~Sanvi's POV~
After handwashing Rishabh's clothes and using the blow dryer to dry them up, I finally allowed my body to get drenched by the warm droplets of the shower. I felt the anger melt away as the water washed off the remaining fatigue of last night. I closed my eyes, lathering my body with soap and the accident kiss clouded my memories once again.
It would be a terrible lie if I said I didn't like the intimacy I shared with Rishabh last night. I was shocked at my own take on the matter.
But that jerk had to go out of the way to destroy that feeling by literally forgetting that he had caged me in his bathroom for hours. On the top of that, he had the audacity to scream out that I was naked under his dress at that time of the night right in the middle of his neighbourhood!
Also, why was I even thinking about that right then?
But what was up with that dubious peck on my cheek outside? That snarky little piece of shit mocked me for crashing his party by thanking and kissing me?
Rishabh Rathore wasn't a guy known for his playfulness. He had always been reserved in his haughtiness around the school. Except for when he hung out with his friends, Dhruv and a few others. To this day, I couldn't decipher how a decent guy like Dhruv could be that jerk's best friend.
I turned off the shower's knob and draped the bathrobe around my nude frame. That is when it struck me.
He must have realised I was naked under his clothes when he had pulled that stupid prank on his balcony. I was basically pasted to his frame when he had pulled me up against the wall.
Argh.
I scrunched my nose up when I saw my face reddening in the mirror. Why on the earth was I blushing at that thought? The guy was a pervert!
Then why did you feel butterflies in your stomach whenever he came near you last night?
*Have you ever felt that before when you came across him all these years? What did the kiss change between you two? Are you still sworn enemies? Can you handle being close to him in school? How will you avoid him for the rest of the year?*
*With the championship at the corner, you're bound to lock horns with that genius haughty brat at least once. What if you show that you're being affected by him? What if he plays with your sudden change towards him?*
I found myself thinking about Rishabh throughout the time I performed my morning routine. I was brought out of my daze by my mother's call from downstairs.
"Coming..." I almost hopped towards her bag, and managed to pack it according to the routine of the day.
That is when I noticed my time table.
"Oh no."
"Why on the earth do these school authorites have physical education classes and that too COMBINED?" It was just the beginning of the day and I was already frustrated.
As my mom's voice rose, I grabbed the bag, stuffed Rishabh's clothes into it and stormed off downstairs.
***********
"Mom... Did he return in the morning?" I sat on the dining table, looking out at the disheveled living room. Cushions were lying here and there, Mom's treasured glass vase was scattered in front of the TV table, the daily newspaper was sprawled across the living room. The storm had just passed right before I came down.
"Who else would do this, doll?" I could feel Mom's voice crack while serving me breakfast.
I sighed.
That had been a regular scene to come down to for me since I hit puberty. Waking up in the morning, coming down to see mom and that man screaming and insulting each other which sometimes even lead to physical altercations. If I meddled into one, I was barred from going to school or perhaps be too mentally drained to attend the classes.
Not a day went by when I wasn't reminded of my old neighbour's comment that love marriages didn't have clashes and were more successful than those arranged by blind dates. I chuckled bitterly at the irony. My parents were a living instance to debunk that myth.
Everything was fine. I had a healthy joyful childhood, with my mom and dad madly in love with each other. They adored their only daughter. I was one heck of a pampered kid. Lovely life, lovely parents! Then where did it go wrong?
I was fourteen years old when the first clash came down between my parents. My Mom had always wanted to work. She wanted to give her best in everything she did. She nurtured her kid with utmost love and worked hard with dedication. She barely left any stones unturned in pampering her husband and daughter.
One day, out of nowhere, my father asked her to drop her job and take the part of being a housewife. According to him, she was neglecting her marital responsibilities due to her work.
Mom refused to leave her job, leading the family to fall apart with time. My father started spending more time in his law firm, returning late at night or even in the mornings. He was sucked into the vortex of mental deterioration when he had to take up the case of a monster,— defending a murderer who killed his own family. Mom, while she tried doing her best supporting him all throughout the process, the trauma that the case caused my Father was an enormous one.
From then on, whenever he returned home, he only came to snatch away our peace of mind.
These morning fights had become regular occurences for me. At times, it grew so much that Mom even tried to divorce my father, but couldn't go through with the process. Her daughter's face reminded her that she, being an innocent soul, deserved both her mom and dad's love.
I still hated to think that I might be the only reason for her misery. And I was too much of a coward to share her sorrow.
All I did know was how to scram into that little apartment of mine and worry for her well-being the entire day.
I was really selfish, wasn't I?
I could sense the gloomy state of my mother's mind as a kid, and at times, I would weep alone, sitting in a lone corner of my room in that miserable house when they fought crazily downstairs.
The situation at my home, made me fall apart from the social ties of school. I isolated myself. Scooped myself up in a hard shell. All I learnt from this was that showing your weakness to people was never a good thing. They're bound to play with it at the whip of a chance.
I quickly gobbled up my toast before any of those thoughts could jumble my mind anymore.
"Will you be returning home today?" This question haunted me every morning eversince the day I walked out. It did more so because I had to stand back and look at her miserable face.
"No.." I was truly heartless, wasn't I?
I gently kissed my Mother goodbye for the day and ran out of the house without looking back.
I was working towards a better future for both of us and I knew I had to endure a little more of that torturous gaze. Mom made her choice and I was free to make mine.
My weaknesses should only remain within myself. And I knew I would only be endangering myself if I ever put myself in that position.
***********
To Be Continued.