Anvesha:

I stared at the wall blankly, coaxing myself to come out of the gloom I've created around myself. Why had the woman's statement affect me this much? It's not like anything was possible either way for me.

I felt foolish for emerging myself in unrealistic fantasies. This is what happens when you loose touch with reality. And I had brought this sadness upon myself.

My eyes started to water again, and again I harshly rubbed them to get rid of the weakness. No, this is not me. I'm Anvesha Anand, the woman who is strong and does not cry because of others.

But I was decieving my heart. Because it was the only place in my body, which ached because of a man who did not lo-- share my feelings.

My eyes widened suddenly. I-I admitted it.

I suddenly got up from the veranda and walked towards the kitchen in a hurry. I filled a glass with water and then instead of drinking it, threw it on my face. I felt like I was doing a treachery. No, I couldn't have romantic feelings for a British man! This was wrong, so wrong!

It was wrong in every way! First and the most important of all, he was a British. He belonged to the people who took away everything from my country. Second, I am not supposed to feel for someone like that! I have no intentions of being romantically involved with someone before I get married. Third, it wasn't acceptable anyway and I didn't want to hurt my own father.

Fourth, he doesn't even think of me as a friend probably, so thinking about me in a romantic way was impossible.

And this realization hit hard. My chest ached again and my heart rapidly beat like someone was chasing of with a dagger. Or rather, someone had already pierced it with a dagger.

I wiped my face and walked towards my room. There was an oval mirror hung on the wall. And when I stared at it, I didn't see myself. Instead, I saw a woman with red eyes and moist cheeks. With dishevelled hair and wet sari.

And suddenly, tears were falling freely from my eyes and the ache from heart spread everywhere.

It was realization dawned on me that as much as I didn't want to accept that I felt love for Alexander, I was only lying to myself.

Because it was the truth.

❇❇❇

My father looked at me with worried eyes. He folded the newspaper in his hands and then turned his body towards me.

"Avi, what happensd Shona?" He asked me in a soft voice, just like he used to do when I was a child.

My throat choked with emotions, but I shook my head and told him that I wasn't feeling well. He accepted the lie and told me to go in my room and lie down. So I did that.

I ran a hand over Gayatri Devi's journal, given to me by him.

I suddenly felt very agitated with myself. What is wrong with me? I should not let this affect me. And I won't!

I took the journal and then placed it in the deepest corner of my almirah.

I took a deep breath as a sudden cold breeze entered the room. It made me shudder and I stuffed myself in the bed.

❇❇❇

I was ready for a new day. I tied the last knot in my hair and smiled to myself. I was wearing a blue sari and had a shawl draped over my upper body. It was cold outside.

Even though my eyes were red and slightly puffed, I assured myself that I was fine. Even though my heart seemed to think otherwise.

My father has left by the time I had the breakfast. I took my carry bag, locked the house and started to walk towards Bethune.

I didn't walk by King's because I knew there was a slight chance I would see him there. Instead, I paved through the tightly packed Calcutta market.

The smell of fish filled my nostrils and I instantly felt like vomiting. I walked faster from that place when I bumped into someone.

I felt like cursing because my carry bag slipped from my hand and felt into a puddle from last night's rains. I didn't look at the person, instead I bent and swiftly picked my bag from the puddle, but it was too late. It was already drenched with muddy water.

All my notes, books and wrtiting equipments inside the bag were damaged. With a deathly glare, I looked up to the person who was the reason of this.

Standing in a white dhoti and thick panjabi, and a shawl wrapped around his shoulders was none other than Rajeev Roy.

I let out an unladylike frustrated sigh and his eyes widened. The man didn't even have the audacity to apologized to me after what he had done.

"You just ruined everything in my bag." I said to him with a dangerously calm voice. Rajeev was not new to my temper anyway.

Rajeev Dev Roy could be considered handsome in the language of the woman in this area. He was an "eligible husband" and a properly mannered man. He could often be seen in western clothes, but to me it looked like as if he worshipped the British and wanted to be like them.With dark brown eyes and jet black hair pulled neatly away from his forehead, he looked like one of those men who owned thousand rupiah business. He didn't, his father did.

The man's mouth lifted in amusement, but I noticed that Rajeev didn't meet my eyes. He was a traitor after all. "I apologize Anvesha, I didn't know where I was going."

I looked at him with slightly wide eyes. At least he apologized.

"Then you should have known Rajeev. Now tell me, my hardwork of almost four months is now covered in heaps of mud and water. Will you rewrite them for me?" I was joking of course, but he didn't need to know that. I did have new sheets there and some writong equipments, but nothing much of important. I was secretly testing him. Wasn't his father the one who was intent on marrying me with him?

His face snapped towards me and for the first time, he met my eyes. He looked at loss of words and it didn't help that he opened and then closed his mouth like a fish gasping for air.

He suddenly smiled at me. "I would do that, but I do not study the same subjects as you."

Hm...intelligent answer.

And then I opened my mouth and asked him a question which surprised both me and him. "So, if my fathers marries me off to you, would you let me study? Would your family?"

I shuddered at the ridiculousness and suddeness of the question. I shut my eyes, and cursed myself in Begali, in my mind of course.

But then I gained the courage and opened my eyes to meet his. He was picking at the bag in his hands and not meeting my eyes.

"So you do know what our fathers' are planning." He started, his tone void of emotions.

I nodded and crossed my arms in front of me.

"I do not want to stay here. I want to leave and study abroad. And most probably, if I do get married to you, you would be coming with me of course. And then you would have to leave this place and your college behind." He met my eyes and something about them told me that all he was being sincere.

I stared at him. So he was just like me. He too had a dream of studying and be too wanted to complete it.

"I do not want to marry." I told him, looking away. If his father doesn't get the message, maybe be will.

Rajeev nodded his head, "I know." There was something in his tone, but I couldn't guess it. It seemed like dejection, but why would he feel that?

"Uh...so are you going to tell your father that?" I asked him slowly.

He look up at me and then again looked away, "Well, we were not supposed to meet...but, I will just tell him that I don't want to marry you."

A sudden happiness spread in my chest. It was warm and it flooded my body. Yesterday's sadness vanished when this happy feeling entered my mind.

Without saying a goodbye, I was about to leave when very softly, Rajeev said something. "If you go abroad with me, you can continue studying there." It was said in a mutter, like I wasn't supposed to hear it.

But I did.

I spun around and his eyes widened when he realized that I heard what he said.

"What?"

❇❇❇

A/N:-

Believe me, this is a cliffhanger.

:D

This actor will be playing Rajeev in this book.

Kartik Aryan as Rajeev Roy.