The Vile.

Chapter : 33

Home

Present

Blood..all he can see is blood and all he can hear is an earth shattering cry. His hands are dripping with blood.

"Don't..please don't." The boy pleads but he is too furious to care.

"I have a family.. an old father.. a small sister. They have no one. Please. Have mercy." The boy pleads once again.

Blood leaks out of the back of his head. His pleading eyes start to close as he utters as if in gibberish,

"Don't be scared Sudha, I'll be home soon. I'll be hom.."  but he doesn't get to finish his words as he chokes him with all of his pent up rage. It's a weird sensation, he fails put a finger on what his rage is directed to or what is the reason behind his fury, but he knows he is furious. He wants to kill, butcher even. But then this sudden guilt  attacks his senses.

And he jerks awake for the umpteenth time within the last few months. He finds himself covered with this giant blanket. Yes, he fell asleep on the terrace. He looks on his left and finds himself alone. She woke up before, that explains the blanket.

He has noticed it within these months that for some reasons she prefers the ground floor's kitchen. And he knows she is just there because he can smell something delicious already being prepared.

He freshens up and gets down only to find her still wearing his hoodie and for some conceited reasons he finds that amusing. Staring at her from behind, he crosses his arms over his chest and leans sideways towards the wall. He watches her humming something to herself while cutting vegetables with an otherworldly ease. She twirls, she makes faces whenever she makes an unintentional mistake, she itches her head over the hoodie, she takes sips of her coffee and goes back to the same routine. Very regular things, very normal, things that he hasn't witnessed in ages and gets totally invested in.

"Hey, you .. okay..you seem all suited up." She says, with an unrecognizable emotion plastered on her face, the very moment she sees him standing at the door. Startled, he clears his throat.

"And you are still in my hoodie." He says pursing his lips.

"Oh, this. This is too comfortable. Please don't mind but I guess I am taking it. Also, as you're all suited up and ready to leave for the day, can you please buy me a hoodie like this, on your way back to home?" She completes and turns around to focus on her cooking.

The word "home" rang something inside of him for a few milliseconds, as he finds it difficult to form any sentence  at all.

"You know how to cook Biryani?" He asks out of the blue, making her turn around and face him once again.

"Why do you ask?" She asks curiously.

"Well, you only said you like to earn things on your own. Cook me one good plate of Biryani and you'll get to have this hoodie and the one I'll be buying on my way back home." He answers, putting a little pressure on the word "home". Which doesn't go unnoticed by her, and all of a sudden her cheeks redden up.

"And about me leaving right now, don't worry, Ojas will be here any minute. For the time being, am I going to get something to eat?" He asks biting on his lower lip. Her face breaks into a genuine smile after a long time.

"Coming right away, BOSS!" She says, sticking her tongue out. Making his lips almost twitch upwards into a smile, as he shakes his head.

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"Derek, you need to understand, all of you here together will make the things more difficult. Let me find out whether she came here to see him or not. After that we can take the decisions together, okay?" Zoya says, over phone.