stopped the bike on the roadside and the two ran to take shelter under the shade of a closed shop. "Told you it is going to rain. How am I supposed to go home on time now?" Dhun complained to him.

But they stayed under the shop, waiting for the rain to stop. Rithvik yawned. Dhun was watching the rain, and she had a soft smile. She held her hand out to the rain and let the raindrops touch her fingers. She played with it softly. Rith is watching her now. he smiled. He held his hand out as well to the rain. His wrist still had the 'D' written in black ink. His hands eventually went to her hand and he threaded his fingers through hers. They looked at each other. There was no intense passion, but a deep familiarity and comfort and soft feelings.

And then Rith had a naughty look and he pulled her out into the rain. Dhun is first startled. But Rith pulled her closer and go to a dance pose, she started laughing as he is leading her on a dance. They dance for a couple of minutes in the rain. He spun her around once and pulled her closer. And as they get pressed together, their laugh got replaced with desire. She blinked at him. His hold over her waist tightened. They kissed in the rain.

"Enough already..." Dhun said as they were making out in the space under the stairs of her apartment building. The usual spot. He backs off with a smile. Dhun noticed that the 'D' written on Rithvik's hand was a bit runny and blotched now. Not too much. Just a bit. Because of the rain. Dhun pointed to it "Oh."

Rithvik looked at his hand and noticed that. "Ah... Permanent marker was not supposed to run. I meant for it to stay for a few days."

Dhun just grinned, "It will be hard to get rid of the runny one now though."

"Doesn't matter. I am keeping the D. Maybe it looks better this way as well. Doesn't it?" he held his hand out for her to check. "Yeah, I guess..."

Rrithvik went closer and moved a finger through her hair and kissed her softly once more. "So I will pick you up at 11 am on Sunday, okay?" She nodded.

"Love you."

"Love you too," Dhun said. They smiled at each other and then Rith walks away. Before going, he stopped after a few steps and look back at her. She is still there. She waved a bye to him. He waved back and he walks out.

*

Sunday evening, Rithvik picked Dhun from her home and they went for a date. They had dinner at a restaurant. Dhun softly traced the blotched 'D' on Rithvik's wrist. They held hands.

*

Meanwhile, when Ansh came out of his house, Rithvik and Roli's mother, Sameera was leaving to go to the hospital. "Take care, and eat dinner on time, okay," he heard her telling Roli. "Hey, Ansh..." She also greeted him. And walked down.

"You alone at home?" Ansh asked Roli after Sameera went down using the elevator.

"Yeah. Why? What is in your mind?" she asked.

"Nothing. Just.... I was thinking if you need to clear any doubts in maths or physics..." He said. "' Exams are coming up, right?"

"You will tutor me?" She asked excitedly.

"Yeah. I don't see a reason why I should not. And I also want you to do well in your exams."

"Come on in then." She said.

"I was thinking more like to come to my house," Ansh said, hesitating to go into her house alone.

"Oh, come on... I won't eat you. And this is the only chance we get to be alone. And don't worry. Rith won't come home for a long time. He has gone to a movie. And if you really are still nervous, we can leave the door open."

Ansh considered that and did not think there would be a problem with that. He walked in.

They settled down with Roli's texts books and notebooks in the living room. "Do you want something to drink?" Roli asked. "There is juice in the fridge."

"Sure," he said.

Roli got up to go to the kitchen. Ansh followed her.

"What is up with you today?" Roli laughed, "You are following me to Kitchen even..."

Ansh shrugged. "Told you, I am not going to give a damn about your brother anymore. Plus..."

"Plus..." She turned to him, taking the bottle of juice from the fridge.

"I miss you," Ansh said. "Actually, I came out of the house in hope that I will run into you. I wanted to see you."

He took her hand in his hand. Roli was really happy. "Wow... these are words that so rarely come out of Ansh Patel's mouth. I may as well record them." Ansh smiled. Roli stepped closer to him. "I get these urges to see you as well. Sometimes when I am in class. Sometimes at night."

Ansh could feel his heartbeat raising. She looked down at their held hand. Roli continued, "It's so difficult. To have a boyfriend and not even be able to hold his hand. Do you know how badly I wanted for at least my hand to be held by you?"

She was standing really close now. "It won't be as bad as me," Ansh said.

"Hm?"

"It won't be as much as I want..." Ansh pulled her closer a bit more.

She got what he is saying. And could not resist it anymore. They looked into each other's eyes with desire. And Roli tiptoed and softly kissed Ansh on his lips. She expected him to push her away. But he did not. He could not. Instead, his hand went around her waist. And he kissed her back softly. She edged closer, happily that this was finally happening. But in a second, Ansh realised what he was doing and softly push Roli away.

"Sorry," He said softly.

"Don't be. I am your girlfriend." She said. Ansh liked that word – 'girlfriend'. Roli was his girlfriend. "I want to," Roli said. He could not resist this.

"You want to?" He asked.

"Yes. I want to." She stepped closer again. "Kiss me, Ansh." She said.

Ansh still hesitated, even though he really really wanted to kiss her. "We are a couple. Boyfriend-Girlfriend. We can. We should. I love you." She closed the space between them and kissed him. This time, he did not push her away. His hand went around her waist as he kissed her fully on her mouth.

He pushed her against the kitchen counter, as he kissed her, passionately. And Roli happily kissed him back. They broke apart for a second, and he lifted her up and set her on the kitchen counter and kissed her again. Roli wrapped her hands around Ansh's neck and kissed him back with as much intensity.

Roli was wearing thin cotton shorts. Ansh was in the track pants he wear at home. These thin garments separated them down there. Else they were pressed so close. Roli opened the top two buttons of her t-shirt. The top fell off her shoulder as Ansh kissed her neck. She pulled him closer, and he rubbed himself against her down there. Intentionally. He could not help it. Ansh and Roli both were, lost in the heat of the moment.

They were dry humping and kissing each other as if eating each other's face off when Rithvik walked into this scene. The two were so lost in each other that they did not even notice Rithvik. Roli gave a small moan of pleasure as Ansh rubbed himself against her more vigorously.

Rithvik was beyond shocked.

Actually, it was just that Rithvik had booked the tickets wrong. He had booked the tickets for the same movie on Saturday instead of Sunday. And when Rithvik and Dhun reached the theatre, they understood the mistake. They had to return home. If only he had booked the right ticket... If only he had not come home at that particular time...

Rith took a glass from the counter and smashed it on the floor. Ansh and Roli jumped away from each other. And Ansh went pale seeing Rithvik.

"Rith..." He called.

Rith was so dumbfounded that he can't even find his voice. But Roli was the more composed one in this situation. "Get out," she said.

"What?" Rithvik asked her.

"I don't want to be semi-naked in front of my brother. So get out," she said, closing her t-shirt buttons.

Rithvik was so frustrated that he grabbed another drinking glass and smash it to the floor. And cried out a scream in frustration. He looked back at them after the scream. "So eventually it comes to this?!!!" He laughed. "I don't even have to imagine it. I have to watch my best friend fucking my sister. In front of my eyes?!"

"I did not mean to," Ansh said. "And we were not having sex. I didn't mean to have sex with her."

"Say that after getting your boner down, dude. It's showing through your pants. And what you two were doing was sex already." Rithvik looked between them, "Disgusting."

"What?" Roli asked.

"You shut up. Since when is this going on?"

"It's been a while. Ansh and I kissed at your college Festival." She said coolly. Rithvik is totally shocked.

"What?"

"Yeah. And what's disgusting about that? You also do it."

But Rithvik was already looking at Ansh. "Since college fest? Seriously? ANSH Rith, it's not like that, okay? Let me explain..."

"I don't want to hear a fucking explanation to this."

He turned around in anger and walked out. Ansh tried to follow him, but there was broken glass everywhere. Both he and Roli were barefooted.

Rithvik walked out of the apartment looking really angry, and hurt and messed up. He did not know what to do, or where to go. He took out his bike key from his pocket. And he just ran down the stairs and away. He came down to the apartment grounds and got on his bike. He did not have the helmet on, for he had taken it upstairs to the house and forgot it there.

*

Rithvik was driving as tears are in his eyes. His vision was blurred. And he was driving really fast and really rash. Anger surged through him.

Suddenly there was a truck coming the same way. And he was blinded by the headlight of it. And he was too distracted to turn the handle. The truck advance to him... Real fast...

*

Dhun got a call from Ansh in the middle of the night and she rushed to the city hospital with her father, panicked to hear the news of Rithvik's accident.

Rithvik's family and Ansh were in front of the corridor. Everybody was in tears. And everybody looked shocked and defeated. Dhun did not want to assume the worst. She ran to Ansh. "What happened? Where is he? Why did you not inform me sooner?" She asked.

Ansh was crying too much. "I am sorry, Dhun... But it was of no use. He was already gone by the time he reached the hospital." He said, through his tears.

"Gone... No" She took a step back and shouted, "NO."

Rithvik's mother got up and tried to come to hug Dhun. That is when a body covered with white cloth was wheeled out of the ICU. "You may take the body home," the doctor said. The Ambulance was already present in the courtyard in front of the Emergency Room. Ansh slowly with trembling hands removed the white cloth to uncover Rithvik's face. Rithvik's lifeless dead face. Rithvik's mom started wailing and crying loudly. And Dhun's eyes stopped on Rithvik's face. She staggered back and fell down, still in shock, still looking at him. 

Rithvik was dead.