ARJUN POV

" 34 , 35 , 36... " I grunt squatting with weight on my shoulders. There was only one resort left for me to blow off all the heat and that is gym . I have been up since 5 , well I couldn't sleep properly after I had the best kiss of my life.

After I reach 50 I put down the weights and gulp down the whole energy drink . The sun is up and cars have started on the motorway. How long was I here ? I definitely won't feel anything now because of the adrenaline rush but my muscles are definitely going to be sore tomorrow.

But whatever helps right ? I take a shower and descend down the stairs for breakfast . Karn is sleeping on the table , he would have slept through the whole day but childhood habits never die . Mummy papa made sure we had breakfast at 9 in the morning sharp , no matter how late our night was .

" I don't want drool on my table " I drag back a chair and lay down , exhausted from the workout while I wait for my words to hit his brain .

" I am sorry, your home " He asks me incredulously.

" Now that I have your attention, the eggs and toast are getting cold and goopy " I use my fork to wave at his plate. Karn sits up straight and looks at me , deep .

" You don't stare while someone eats " I say cutting my eggs .

" What is wrong with you ? " His cheek lifts and he narrows his eyes which is the look of uncertainty .

" Me , Nothing. Why would you think that ? " I take my glass of fresh juice and take a sip .

" Ohhhhh. Why would I think that ? Let me wonder maybe it has something to do with the fact that Kiara came by last night and you hurt her " He inclines on the table towards me like a predator.

" I hurt her , I hurt her . What about the fact that she mocked me , stripped me of my own feelings " I snap pointing my index finger to my chest.

" Maybe she realized her fault , maybe she wanted to apologise oh I don't know maybe she wanted you back and fight for you and you knew it why she was there " Arjun points at me accusing .

" Maybe " I mumble . I knew why she was here . There was sadness and hurt which she masked but , her pretending to be all good and make me jealous by stating so many dates thus breaking my heart of what is left .

" Maybe ! This is all you got to say . " Karn looks at me as if I have grown two heads .

" What about the fact that she has so many dates ? " I snap suddenly at him . He is my brother, he should be on my side .

" I was always the brightest amongst us " He gives me a disapproving shake of head .

" What is her profession? " He asks me with a voice which sounds he is very very close to beat me . Solemnly low.

" A judge " I say stating the obvious.

" She goes to court , gives out dates for the next hearing . So many dates " He speaks through gritted teeth.

" Oh oh ohhh " My mouth opens and my eyes widen . Now what I did was utterly stupid and now that the realization dawns upon me I am embarrassed.

But, that does not change the reality that she declined me and never wanted to see my face .

" I was wrong there but she accepted that it would give her immense pleasure if I never show her my face again and that's what I am going to do " I state leaving no room for negotiations.

" She came Arjun that has to mean something " Karn says softly as he throws his hands open to make his point .

" It must have meant something but she is not ready to be with me " I whisper as a familiar ache takes over me . Her cries, whimper , hurt in her eyes .

She was hurting but so am I , what uncertain is us being together.

Kiara Singh is that woman who can make your heart go wild . She is an enchantress , one you could never forget or get over . She is sweet , warm , caring and most importantly what I was looking , my counterpart . I always dream of this one woman who was going be be mine . I will cherish her , worship her , love her every day in my life because you never know when is your last . I would wake up to this one woman beside me , one woman on my passenger seat , one woman wearing me Jersey, my whole life . This is what kiara Singh is , my whole life . Love happens when it is least expected and it happens within the first moment but if you are unfortunate you never realise it and worse it leaves you, giving you a dose of slow death. You die eveveday a little and then there would come a moment you will crumble. I was walking on the same way .

" I went to Kiara's place one day " That gets my attention.

" I had no idea what had gotten into you , you were like an animal on the field. I connected the dots " He is looking straight at me .

What had gotten into me ? This is easy . Kiara singh. Why was I an animal?

Well , I don't know . I was heartbroken, angry , disappointed more importantly broke . There was so much emotional uproar in me , I didn't want to lose another thing. I knew it for a fact that my game is going to change . I was not mentally or emotionally stable .

" She was not looking good . She was also affected and moreover guilty. This is not my place to tell you but she felt that she blindsided you . I won't tell you what we talked about because that is not my place. I did not choose sides because I can't imagine what you would have become if she was not around. What does not change is the fact that you are my brother, above anyone or anything else in my life . "

Karn racks his hand through his hair and starts eating .

" She was not ready " I tell him.

" She is now . You know it too . I made her come last night and well for personal entertainment I asked her to irritate you with being nonchalant ." He says pointing the fork at me . I knew it ! It has to do something with karn .

" I can't take another rejection and stake my heart again . If the first time did not kill me this time it would " I plant my head in my palms .

" Nurture a relationship between you and her, be friends with each other . You both are scared yet ready to be together . " He says in a big brother voice.

We are scared . We both had the same life . I let her go for her own happiness but I will win her back for us , our happiness . I can't let her live alone when I know there is no one for her . She made a small happy life with us and I would nurture her with happiness and family all her life .

" Given the look on your face looks like the answer is affirmative . You better be ready because she is coming home tonight . You can start by apologising for being an ass " Karn stands up and so do I .

" Ho.. how ? " I ask . She ran away last night.

" Last night when I dropped her , I persuaded her for coming here . She would come here after the court hours and I will drop her home " He starts to walk away .

" Like hell you will " I shout to his retreating back.

" Better make up " He says from the corridor .

" I fucking will " I thunder because he has gone to his room and I was angry at him .

There is no way in hell I would let this opportunity pass . I would make everything right tonight not like last night . Now that I have time to think I come to an understanding that I was a total douche last night . She came up to me with all her courage and what did I make out it ? Court dates as real dates an acted on impulse. It is the most embarrassing I must have done in my laugh even more embarrassing then the time my underpants flashed in between the match. Karn did succeed in his plan to infuriate me .

_____

" How do I look ? " I ask karn giving him a 360° view .

" Hmm..good " Then he goes back to his phone.

" Just good ? I dressed the fucking best . " I snap at him .

" Then why the hell do you need my opinion " He says calmly.

You know what gets me to lose my shit is karn acting calmly. I have a hurricane going on inside me and no way in hell I am dealing with that alone.

" Karn why are you being like this ? "I ask with a eerie calmness.

" Enjoy seeing your ass whipped, I am loving it " He throws his hands on the air dramatically.

" Oh I can see that . How is she coming? " I question as I walk around nervously.

" Why do you care ? " He asks way too innocently .

" Now that is a good question. How about you just get lost? " I say with equally sweet voice .

" Calm you nerves. Her friend is dropping her and then .... " He gives me a meaningful look.

"I will drop her home " I state not leaving any room for discussion.

" Okkkkk. May I ask you about your world class plan ? " He tilts his head and moves it forward to hear .

" The plan..umm...here it how it goes " My hands are in my front, plams facing upwords to accentuate my words which I deliberately spoke slowly because there is no plan whatsoever.

Karn reading me accurately and trying to make fun out of my misery settles back into the couch , hands on the back of the couch , legs crossed and an infuraiting smirk plastered on his face .

" Do tell ? " He asks to mock me .

" I will talk. Yes talk and talk , lots of it . I would persuade her to be on speaking terms again... we would take it slow and then my ultimate goal ... marry her . Yeah that's like my whole life planning right there " I nod my head and plant my hands on my waist .

There is no doubt in my mind or heart that there is no woman other than kiara I would get into a wedlock , its out of question. The main area of concern is that I do not know what am I supposed to do in present to make my future blissful.

" That my brother sounds like a plan " Karn smiles widely at me .

" There seems to a tiny problem " I say twitching my eye and looking upwards.

" The problem does not seem tiny to me . " He shakes his head and make a tch tch sound.

" I am determined to convince her but ... " I trail .

The night , how it went , still hangs in the air . I am compassionate about my future with her but we need to talk whatever happened then . Well I guess she does more than me . The hurt , guilt and love shone in her eyes but what will she say , how the talk is going to go down ?

" Arjun , you would get what is due for you . She is a sensible human with regard to emotions of others , she would say what to deserve to hear because that is what a fair relationship is ! One simply cannot go around hurting each other and simply have an upper hand for no reason whatsoever. She hurt you and she would surely give you what you deserve because you were hurt and an apology is what you would get . Make sure you do your part as well , make up for last night because you both hurt the other . It is imperative to climb the ladder together. "

No words are as true as this . Karn Sharma is surely turning into a philosopher . What's next? He would write his own book .

A shudder goes down my spine just bt imagining it . All the shit he would write down well except for the part he just said .

" I ...am impressed." My brows shot up .

" About time you said that " He nods his head in acceptance.

A honking car gets out attention and I get into an alert mode . I look at the gate then at karn then back at karn and run to the door . Passing the main door to the home , I walk through the passage surrounded by the greenery on either sides to the main iron gate guarded by my security team . I can see through the gaps of the iron gate a car . Not a big deal right . I mean its just a car . Kiara is standing showing her back to me in front of a car , just a car. Look what else I saw with a car , a man .

Do I hear some laughter? Ohh look at them hugging . I stand still waiting for her to enter . The guard stops her and she looks nervous for a second then she shuffles through her bag looking for her phone maybe . My gatekeeper looks at me and I nod to let her through because if we wait for the time she finds her phone in that departmental store , the whole night would pass . Her face contours into a confused expression as the side gate for people to enter opens . She walks in cautiously taking in the surrounding, first time she visited when the night had fallen . Her mouth opens a bit as she takes in the structure in front of her , eyes sliding slowly and slowly downwards and then lands on me .

" Wow " Her mouth opens into a bigger 'O' shape as she whispers harshly and loud enough for me to hear . A try hard to hide my mirth to her reaction . Atleast dressing up for her did get me something.

" Your welcome. I must say definitely not the reaction I was expecting " I place my hand on my heart to show the flattery.

" umm.. hmm... the architecture is marvelous . You should be used to this .. I mean " She moves her hand along the length of the structure . She composed herself at a lightning speed much to my dismay . There are very rare moments when she is flustered.

" I take that there are no complaints coming in for the host of the night " I ask her and take a step forward. Kiara looks at me walking ahead and helds her head high .

" Why would I do that to Karn? I am sure he is a great host , last nightt... lastt " She looks down and adjusts her bag on her shoulder.

" What happened last night? " I take one more step forward. She is not going to ignore what happened, I won't let her ! Almost 2 months of madness but a mere second of her sleeping peacefully in my bed took away all my fatigue , anger and filled me with warmth and hope for the future I dream with her .

" Good question.. well ...umm . " She looks up for a second and nods .

" I want a good answer too . Don't you think its fair " I take another step decreasing the space .

" I wanted to talk " She says adjusting her glasses .

" We did talk but got engaged in other activity soon " A smile breaks on my lips as I watch as amusingly. Her face goes red and she does not even look up .

" Do you think its hot ? " I ask to tease her . She looks up at me confused at the sudden change .

" The weather is so pleasant " She replies looking at me as to figure out where I am going with this .

" Then why does your face carry a hit of red " I take few more steps to stop at an arm's length .

" I am not red.. must be the weather " She taps her cheeks .

" Look at me kiara " I can see her taking a long breath in . She closes her eyes for seconds and then looks at me .

Her eyes are a mayrid of emotions.

" We... "

" No ! I should be the one talking..not you " She cuts me off and bites her lips looking at me deep in the eyes .

I move my hand to release her lips from the torcher . Its safe to say to save myself too .

" Don't do that " I whisper and she nods.

" I have something very important of your's " Stating the obvious.

" I know " I nod in affirmation.

She drags the bag off her shoulder , opens the handles wide and puts it forward . Gesturing by the flick of her chin to hold me to hold them . Many questions run through my mind as I take hold of them .

Kiara takes no time to bend down to rummage through her bag which is heavy, no shock there .

" I don't think you will find it in here.." I say to her but she keeps on going .

" It's in there . I kept it " She says .

Ok . Now I am worried. I guess its safe to say that we are talking about two different things because I can feel my heart inside and the fact that I am alive .

" There " She takes out small bubble wrap.

" Ohh ... not the thing I had in my mind but I gladly accept it . They are stress reliever , very thoughtful " I smile .

"Its your phone " She looks at me as if I lost my mind . Taking hold of the bag again she shakes her hand for me to take it .

" You left it in the hotel " Ohh ! This piece of crap that started everything thing .

" Why do you still have it ? And why the bubble wrap ? " I ask taking it , looking at it closely wondering to throw it in the Yamuna ( river passing through the city) .

" What do you mean by that ? Its a phone, its obvious you left that behind by mistake. And that looks expensive so I kept it safe . I did not want to reimburse so much money " She looks at me that surely I am out of my mind .

" I would never take a penny from you"

I state adamantly.

" If I broke it I would give you money . If you disagree, I would have made sure you take it " She says in a determined tone with her face held high . A laugh leaks out of me because I can imagine her doing so .

" I have something else to say " Kiara adjusts her glasses once more and looks around. Keeping the phone in a pocket I take a step forward so our feet are touching , a gap of few centimetres between us .

" I do too . " I bend my head a little to look at her face properly .

" I'll go first " Her lips tremble and eyes start to turn glossy . Lifting my hand , I run my fingers through her hair to calm her down. I repeat the motion few more times until she speaks.

" When you left , you know it is wrong to say that you left because I made you do so. I cried the moment you walked through the door . I felt betrayed, angry and disappointed in myself to trust someone so easily and dared to fall in love . " Tears starts to flow down her cheeks as my heart pinches in my heart . I can never see this woman cry !

Holding her face in between my hands , I wipe off the tears using my thumbs.

" Them your phone alerted me of its presence . I looked at the screen to find some more messages from the same man apologising . I never felt that low in my life and I am sure I never would. I bloted your character as unethical , immoral and all the words I called you .

But , there was a relief that .. that I was not wrong about you . Imagining what it would have felt to be in your place was the hardest thing to do , letting you go away ; my biggest mistake. I was so blind on rage that I did not wait for you to explain yourself. I am so bad that I forgot all the hardships you had to through but always concentrated on my own . We are so alike , same issues yet I chose to close my eyes on you . Arjun , I am so sorry so so sorry .. " By the last words she holds my hand placed in either side of her face and shakes her head at me .

" Don't cry baby . You are breaking my heart, I can't look at you like this " My voice is hoarse. Kiara lets her head down as she cries continuously.

I take off the glasses off her face and hand it on the front of my shirt. I comb her hair using my fingers away from her face .

" I am sorry for the crass behaviour last night. I was not in the right state of mind, that is not the way to behave. We hurt each other in some or the other way . You know what matters in the end ? The acceptance. Kiara , I am ready to fight the battle to be with you . I wany the whole you , I love you so damn much that I am ready to wait for you all my life . Give me your trust and I am never letting you go again ever! " My voice waivers as I say this . I plant a soft kiss on her head then bringing it forward to rest on my chest . Wrapping my arms around her , I fell complete .