Anvesha:

I stood there stunned. I watched him walk away, with a woman by his side. The woman clearly appeared to be Alexander's mother, with the way her smile matched his.

She was walking with slow, calculating steps away from the market with her hand linked with Alexander's. Her eyes were grey and her yellow coloured hair was pulled in a neat braid at the back of her head. Here face had a few lines, but nothing could take away the fact that this woman was filled with beauty.

I know he had seen me. And I know my father has seen me stare at him too.

"Who was that man, Avi?" My father asked me with slight curiosity.

I didn't know how to answer his question. Maybe...Papa, he was just a British man who I slapped and unfortunately let him enter my life. And guess what father? I feel a tingle in my belly whenever I see him. And father, this tingle has a name too. But I'm too afraid to give it that name because I don't want it to be true.

But I didn't want to die yet.

"I...uh, he was the British man I slapped." I said, concealing my shock and the other feeling.

My father's eyes widened and he looked at Alexander's retreating figure. And then suddenly, my father started laughing.

I looked at my father, confused. "What happened, Papa?"

My father shook his head and said, "It's just that, the man doesn't even look like a man yet. He looks like a little boy."

And then my eyes widened more now, with astonishment. "Yes...he is a childishly arrogant man." Who was I lying, I was starting to actually like his childish behavior.

...what?

I shook my head in vexation and then sat in the car beside my father.

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I was sitting in the forest behind my house. It was quite and peaceful. The sky was grey and I knew it would rain any time. I don't know why, but I was beginning to love this weather slowly.

I smelled the damp earth and it soothed my aching head. It was too quite in the forest, with just the sound of the flowing water in the stream.

I remembered the day I met Alexander here, and my face mouth lifted up in a smile. He had been so cold to me then, and I couldn't say that I wasn't the same with him. But I knew that now, things had changed between us. And I don't think it was good for either of us.

I shook my head as I didn't want to immerse myself with thoughts that made me slightly sad. I picked up my book and was about to start reading, when I suddenly heard voices from behind the trees.

"--you're here, acting like nothing happened!" It was a man's voice and the words spoken by him were layered by British accent. This man, whoever he was, had strained voice and so, appeared pretty angry.

My eyes widened because I think I had heard his voice somewhere before, not sure where.

Then, a frustrated voice of a woman shouted with the same ferocity to him. "Do you think we are going somewhere with this?!" The woman was clearly crying, as her words were chocked up.

It was wrong of me to eavesdrop on their argument like that, but what could I possibly do? I was frozen to the spot and the voices were nearing me slowly.

The man's voice softened. "I want to be with you." He said, and I stood up slowly.

They were probably standing somewhere in the trees behind mine, and I wanted to run away from here but there was only one route to my home, and it was from where they both stood.

I shut my eyes and waited for these two lovers to leave this place. It was quite for a while until I heard noises. I could hear ragged breathing and soft throaty noises from the woman...until I realized what they were doing.

I was suddenly very nauseous and the food in my stomach was urging me to throw it out. I was so disgusted that I wanted to jump in the water and drown myself in the it.

These British people!

I stuffed a fist in my mouth, preventing myself to vomit all over the floor.

Then suddenly, I heard the girl grunt and then the rustling of leaves, as if she had pushed the man.

I thanked the God because they had stopped doing what they were doing.

"How dare you Jordon!" The girl screamed. Jordon...why did this name sound so familiar to me? I searched my brain for any information about him, but come up with none.

The man let out a humourless laugh and said, "You weren't saying that when I was--I blocked my ears. I felt so nauseous and I was ready to jump over the stream and take the long route towards the main roads. And then to my home. But that would create a lot of noise, I thought begrudgingly.

And then I heard the girl shout again and I removed my hands from my ears. "How can we...we do that when I am supposed to be engaged to Alex a week from today!"

Silence. Dead silence was all I heard in the forest.

My heart hammered in my chest painfully. Jordon...yes, he was Alexander's friend.

I didn't hear the man shouting at the girl and I didn't hear them both leaving the forest.

All I heard was the pained voice of the girl again and again in my head. And it hurt.

It hurt a lot.

I picked my things up and left the forest. And then, it rained.

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Alexander:

I was shaking with anger. My hands were bunched into fists and for the millionth time in my life, I wanted to punch my father across his face.

My skin felt hot and my eyes were narrowed at the people I called "parents".

"When?" I asked with a strangely calm voice. But calm was the last thing I felt in my heart.

"We decided this long ago, son. Even before coming to India." My father chirped happily. His mouth was lifted into a bright smile which I wanted to wipe from his face. I hated this man so much.

I looked towards my mother, but stared at me with a blank look in her eyes. She knew. She knew everything and she was still hurting me.

Mother, you were always there for me. But why aren't you there when I need you the most.

"I do not want to marry her!" I growled loudly not keeping anything within.

They wanted me to marry Amelia... My childhood friend, the girl I thought of as my sister?! I felt disgusted.

A face flashed in my mind. It was smiling and it hurt me.

It hurt a lot.

My father's smile slipped away slowly. Good.

In two menacing strides, he was in front of me with his hands by his side, twitching. I knew he wanted to slap me or punch me. It was all he did. "How dare you raise your voice at me?" My father's voice gradually grew louder with each word.

"How dare you, father?" I shouted at him. I was shaking. The blood running through my veins was getting colder and colder. And so was I.

In a split second my mother was between us and saying things to time things down. But I could only glare at the cruel man's eyes.

My mother suddenly grabbed my face in both of her hands and urged me to look at her. Her grey eyes were dark and they only held one emotion- guilt.

"Son, come with me, please." She said in a pleading voice and then took my arm and led me out of my father's office. The man looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn't.

Monster. I spat at him.

As soon as we were out of the office, I took my arm away from my mother harshly and left her standing in the middle of the hallway. I could hear her calling out my name, but I didn't listen to her.

My head hurt too much.

So did my heart.

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