| NAINA |

"Well... Firstly, I trust Angad won't be doing those kinds of stuff. I see him as a man who shares everything with me. No matter what. And even if he had an affair, I will ensure they deserve a happy ending. Yeah, I loved him. But that can't be the only reason to love me back. I might have made some mistakes that made him unlove me. I might have made some mistakes that made him find love somewhere else. I might have made some mistakes that made me deserving of that heartbreak. And I'm more than ready to accept it. It will pain. Yes. But at the end of the day, if letting go is a love language, I'm ready for it."

I was already in tears before she was done. I felt like a cheat. I felt like I did the worst of all crimes. I felt like I had blood smearing on my hands. I wanted to cry my heart out. But I couldn't. I realised it was Karma's plan for me to choose him out of four million men in the world. I mouthed an "Excuse me" and rushed upstairs. Not to slap Angad but to rant alone. I caught Angad's sight on the way, but I ignored it and went inside the restroom.

I sat on the ceramic white western commode and closed my mouth with my palm while crying. Tears mixed with guilt, pain, and mascara were gliding on my cheeks already. Mucus was sticking to my palm like a clingy lover, which covered my mouth. So many discomforts, yet I ignored all of them. All I did was cry, cry, and cry until I got rid of my mental disturbances. Yeah, I could never do that, but it was all temporary.

It had been around ten minutes, yet I couldn't calm down. While busy with this shit, I saw a box sliding from outside. I stopped crying, carried them in my hands, and opened it. It was tissues. Again! I knew who it was. I looked at the tiny space below my door and two legs outside the room. It must be Angad, indeed.

"Stop sending tissues and do what I said, Asshole!" I yelled and banged on the door, not before sending back those tissues.

Through the space, I saw him taking the box. Glad about it. As I hoped he would leave, I heard him say, "What did I do, Naina?"

I would have broken his face if I wished for it. But it was not Angad. I raised my eyebrows, sniffed my nose, and asked, "Well, who is it?"

"Naina, it's me. Abhi. Abhishek," he replied in an "It's so obvious" tone while my palm met my forehead beforehand. "Ummm... Sorry to disturb you. But are you okay?"

I got up from the western toilet and replied, "Yeah. I'm okay. What are you doing here?"

"This is a boutique, so obviously... You know what it is." There I was, again becoming a fool in front of a guy I felt awkward with. But, hey! It's he who is playing smart.

"I know. But why are you here? With me," I inquired. "Angad must be searching for you."

"He left," he informed.

Excuse me! Did he say my friend's fiance left the shop?

I opened the door and faced the guy in a white T-shirt and black jeans. "What do you mean?" I queried.

"Meeta and Angad went to try another shop. Meeta asked me to drop you home once we are done," he informed me while I couldn't help but cuss at my shopaholic friend and her good-for-nothing fiance.

"When did this happen?" I asked, my hand running through my hair.

"Just now." His face showed no expression. 

I sighed out of annoyance. I was annoyed my friend left for another shop without me; my boyfriend didn't come and calm me down. Karma forced me to spend the rest of the time with this guy who was staring at me as if he had never seen a girl before.

"Okay." I pushed him through my way and went downstairs. Not to purchase some dresses but to ensure Meeta and Angad had left. And, yeah. Abhi was right. They had left, indeed. I sensed him standing behind me, so I looked at him, crossed my arms and asked, "Did you get anything for yourself?"

"No. The designs are not to the level here. You?" He pointed his chin at me while I nodded a no and shrugged my shoulders. "Do you need my help?" I raised my eyebrows sceptically when he replied, "Don't worry. I'm a skilled saree-chooser, according to the ladies of the Grover family. Meeta and her mom love the designs I choose for them. So, you can trust my taste."

I rolled my eyes and went past him to get some sarees. I was looking at an ivory-white organza saree when he confessed, "I am sorry, Naina."

I rolled my eyes again, but he didn't see that. I replied, "Why?"

"Don't pretend like you know nothing," he whined. "Please, Naina. Even red flags have their second chance in love. Why can't I have a second chance in our friendship?"

"Since when did you acknowledge me as your friend?" I asked curtly while browsing for more sarees.

"Long time ago. That's not the thing, Naina. Please forgive me, Naina. I promise I won't be the obsessive guy you saw ten years ago. Please, Naina. I deserve a chance, don't I?"

I looked at him. His brown orbs. He was genuine indeed. I sighed deeply and said, "Let's go home."

I walked outside while he followed me and asked, "Is that a yes?"

"Oh, could you please shut up, Mr Grover?" I raised my voice unusually louder and sounded so annoyed. I exhaled through my mouth and said, "Let me think first."

"Sure."

***

TRIGGER WARNING: SEXUAL ASSAULT AHEAD. SKIP THE PART IF IT TRIGGERS YOU

"Do you want to buy something?" He asked, after seeing me hugging my stomach and stopping in front of a small cafe. "You look like you're hungry."

"No. We are already late. My friend is waiting for me at my house," I informed. Late in the sense, it was just nine in the night. And the cafe looked like it would be closed in a few minutes. "Let's go."

"No. Let's buy some food and go home. Call your friend and tell her it would delay a little," he commanded in a not-so-commanding tone.

"Abhi, please. Don't insist," I insisted.

"No, Naina. You're the one who is insisting now." He remained firm as ever.

I sighed in defeat and obliged, "Okay, but not this cafe. It looked like they were going to close soon. Why disturb them?"

"Glad you accepted my offer," he smirked and continued the ride. A few seconds later, I heard Barbie Girl again. "Not here!" I scowled in my mind and rummaged through my bag for my mobile. Meanwhile, I heard him chuckling, so I gave him a deadly stare after taking my mobile from my handbag. He went in silence while I picked up Angad's call.

"Hey! Are you home?" His tone showed he was concerned about me being outside for long.

"I am not. I'll call you back once I reach home." Without waiting for his response, I disconnected the call while Abhi inquired.

"Is that your friend?"

"Yeah, but not the one at my house," I replied. "My friend from New York."

Little did he know that a friend from New York can also be called as my (boy)friend.

"Oh!" His eyes were fixed on the void road again. "How is life?"

"Huh? It's awful," I stammered and looked at the road through my window. "Yours?" Okay, I was trying to converse with a guy I tried to avoid minutes ago.

"It will be better." He smiled. I would have ignored that smile if I didn't see it. But then I saw it. I couldn't stop thinking about it. Please don't mistake it. I didn't find it handsome or so. But it looked kind of... Crooked, maybe? But why? Was he having plans for me? Was he going to surprise me? Kidnap me? If it's the last one, I would be the happiest. At least, escaping from him would be my only and only goal, not like then having a plethora of plans.

My focus went back to the road. The outside world was so amazing. No wonder Indians have a love for small towns and why they love Punjab. As far as I discovered in these few days, Punjabi is one of those languages that is like having a veg Manchurian: sweet and spicy together. And I love it. The roads told me Amritsar is a mix of modernity and traditionalism. The stars, though didn't shine brightly, did shine. I got that small-town girl in me all of a sudden. I felt like the city was mine, and I had been there ever since I could remember.

"It looks like someone likes my city," Abhi joked while I looked back at him with a genuine smile. All of a sudden, the car stopped abruptly for no reason. 

"What happened?" I queried and arched an eyebrow at him.

"Let me see." He rushed outside and opened the car's hood. I saw smoke emerging from it as soon as he opened it. It broke down. A few seconds later, I heard him hissing and saw him blowing his index finger. The engine heated up. Then, he entered the car and closed the door with a bang. "The car broke down." Gotcha! "You wait for a while, Naina. Let me call one of my friends. He is a mechanic who lives nearby," he informed while taking his mobile from the dashboard.

As I looked outside the window, I saw a shooting star whooshing in the dark sky like a rocket. I peeped out of the window and made a wish. "Oh, God! Please ensure I have a great life ahead. Ensure my career is skyrocketing in the future. Ensure my personal life is as blissful as this small town. Ensure my love life has a decent happy ending." 

I snuck my head inside and looked at Abhi for no reason. And that was my biggest mistake. He looked back at me for no reason. My heart beat at the speed of a Maglev for no reason. He moved closer to me for no reason. I was still for no reason. I should have moved back. I should have asked, "What are you doing?" But I did nothing for no reason. I saw him moving closer and closer to me while wondering what was happening. And after moving closer to me inches by inches hesitantly, we were merely half an inch away. While I finally gained consciousness and was about to ask my question, his hands cupped my cheeks. I wriggled a little but was defeated by his Herculean strength. Little did I know that my worst dream would become real in a few seconds. He moved closer to me again. That time, I knew what it was. I tried to beg, "Abhi, please. Leave me." But all went in vain. "Abhi. Leave me, or I will have to call the cops." He was seconds away from tilting his head and trying to ensure his lips met mine when my open palm slapped him so hard it would have almost dislocated his jaw. His hands released my cheeks while my eyes were burning in rage and shame.

"Naina, I..." He tried to weave his crafted stories, but my smack disabled it. Without thinking twice, I opened the door and walked out. I knew the road was empty. But empty roads are much safer than the devil inside the copper car. "Naina, let me--"

Before he could bluff further, I flaunted my third finger to him and raised my voice in a broken yet outrageous tone, "Fuck you, Abhishek! By the end of this month, I will ensure you are fucking sued, and I'm happy for it." And I walked away from the car while he kept yelling my name.

I kept walking in the humid night on the empty road for around a hundred metres until the cab I booked showed up. Before getting inside, I saw him standing outside his car. I was damn sure he saw me. He ran towards me while I got in and requested, "Could you please drive the car faster?"

The cab driver obliged and rode the car fast for a night while Abhi stopped running. As I spotted him as small as a dot, tears that were larger as my pain came gliding down my cheeks while I shamelessly wailed in front of a literal stranger. The driver, who noticed it, asked, "Are you okay, ma'am?" And he extended his box of tissues at me.

"Yeah. Thanks for the tissues, but I don't need them." Tissues are the ones that wipe our tears. But the tissues in my life had ensured I had cried until I ran out of a whole tissue factory.

***

"It's okay, Nee. It's okay. It's his fault, so he has to be the one to cry. Why are you crying?" Charlie consoled me, her pants wet while I cried with my head resting on her lap. "Let that asshole fuck off. You don't care about it. We will get his ass sued as soon as possible. Motherfucker! How dare he do a sexual assault on a girl? I wish he rots in hell." Soon, we heard my mobile pinging twice. Charlie took my mobile, looked at it, and threw it on the bed. I looked up at her when she said, "Abhi texted." I extended my hand at her as if asking her to give me my mobile while she resisted, "Why? I'm sure that he got his excuses ready." I kept looking at her as if to give it while she asked, "Are you sure you want to read his messages?" I nodded a yes. "Okay. Shall I read it, or can you manage?" I said nothing. She understood my silence and said, "Okay. I will read it." 

She opened the mobile and read his messages.

"Hi, Naina. I'm sorry for what happened in the car. I'm not here to give excuses for my behaviour but to ensure you knew what was in my mind back then. I wanted to confess a thing to you. It was all related to our past. After your transfer to another school, I tried to forget you. Those two years in my high school were fucked-up. The more you went away from me, the more I loved you. While I grew up, I realised you didn't hate me but my obsessive self. I realised I should have taken things slowly. But I didn't. And I was sorry for that. When I saw you in the car, I was reminded of those days at school. I felt like I was regressed as a teenager. I was that old Abhi at that moment. Hence, naturally, I did what my old self wished to do. But the truth is that I didn't wish to do it. I'm sorry." Charlie completed reading his message, err... His readymade excuse. "See? I told you. He came up with an excuse. Just what I saw coming."

"Give me the mobile," I instructed.

"Don't tell me you were going to text him back!" She warned.

"One last time." I held no expression on my face while she gave me my mobile. I sat upright and texted him back.

Me: Hi. I loved your excuse very much. I would have almost believed you were speaking the truth. Anyways, text me back when that old, fucked-up, illogical self of you sheds off.

***

Sorry, guys. If you felt like the story's direction is changing elsewhere, no, I just wanted to project Abhi's feelings towards Naina (which is toxic indeed). 

On a scale of 1 to 10, how awful is Abhi? (I would rate it 15 :D)

Did I cross the line as an author in today's chapter? Was I too much today? Was that an awful performance? (Remember, you can be UTTERLY honest as if you're reading your arch-enemy's book.)

Time to wrap it up, guys! Stay tuned to know more.

See you soon!

Song Courtesy: What Was I Made For? by Billie Eilish