By your side

Dangerous Twist

If I had to pick the five worst moments of my life, seeing Priya like that would be one of them. Even if she was sassy or self-centred. She didn't deserve what happened to her. Nobody does.

"You bastard!" Ishaan yelled and dashed inside to catch Omar.

When I got to Priya's bed, I quickly covered her with a sheet. She was sleeping soundly. She was completely unaware of what was happening to her. Sejal's eyes were welling up with tears.

"What have you done to her, you bastard!" Ishaan was gripping Omar by the collar. He had grabbed his cell phone. "Delete these immediately!" Ishaan stated.

"No, we need these as evidence," Sejal interrupted.

Shweta, Gaurav, and Vicky arrived shortly after.

"We could not locate Priya and Omar...... Oh my goodness! What occurred here? "Shweta gave us a horrified look. Gaurav and Vicky aided Ishaan in subduing Omar.

"We should notify Deepak and call the police," I suggested.

"Please do not call the cops. My life will be destroyed." Omar begged. He had a bloodied nose because of the fight with Ishaan. "What about her personal life? Were you planning on ruining hers? Isn't it true that you drugged her?" I spoke. He nodded slowly. "I was aware of it. I could tell something was wrong because of the way she acted. That is something I have experienced. Isn't it true that you were the one who drugged me?"

"You bastard! I will kill you," Ishaan hurled himself at him again. Gaurav tried to restrain him.

"I'm sorry," sobbed Omar.

"Oh, shut up, you scumbag!" Shweta stated.

Omar glared angrily at Shweta, then said menacingly. "It's not my fault, believe me. You girls continue to flaunt yourselves like sluts! Anyone can get tempted."

"What exactly did you say? Say that word again, and I'll cut off your tongue. "Ishaan clenched his teeth in rage.

"I can't believe we had a pervert among us. Look at you, piece of shit. If you can't respect others and their decisions, stay away from them and return to your hell hole. Nobody invited you if you can't stand some skin showing. It gives you no right to assault them." Shweta spoke.

The resort security had arrived, and Omar had to be reported to the police as per their procedure. Priya was still unconscious, and she wasn't expected to wake up until the morning. I am not a doctor, but as a normal girl, I could tell that Priya had not been assaulted. She might have been if we were late.

That night, none of us slept. I walked out of the room, nauseous, and sat at one of the poolside tables.

"Hey," said Ishaan's familiar voice. I raised my eyes to him.

"How do you feel?" He sat down next to me and took my hand in his.

"Not so good. It could've been any of us. It might have been me!"

"However, you were not!"

"Do you respect me, Ishaan?" I inquired unexpectedly.

"What kind of question is that? Naturally, I do." He responded.

"I mean, I'm not the typical type. The way most people expect girls to act. I drink, I party hard, and I dress however I want. Does that give the impression that I am easy?"

"You're worried about that loser's words? You are a wonderful, smart, and very intelligent young lady. You are not breaking any laws. You have the freedom to make your own decisions. Nobody has the authority to call that into question. Perverts like Omar blame the victim for their own lack of self-control. He has no right to pass judgement on you or anyone else. Your lifestyle choices do not define your character or suggest that you are promiscuous. "

He gave me a friendly smile. My eyes welled up with tears. Ishaan's response was firm and confident, challenging any preconceived notions about how a girl should behave.

I hugged him, my head resting on his chest. Being with him made me feel secure. We had cancelled all our plans the next morning. We didn't have much to do anyway because we were flying that evening, but we weren't sure if we would be allowed to leave because of the Police case. Our statements were taken by the officer. Except for Priya, they gave us permission to leave. She needed to stay a little longer for a medical exam and other formalities. Deepak's father ran the resort and cooperated with the police. Priya approached Shweta and me in the lounge after we finished our statements. Her face was stained with tears. I smiled at her and motioned for her to join us.

"How are you doing, Priya?" I inquired.

"I'm fine," she said. She suddenly hugged me and sobbed. I'm not good at dealing with emotional outbursts. I simply patted her head and said "It's all right now.....everything is fine. Don't cry."

She eventually calmed down and broke the hug. "I apologise for my earlier snippiness. I was simply envious. I realise how mistaken I was. You rescued me. If you had not arrived on time, my life would have been destroyed."

"It's all right, Priya. After all, we're all friends. He is a repeat offender. It's past time he was arrested for good. I'm glad you decided to report him to the police. That is extremely brave of you."

She gave a nod.

"Please accept my apologies. I will be eternally grateful to you."

"It's okay, Priya," I said, "now relax and be happy."

After that, Priya became one of my closest friends. We were on our way back without Priya and Deepak after a few hours. He had agreed to stay until she was allowed to leave. Ishaan, I hadn't talked much. We were too preoccupied with making statements and packing. Finally, when the plane took off, we had some alone time. He took my hand in his, moved it close to his mouth, and kissed it. I smiled.

"What was that?" I inquired.

"Do I need an excuse to kiss you?" He asked.

"Perhaps not, but it's useful to know what makes you tick." I burst out laughing.

"It was the best Goa trip I've ever had," he said.

"It was also my first and best Goa trip," I explained.

"What will become of Omar now?" I wondered. His expression shifted from romantic to disgust.

"I hope he perishes in hell! They discovered several objectionable images on his phone. He blackmails the girls and sells them to porn websites. So, he'll be there for a long time."

"And we trusted him!" I spoke.

"The world is a dangerous place, Adaya, and we shouldn't trust anyone so easily." He yawned.

Ishaan was worn out because none of us had gotten any sleep the night before. He drifted off to sleep with his head resting on my shoulders. His words resonated with me. Similarly, I was not aware of Ishaan's background. Never had I gone to his house or even seen his family.