Reyansh

The college nurse sprayed the pain-relief ointment and wrapped a bandage strip around Kriya’s ankle. "Had you hurt yourself on your heel recently?" She questioned noticing a scar.

"I might have slipped before too."

"Be careful with your body honey." She warned her. “If you remain reckless like this, it can leave some nasty scars.”

It struck me then. Yesterday, she had told us it was a thorn. Today she was saying she slipped. The phone rang and the nurse left to answer it. I moved in closer to whisper. "Why'd you lie?"

"What?" She asked but we were interrupted by the nurse.

"I need to get going. Both of you, back to class. No skipping." We nodded. Once alone, I resumed the conversation.

"Never mind that. I should know you never tell the truth by now. Let's go." I helped her down. Then stopped for a brief second. "Is it okay if I, for my self-peace, make sure your wound is stitched?"

She sighed. What was it between us? I didn't believe her. She didn't believe me. The feeling was mutual. Yet, I was concerned about her. There seemed to be an invisible string pulling us to each other. We were the puppets in this life's mysterious games.

"Pull the curtains over?" She asked me and I stepped in the same side as her before pulling it over. I was surprised she was agreeing to this. I was sure minutes ago, she had made it clear she was least bothered whether I believed her or not. She slowly moved her scarf and removed the jacket. Then she turned, dropping her hands by her side. "It hurts. You can pull the zip down."

One minute we were fighting, hating each other's guts. The next, we trusted each other. I could feel she wasn't comfortable but yet, she was allowing me to look for myself. I felt her back, the area where the wound was, from top of her dress. I thought if she was allowing me to check, then she must have gone to the doctor. I just couldn't be satisfied with the assumption though. She could be giving in, thinking I would believe and let it go. For it made no sense to me.

I slowly pulled the zip down to be shocked. She wasn't lying. I pulled it back up and wrapped the jacket around her. "How?" My eyes seemed to be questioning.

"Like I told you, I did go to a doctor. Now don't ask who." She gave me a taunting look of should-have-trusted-my-word before opening the curtain and leaving, limping but trying to show it as low as possible.

What is it that you're hiding?

××××××××××××

Taani

I saw Kriya coming out of the medical room. "Hey, what happened?" I asked seeing her limp.

"Just a sprained ankle." Kriya replied with a comforting smile.

"Feel better." Kriya started to walk around me when I spoke up again. "Listen, I'm sorry I couldn't make it yesterday. I would have if I could."

"It's fine. Family is important too. Maybe some other time." Kriya held no grudges, even though she seemed to know both I and Roy were lying about my reason for not coming. She was about to leave when she stopped and took a step towards me. "Probably none of my business, but if I dare ask… is everything fine between you and Roy."

I first held a blank expression but then smiled. "Yup, everything's perfect. Why?"

"Never-mind. I must have had a wrong vibe then. See you around."

Roy walked out of the medical room when I was about to walk past it. Seeing him, I asked, "You didn't tell her?"

Roy was confused for a second but then caught on to my statement when he looked past me to see Kriya walking off in the distance. "Taani, I already tried explaining this to you." He spoke softly. "I don't understand why you think I have feelings for her. I don't."

We were walking and I rested my back on the wall. "Roy, please. I'm your girlfriend and more than that, I've been your friend since we were little. I see the way you look at her every time she's around." I put my hand on his shoulder. "If there is something for her in your heart, then you need to speak up. Tell her. Accept it yourself. Don't hold back thinking you'll hurt me like you've hurt others. Let go of that fear. If you are not accepting it because you fear you’ll hurt me, than know that you’re hurting me more by denying it."

He denied everything. Again. "Taani, I love you. Only you." Why can’t he just accept that he loves her, not me?

I looked at the ground and let out a low sigh. This was going to be hard. Looking back into his eyes, I showed him the mirror. "Yes, you do. As a best friend. Maybe a lover. Once upon a time. But not as a soul-mate." I paused to sigh, lower my head and then look back into his eyes. It wasn’t easy for me. "You know something? I always feared losing you. Now I realize, though. That fear was baseless. You never were mine. I could never lose you to begin with. The way your eyes just glimmer when you see her enter… it has never done so when I'm around. So believe me when I say this, Reyansh.” He winced when I used his full name, but I kept on going, “You do love her. You're just afraid to accept it."

"Why are you different? If it was any other girl, she'd be jealous. She'd pull me away from any girl she thought a threat."

I scoffed. "Because I love you. A one-sided love. Still. It's love. Love nonetheless. It is because of that love that I cannot lie to you. I cannot keep you for myself even if I want to. I cannot be selfish like that. Heck, trust me, I'd love to be that person. But I can’t just turn a blind eye to the truth in front of me. You are for someone else. You are for her. Not for me. When a girl loves someone, she knows only to give. And I cannot take your happiness away. I'm giving it to you. What about us? There are no strings attached. You can always come to me whenever you need your best friend by your side. For now, go get your true and real love."

He was this close to shedding a tear like a girl. "I do not deserve such a good friend like you."

"I know you don't. BUT, that's my bad luck. I have to bear a bad friend like you." I teased him, lightening the moment. He gave me a side hug. It took a lot from me to pull apart. "Now get going." I assured him I’d be fine and left. As I watched him leave, his back to me, a tear escaped my eyes. It wasn't easy for me to let him go. He was the love of my life, but as they say, love comes in many forms. Maybe in my destiny, it was meant for sacrifice.

Maybe, someday, I’ll find my happiness.

Maybe.

××××××××××××

Kriya

"How're you feeling?" Swayam called when I was transitioning from one class to another.

"I think the medicines helped. I'm going to the library anyway."

"Don't you have a class?"

"I do, but I need to get some books for my project. Missing it one day won't do any harm."

"Alright, don't stress."

"Love you too."

I always ended the calls saying that, to assure him I wasn't going away. Others might have left him, but I was here to stay. I walked in the library to come face to face with Rey. Now… this was the last person I expected to find in a place like this. Was I supposed to say ‘hi’? Smile? He just gave a dead glare to me. After he had helped me to the nurse’s office, I had thought everything was okay between us. Still… he looked pissed off.  

I went on to ask, but he just pushed past me, his shoulder slamming into mines, making me stumble back and wince slightly from the pain. He didn’t seem to notice. If he did hear my swear words, he chose to not respond and continued walking away. I was left clueless.

Boys. I will never understand the specie.

I found my comfortable spot on the couch in the corner surrounded by book shelves where I always sat whenever I had to spend time in the library. It was quiet in this area of the back, not that it wasn’t anywhere else. It was a library after all. I just like it better here since there isn’t much of a hustle back here as opposed to the front and around the librarian’s desk.

Pulling out my tiny MacBook, I started researching all I could find out about Roy's family via net. His dad was one of the rich businessman. I could surely find some information from all the hype. If I could escape getting close to Roy to find all we needed with the help from internet, then that is exactly what I was going to do. It was only a matter of moments before I realized internet would be of no help. It had bunch of information on his father, but almost nothing about him. Nothing in the sense which would connect him to my sister, Sharon.  

There had to have met somewhere...

That night, with nothing to do and just my idle mind, I had tons of time to think things over. I analyzed Roy. He pretended to not care, but deep down he did care. I related that to self and assumed he too might be afraid to let people come close to him. That raised another question. Why would he be afraid? Then another point I noted as that he was himself whenever he was around Taani. Taani must know everything about him! If I just talk to her… Before I could continue my trial of thoughts, Swayam flopped himself on the bed beside me.

"What's turning in that little mind of yours?" He questioned, knowing the look on my face way too well.

"You know what? I don't have to get close to him at all. I can just find out whatever you need to find out from Taani. She's his girlfriend and their relationship is something different. Not like the one's he pretends to be with. She should know everything about him."

"She probably does. Just don't turn any suspicions back on yourself." He warned. "Now give it a rest and go to sleep. It's close to eleven already."

He got up to leave when I slipped my hand in his, stopping him. "Stay?" My tone must spoke a lot and compelled him to stay back, for he flipped the night lights off.

He’d always go back on Monday. He’d come visit for the weekend when I would be free of daily college rush, and leave on Monday’s. I told him many times he didn’t need to drive three hours each weekend, but he wouldn’t listen to me. This week, he stayed longer given my condition. I had a feeling he must be way behind in his work at office and would have had to cancel a whole lot of appointments and meetings.

My grip on his hand tightened.

"What's wrong?" He asked. The only times I asked him to stay back was when some thought, something big, was troubling me and I was afraid to be alone at such times.

"The other night… They weren't just any thieves who attacked. They were her's."

Swayam

Silence followed as she finally admitted it to me. I knew she was hiding something, that it had to do with her. I just didn’t realize she was this close to Kriya! If her guys attacked Kriya, than it was worse than I had thought. I had to do something fast, but for now... I had to console her. I couldn’t let her worry. I wouldn’t let her see the seriousness of the situation.

I shifted in closer to her as her back faced me. My arm just went around her waist before I was even thinking, and whispered. "You're safe."

I could feel her nod. She didn’t move away, just whispered back. "Right here, right now." She knew she was safe with me. But now, I was starting to doubt it. I was in town the night it happened, yet it happened. Knowing this, there was no way I was going back. Not right now, atleast. Not till I know Kriya will be safe here again. With my protective hands around her, she finally let sleep overpower her tired state. I was still awake as I was stroking her hand back and forth to comfort her, unconsciously. Within me, conflicted thoughts ran around, wild.

Somewhere, I still blamed myself for not being able to pull her away from the misery. It was my responsibility to. I couldn't fulfill it. I couldn't save them both for the sake of only important girl in my life – Kriya. And now, ever since that wretched day, she considered Kriya her enemy and wanted her dead at any cost. Because of me. Because she fell in love with me, but I couldn’t. I have no regret for not falling in love with her.

My only regret is that I fell for her sister, Kriya... something she wouldn’t accept, and still has not till this date. Kriya knew nothing of this. Not back then, and not now. For what Kriya thought, I loved her sister, Sharon. And she had every right for that misunderstanding. I never corrected her, worrying she might find out the real person I love. I never confronted Sharon because I knew what she was capable of doing. I went along to being her fiancé, to agreeing to marry her. For Kriya’s sake, I was willing to do that. If it meant saving Kriya from becoming Sharon’s target, saving Kriya’s life and her freedom, I would have sacrificed my life. She... Sharon, just had different plans, when her parents opposed the marriage.

I knew she had the influence in the world where I first used to belong to. And if Kriya was attacked, then Sharon must be close. I couldn't take any chances. Why? Why can't you just let go? He questioned Sharon’s actions – despite knowing it was futile to.

"I knew I shouldn't have said anything last night." Kriya mumbled when I woke up. She was patting her hair dry with the towel as she stood in a tank-top and jeans. I rubbed the sleep away and looked around as for a second, I didn't seem to realize I was not in my room.

"You did the right thing." I told her as I got up and neared her. Drowsily, I kissed her cheek, as normal as it could get, and pulled the wet towel out of her hand. She tried telling me it wasn't my towel but I just entered her washroom turning a deaf ear, not being seeing her roll her eyes and let her hands fall to the side, faking anger for a brief second before she ended up smiling.

As I shut the door behind me, I frowned. I couldn’t believe I just kissed her. Sure, on the cheek, but what was I thinking?! I slapped myself across my face to wake myself up. I had to get my thoughts, my actions, and my feelings in control. I knew she didn’t love me. Hell, she didn’t even know how falling in love feels like. If she did fall for someone, she wouldn’t even realize it. Once, she ‘thought’ she had a crush on a guy in her class, and she couldn’t understand why she shied away every time he was around. She had asked me about it! I had to control my jealousy and explain to her that it was because she had a crush on him.

Kriya

"I hate you!!" I muttered, as I understood that he was in the bathroom, but my drier was in there too. I hadn’t expected him to just wake up and decide to take a shower in my bathroom. Then again, I hadn’t expected the kiss either. Okay, so it was a peck? I was taken aback for a few seconds. I had recovered quickly, telling myself he was just acting while still half-asleep and to convince me that I did do the right thing by telling him about Sharon’s attack last night.

Now, the problem at hand. I need the drier, which was on the other side of the bathroom, occupied by Swayam. I don’t know where I got the courage from, but I unlocked the door from outside using my nails. Before, I would have been against such tactics. Then again, it was Swayam who had taught me how to pick a lock. I had to make use of it at one point, huh?

"Excuse me!" He looked at me baffled as he stood in his shorts.

I gave him a 'oh-whatever' look and brushed him away. He rolled his eyes. "Tumhara kuch nai ho sakta." I turned my head towards him, surprised. It was rare he spoke in Hindi. "Are you going to leave now?" He asked.

I shook my head. "My room. My washroom. Why should I leave?" She stated the obvious.

"Fine." He gritted through his teeth. The washroom was divided in two parts with a door in between. The outside was just a huge mirror on the wall and sink with cabinets. The other side included other facilities. He went inside the other door and shut it, leaving me alone with my make-up, drier and mirror.

××××××××××××

"I am visiting your college today." Swayam informed as he parked the car. I didn't question him back. He wouldn’t have expected me to either. I was smart enough to understand why.

"Get ready for a full-fledged boring day!" I gave him a fake-chirpy smile. He shared my sarcastic feelings. He was three years older than me and had gone through the same I was going through now. He couldn't scold me for not enjoying the classes.

"Kriya!" Roy called out and I turned towards the sound along with Swayam.

"Roy." I whispered to Swayam to alert him.

Roy looked from me to the familiarly-unfamiliar face of Swayam and then down towards my ankle. The cloth plaster was gone - a proof that it was fine now. My words confirmed it, "My ankle's fine,” I told him, preparing myself for Swayam’s reaction. I realized I was starting to hide a lot of things from him lately. And it had only started ever since that night. Even since Roy truly entered my life. He was always around, but it wasn’t until that night that we talked to each other for the first time. And ever since, I’ve been hiding many things from Swayam. I still hadn’t told him I had spent the night at Roy’s house.

Swayam's head jerked towards me to question what had happened to my ankle, like I knew he would. I shook my head at him, suggesting it was nothing. He sighed silently. I figured he was starting to dislike that I kept on hiding things.

"You must be her brother?" Roy asked Swayam.

Swayam and I looked at each other, wanting to erupt in fits of laughter. Is that what people think when they see us together? Yet, we controlled ourselves. "No, I'm her -" I held his wrist just in time to stop him. I interjected, "Friend," thus ending the sentence. Roy looked back and forth between them, finding us acting weird but chose to ignore it.

"My bad." He apologized to Swayam for taking him as my brother. "You both live together?"

"Is there a problem with that?" Swayam asked back. I sensed a pinch of rudeness and possessiveness in his tone.

I gave him a comforting look to calm him down. "We're getting late." I put a temporary stop to the conversation. While walking, I asked Roy. "So where's Taani?"

"Uh - I don't think she's coming today." There was something in his voice. Guilt?

"Think?"

"Ya… we broke up." Roy told us, making me stop in my track for a short second. This was a piece of information I hadn't expected to get. Swayam pulled me along, making it seem I had never stopped. There goes the plan of talking to Taani. We were both thinking the same thing.

"Why?" I bluntly asked then stopped herself. "Sorry, not my business to ask. I'm just sorry. Both of you were perfect for each other."

There was a grim look on Roy’s face, which I don’t understand, but then he smiles. I would say it looks fake, but then again, I do not know him to make that assumption.

"She deserves someone better." He said, as it genuinely meaning it. I didn’t understand it, since they kinda did bring out the best in each other. That is what a perfect, compatible couple is like, isn’t it? I wouldn’t know much about relationships. When I looked at Roy though, his eyes seemed a bit distant.

He walked off when his lecture building came, and I continued walking towards mine with Swayam. Neither of us said much. I don’t know about him, but I was too busy trying to get a Plan B. We informed the professor Swayam was just visiting for the day and she allowed. Surprising! Since she’s 99.9% of the time grumpy, and more even so because she did not have a particular liking towards me. I do not know why, but her behavior is always grim towards me for some reason.

××××××××××××

Swayam

The way she hid once again, who I really was, hurt a bit. Nevertheless, I know why she did it. She was afraid. Just about 2 years ago, she wasn't afraid of what anyone thought about her, but after seeing the consequences of it, the courage was overtaken her fear. I wish the day when she would conquer her fear would come soon. I pray…

That day, I visited her at college for the first time, after a year since everything happened; she was so angry with me! I had enough.

Why is she being like this? Does she think I don't know just how much I've hurt her by leaving? I do know! I've held myself guilty every passing day in the last year knowing what I had done. If only I could find the right words to tell her how much I held myself responsible for each loss of hers. If it weren't because of me, her parents would be alive. Sharon would have never taken the step of killing them. If only I could reverse time and delete the day when I met her. If only…

I really did not want to have this conversation in front of her friends. I knew she would regret it later on, if the truth came up in front of them, by mistake. Seeing that her friends didn't know who I was, I had already figured out that they knew nothing of her past. If she wanted it that way, I didn't want to ruin that for her. But she was forcing me otherwise by angering me. Why? She very well knew I couldn't control what I said when I got angry.

I turned to her friends. "Leave. Now." I hoped they would see that I wasn't demanding but pleading them to.

The one who had asked Kriya if she knew me spoke up, "Look dude, we don't know you, but we know Kriya. If she doesn't want us to leave, we aren't going to leave."

I shut my eyes, trying to control my anger, but in vain. I glared straight at them. "And she doesn't get a say in whether or not she wants to have a talk with her husband alone or in front of her friends. I decide that."

Their eyes widened, shocked. I couldn't blame them. They knew Kriya was only 19. They obviously wouldn't expect her to be married. As I calmed down, I realized my blunder. I looked at Kriya, who looked angrier than before. More that everything, I had shocked myself by calling myself her husband.

"You always have to ruin things, don't you?" She blasted at me. I couldn't blame her. I didn't mean to reveal it or remind her of our changed relationship. She turned to leave but I stopped her by slipping my index finger to hers, crisscrossing it.

"Kriya… please! Listen to me. Don't you know me well enough to know I wouldn't leave you the day after if I didn't have a reason to?"

"Yes… I know." She seemed to have calmed down. Her voice returned to being soft. I released her hand, knowing she wouldn't leave abruptly again. "Right now, Swayam, I am not interested in listening to it. You can't just leave one day and then return another fine day, more than a year later, and expect me to not be mad at you! You left me when I needed you the most. I lost my parents! I'm not mad that you left. You lost your love and needed some time.”

Ugh, if only I could tell her, drill it into her that I did not love Sharon. The only reason I was hurt was because everything was happening because of me. She went on without stopping,

“I understand that. You were hurting too. Don't you think that I understand the situation in which we got married? I don't blame you for that... but yes, I am upset with you for not sharing it with me... for leaving... for thinking that I... for you wanting to face this all alone.

After that day, I never made her conscious of the fact that we were married. I never acted as if I was her husband. That day, she had lost her friends because they thought she lied to them, didn't consider them friends, and hid such a big thing about her from them. "If you truly considered us your friends, you would have told us!" Neha had said before leaving. Others too followed. I couldn't be mad at her friends for hurting her. They were upset too. Ever since, she had been even more afraid of telling her friends and even making other friends. It didn’t make sense, ofcourse. In order for history to not repeat itself, she should have told her new friends. Only... she was more afraid than before. I try to convince her to tell them, but she never listens. And when she’s stubborn, she’s really stubborn.

It was only by a miracle that she allowed herself to be close to Shane, Hannah, and Caroline. After moving back to the States from London, she joined this new college. I never interrupted her college life. It wasn't my place to. In the eyes of law, we may be married. For us, we weren't.

It was only when I felt Kriya move that I pulled myself out of my thoughts.

Hannah nudged Kriya in between the lecture. She turned to look at her. She handed her a note with the question, "Who's he?" She was asking about me. I was sitting on one side of Kriya while she was on the other side. I could read the note as she wasn't sitting as far away from me.

"A friend," I heard Kriya whisper back before she returned the note to her and turned her focus back to the professor.

"Well, your friend is damn hot!" Caroline wrote back to her. I chuckled. Somewhere, was I upset that she had said I was a friend, again? I don't know why I was... It wasn’t hidden from me that she considered me her friend, even if she was more than a friend to me. Kriya was about to write back when I snatched the note away and hid it in my front jeans pocket. Kriya looked at me, stunned, but I kept a neutral face. A second later, professor called her out.

"Ms. Kriya, is there something more important right now than the lecture?"

She looked at the professor and immediately shook her head. "No Ms. Chester. Sorry." The professor resumed speaking about the topic that by now, Kriya had lost focus in. After that, Kriya didn't ask for the note back nor did I return it. I thought she would ask for it at the end of the lecture, but by then, it looked as if she had forgotten about it and even I forgot to return it as I looked around the vast campus. In actuality, this was the first time I had truly entered the university. I had done my research about it before I allowed Kriya to join it, but I never took a complete tour of it. I just knew the buildings where her classes were.

Kriya

"He's staying with us the whole day?" Caroline asked during the half hour break we had before our next lecture.

I nodded. "Didn't I already say that?"

Caroline shook her head while Hannah clarified, "You said that to me; Care wasn't with us at that time." They turned to Swayam. "So what's your name? She isn't nice enough to officially introduce us. We'll have to do it ourselves, I guess."

Swayam chuckled. He very well knew I wasn't good at giving introductions. "Swayam. And from what I am going to assume, you're Hannah?" Hannah nodded. He looked at Caroline. "And you must be Caroline."

Caroline questioned, "How do you know? Did she tell you? She's never told us about you." And with that, both of them started flirting with him. I shook my head at them and continued walking. I felt something when Swayam didn’t stop them. I didn’t say anything, or let it show. He was probably just being nice and polite since they were my friends. Sometimes, I wish I could be a normal girl who liked to flirt and go to parties and enjoy, instead of the one carrying tons of heavy baggage with me.

Speaking of parties... "Hey, listen, there's this party tonight. It's going to be really fun. Wanna come?" Caroline asked him. I almost stopped and my eyes must have widened, for she looked at me and confirmed, "What, you did say he was just a friend, right?"

I nodded. Of course. Who are you kidding? My brain... or was it my heart? Whatever it was, it chided me. I ignored it.

"Yeah, I'm just shocked because you actually asked him… and also because the day has finally come when Caroline Forbes will be rejected by a guy." I showed my teasing sympathy, knowing Care was super sensitive about such stuff.

"What?" She turned to face him. "You aren't going to say no, are you?"

He too sympathized. "Sorry Caroline… I don't do parties."

"Ouch! It actually hurts… being rejected."

We all laughed at her drama. She’d get over it in matter of minutes. I told myself I wasn’t shocked when Caroline asked him because I knew he would say no… but somewhere, I did acknowledge that I didn't like the thought of him saying yes. I mean... he could have if he wanted to. Despite our complicated relationship, it wasn’t like he couldn’t go to parties if he wanted to, right? It isn’t like we’re married. Okay... wait, wrong comparison. Because we are. It’s a fact neither of us can deny, and one neither of us completely accept either. Not in a real way, atleast. Or, atleast I didn’t as far as I was aware. Not sure about him.

 ~-}.{-~

 A/N: Dedicated to flowercity. Thank you for the votes & reads! Would love to know your views sometimes (:

Oh, and yeah... I revealed a bunch of huge secrets... Don't kill me, yeah? VIEWS?? *peeps from a corner to see if it's safe..* hehe In my defense, I did warn you guys before I even started posting.. Now 'I' have already decided how the book goes as I already have the concept planned... but how do 'you' think it'll go. Rey-Kriya-Swayam? Thoughts? 

Keep reading/voting/fanning to find out!

~Araina.