[ A L I N A ' S P O V ]"So this is Ria," I stated, settling on the bed and stared at the sleeping baby girl. "Wow. She's really small." Dhruv and Rahul chuckled. "I feel old.""True that," Rahul volunteered, grazing his knuckles along her small cheek. "I consider myself as a child.""Don't do that," Dhruv whined, slapping Rahul's hand from his daughter's cheeks. "I get I'm too young to be a father."Damn young, but I kept my words to myself and peered at the small fingers curled around my index finger. I had reached Delhi an hour ago, and instead of going home, I had guided the driver to take me to Dhruv's new apartment.Peering around his room, I sighed audibly.Dhruv. All alone here."How was your meet?" Dhruv enquired, shifting in his seat."Good." If kissing your ex-boyfriend in front of others could be considered good. If thinking about giving him another chance could be considered good. If being foolish could be considered good.Rahul arched his brows in suspicion. "How was m

[ A L I N A ' S P O V ]Words. Too many words. Too many sentences and yet my eyes couldn't concentrate and grasp any of it.Narrowing my eyes, I made myself comfortable with the book, leaned back and took a deep breath. Start again. Forcing myself, I tried to pay attention to the letters inscribed in the second para of the book and was reading through it when again, my concentration halted and I drifted off to some other part, some other nightmare.Why she did it? If she never loved me, she could've said it. Why couldn't she show her real face like Rishi had done? It would have been such a relief to see the reality than the lie hidden beneath it.Had I done something to offend her? Had I come off as a spoiled girl that she wanted to ruin me? Her words reeled back, her actions ran through. Again and again, she turned the blind eye, and again and again, I acted as if she was my mother.Was my love too false? At the back of my head, I knew the truth. Why couldn't I get a bad feeling f

"I hated them too." That brought my attention to him. "I despised them. Everyone acted as if it was fine when nothing was fine, but Alina, you know what I have learned? That faking everything is fine for a while makes it feel real." He placed his hand on top of mine. "I know everyone flaunts it, but we ignore them. I need you there with me. This is a first time I'm going and I wouldn't have gone if the host hadn't personally invited me. You're not a trophy girl. You have a personality of your own." He flicked my nose. "Remember those days when I was known as Alina Gupta's boyfriend? I still get. Just come. Trust me. I won't make you who you're not. As long my work would be done, we'll leave. It's just a party and we'll enjoy.""There will be strangers," I whispered."I will be there as I said. I won't leave your side like your parents. I won't flaunt you around by putting someone else down. I won't suffocate you. I won't let anyone suffocate you. And you'll be Alina, the same selfless

"Do you want something?" He asked, lightening the apartment. Shaking my head, I wondered my eyes around the apartment. Three months. I hadn't been here for three months. Automatically, my gaze swept to my room's door. My previous room.I didn't live here anymore.He lived alone.I lived alone.Friends didn't live together as couples.I shouldn't have agreed to come with him after the shooting academy, but it felt tiring to go back to my apartment and lay down to watch the boring ceilings, blaming myself for not doing something productive.Being with him at least divert my mind, but the impact of seeing what I had left three months ago was a blow to my gut.I had thought he would have sold it, taking he wasn't going to come back and I had given my key back to his mother when I had gone to his house during summer vacations.Good thing he didn't sell it. This apartment held too many moments of us.Kabir dropped the laptop bag on the couch. "You should start this." Nodding, I revealed the

[ A L I N A ' S P O V ]"Can we talk?"Kriti swirled her face to stare at me, the shock apparent visible there. For three weeks, we hadn't talked with each other even though I had shed off the anger. I couldn't carry the guts to go to her and apologize for my behavior on how I had acted with her for past few months.She had nothing to do with my life and past, and I had been venting out on her without caring how she must be feeling. I was back on the track of pushing people out of my life because I thought it was easier that way. Less people, less trouble.But I missed her.Nodding, she stood up from the chair and cocked her head to the door. Sparing a glance at Kabir from across the canteen, I followed her to the benches resting outside the canteen. Sitting next to each other, we avoided looking and stared at the floor.What should I say? How should I confess about the apology bubbling in my throat?Just go for it, Alina. Get over with this."I'm sorry," I said quickly, pulling my