Happy Independence Day 🇮🇳

-• a lie •-

Taranya

Seeing Akansha was like a slap to my face.

Her presence re-established the boundaries, reminded me of my place in his life and deepened the fostering guilt I had been feeling ever since that night in the car when I almost kissed him again. What if the one month thing is all a lie? What if I give in thinking I've a chance with him and he just uses me? How can I trust him? And why should I trust him? If he can lie to her, what are the chances he's not lying to me too?

Do I really have to deal with this alongside everything I'm going through?

I rake a hand through my open locks, gather them in my fist and twist them into a bun, locking them with a hair clutch. My eyes slide to the right, at the couple setting up the tent together and I release a strangled breath.

"Didn't he look uncomfortable with her touching him in the car?" I startle hearing Janet so close. My eyes meet hers and she cocks a brow at me. "Was I the only one to notice that?"

I shrug, avoiding answering as I unbox the groceries. I did witness the same. It was the only reason why I asked Arush to drive the car in his place. I wonder if it was because of her or if he was feeling slightly under weather.

But he danced so intimately with her in the club on the night of our accident. If he was uncomfortable around her, he wouldn't be sliding his thigh between her legs. I shudder just remembering that moment. More than Akansha, he had chemistry with the other girl he danced with.

Shourya is a lot more complicated than anyone I know. No matter how hard I try, I just can't figure out what's happening in that head.

Shit. I told Rudra we need to talk about something important. Now seeing the pair wrapped up in their moment, I'm unsure again. I don't want to ruin something I already have, for something I might have. I'm aware how that sounds. That I'm keeping a back-up in case this doesn't work out, and it's absolute shitty of me. But I can't give up on one for another just to lose them both in the end. I don't want to put myself in that kind of misery.

I steal a glance of them and see Akansha recording him on the phone while he does all the manual work. She seems to switch the screens when she steps in front of the camera and waves.

"No way is she doing a live of her boyfriend setting up a tent!" Janet gasps. "Does she have some loose screws in her head or what?"

"Beats me." I start chopping the vegetables. "I'm making grilled chicken, rice and vegetable stew. Raise your hand if you're in!" I announce loudly to the rest of them.

Shourya and Atharva raise their hands.

"Make your own if not!" I add sternly.

The twins follow.

I nod, before my eyes halt on Akansha. She walks up to us after shoving her phone in her pocket and bites on her lower lip, rubbing her palms together. "I'll just take a salad, without dressing, and an oat soup."

Janet and I look at her blankly. We're not running a restaurant here.

"Listen, we're not-" I grip Janet's arm, stopping her from saying something that might ruin the good mood.

"We didn't bring oats. But there's chicken-"

"I can't eat red meat." She shrugs.

"Why? Are you allergic?" I ask with a frown.

"No, it's just-" her eyes fall to the chicken I'm marinating and she swallows. "I mean, I haven't eaten chicken in two years."

"And you're still surviving?" Janet nods, feigning to be impressed. I jab her in the ribs. She lifts her thin shoulders incredulously, not realising the fact people can be vegetarian or vegan too.

I look back at Akansha. "Are you vegetarian now?" She shakes her head. "Then you should try the chicken I make. Everyone loves it."

She looks me in the eyes, appearing torn between two choices. I don't know what's stopping her. It's just chicken. And even if she's on a diet, there's always a cheat day.

"Wait, let me call my mother." She fishes out her phone and dials the number, putting it on speaker when she realises her laces have come undone.

"Hello, Akansha?"

Janet and I get back to work, shifting the things around her phone while she's crouched to tie the laces.

"Mom, may eat I chicken tonight?" She gets up and wipes her hands to the handkerchief.

"No, Akansha. Don't you remember you gained two kgs last week? You've to lose them. And I don't even need to remind you, Akansha. I'm sure you can see how much weight you've gained when you stand in front of the mirror, am I right?"

Janet and I glance at each other in disbelief before we look at Akansha.

She appears flustered, regretting putting the phone on speaker. Quickly pressing the screen to her ear, she walks away, informing her mother that the phone was on speaker and she's out with her friends.

"Am I the only one boiling inside right now?" Janet presses her palm on the table and leans over, probing for my opinion with a wiggle of her brows.

"That was ridiculous."

"I freaking know right!" Janet huffs. "Look at her," she points towards Akansha. "That's a fucking Barbie. What else do you want from her? That she doesn't even eat enough to keep herself alive because your sick mind wants your daughter to fit a certain image that society expect of us women?"

I lean in bracing the edge of the table, watching Akansha as she talks to her mother, or more like tries convincing her. I don't know what for. An apology? A bite of food? A little understanding? But once she hangs up, her eyes fall to her stomach and she sucks it in. I close my eyes.

"I don't know what he saw in you. All I see is a blue eyed fat British girl."

It's been two years and I'm unable to forget that sentence. That one sentence gave me insecurities of a lifetime. How is she coping after having to hear comments like that all the time, and from her mother of all people?

"Times like these makes me appreciate my parents more. At least they never commented on my physical appearance, not even after the accident." Janet touches the scar on her cheek self-consciously.

She's yet to go under the surgery for it. I feel she's undecided, because I remember Vivaan asking her about the date to be scheduled for the surgery. She wants to think it through. I think she's not sure whether she wants to accept herself as she is after the accident, or go back to how she was before.

"I don't think the words at least and parents are supposed to go in the same sentence." I tell her as I remove the plastic gloves to dump them in the dustbin before covering the marinated chicken and putting it aside. "Doesn't that mean we're praising them for what they didn't do, instead of what they did? As if we expected the worse of them, but are glad we were proved wrong. Is that how a relationship between a parent and a kid should be?" I ask, mindlessly grabbing the chopping board and sliding the vegetables in the strainer to wash them.

"I don't know." A manly voice replies, flinching me.

I look to my right, where Janet was supposed to be, but Shourya stands there, looking into my eyes deeply. Turning my head straight, I find Janet talking to Ayush near the tent. "Sorry?" I ask, sounding lost to my own ears.

"I said I don't know. But since you're questioning it, I suppose it shouldn't be."

My eyes run over his handsome face before we lock gazes. "You've a loving grandfather." I remind him, since his father is as good as dead considering I never saw him acting like a father.

"Can a Grandfather fill up the absence of your parents?" He counters.

"I guess not." I nod.

"I thought having at least one of your parents is luckier than having none," he mutters, grabbing vegetables from the basket. I stare at him in confusion. "I thought I'll help you since it's because of me we had an unexpected addition." He shrugs.

I nod in understanding.

"You didn't answer my question?"

"I don't remember it being a question. You sounded sure of your opinion."

"I said I thought. Hence, I'm doubting it." He points out.

"I don't know," I shrug. "I just feel like becoming a parent should be a choice, not a consequence of your mistake or something. I feel, as a parent you're responsible for your child until they become an adult. You owe them, not the other way around." My eyes meet his. "I feel people should have a child only if they're ready for it, financially, mentally, physically, and if not, abort it. I think most of us would have preferred not existing than existing without them. There are children who have both father and mother, and still are the loneliest." I glance at Janet, Akansha and Atharva. "Then there are some having one parent. Who is only physically available while their counterpart left, died, or just gave up on life." I watch the twins fondly. "And then there are those who don't have any," I look at him. "Now tell me who's more miserable?"

"All of them." He answers.

"What a tragedy." I add softly.

He sighs.

I face the table and resume making dinner. After some time, Akansha comes over and drags him away. I chastise Janet to stop wasting time and help me with the food.

We have dinner at the riverside. Akansha only eats salad, without dressing. She keeps eyeing the chicken on the table. I offer her the vegetable stew. It's the healthiest of all, and I didn't even add tofu or paneer to it. She can eat it if she wants something high in protein and low on carbohydrates. But she denies, not even looking at the bowl I prepare for her. Ayush snatches the bowl from me witnessing the exchange. I'm sure she wasn't accepting not because she was disgusted, but because if she looked at it she'd be tempted to try it. And as per her mother, she's not allowed to eat anything but salad, without dressing.

Atharva taps my knee while I'm focused on my dinner. I look at him and he juts his chin at something past me. I turn my head over the shoulder, sitting straighter when I spot Mr. Khan driving a tractor. He notices us, slows down, appears absolutely pissed off and drives off without so much as a glance behind.

I drop my head low.

"The chicken is so fucking good!" Arush groans.

My gaze lifts and I smile at the boy.

"I swear to God, if you sell this at a food truck, you'd be making millions. It's that good!" He points his fork at the chicken.

I chuckle. "Why thank you,"

"Is it?" Akansha asks, licking her lower lip as she eyes Arush's plate desperately.

"Yeah," he brushes off and dives into the conversation happening between Atharva and Ayush.

"You know Akansha," she turns her head to me, "Rice is neither detrimental nor beneficial when it comes weight loss diet," I scoop a huge amount of rice in my spoon, and add a chunk of chicken on top of it, "and I've heard lean chicken breasts are the most common dietary supplement for weight loss. How about you give it a try?" I lift the spoon to her mouth.

"No- I-"

"Just one? As an official declaration of the truce between us. I'll be eating your salad in return." I tell her.

She looks at the spoon, swallows, and fists her hands tightly.

"Give me if she's not-" Janet says intentionally, but is cut off when Akansha eats it. I blink. Honestly, I thought I was putting myself up for another rejection. But she surprised me.

She chews slowly, as though relishing every flavour, and perhaps remembering hundreds of compromises she made to achieve that hourglass body. Her eyes unexpectedly tear up. I offer her tissues.

"Sorry, I've been cutting off on spices lately." She sniffles. "So it just hit me. But it's delicious."

"You want to try more?"

"If you've an extra serving?" She asks reluctantly.

I nod eagerly. "We do. We have a lot of it." I quickly get up and fix her a plate, taking the salad bowl from her hands and replacing it with stew, rice and grilled chicken.

She eats a spoonful, then tries the stew, wipes her eyes with the tissue, but doesn't stop eating.

"Good job." Janet whispers in my ear.

I smile at her.

After dinner, we clean up. The boys wash the dishes and clean the tables while we make the beds in the tent. At nine pm, we gather back around the bonfire to decide the sleeping arrangements. Before Akansha, it was clear who'll be sleeping with whom, but now we gotta make a little changes.

"If you guys want to share a tent, Atharva will need to adjust with the twins." I force the words out.

"And if not, then Akansha can adjust with us." Janet adds. "But I advise we go with the latter, for obvious reasons," she refers to the bulky builds of the boys. There's no way the three of them can share the tent comfortably.

"I'm not sleeping in the tent." Shourya says. "I'm sleeping outside."

"Why?" Atharva asks.

Akansha looks up at him in confusion.

"Right, he sleeps seated." I nod.

Everyone looks at me sharply. "He told me. During the Seoul trip." I quickly rush in with my pathetic excuse. "You shared a lot of stupid things about yourself to me. What did you think of me? A matchmaking site?" I glare at Shourya.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Shourya bites on the inside of his cheek to hold back the smile.

Janet clears her throat.

"Alright, what were we talking about? Right, the sleeping arrangements. So since he's out, you both decide. You can sleep with us, or take the tent for yourself." I look at Akansha.

"I'll share the tent with you guys." She says, sounding disheartened.

Why am I so relieved?

Why do I feel like jumping out of happiness?

What's wrong with me?

"Good decision. Let's go to sleep because we've early plans tomorrow morning." Janet states and drags me to the tent. Akansha follows us. "Good night, guys!" She shouts over her shoulder.

"Good night, boys!" I wave.

"Good night, boys! Good night, baby!" I don't have to guess who it is. I already know.

We enter the tent and close the zip before settling in our respective sleeping bags.

"Wow, this is my first time doing something like this." Akansha smiles, revealing a small dimple in her left cheek. She's cute when she's not being a bitch.

"What? Sleeping?" Janet deadpans, busy applying moisture. I shove her on the arm. "What?" She mouths. "She won't even realise." She whispers.

"No, I mean, camping and all." Akansha chuckles.

Janet looks at me pointedly. I roll my eyes, responding to Akansha's words with a smile. "I take it you never went trekking either?"

"No," she shakes her head. "My mother is always worried about me. She's scared I'll end up with a scar on my face or something." She picks on the lint off the mattress.

Janet stiffens. "Because that's all you have?" She looks at Akansha mockingly. "A beautiful face and daddy's money to trap a rich guy in a marriage with you?"

"I'm academically smart." She says. "I was selected in three major universities of the world. Including Yale and Harward. I chose JUN so I can stay here beside Shourya." I stifle a gasp of shock. "Mom said we'll be getting married once he finishes his degree."

"And you don't think that's unfair?" I ask her softly.

She appears confused. "How is it unfair? I'm supporting my future husband by standing beside him through everything. My mom did the same. She stood by my father's side no matter what."

"I'm going to be blunt. What if your marriage ends up like your parents?" Janet asks her. "What if Shourya cheats on you?"

"It doesn't matter who he spends his time with as long as he comes back to me."

"I don't know if you've noticed this, but he's not really into you." Janet states.

"Janet." I hiss, grabbing her thigh in a warning.

"What? I'm just being honest." She shrugs nonchalantly.

I sigh in disappointment. "Just ignore her-"

"I'm aware." She replies to Janet. "I'm also aware where his interest lies." Her eyes shift to me. "But as long as I become his wife, I don't care. That's all that matters to me. That's my dream."

"Your dream is to become a man's wife? And of all the men you could have, you want the one who doesn't give a fuck about you!?" Janet snaps.

Akansha flinches.

"Janet, stop it!" I warn.

"I'm really sorry-" I start,

"Excuse me," Akansha unzips the tent and exits.

"What is wrong with you!?" I force turn Janet's shoulder so she faces me.

"Yeah, I know I went overboard. She just got on my nerves." Janet grits out. "Harvard, Tara? Million people dream of it. And she gave up on it for a man? A man who's behind another woman? A man who could care less about her?" She shakes her head. "I don't know who's to blame. Her mother who brainwashed her or her for being so innocent to put up with it all and think its the right thing."

"You can't blame the victim."

"I know. But chances are Tara, an undetected victim of today could become the criminal of tomorrow. She'll project this thought process on her kids. And I'm sure of it." Janet breaths out tiredly. "Fuck, I don't care. I'm sleeping. I need my beauty sleep. Good night." And she buries herself in her sleeping bag.

I lie down too, switch off the lamp and sigh softly. When sleep doesn't approach me, I convince myself it's because I'm afraid of the nightmares. But an hour passes and Akansha still doesn't return. We're outside the city and she doesn't even know this place good enough to wander off and find her way back. Giving up on pretending her absence doesn't worry me, I get out of the sleeping bag and walk out of the tent.

I retrace the path to bonfire and frown seeing the chairs empty.

My stomach twists into knots.

Is he with her?

Did they go somewhere alone for privacy?

Memories from two years ago hit me. Shourya and I disappeared from the campsite too, and I clearly remember what happened next. Are they in the same situation? Is he saying the same words he told me? Are they kissing? Touching? Hugging?

"Why does it matter to me?" I finger the chain around my neck. "They're a couple. They can do whatever they want."

I struggle to convince myself. I struggle to reassure my uneasy mind. I fail to act like I don't care. Because I do. God, I hate it. I hate the thought of him with someone else, even if it's his fiancee. I hate thinking he's with another girl, kissing her, touching her, saying things to her that he says to me. I hate assuming that all the doubts I had of him in my mind are probably true. That it was all a lie, his words were a lie, his actions were a lie, he was a lie.

"Aren't you cold?" A husky voice whispers in my ear, before familiar hands drape a warm shawl over my shoulders. Tears brim my eyes and I cover my face with my hands, breaking out in soft cries. "What's wrong, Esther?" He hugs me from behind. I turn around and wrap my arms around his waist.

"I thought you were with her." I confess.

"I would be a fool to go with her when my heart lies with you. I need you close to survive." He murmurs, running a soothing hand down my hair.

I stretch my neck back to look up at him. He smiles down at me, tucks an awry strand behind my ear and rests his forehead against mine. I fail to hold my smile.

"Wait!" I step away as realisation hits me.

"What?" His brows furrow together.

"If she's not with you, where's she?"

"I don't know." He shakes her head. "How long has it been since she left the tent?"

"An hour." I reply. His eyes grow wide. "I'm not having a good feeling about this."

Next chapter is from Vivaan's pov!

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