Sapna's pov 🥀

" What are you doing here?" Vikram enquired.

His voice carried a lot of anger, which I could tell when it reached my ear. And I was so terrified of what might happen if they fought right here that was the anxiety which overtook my thoughts. I don't want to be used as a reason for a fight between two men. But a part of me wishes Advit would protect me from him. Isn't it selfish to wage a war between two brothers?

It is selfish, indeed.

"Bro, I had been missing you a lot. We have not seen each other in a long time. So I came running when I heard you were here."

" Cut the crap." With an air of intimidation, he demanded.

"Oh, and I was trying to find someone too."

He questioned, "Who?"

Advit looked over to me. I released his arm, the one I was clinging to for my dear life. I forgot all the negative thoughts I had a while back when I saw his calm eyes, his smile, and his carefree and cheerful nature. He was truly blessed with a face that could heal even the most troubled souls. Indeed, he is God's favourite.

"Greetings, Meri Jaan, my Sapna."

My pupils widened.

"I have been searching everywhere for you; where were you?"

I took my time blinking. "I..." I tried to say but could not get anything out of my mouth. So I looked down at the ground because I had nothing to say in response. Maybe I was looking for an answer on the ground, hoping to come up with some ideas. But the ground had no ideas, leaving me devastated.

"Come, we need to get going quickly. Chachi asked me to go to the nearby market and buy her some medicine. But I don't know the way, so you will be my guide."

Then he looked at Vikram.

"I am taking Sapna away, sorry, Vikram."

Vikram's jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed. He remained silent even though it seemed like he wanted to say something.

I remained motionless, fixed in my spot. Just like this. Can I leave right now? So, just like this? I can finally get away just because of one person's intervention.

And that person was Advit Greval.

Why him?

" Sapna, let's go." He said. And I decided to follow him, with whatever strength I had left in my leg.

Then, as we were about to leave, he turned to face Vikram and said something.

" Waise, Sapna se dur rahio, teri hone Wali bhabhi hai."

( Hey dude! Stay away from Sapna, she's your soon- to-be sister-in-law."

" What?" Vikram and I both spoke at the same time, our eyes widened.

" Ahh, you and your pathetic jokes." Vikram commented.

Advit gave a full playback response."Bro, I saw her first, so she is mine, and I am not playing around."

"I am always serious, if it's about her." Advit said while glancing at me then turning to Vikram.

"We will see about that," he scoffed. He speak as if he's very confident that the victory will be his.

"Also, I think you should remember this, it's kind of important, very important, this morning I proposed to her and guess what? She said she would gladly run away with me if she was forced to marry someone other than me." Advit taunted him with a big smirk on his face.

I could see Vikram's eyes turning deadly from a distance. His eyes was the eyes of an animal who will attack his own brother if he goes against his wishes. Then, Vikram gave me a look so intense that it made my heart skip a beat and nearly sent me into a panic attack.

" Advit, let's go." I said as I walked out of the room. Advit followed me behind, and I heard him shout before leaving. I think he should stop bothering Vikram.  Vikram looks like a wild beast for one very bad reason. He gave off superiority complex. In my hundredth life, I have never gotten along with people who have an air of superiority complex, like the one he had. I can still feel his hands on my waist. The way he grabbed me disgusted me so much; his touch had tarnished not just my body but also my soul, leaving it dark and stained. My first thought was to cut the spot where he had left his fingerprints on my skin.

" If you don't believe, ask Yash. He is the sole witness to my marriage proposal and Sapna's acceptance of it, to the one and only Advit Greval." He screamed so loudly that my ancestors residing in heaven, hell, the stars, the clouds, and the sky must have heard it too.

Dear Ancestor, he's not your future son-in-law.

I looked up at him and raised an eyebrow.

" Opps!" He spoke and then placed his hands on his lips.

He smiled shyly at me, the kind of smile children have when they get caught being mischievous. The kind of smile that a kid would used to appeared as endearing as possible to get away from being pinished. And if someone as attractive as Advit exhibits such behavior, I am sure even the most cruel men alive on this earth will soften their hearts. How am I an exception? I am just a woman in body and a girl at heart.

I shot a look that said enough was enough to him.

Advit and I did not speak until we arrived in the parking lot. I was walking so fast that he trailed behind me like a lost puppy. My thoughts were still on Vikram; he seemed determined to marry me. What should I do?

And you know what's scariest when dealing with people? It's dealing with people who weild money and power at their will. They are the type of people who were at the top of the food chain.

And where was I at?

At the bottom of the food chain.

Advit reached out for a bike( motorcycle; In India it is mostly referred as bike). The famous bike in India, tadaa! The glorious "Royal Enfield"

Then Advit reached for his helmet as he had gotten on the bike, which he had already put on the helmet to his head, but he pulled it back as if he remembered something important. He  looked at me, gave me a sweet smile and mounted from the bike and moved in closer. I must have been mentally frozen by Vikram's actions some time ago because I did not back down to avoid Advit—instead, I stood my ground and did not move an inch.

I couldn't hear the sound of my heartbeat.

He placed the helmet on my head, and  adjusted the helmet to fit my head, encircling my face with the straps.

"We are set to go now."

"Where is yours?"

"Oh, that is the only one I have, and I gave it to you."

After hearing that I was undoing the helmet strap.

"Oi... kya Kar rahi ho yaar (what are you doing?)"

" No, I don't need. You take it back."

" Why?"

"Because you are the driver, and your safety is the top priority."

"How nice! You are worried about my safety, and I am worried about yours. We really cared about each other."

I narrowed my eyes, I wanted to say something sarcastic, but leave it. My time and energy are precious. He don't deserve any of it.

"What if we get in an accident?" I said.

"Hmm... I do not have to worry about it because I am not going to die, anyway. But you might die if you don't wear it. Unlike me, you are not God's favorite."

Then he whispered under his breath, "And who knows, if you died, you might haunt me forever, returning to my life as a vengeful spirit. Even the most powerful sadhus will be unable to drive your spirit away.

His imagination is wilder than those hopeless daydreamers.

Then he looked me in the eye and said, "I don't want to become a widower at such a young age."

" What do you mean by that?" I raised an eyebrow.

"I do not want to be a widower before I marry." He stated.

I looked at him in confusion.

"If you die, who will I marry? You will simply leave me behind, leaving your memories with me which will preventing me from moving on from your love." He pouted like an innocent child.

"Pata nahi, kaha kaha se utha leke aate ho aap yeh sab bakwas (I am not sure where you get all this nonsense from)," I said.

" Aapko meri haar baat bakwas lagti hai( You considered my every word to be bullshit)" He murmured under his breath.

I sighed and took a deep breath. As I glance up at the sky, I notice that the sun was almost set, almost noon. I did not agrue back; I just fulfilled his wishes. I just want to go to my room and relax because I am so tired from all the drama that happened today. My eyes are hardly open from the lack of quality sleep I had last night.

After that, we left.

The road was slick and muddy from the intense downpour that occurred last night. It was not too difficult to cross in the morning because we were in a car that was protected us from all dirts. But now that we were out in the open, the protective shield was no longer covering us, battering our bodies and clothes with dirt, the fact that we were riding a bike and the splatter of muds; getting on my saree was truly concerning. What will I tell the saree's owner, she will definitely want to hang me?

"Sapna, please hold on to me." He said it in a worried tone.

I hesitated for a moment, but when I saw the condition of the bumpy road, I mustered my courage and wrapped both of my arms around his waist. Who wants to fall off the bike? And the worst-case scenario is that I fall flat on my face in front of him. He will laughed at me till his stomach hurts.

As the ride became bumpier in some areas, my grip on him tightened.

" Sapna, please loosen up, you're trying to force out my liver out of my mouth." He yelled.

I loosened up quickly.

As I looked at the road ahead of us, I frowned because he took another turn that did not lead to the market. I am wondering where the hell it takes.

" Hey, this is not the way to the market. It is the wrong way."

" Is it? Who cares?Let us explore while we are at it."

" What the hell!"

"People are often afraid of the unknown path, but sometimes it leads us to something we never imagined." He yelled as he increased his speed.

" You are not going to kill me, right? I have seen those dramas where they take their victims into the deep forest and brutally kill or cut their throats as a sacrifice."

I paused for a moment before continuing, "You are not in a cult, right?"

He remained silent, and my eyes grew wider and more anxious with each passing moment.

"Say something; your silence is going to kill me."

He cleared his throat and asked, "How did you know?" He said in a quiet, calm voice.

My blood runs cold.

"I am getting off; stop the bike."

"Aren't you curious what kind of cult I am in?"

Curiosity, this damn bitch.

" What kind?"I asked

He responded with a wicked laugh. "The Love Cult."

I really wanted to smack him with a metal rod  on the head. I was paranoid because anything can happen these days; a dead body can be found in a fridge, cut into pieces. Anyone can be stabbed in the stomach and get murdered in broad daylight. And I have not known Advit long enough to guarantee that he had no sadistic intentions. Often people with pretty face like him is the cruelest evil.

He was still laughing; tears must have flowed from his eyes. I remained silent, feeling completely embarrassed. Just let him laugh, there will be a day as well when I will be laughing at him to my heart's content; till my tummy hurts. Then, after a few minutes, he came to a halt in an unknown location; the forest was dark, and all kinds of terrifying noises could be heard. I was getting shivers down my spine.

Why are we even here? Wasn't we supposed to buy medicine for Chachi? What's he upto? No one knows. Do you know?

Then, without saying anything to me, Advit started walking deep into the forest.

"Where are you going?" I shouted.

"Follow me."

" No."

He grinned. " OK."

" What?"

He did not seem bothered about leaving me alone in this dark and thick forest. Heartless Insaan( Human)! And hearing the strange noises of birds, animals, and insects, I knew I did not want to be left alone. So I made the decision to follow Advit. He continued to walk without looking back. We were now climbing a hill, and I felt my breath getting harder and harder until I gasped for air. It is quite difficult to walk while wearing a saree, so I was having extreme difficulty.

" Let's take a break." He spoke as he leaned against the wood. I walked up to him, my footsteps worn out by the walk.

" Are you going to keep me in the dark? Bataoge nahi aapke damag mei kya chal raha hai?(Will you tell me what is going on in your head?)"

" Be Patience, meri Jaan, Patience. Learn to be patient."

" Being patient is out of the context, when you seems to be untrustworthy."

" Do I look like a fraud to you?"

I nodded.

He gagged, looking at me with disappointment.

"Then let me give you some sound advice. Never, ever follow anyone you don't trust. You can go back, if you want. I am not forcing you."

I looked to the front, back, left, and right; I was surrounded by tall trees, and strange noises were eating away at my mind. He is intentionally taunting me because he knows exactly what kind of situation I am in. What a wicked man! He's friendly and Kind, my foot. He looks like the incarnation of a demon.

Demon with Angelic face.

We continued after taking a short break, but I was still having trouble walking.

" Hold my hand." I stared intently at his stretched hand in the air, waiting for my hand to fall into his. My mind tells me to grab it, but I have a strong reason not to hold his hand. While looking at his hand, I imagined my hand in his, and the discomfort of feeling another person's warmth and sensation on my skin causes me to break out in a cold sweat.

I shook my head, "It is okay; I can handle it."

He looked disappointed but said nothing. He then reached into his side pocket for a piece of cloth, a handkerchief. I was looking at him, curious about what he was going to do with it. He wrapped his handkerchief around his palm and a portion of his finger.

"Here, you can now hold my hand comfortably." He said it with a sweet smile of assurance.

" Without being disgusted." He added.

I was left speechless.

My thoughts were in turmoil.

*****************

Do you think Sapna will take his hand?

Read the next ch 😊 to find your answer.

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