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Sona acted like she didn't hear him as she shut the car door with a raucously loud bang, not even looking back once as she took heavy steps towards her house. She felt embarrassed and hurt but mostly angry at his audacity to tell her something like that. She was so sure that Abhay would not bring it up because he was mature enough, but clearly not being around him from the last few years, he had built such audacity! Oh! How she wanted to smack something!

"Sona!" he yelled over the rain.

She heard the door closing and his footsteps tumbling behind her but she walked forward with newly found speed in long strides. The air was cold, the rain touching her colder as she shivered. Why was her garden so huge? She suddenly hated it!

"Sona!" he easily caught up with her, grabbing her wrist that she immediately shook off. Swiftly turning around she almost twisted her ankle as she glared at the man with narrowed eyes.

"What?" her voice sounded poisonous. She had had enough of the Singh siblings! They were taking her for granted, weren't they? They didn't seem to understand her, did they? Firstly, Abhay Singh in his full glory stole her heart like the chor he always was and being the police she couldn't even catch it! And on the other hand, Tarni, she had eaten and thrown away her chances with Aksith.

Why were they dooming her love life? What did she do wrong?

She felt angry tears well up in her eyes as she pointed an accusing finger towards Abhay, in the rain he looked more melancholy as his dark eyes swirled with unsaid emotion Sona couldn't understand.

"Don't!" she pulled her arm down. "Just, don't."

"Sona. . . . ."

"Shut up!" she screamed into his face. "Just shut up, Abhay! Is it funny to bring that up? Are you trying me embarrass me? I thought you were smart enough to not say something like that to make me feel so. . . .so. . . ."

"Unwanted?" he filled her sentence in a wavering tone.

"Unwanted!" she agreed as raindrops fell on her face like tears. "Don't talk to me about it! We are grown ups now, aren't we? That—that childish things— we shouldn't talk about it."

Her confidence that had been injected with her angry, wavered a little as the whole situation was setting in. It was unfair if she let her boiled rage from Tarni burn Abhay. Even if they were siblings. He had nothing to do with that.

"I am not trying to embarrass you," he pursed his lips, looking away from her.

"I don't want your sorry!" she sounded horrified by that idea. Was he going to apologize to her for not sharing back her love she had given him years ago? No! No! No! She didn't want that. In fact she wanted nothing from him.

"Sona, I am n—"

"I don't want anything from you," she said, her brown eyes staring back into his. "Abhay, I don't want anything from you anymore."

His eyes changed, he almost looked hurt by her words. He opened his mouth to talk again but she angrily stomped on his feet. He winced, a small cry leaving his lips from the pain of her pointed heel.

"Sona—"

"I have pepper spray, okay?" she yelled, wiping the water off her face as dug into her bag, threateningly showing him her weapon. "If you ever dare talk about my poems again I will not do business with you."

Abhay's face changed, he bit on his lower lip. "That's your inhaler, Sona."

Sona snapped her neck towards her hand. Yes, it was her inhaler. She stuffed in back in her purse, her asthma was in control now but she still carried one just in case. She hadn't gotten any attacks since years. Her face coloured and she removed her pepper spray bottle instead, Abhay rose his arms up in surrender.

"I won't talk about it."

"Promise?" she put her finger on top of the nozzle.

"Promise," he sighed in defeat, still looking troubled as before.

"Sona! What are you doing? And Abhay! Come inside! It's raining cats and dogs and you decided to have tea party in front of the door!" her mother shouted from inside the house, her face peeking out of the half opened door.

Sona sighed, running her hand through her wet hair as she glanced at Abhay.

"Come in."

🦋🦋🦋

Come in? Come in? What the hell was wrong with her? Why would she ask him to come in when he stayed next door! It wasn't like he had to walk miles in the rain to reach his house or that his car wasn't parked just outside! He could've gone home and changed and then also stayed there. Why the hell was Abhay Singh sitting on her couch in her dad's clothes?

"Here, take, take," her mother served him a cut of tea happily.

Sona rolled her eyes.

"How are you? Are you feeling cold? Do you want to take some medicine?"

She rolled her eyes again with a scoff.

"So what did you think about what I said last time?"

Abhay chocked on his tea.

"Oh my! Are you okay? Do you want some water?" she rushed inside the kitchen. Sona openly glared at Abhay now, mouthing the words 'leave'.

"You are making him feel awkward Sindhu," her dad strolled into the living room, wearing almost identical pair of pyjamas as Abhay. Sona wanted to scream. What was happening? It was all because she had taken the elevator in the morning instead of the stairs to her office, god was punishing her miserably.

"How is the company going, Abhay?" her dad asked him kindly as he sat next to her.

"Good," he smiled as his gaze moved towards Sona. "All thanks to Sona."

"Oh! Is her book already a hit?" her dad chortled.

"Papa," she rubbed her forehead as she tried to cover her face with her palm, she didn't like his stare on her.

"We still are in the process of publishing it," he said, her dad's t-shirt was tight one him as it was evitable as he moved his arms. "Sona actually gave me a business idea and it's working pretty well."

Sona pushed her lower lip out, he was praising her but she didn't feel like being praised by him. All she wanted was to go to her room and listen to music as she fell asleep. She didn't want to think about Abhay or Tarni or Aksith or Tarni's supposed to-be-sex-god-doctor-husband. She just wanted to think about herself.

She just wanted to worry about herself now. About her book. About her future. About her career. It seemed Abhay had to be part of one of her worries.

"My Sona!" her dad slapped her on her back in appreciation and she winced. "Is that so? Why is she not the CEO, yet then?"

He was clearly joking but Abhay didn't think so, he spoke very solemnly. "I wouldn't mind."

Sona coughed loudly, her eyes widened. "He is just joking."

Why did he want to have another part in her worries? Her career.

Abhay smiled at her, seemingly pleased that she was looking at him now. "I would be so happy if you worked with me, Sona."

Her mouth fell open. Work with me. Not work for me. He said, work with me!

She really wanted to slap herself. When had Abhay gotten so good with words? "I don't know," she said instead as she stood up.

"I'll see what mom is doing," she hadn't even move a step when her mother came rushing in, a big medicine box in her hand.

Sona groaned. "Mom! Abhay is fine, he doesn't need—"

He sneezed.

"What are you worrying about? I am not making you take the medicine, na?" her mother barked at her as she popped a pill.

Sona glared at him, as if it was his fault. Seeing him smile and take the medicine from her mother as she passed him a glass of water lovingly, made her feel like he was her child and not her.

"So?" her mother settled herself beside him on the couch. "What do you say?"

Abhay gulped the water, his adam's apple bobbling, Sona didn't want to look at him but she couldn't help herself. His semi-wet hair slightly covering his forehead and his dark eyes were so unfair, so so unfair. She was reminded of her past self and that was enough for her to snap her eyes away from him.

He set the glass down without a noise, not lifting his head up. "I don't mind."

Her mother cheered. "That's good!"

Sona looked puzzled, her eyes met her dad's and he also shrugged his shoulder. She felt a little worried now, something her mom was doing that her dad didn't know? It only meant trouble.

"What are you talking about, mom?"

"Your marriage, of course!" she said good-naturally.

Sona furrowed her eyebrows, her brown eyes moving between her mother and then Abhay like some ping pong ball. "With him?!"

"Is that how you speak?" her mother chided, angry lines of her forehead. "Watch your tone."

Sona didn't realise her voice had come off rude, she didn't mean that at all when she spoke, even if she wanted to be rude to him in reality. Not in front of my parents, she told herself. She could be rude outdoors.

"Sorry," she mumbled, secretly rolling her eyes as she put her head down.

"As I was saying," her mother continued, the rain suddenly stopped and Sona wanted Abhay to run to his house. "I've been thinking you and Abhay could be a good match. It took quiet some effort for me to convince his mother, okay? Abhay said he will try spending more time with you, you both can get to know each other and then we can get you engaged. Marriage will take some time of course, but within two years it should be done."

Why was Abhay being part of her third worry too? Her future.

Sona's jaw dropped, she looked incredulously at her mother who ignored her. Why was her life already being planned without her permission? Why was her mom pushing her so much into getting her married to Abhay? As far as she remembered when they were kids her mother in fact, did treat her like her own child, then why was she treating Abhay like her son now? Did he do something? She looked at him with a complicated gaze.

He didn't look at her.

"What your mom is saying makes sense, Sona," her dad's word caused her a deep wound of betrayal.

She gave him a look, clearly accusing him of leaving her alone to fight this war. He was sitting beside her, why was he siding with the enemies then?

"You can just get to know him a little," he said. "Keep your options open. You have other guys in your life too, like that Aksith."

Sona's betrayed face turned amused. Was her dad openly asking her to 'cheat' on her suitor? She threw him a funny look.

But thinking about Aksith made her feel immense sadness. He still liked Tarni. Or loved her and he too, had some audacity to flirt with her instead. Was he flirting with her solely because he wanted some reaction from Tarni? Because he wanted to make her jealous? But she shook her head at those thoughts, she knew Aksith. He wasn't like that and they weren't kids anymore. Maybe that letter Tarni was talking about was just a childish thing he had done just like she had writing those poems,

She needed to talk to him but before, she needed to sort things out with Tarni, too. Even if they were 'fighting', she was worried about her.

"Umm," she didn't know what to say to her dad. Why would she say yes? It would be foolish to give someone a second chance who had thrown her heart away. The only reason for her yes would be to keep her parents happy because she knew her mother was an expert in making a 'no' into a 'yes'. It was better if she saved herself some mental peace.

"Umm, okay," she shrugged, as if it was no big deal. It wasn't like his name was going to be written on her hand tomorrow.

"I should be going," Abhay stood up too suddenly that Sona had a heartache, she put her hand on her chest and gave him a questioning look. He still wasn't looking at her and for some reason he looked more bothered than before.

"Sona, walk him till the door," her mom ordered.

She compiled, walking very slowly behind him with his wet clothes in a plastic cover. When they reached the door she passed it too him but he didn't take it.

"Take it," she jiggled the bag with his formals.

"Sona," he said her name so softly, like he was doing something that was forbidden. His fingers touched hers when he took the cover. "I wanted to say. . . . you are really talented."

She furrowed her eyebrows, not understanding what he was saying but then it clicked, He was talking about her poems. Well, indirectly. She pursed her lips at the loophole she had left when she threatened him.

"Thanks," her words were curt.

He looked like he wanted to say something but he just kept opening and closing his mouth.

"Bye!" she wanted to close the door at his face.

"Bye," he sighed out, a V forming in between his eyebrows.

"Also, wait!" she stopped him from turning around. "You wanted to know why I decided to publish them right?"

He didn't speak, just looked at her. And even the way he looked at her, Sona didn't understand. His dark eyes seemed to be layered and layered with so many emotions that he had suddenly become an Abhay she didn't know anymore.

"It's because I got over my one-sided love."

Also a small chp and i don't know what to feel about it?? Sona and Abhay have changed so much, it's like roles have been reversed.

Do you notice the character development??