ARNAV

I never thought I'd be back here, walking down these streets that I had left behind. When I moved out of Hyderabad and headed to Delhi with Khushi, I promised to myself that I would never come back here, that I would never step a foot in the place where my childhood was ruined, but here I was.

After ending things with Khushi, I moved out of Yug's place, I knew they worked together and I was going to bump into her one time or the other which I didn't want to happen, so I found myself another flat and moved there.

Most of the times I would just stay at work till late so I dint have to come back home to empty room and silent walls, it all haunted me, the memories of the past, it still hurt.

So I decided to come back here, for a visit, I thought maybe the only way to kill this pain was to revisit it, I really dint know the logic behind it, but I was desperate, I was ready to do whatever I could in order to get rid of this pain.

All these years I had been happy only because Khushi was in my life, I never needed anyone else, for me she was my entire world and I knew everything was going to be okay because she was always going to be with me and that had always been enough for me.

But then I found out what she did, and it was even hard to come to terms with it let alone forget it and try to move on from it.

Sometimes I just sit alone and rethink everything, I ask myself whether the decisions I made were right or they just came out of anger, I mean whatever she had done was for me, so why was it so hard for me to understand that and forgive her for it?

And then it hit me, it was so hard to forgive her because she was the only person that made me feel safe, and after I found out what she had done, I dint feel safe with her anymore.

I wish it was easy to get rid of this trauma, I wish it was easy to just forget everything and move on in life, I wish it was easy to forgive her because deep down I knew I needed her, but I couldn't forgive her because I no more felt safe around her.

I looked at the empty street, still as empty as it used to be before, I had passed by this street so many times as a kid, but the only thing I remembered about it was how that woman had groped me while I was standing here, holding my mother's hand and my mother didn't even seem to notice.

Isn't a child supposed to feel the safest with their parents? Why did I end up feeling unsafe with them?

She was so busy conversing with her so-called friend that she dint even see what she was doing to her child, or maybe she saw and chose to ignore it.

I remembered moving backwards as soon as she touched me and mom gave me a look thinking I was trying to be a naughty kid, no mom, I was just trying to protect myself because you couldn't do it.

The only person that ever protected me was no longer with me, I wouldn't lie, I did feel guilty for doing what I did to her, I ran away from her, I was so adamant on not wanting to forgive her and I hurt her, but it wasn't intentional, with the trauma I had experienced, forgiving wasn't that easy, moving on wasn't easy, and trusting someone was the hardest of it all, especially when they had broken your trust.

I loved her, more than anything, I would always love her and I would be lying if I'd say that it dint break my heart every time I saw her with Yug, but what broke my heart more was her betrayal, her lies.

I walked back to my hotel which was a few minutes away from here, of course my parents dint know I was here, I dint even want to see them or talk to them, they had ruined my life once by not believing me and the secondly by dragging my best friend in their mess, it was because of them that I was in a position where I loved Khushi so much still I dint have the courage to forgive her and be with her.

I thought coming here would change things for me, but it was like I came here to hurt myself more on purpose, why was I doing this to myself?

I walked into the hotel and headed towards the elevator passing through the lobby, as I waited by beside the elevator, I heard her. I would never forget that voice, no matter how old I grow, no matter how many years I go without hearing it.

I turned around immediately as my heart started beating so fast, I looked towards the reception where she was standing, talking to the receptionist and as much as I had grown up, seeing her broke me.

I turned to the elevator and pressed the button once again, hoping I would get in and disappear before she sees me, I had always been scared of her as a child, but even as a grown up, I realized I was still scared of her.

I could hear her giggles, I could here her voice as she got closer and closer to me, I wanted to run away but it was too late, she was already standing beside with, accompanied by a man I had never seen before.

Maybe she wasn't going to recognize me, it had been years since I left, she was still talking to the man beside her which was good, it meant she wasn't paying attention to me.

The door opened up and I rushed inside the elevator but she followed, Oh my God, I think I was panicking, I dint want to be in a close place with her, Khushi please come save me.

I was trembling out of fear, my eyes were getting moist, why did I have to come back here? Why did I have to torture myself like this? You are so stupid Arnav!

I could now feel her gaze on me, holy shit! She was staring at me, please don't recognize me, please don't.

"Arnav?" She recognized me. I tried to look everywhere else but there wasn't much to look at inside this elevator, why was it taking forever to get to my floor?

"Arnav, stop ignoring me, I can recognize you." She said seriously.

"Do you know him Sharmila?" The man that was with her asked.

"Yeah, he's my old friend's son, how about you wait for me in the room, I'd like to have a little chat with him about his mother." Sharmila said.

"No, I don't want to have any chat, I'm getting late, someone's waiting for me." I lied. Why was I still scared of her, in the past I was a kid, I couldn't do much then but now I had grown up, I could fight for myself surely.

The man walked out of the elevator and towards his room or wherever he was going leaving us alone, I dint want him to leave, I dint want to be around this woman, why did she even recognize me?

I tried to walk away, even though it wasn't my floor, I'd rather take the staircase than spend even a minute around her, but before I could step out of the elevator, she grabbed my hand and pulled me back, I pulled out my hand out of her hold and looked at her angrily.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Leave me alone!" I shouted.

"Uff, you've grown up to be such an angry young man Arnav." She smirked, someone please get me out of this elevator.

"Don't you dare touch me!" I warned her as she tried to touch my face, I took a step backwards and she took another step towards me.

After all these years I thought someone must have knocked some sense into this woman but she was still the same.

"You know I've always liked you so much Arnav, and now seeing you like this, all grown up, so hot... so sexy..." She tried to grab me once again, this time, I grabbed her arm and stopped her from touching me.

"Stay the hell away from me, I am no more the little scared Arnav, dare you touch me once again and I promise you'll see me in court!" I said which seemed funny to her because she started laughing like a mad person.

"And what will you say in court? That I tried to harass you? Who do you think they will believe when I'd say you tried to harass me instead? Stop being such a mood spoiler Arnav, I'm just asking for some little time with you." She winked at me.

I was seriously so disgusted by her. First of all, she was married, and she was already here with someone else, that wasn't her husband and despite everything that she did to me in childhood, she was still trying the same right now? It was true, some people never change.

"Stay the hell away from me!" I said to her seriously as I stepped the elevator, she still tried to grab my hand and stop me but I pushed her and rushed out of the elevator.

Congratulations Arnav, you came back to the place you promised yourself never to come back to just to get assaulted by the same woman once again!

Only that, this time I wasn't going to be the scared little boy, if this woman had just acted like she dint know me or not tried to harass me once again, I would have left from here, but now, I wasn't leaving until she was brought to justice.

Maybe that was the only thing that was going to bring me my peace, bringing her to justice so no other little boy would ever have to go through what he had to go through once upon a time.