Chapter 4

Vikram had gone to Kolkata and not a single text from him for two days. Also, she only knew he was in Kolkata through his I*******m. He couldn't even give her the courtesy of telling her.

Anxiety gnawed at her insides. Did he meet Nehra. Did they hug each other? Did they kiss and make up?

"Subha, why are you even worrying about him? From what I've seen and from what you've told me, he isn't worth it. You've got beauty. You've got brains. Why are you stuck with him when you can do so much better?"

Subhadra twirled the straw in her drink as she listened to Latha. She knew Latha was right.

"But Latha, I love him."

"Yes, I can understand that Subhadra, and I don't blame you. It's just that you deserve someone much better. Someone who's worthy of you. I mean if I wrote Aryan poems like you do for Vikram, he'd fly in the air and worship the land I walk on. Also, he wouldn't let me out of the bedroom."

"Latha!" Subhadra laughed. She had never been intimate with Vikram and had no intention of it either. She was saving herself for marriage. It was quite an old fashioned thought, but it was her sentiment and she didn't want to give it up for anyone except her future husband.

Vikram had asked her once, and she had told him the same thing. She wanted to save herself for marriage. He thought it was silly, but had let the topic go.

"I mean think about it this way. Nehra stopped communicating with him, so he started loving you. What if you stop communicating with him?"

"I don't know Latha." Subhadra sighed. She didn't know what to make of her love life anymore.

"Tell you what Subha. I know some friends of Aryan. They're single, cute and I know they can be loyal. I'll give you their I*******m accounts and you can choose who ever you want to text."

Subhadra doubted anyone would interest her right then, but she nodded, if only to appease Latha because she knew Latha would not let the matter go.

"That's my girl. Let's catch up later."

Subhadra got up to hug Latha and watched her walk away. She decided to text Vikram.

'Are you back in Hyderabad yet?'

Her phone began to ring with Vikram's name flashing across the screen. She immediately picked up. It was quite pathetic of her.

"Subhadra, where are you?"

She told him the name of the restaurant she was at and he told her that he would be there in ten minutes.

She sipped her lemonade as she waited for him to arrive. When she saw him walk through the door, a smile adorned her lips. When he reached her table, she got up and hugged him. She didn't care if anyone saw her. She had missed him and she wanted him to know.

He sat down and ordered a lemonade for himself as well.

"So...did you meet Nehra?"

"No." He said dejectedly, in a flat tone. He put a box on the table and urged her to open it.

She did and found a beautiful necklace inside. It was a thin gold chain with a blue stone as a pendant. It was the same necklace he had showed her. One day, he had asked shown her two necklaces and asked her which one was better. He told her it was for his Mom, but apparently it had been for Nehra. She wasn't in the mood to pick a fight with him.

"It's beautiful."

"It is and I never got to give it to her."

Her heart ached. Why was he buying jewellery for her and why was he toying with her heart?

"What a shame." She toyed with the pendant and closed the box. She didn't know what to think of him. She didn't know why she loved him. She didn't know what to say to him.

"Did you at least inform her that you were in Kolkata?"

Subhadra had told him once, long ago, to stop texting her and he had listened.

Vikram opened his phone and showed her his text to her. It was just a simple sentence stating that he was in Kolkata and he wanted to meet her.

"That text just resulted in her blocking me."

'You're a narcisstic asshole who never

replies on time. You don't value the

people who care so much about you.

If only you saw past your beloved Nehra, you would look at the world with a different perspective.'

God, Subhadra wanted to scream

these words at Vikram. It was always

Nehra this, Nehra that. She doubted

Nehra even loved Vikram, but he just

couldn't stop ranting about her.

Subhadra didn't know what she saw

in Vikram at this point. He didn't

give her any importance. He never

replied to her texts on time. Would

a two second reply kill him? He

always, always talked about Nehra,

who doesn't even live anywhere near.

They'd only met once and apparently

he had 'loved' her for six years.

He didn't want the Subhadra in front

of him, but he wanted the Nehra who

was nowhere even near him.

Subhadra leaned back in her seat and

stared at Vikram.

"I'll never be able to meet her now."

"So what Vikram? Clearly, she doesn't

love you the way you love her."

Subhadra knew the feeling well enough.

"If you love her so much, why are you

sitting here with me now?"

Subhadra stared at his long lashes. He

was the definition of pretty boy.

"Alright. I have to go." He stood up to

leave, but she got up as well.

"You can't leave everytime I ask you

something darling."

"I told you many times before. I. Don't.

Like. Being. Questioned."

"Ok, now sit back down."

Being calm and patient was the right

way to deal with Vikram. Being angry

would be like stone striking flint. It

would cause a fire.

"Why are you even with me when you

love someone else?"

"Why are you with me when you

know I love someone else?" He

countered.

"If you speak like that, I don't know what to say Vikram."

"You don't have to say anything."

"Fine." She said.

"Fine."