Star-crossed

Chapter 17

*15 Jan
It was Anirudh who woke up first. And when he found Vedika still sleeping beside him, his heart swelled with joy. She was still here. She hadn’t ran off like the last time.
For a moment, he couldn’t believe it. He gently traced the outline of her face, brushing aside some wayward hair. She looked like an angel in her sleep. Completely innocent and peaceful.
Unlike last night, where she was insatiable and definitely not innocent. He smiled, just looking at her made him feel giddy and nervous.
What was he supposed to say when she woke up? It was him who had initiated the kiss in the club. He definitely didn’t regret last night even though he was drunk. But did she feel the same? Or had she just hooked up with him because she was too drunk and horny? Was this just another one-night stand for her, just like the last time?
He frowned when he recalled his sister’s words.
‘Middle-class girls like her trap rich guys like you for money.’
He definitely was attracted towards Vedika, maybe he liked her too. But could he trust her? She was a complete stranger.
His thoughts were interrupted when Vedika stirred. He turned to look at her and found her trying to open her eyes. She shielded them against the light and squinted around. Her eyes snapped open widely when she realized where she was.
“Shit” She muttered under her breath when she saw Anirudh looking at her. Glancing away and taking a deep breath, she got out of bed and began to collect her clothes.
“Hii.” Anirudh said and she froze.
“Umm… Hii, where is the washroom?” She asked, wanting to get dressed and leave as soon as possible. Anirudh pointed at the door and she darted in quickly, unable to face him. Once inside she cursed and closed her eyes in mortification.
Her head was pounding with a massive hangover and her body was sore everywhere. She was having trouble even walking straight. He had been really rough last night and not just once. She cringed when she noticed a few hickies all over her body. She quickly freshened up and got dressed, hissing with pain when she lifted her legs to wear her jeans. He was certainly wild in bed and so was she.
She took a few moments to recompose herself and think about what she was going to say to him. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and stepped out into his room. Anirudh was waiting for her, also fully dressed. She held up a hand when he opened his mouth to say something, her grave expression making him swallow his words.
“Look, don’t get me wrong here, but I think we should forget what happened last night. I was drunk, you were drunk and we just… you know… well, what I mean is that it was a mistake.” Vedika rushed her words, glad that she was able to speak without stuttering even though her own words were tearing her heart apart.
There was a flash of hurt on Anirudh’s face, but he managed to compose himself before Vedika noticed. He clenched his jaw for a moment and took a deep breath.
“But what about the other night, two months ago…?” He asked, his expressions hard and intense.
Vedika was bewildered and suspicious, unable to guess what he was exactly trying to say.
He was the one cheating on his girlfriend and now that she was trying to sort this mess out, he had the nerve to question her and make her feel guilty.
Was it some sort of twisted game he was trying to play with her? No, she couldn’t… wouldn’t do this. She couldn’t take anymore part in something that involved him cheating on Raima.
“That was supposed to be just a one night stand. I am sorry if I gave you any wrong signals. I thought leaving before you woke up was a sign enough to indicate that it was just a one night stand for me. I thought it was the same for you…?” She asked.
Anirudh clenched his fist to prevent himself from lashing out and blurting out the truth.
It was embarrassing enough that he had caught feelings for her when she thought nothing of him. He wasn’t going to increase the embarrassment by showing his feelings in front of her.
“No, it was just a one-night stand for me too. And yes, last night was a mistake. We both were drunk. I… was just confirming whether you had similar views. I hope you don’t think that I took advantage of you, you know…. It won’t help my career if you were to file a case of sexual harassment against me.” He said calmly, managing to keep an indifferent expression on his face even though it was killing him to utter those words.
Vedika’s heart was shattered when she heard him agree with her. She knew that he didn’t have any feelings for her, but hearing him confirm it… killed her from inside. A tiny part of her heart had hoped that maybe she was wrong, maybe he felt something for her. But she was right and she fucking hated it. Regardless of the storm raging inside her, she kept her expressions the same as him. Stoic and indifferent.
“No. Of course not, you were as drunk as me. Neither of us are at fault here. And don’t worry, I definitely won’t be filing any case against you.” She told him and he nodded.
“Well, then now that we are clear about everything, I should leave. Is there a backdoor or something that I could use? So that your parents or whoever stays in this house won’t notice me?” She asked.
He looked at the time, it was just 7.40 AM and no one in his house woke up before 8 and they certainly didn’t leave their rooms before 9.
“You can go out through the front door, the way you left last time. No one in my family will be out of their rooms right now. Servant’s aren’t due until 8, so you can go unnoticed.” He told her, turning away from her to hide his anguished expression. He heard the door open and close a moment later and sighed, closing his eyes and letting a few tears drop.

*17 Jan
Vedika was a mess for the past two days. She had cried and cried, trying to rejoin the shattered pieces of her heart.
She hadn’t gone to hostel, knowing that Devanshi wouldn’t leave her alone if she shed even a teardrop in front of her. She had made up an excuse to Devanshi, apologised to Sameer for leaving him alone that night and went straight to her home.

It was a relief to be alone with her thoughts and her hurting heart. She had consumed a lot of food and water to battle her massive hangover and her sore body. Another motive for the food was to be able to get some peaceful sleep to escape the constant ache of heartbreak. She had almost succeeded, but now was so well rested that she was unable to sleep anymore.
It was not just the heartbreak, but the guilt that Anirudh had cheated on Raima with her made her feel horrible. But thinking about it wasn't going to change the fact that she had committed a grave mistake.
All she could do was to forget and move on, which seemed an impossible task. But she had to steel herself and move on. She couldn’t have feelings for someone who couldn’t stay loyal to someone as amazing as Raima. She had no chance with him and she didn’t even want to have it. She had to move on.
*
Amaira was sitting in the lounge that morning, basking in the soft morning sunlight. She had just patched up with Mihir, wanting to give another shot to her relationship. He was reluctant and had hesitated a bit, making her more determined to prove to him that she was capable of giving their relationship another chance.
She was thinking about getting him some expensive gift to prove her determination when she noticed her grandmother, who was taking her usual morning walk stagger a bit. She frowned with a hint of concern on her beautiful face, but relaxed when Dadi resumed her walk normally. She sank back onto the couch and was thinking about possible gifts when she heard a thud. She looked over and was horrified to see her grandmother laying in the grass.
“Dadi!” She screamed in panic and rushed towards her grandmother. She was shocked when she saw her grandmother struggling to breath.
“Mom, Dad, ANIIII” She screamed, rubbing her grandmother’s hands and trying to wake her up.
Meena, who had heard her cries rushed towards her and was shocked when she took in the scene. She immediately ran back into the mansion and found Anirudh first,
“Anirudh bhaiya….Dadi….fallen unconscious...in the lounge.” She panted and Anirudh’s eyes widened. He rushed towards the lounge. They rushed Dadi to the hospital and waited impatiently outside the doctor’s cabin while the doctors checked their grandmother.
Amaira was sitting with her head clutched between her hands, tapping her foot and Anirudh paced the corridor, his nerves making it difficult for him to sit still. Deepa and Rajveer were inside the doctor’s cabin, going through the report of their grandmother.
“How’s she?” Anirudh asked as soon as Deepa came out.
“She is stable now. There is no need to worry, it was just a spike in blood pressure. It happens at this age.” She assured her children. Rajveer came out and sighed.
“Yes, mother is fine for now, but we have to take very good care of her here on. We must NOT give her any stress….. ANY STRESS, or it will be bad for her heart.” He added, looking at Amaira pointedly.
She scowled at his warning but remained silent, not in a mood to say anything.