It was around three in the afternoon when Abhedya and Swarnima left 'GHARONDA'. They were crossing the snack centre when Swarnima politely requested, "can we stop at the snack centre? I am hungry."

"Your wish is my command, princess. Whatever you ask for, you shall get." Abhedya replied with sarcasm dripping at each word.

He stopped at the snack centre and Swarnima ordered a plain butter toast in multi-grain bread for herself with a glass of fresh orange juice.
"Don't you know how to eat anything other than butter toast?" Abhedya asked.

"I... I couldn't find anything simple other than that." Swarnima replied putting a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Huh!! Your choice!! BORING!! I will have a double cheeseburger and I don't share my food." Abhedya told her in a child-like tone.

Swarnima gave him thumbs up. Their order arrived and they sat in the car.
Swarnima started munching her toast as soon as she got it.

"Easy!! What's the hurry?!! I am at your service for the whole day, take your time 'princess'!!" Abhedya found it amusing to see Swarnima hogging her food.

"I am famished!! Can't wait any longer..." Swarnima informed him.

Abhedya turned to her and asked, "you didn't have anything since morning?"

"No!! Before the pooja I can't eat." Swarnima answered with food in her mouth.

"Then why didn't you eat anything after that?" Abhedya asked her in a little concerned tone.

"I was about to ask you to get something in the morning but you cut the phone and then I started to play and forgot." Swarnima was busy eating while replying.

Abhedya held her hand and said, "I was angry okay... fuck!! I still am angry... very very very angry with you... and trust me this anger will not vanish anytime soon or maybe anytime ever.
And if I had cut your phone, couldn't you call me again? Such high ego you have? Of course !! YOU ARE A PRINCESS after all.. we are just commoners... you should have ordered me. There wasn't any need to starve."

"It's hurting..."Swarnima said in a low voice pointing at her hand which Abhedya held tightly.

Abhedya left her hand immediately and shut his eyes tight. He again held her hand, this time softly and asked her, "what was the need to become a hero? Why did you take the attack on me? Are you some superwoman who can stop anyone and take an attack and not get hurt... now look you had such a deep cut. From when have injections become your friend!? As far as I remember you always came running and hide behind me on all your vaccination days."

Swarnima was just looking at Abhey and his non-stop rant.
"Stop staring and answer me damm it!!" Abhedya shouted.

"Please don't shout!"Swarnima covered up her ears.

"Now my speaking looks like shouting to you... fine!! I won't speak to you..." Abhedya was furious.

He reversed the car and drove away from there. He increased the volume of the radio which played the song...' memories by maroon 5'.

Swarnima lowered the volume of the radio when the song finished and said, "I knew you are angry... very very very angry. Reasons understandable and justified. I didn't call you again because I thought I would eat at Gharonda but that didn't happen today. Trust me I don't think I am any superwomen and what I did was just an act of reflex which I am sure you would have done too if you were in my place. I still hate injections but can take them now."

Abhedya didn't say anything. Swarnima took his burger forwarded in front of him to eat when instead of taking the burger in his hand Abhedya opened his mouth which was an indication that she should feed him.

Swarnima has butterflies in her stomach. How is she going to feed him when her hands are all shaking due to nervousness. But inhaling a deep breath she took the burger to his mouth and he ate. He loved eating from her hand and the satisfaction he got from eating his food from her hand was beyond measures. When he finished his burger she forwarded him a tissue to wipe his face but he took her dupatta and wiped his face.

Swarnima was loving these cute antics of her ABY when he remarked, "wow!! You will surely become an excellent ruler. You don't deny anybody anything, right? Like, feeding the needy with your hands, letting them use your crisp white dupatta to wipe their sauce smudged face... taking 'calculative' risks that won't harm you and prove what a selfless person you are. What an act Swarnima!! You will get the throne!! Continue with the act."

Swarnima couldn't believe her ears. One moment she thought he might forgive her and they could at least try and be friends again but what Abhedya just said was unreasonable and unbelievable. Yet she chose not to respond because she knew it will be no use taming and explaining the angry bull.

She just kept quiet and watched the road ahead.
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"No!! I want everything perfect.
Dad the pink streamers have to be there and the white ones there.
Chachu, the cake has to be a chocolate cake with pink frosting.
ARYAaaaaaaa... don't touch those balloons. MAAN please control him.
Masi, you have ordered pizza?
Bhuiii please can you arrange the music?
What else is left? uh huh!! How could I forget... her present... mom where is the 'birthday barbie' we bought? I have to add my card to it."

"Abhey!! relax beta...everything is done," his mother requested him..

"How can I relax? It's my SONA's birthday. Everything has to be perfect. Good boyfriends ensure that their 'girl' gets the best.!" Abhey asserted in honesty.

"SHE IS NOT YOUR GIRLFRIEND ABHEY!! How many times do I need to tell you?" Rudra scolded Abhey in a firm tone.

"SHE IS MY 'GIRL'. She BELONGS TO ME! How many times do I need to tell you?" Abhedya answered back.

"Abhey you and she are quite young to make these relations beta, you can be just good friends now, with the time you will realise what you and she feel for each other. You see, you may find someone, she may like someone..."
Nandini was explaining Abhedya when he roared...

"NO!! That will never happen okay!! She is mine and I am hers..." declaring that he left and sat grumpily in his room. Swarnima came with a bar of chocolate in her hand and said, "it's my birthday and my best friend is sitting all grumpy and messy... get up and get dressed."

"I am sorry Sona. But mom says we are just good friends and it is possible that we may or may not be like 'this' in future." Abhedya said in a teary voice.

Swarnima side hugged him and confirmed, "I Swarnima declare that till I live, you 'ABHEDYA' will be mine and I shall be yours forever. Now smile please and let's seal the deal with this chocolate."
Both kids fed each other chocolate and were smiling and laughing...
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"Get up madam!! We have reached your house." Abhedya broke Swarnima's sweet dream. She looked at him in astonishment since she could still not register how her 'little sweetheart' grew up in a few minutes.

"Get out of your dreams! This is reality and this is what it is going to be." Abhedya brought her out of her reverie completely. He knew by the look what she must be dreaming of.

"Sorry. I will take a note of it." Swarnima got down and went straight to her apartment without waiting for Abhedya.

Abhedya kept justifying his actions and comments. He just wanted her to react because he was clueless.

"I am going out to the mall,  need a change," Abhedya shouted from behind.
Swarnima didn't look back and nodded her head.

She disappeared from his sight. Abhedya also left for the mall. He wanted to buy something to change. He can't just roam around in the pyjamas and t-shirt. He quickly grabbed a t-shirt and jeans from the first showroom he saw and went to Swarnima's apartment.

He rang the bell twice when Swarnima opened the door. "What took the princess for so long?" Asked Abhedya as soon as he entered.

Swarnima rubbed her temples and said, "sorry."

Abhedya threw his clothes in one corner and grabbed Swarnima's hand. He dragged her to the sofa and made her sit. He sat in front of her and commanded, "now start. My head is going to blast... please Nim. Tell me everything and truth.
Why did you hide away for so long?
Why did you not tell me when you came here?
Is your claiming the throne so important?
Don't you trust me enough that I would hide you, protect you from any god damm danger?
Answer me NOW!!"

Swarnima knew she had to answer him and he did deserve all explanations so she started, "when your's and bhui's family left for the trip after... you know... papa and chachu argued... the ruler of Rajatbhoomi... 'DUSHYANT SINGH' came to know that the future heir to the throne of Swarnbhoomi was alive. Papa, chachu and bhui lived in Seattle since they were young because they chose not to rule so grandma remained the queen but after her, the heir must claim the throne.
Dushyant Singh knew if he killed the heir to the throne he can claim the right to rule Swarnbhoomi as he would be the only living survivor of the royal family. On my eighth birthday, he came and attacked us. Papa and Mumma died in the attack but the Queen... grandma, came and saved Dheya and me and struck a deal that if he left us alone she would clear all debts Rajatbhoomi owes us. The greedy king agreed and left us.
But after the deal was signed he kept attacking us and grandma and I kept hiding. Dheya was small and could not see the attack and his brain stopped functioning. He grew physically but mentally he is still 4year old. There are other deformities too and chances are that he may not survive long. He currently is in a rehabilitation centre undergoing various treatments. Our house was burnt down so that everyone thinks the house caught fire and we died.
I grew up under grandma's guidance and was homeschooled by the best teachers via videos and sometimes they paid visit due to the powerful queen's influence. The only subjects, however, I was taught was subjects that would help me become a computer engineer since that was my father's profession. I know absolutely nothing about literature but my speaking skills have been polished. The only history I know is about Swarnbhoomi. The other subjects were not necessary I was told.
So basically my taking admission to the college is just a cover-up, as I can pass the exams of all semesters without studying. From the age of eleven, I have been taught this only, for eight hours a day for ten months without a break.
I am a trained boxer, a black belt in kung fu, mixed Marshall arts and the tactics which you know... I know them too. You did have your suspicions after the college incident, chachu told me. I always was inclined towards singing, dancing and art. So for two months in a year, I was allowed and taught various dance forms, music and instruments and art forms too.
I was not allowed to talk to anyone on the pretext of safety issues. Even when chachu came to take me, grandma told him if he wanted the welfare of the state and wanted to see me alive he should stop the argument of taking me with him. He had no choice but to surrender. But when grandma died, I came here.
Everything was new. I had never seen so many people but now I was among them. I wanted to come to you on the day I set my foot in Swarnbhoomi. It had been 9 years I had seen you. But I have strict mandates to follow... only if you recognised me without me giving you any hints I could meet you as the SWARNIMA you knew. But you didn't recognise. How could you? After all, it's only in movies and television shows that people from the dead return. So I kept quiet and waited."

Swarnima completed her story. Abhedya who was listening to her quietly did not react or move from his place. After a couple of minutes, he drank water and said... " I am sorry about chachu and masi and about what happened to Dheya. He was innocent and should not suffer like this." Abhedya loved Swarnima's family like his own. He had cried for years, day and night for his beloved chachu, masi, Dheya and his 'Sona'.

He continued, "YOU, I understand have developed a lot of skills and devoted your life in learning to become the perfect ruler of our state... congratulations on that.
You suggested that it's only illusional that people from the dead come back...
(grabbing Swarnima from her arms Abhedya shouted)
THEN HOW COULD YOU AGREE THAT IF I RECOGNISED YOU as the old SWARNIMA you would meet me as SWARNIMA I KNEW. Last I saw you, you were EIGHT, a small girl, next I meet you, you are EIGHTEEN. Ten years!! People change!! And you my dear have changed to a completely different person...How on earth could I recognise you."
(jerking Swarnima away he said)
"You are the law. And what mandates are you talking about? The Swarnima I knew would break all boundaries to come to me and you were in front of me for three years and you choose to ignore me? NO!! I DO NOT  KNOW YOU!! NEITHER DO I WANT TO KNOW YOU. Get that!" Abhedya vented all his anger now and breathed out.

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Dear Readers
You might find Abhedya's behaviour unjustified and unreasonable. He seems to lack empathy. But, the girl he loved returned and did not acknowledge him for three years. It was hard for him to digest that.
But time heals all wounds.
Stay hooked
Lots of love!