Vikram's Pov

After dinner I went back to my room. It was too warm that night. I worked for an hour or so but I couldn't wait to go back to my wife.

It was years since I had a good night sleep without medicines.

Lila is good for me.

I hope she accepts my proposal. But what if she asks for reason again? Ignore it and change the topic. I can't tell her about it.

I get up not able to wait any longer and enter our bedroom. Lila is already asleep on the bed with one leg on the pillow and other tangled in the mattress.

I chuckle at the sight.

Suddenly my phone vibrates.

A text from some unknown number. I choose to ignore but something in my mind tells me to open it.

'You new girl is pretty like the old one. Will she go away the same way as her?'

Shit!

My whole body goes numb. I think about somebody hurting Lila and my body starts shivering.

Who could have sent it.

Somebody knows about her. My past... Lila going away the same way? An accident?

I forward this message to Raj. I call him soon after.

"You didn't invite me to your wedding, so from now on I don't know you" His says as soon as he picks up.

"Check your mail" I am in no mood for nonsense.

After few seconds he messages,"Shit. Who sent it to you?" His voice was laced with fear.

"It was from a blocked number"

"Let me see about it. I will tell you as soon as I can. But how can Lila suddenly get into an accident? How can somebody talk about an accident before hand" 

"Unless, Megan's death wasn't an accident. It was planned"

**********

Lila's Pov

I woke up to a buzzing sound. There was no one in the room. The voice was coming from the bathroom. I entered inside to see Vikram with a towel around his waist, looking at the mirror with a razor in his hand.

He saw me through the mirror and turned around, he was not his usual arrogant self,  there was something different in his expressions.

Panic? Worry? I didn't know.

He turned around and pulled me to his chest. He smelt of fresh air. My face was rested on his chest. He was  holding me too hard, as if afraid to let me go. 

"You are crushing me" I said, my nose on the verge of breaking on his hard chest.

"I have been crushing on you since I have seen you" He chuckled on his own bad joke. I hope it brought him a little away from his dark place.

"Your shaving cream is all over my hair" I stated.

"I think we have shampoo somewhere around here, you can use it" He said still not letting me go.

I pushed hard against him,"It is a men's shampoo, I don't want my hair to smell like mint thingy"

"Okay. Go shopping then. Buy what you need"

And that I did. Me and mom went to a supermarket near tge house. Even mom sensed that something was wrong with Vikram as he was acting strange during breakfast.

He wanted me to have a full time driver aka babysitter and I cannot go anywhere or do anything without his permission.

Obviously I said no to his face to which he threw a tantrum and left his breakfast half eaten.

"You know, he was much better when he was younger" Mom said as we roamed towards the toothpaste aisle. I wanted my bubblegum flavoured paste.

"What do you mean? Better looking, less rude or not so uptight?" I asked. I spotted my toothpaste and tossed it in our cart. We started walking further.

"All of the above"

"So what happened?"

"It was in college. Something happened during final year. He had just started his internship with Walter. There was a fire in his college somewhere. Two of his good friends died in there. He was never the same eversince"

Oh.

"That must be hard"

"Yes. It was. He immersed himself in work. He couldn't sleep at night. Sometimes I even heard him screaming. I was just so worried"

"Don't worry. If anything like this happens again then I will look after him"

"I know that. You are good for him. He has changed ever since you came into his life"

I blushed. Mom was wiggling her eyebrows at me. She was so much like Deepti.

"You are lying. I don't believe a word that you say" I looked away shyly.

"Is this the way to talk to your Mother In Law?"

It was Ajji. I would have never imagined seeing her here. What was she doing here? She never shopped for necessities.

After few seconds Mita emerged from the food aisle.

That bitch.

"Hello Lila" she said in a fake sweet voice,"Hello Aunty" She said looking at me.

"Hi"

"Do you miss me?"

"Hardly" Mom said under her breath and I couldn't help but snigger.

Apparently they were here 'to shop'. As if Ajji would waste her precious time shopping for some mediocre things and Mita, did she think that she could buy Gucci at this place.

After formalities, both of them followed us everywhere making it unbearable. Mita was trying to make small talks with mom but mom was trying to ignore her. They must know each other when she dated Vikram.

I still feel a pang in my heart when I think of them together. Was he rude to her as he was with me? Was he always working? Did she break up with him or was it the other way round. I was hoping it was latter. 

"Yes, I remember Vikram enthusiasm about cricket. He used to forget literally everything when there was a match on TV" I heard Mita telling mom.

Vikram loves cricket. I never knew that.

But what did I really knew about my husband?

The thought of my evil cousin knowing more things about my husband than me was a bit unsettling for me.

After few minutes of chit chat me and mom left the market and reached home. Mom looked as if she was glad to be away from Mita. I fell in love with her a bit more for that. 

I entered my bedroom and called Vikram.

"What is your favorite colour?" I asked him as soon as he picked up the call.

"What?" 

"What is your favorite colour?" I asked again.

"Lila I am working. Why do you want to know about it all of a sudden?"

"Apparently your ex knows more about you than I do"

"Mita" He said.

"Yes, my stupid evil cousin"

"Don't talk about her like that" How dare he?

"Why do you still have feelings for her?" I asked I was afraid he might say yes.

"That's a stupid question. She was my past. She has gone through a lot because of me and you know that I like you"

Like you. Not love you.

"I don't know what I am feeling more bad about. That she knows more about you than I do or that you are defending her"

He sighed. "Let's not argue about it Lila, how about we have lunch today. I will send the car to get you"

Food. That instantly changed my mood.

"I want pizza"

"That's unhealthy Lila"

I gasped,"How dare you call Pizza unhealthy?"

"Ok. We will have Pizza.."

"...and then Ice cream" I added.

"Yes, then ice cream"

"Yes, it's a date"

*************