Warning 🔞:- triggering words and mention of sexual harassments. Be aware.

Enjoy Reading.

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

Anu's POV

Another pair of tears rolled down my cheeks when I sobbed silently covering my mouth with both of my palms. The running water on me didn't calm my burning self. The lump created in my throat was making it hard for me to breathe.

My hands were shaking, my lips were trembling and my whole body was burning.

Another shriek of cry left my mouth thinking of how pathetic i was after realising that i had been raped by someone in my unconciousness. How helpless and broken I was after knowing that someone had snatched my innocence from me without my consent. How disgusting i felt when i was binge harassed in local train, how disgusted i was when i saw a man in his forties staring at my breasts during project meetings, the dirtiness i felt when i was desparetly seraching for a job in Delhi as a newbie and a HR manager asked me if i will let him to fuck me if he gave me the job. How pitiful I was when I couldn't spat back at that teenage guy in my neighbourhood who kept giving me creepy singles to give a blowjob to him. And those neighbour aunties who gossips about me saying, i'm a whore, a slut etc. they even rumoured about me that i sleep with my boss in the name of overtime, not only my boss, but my colleagues, my manager, and they didn't hesitate to add watchman in that list.

All these tortures, suffering and misbehavings only because I'm a single parent?

But I didn't want to parent my daughter alone. It was my circumstance. I had to choose my self respect over him and most likely he put me in a situation where I had to choose between him and myself. Ifif only he listened to me for once when I was pleading to him, if only he believed me rather than doubting me, if only he trusted me instead of what he saw ... ... ..maybe today things would have been different.

And i chose myself, till now i never regret what i chose. Even though I faced some bullshit living alone.

Staring at the bathroom wall, I felt my tears soaking up and the irritation of my eyes began.

It's 2AM in the morning, and the whole night I couldn't sleep at all. Putting Ria to sleep I thought of taking a shower thinking it might help me to relax a bit so that I can sleep. But things got worse when I suddenly got flashbacks of all those mean and hurtful things that happened to me long ago, not that long though.

And I just sat down, all naked and drenched in water, my hairs were all over me. In a flash I began to cry and the urge of crying never let me stop crying. Intentionally remembering all the bad things that happened in the past , I started howling.

My eyes looked up, there was a mirror which would reflect myself if I stood up but I don't want to see myself now as now I'm in the most gentle trauma that I will be screaming at myself if I saw myself in the mirror.

I brought my knees close to my chest and leaned on the wall hugging my knees. My head is feeling heavy due to tones of shading tears.

I put my head on the bridge of my hand which was on my knees, closing my eyes for a while. I livid a minute of darkness.

And slowly I felt light and drowning into something addictive but good.

I fell asleep.

~~

"Open your damn door," Anu grunted, knocking firmly on Rishi's apartment door. She bit her inner cheek, trying to control herself from yelling. With her arms crossed and foot tapping impatiently, she waited, but there was no response from inside.

It was early Sunday morning, and Anu had planned a surprise visit to spend the day with Rishi before they got busy with exams the following week. She didn't want to miss him too much, but she couldn't help but feel addicted to him. Despite everything he had put her through, she couldn't stop thinking about him.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the door finally opened, revealing Rishi in trousers and bare upper body, his messy hair and half-opened eyes betraying his lazy state. Rubbing his eyes, he grumbled, "Who is that... you?"

"Yes, me," Anu replied, raising her eyebrows sharply. "Were you expecting someone else?"

Confused, Rishi scratched his head, trying to wake up fully. "What? No... I meant, what are you doing here?" he asked, still half-asleep. "It's just 7 AM, so early. Is everything okay?"

"You're hopeless, Rishi," Anu muttered, pushing past him and walking inside.

"Anu..." Rishi trailed after her, calling her name.

Ignoring him, Anu walked to the kitchen and placed the eggs and bread packets on a slab along with a milk packet. She knew Rishi didn't have these things in stock, being a bachelor staying alone. Homemade breakfast was rare for him, as he often had his meals outside or in the college canteen. Wanting to do something nice for him, Anu decided to make omelette-bread, one of the few things she knew how to cook well.

"What's that?" Rishi's voice came from near her neck, and before she could turn around, his strong arms encircled her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder. Her lips curled into a smile at his touch.

"I noticed from the time you saw me, all you asked me was, who? What? and why?" Anu said playfully, pretending to be sad as she tried to take his hands off her waist. "Tell me if you don't like me here, I'll just go."

"No... stay," Rishi replied, hugging her from behind, his smile evident in his voice.

"Hmm..." Anu hummed, and they both stayed quiet for a moment.

"Rishi..." Anu called out to him.

"Hmmm," he hummed back, still keeping his face between her neck and shoulder.

"Would you mind brushing your teeth? I can't stand your morning breath," Anu said, pressing her lips together to hold back her laughter.

"Hmm..." Rishi hummed again, only realising after a moment what she had said. He stepped back and glared at her, while she laughed and held her stomach.

"You're so mean," he said, before heading off to freshen up, giving her a quick hug before leaving.

Giggling at his cuteness, Anu looked at the gas and waffles, but her face dropped as she saw how dirty and messy the kitchen was. The leftover food in Wales made her feel nauseous. She decided that Rishi needed a lesson on keeping the kitchen clean; otherwise, they would end up fighting every day about chores after marriage.

Making a mental note of this, Anu put her hair into a ponytail and began to clean the kitchen, followed by the vessels. It took a few minutes to wipe the kitchen clean. After finishing the work, she boiled the milk and poured it into two mugs, adding sugar and coffee.

And at the same time, Rishi walked in, looking fresh and bathed, wearing green shorts with a black t-shirt.

"So... Good morning," he greeted Anu with a wide smile as he sat on the kitchen slab.

"Good morning," Anu greeted him back, handing him the coffee mug. He said thank you and took the mug.

They both sipped the coffee in silence, stealing glances at each other a few times. They both blushed and later laughed.

Sipping the last sip of coffee, Rishi asked, "So, what made you come here?"

"You..." Anu replied, placing both mugs in the sink. "I wanted to spend the whole day with you because next week we won't get much time for each other with the exams coming up."

"Ohh... but you should have informed me earlier. Today I had planned a movie and outing with friends," he said with a lipped smile.

Anu's face lost all its colour upon hearing this. She felt rejected, not because of his plans with his friends, but because he should have cancelled them after knowing she had come over. But he still told her about them, indicating he wanted her to leave so he could enjoy the day with his friends, not her.

"Ohh..." was all she managed to say before lowering her head. The next second, he burst into laughter.

"Omg, just look at your face, Anu... You look like a toddler who lost his mother in the crowd," he teased, laughing.

"I'm leaving," Anu said, unable to tolerate his prank. She grabbed her handbag, ready to go, but she was abruptly pulled by him, causing her to lose her balance and land on his chest.

"Easy, my angry bird, I was just kidding," he said, stopping his laughter and holding her close to him while she made a face at him.

"Can I kiss you?" It was sudden and full of urgency. He looked into her eyes and asked right away.

When she didn't answer, he pulled her closer by her waist and brought his face closer to hers, asking again, "Can I kiss you? Like right now? I've bathed and brushed my teeth now, so tell me, can I kiss you?" His urgency made her cheeks heat up with a sudden rush of blood, knowing it wasn't their first kiss and realising he wouldn't stop at just a kiss.

Seeing Anu on mute mode, Rishi grunted, "I'm kind of desperate, and you're taking so much time to answer."

Anu chuckled and nodded her head slightly, allowing him to kiss her.

With a jolt, he took her lips into his and kissed her with all his passion. Anu had to tiptoe as he was quite tall compared to her short frame. Sensing her difficulty, he got down from the kitchen and lifted her, a gesture that no longer surprised her. He made her sit on the kitchen slab and continued to kiss her.

He tasted like mint, and it was a thrilling and toe-curling kiss. Anu put her right hand on the nape of his neck and the other hand on his hair, gently pulling his hair as they fought for dominance. While still sucking her lips, he held her waist tight, giving her a mini heart attack. His touch was so intense that she felt something stirring inside her.

After such an erotic and breathless kiss, they parted and rested their foreheads against each other. Anu was still fighting for breath when she saw him smirking.

"Ouch... Rishi," she flinched in response to his sudden act of lifting her in his arms. Rishi winked at her.

"What the... put me down," she said, holding his shoulders.

"Nope," he replied with a challenging smile and began to walk out of the kitchen.

Widening her eyes at him, Anu said, "No, put me down. I have to make breakfast for us."

"Fuck that, we can have it later," he replied, unbothered, and walked into his bedroom.

Now, Anu was tensed up.

"Rishii," she whined, but it didn't work. He ignored her appeals and put her on his bed, then went to lock the bedroom door.

His room was messy, with clothes lying here and there, and chips and cold drinks scattered all over the bed.

Anu sat on his bed, not knowing what to do and how to reject him if he was thinking of having sex.

"Umm... Rishi," she hesitated, trying to tell him that she didn't want this, while he casually removed his T-shirt and hovered on the bed.

"Wait... I'm not ready for sex, and I don't want this," Anu said at one point, her heartbeats rising as if she was running in a marathon.

Rishi laid down beside her and pulled her to him, and she landed on his chest. By now, she was nervous and about to cry.

"Dumbo, just sleep. I just wanted to cuddle with you," Rishi reassured her.

Anu was tongue-tied when he said that.

"Why do you always think about sex? Like why? Aren't you a pervert? Or you still don't trust me, right?" he asked in a weak tone, hurt evident in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, looking down.

He made her look at him using his thumb. "See Anu, I'm so turned on by you. But I won't ever do something that you're not ready for. So chill," he said, his first statement making her bite her tongue out of embarrassment.

Now, she felt even more guilty for accusing him of something he didn't have any intention of doing.

She didn't say anything in return, nor did he. He hugged her, and she hugged him back. Their 'I love you' was exchanged through this hug.

Being in his embrace felt secure and comfortable. He fell asleep in a few minutes while she kept admiring him in his sleeping state.

She didn't know why she loved him so much, but she just did.

And losing this guy meant losing herself, and she wouldn't ever be able to find herself again if she lost him.

~~

Opening my blood shot eyes, I found myself still sitting in the bathroom, under the shower.

I stretched my hands and turned on the shower and let the cold water run all over me, so that I can cry more and my tears will get mixed with running water.

Great ! Found another reason for my next round of crying session.

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

Do comments and vote.