Star-crossed

Chapter 20

*29 Jan
Vedika was completely baffled when her ‘period’ completely vanished in the morning the next day. The cramps were there, but there wasn’t any blood which was very odd considering it was supposed to be the second day of her period.
She was utterly confused by this, so she decided to google this thing.
To say she was shocked and horrified when she saw what this meant was an understatement. She was completely bewildered, unable to believe what she saw on the screen. Apparently, such type of cramps and the light bleeding occured 10-15 days after conception, which meant there was a high possibility that she was pregnant. Vedika was stunned.
She calculated the timings and was even more horrified when she noticed the timings were perfect. She had had sex with Anirudh -unprotected sex- exactly when she had been ovulating and now she was having one of the symptoms or maybe two of the symptoms of pregnancy exactly at the right timing. She hadn’t failed to notice how tired she had been this past week, which was also a symptom of pregnancy. But was she really pregnant or was she overreacting like the last time?
After an internal debate of a few minutes, Vedika decided to take a pregnancy test. She couldn’t spend days in anxiety while waiting for her period. She had to know for sure.
An hour later, she was sitting in her bathroom again, waiting anxiously for her pregnancy test to show results.
She had noticed how these events had repeated. She had gone to the Effingut lounge twice and met Anirudh there. Twice she had spent the night with him and had a pregnancy scare later.
And twice, she wasn’t pregnant. She was relieved to see just one line on her test. She immediately threw the test away and relaxed, no longer scared or anxious. But as soon as she opened her instagram, she came across Anirudh’s picture and was forcefully reminded of him and that night. The way he had touched her, made her feel loved, warmed her hands and her heart…. Vedika shook her head to stop herself from going into that direction again. She had to stay away from him and move on from her stupid feelings. That chapter of her life was over and she wasn’t going to meet him again...ever.
*
“But why? Why can’t I meet Saanvi?” Anirudh asked Mr.Agarwal, “I have been her fan ever since her first book came out. I really want to meet her.”
The producer sighed and shook his head.
“I am really sorry, I can’t tell you anything about her. She has strictly forbidden me. She doesn’t want anyone to know about her real identity.”
“But I don’t understand. She has met you right? What’s the big deal if I meet her? It’s not like I'm going to reveal her name to the entire world. I just want to understand my character in depth and who will explain it better than the author? Mr.Agarwal, please, do something. At least tell me her real name, I won’t tell her that you told me about her.” Anirudh requested.
“You don’t understand. She has made me sign that particular clause in the contract, that I won’t reveal her name to anyone. She didn’t even interact with our director or writers directly. She had provided an email to communicate and she has closed that email now. If I tell you anything, it will be a direct breach of contract and she can sue me for this.” Mr.Agarwal explained and Anirudh was surprised. He had never seen anyone, who was so famous, try to hide her identity so strictly. She earned millions anonymously, she could earn much more if she revealed her identity. Why was hiding her identity more important than earning profit?
*15 Feb
Vedika groaned when Devanshi tried to wake her up. Her head felt extremely heavy and her body seemed like it was on fire. Devanshi gasped when she touched Vedika’s skin. She put her hand on Vedika’s forehead to feel her temperature and her skin was burning.
“Vedu, you have fever.” She said, searching for her medical kit. She checked Vedika’s heartbeat and frowned. She rechecked it again, then checked her pulse too.
“What happened?” Vedika asked when she saw Devanshi’s expression.
Devanshi gave her an odd look.
“What has happened to you? Why is your blood pressure so low?”
“Low BP? Am I finally dying?” Vedika joked.
“You have been having food regularly right? And when was your last period?” Devanshi asked.
“Umm yes, in fact I have been eating a bit more than usual and last period… New years… I guess. Why?” Vedika frowned.
“What else? Tell me everything that you are feeling or have felt in the past few days?” Devanshi bluntly asked.
Vedika froze for a moment, recalling everything she had been experiencing for the last two weeks, morning sickness that happened any time of the day, nausea and tiredness along with killer migraines.
She considered lying, but this was Devanshi. If there was anyone who could understand her and not judge her, it was Devanshi. Vedika took a deep breath.
“Dev, I have to tell you something… I...errr…. Had something like a one-night-stand...with An….. a stranger last month. The night Sameer and I went to the club. I was quite drunk that night and I...ended up in bed with him.” She admitted, omitting Anirudh’s identity. She didn't know if she wanted to reveal it yet or not. Devanshi sucked in a sharp breath.
“I..can’t believe this. I never knew you were…. I mean...I never thought you could do...such a thing.” Devanshi said, her tone a bit rude and disapproving. Vedika was a bit surprised at her tone, but she ignored it.
“Look, I know this is a bit of a shock, but it was a mistake. I know I shouldn’t have done this but it just...kind of… happened at the moment.” Vedika tried to explain.
“Vedika…” Devanshi started and Vedika was startled to hear her full name from her, “Did you get slight bleeding 10-15 days after you had... sex with that...stranger?” She asked in a cold tone and Vedika frowned. How did Devanshi know this?
“Yes, I did. There was slight bleeding. I had cramps…. like I normally get in periods, just less painful, then there was bleeding for one day. I thought it was a period, but then the bleeding stopped the next day.”
“Have you got headaches? Nausea? Feeling tired lately?” Devanshi asked in that doctor’s tone which sounded cold and harsh to Vedika.
“I haven’t felt much nausea, but yes, headaches and tiredness. But why are you asking this?” Vedika asked, genuinely confused.
“I think you are ...pregnant,” Devanshi told her in a cold tone and Vedika sucked in a breath.
“What?...I...NO… I am not. I mean, I took a pregnancy test and it was negative.” Vedika told her, trying not to panic.
Devanshi frowned, “When did you take the test?”
“Just the next day of that bleeding episode.”
“Then.. it is entirely possible that the pregnancy kit was faulty and also sometimes, only sometimes… it is a bit hard to detect pregnancy that early. I suggest...you take another test now.” Devanshi said.
Vedika was stunned for a moment, her heart beating wildly with dread. Also the look Devanshi was giving her was not helping. Vedika had a feeling that Devanshi was judging her.. her decision to get drunk and sleep with a stranger… not taking precautions and ending up pregnant.
She now felt glad that she hadn’t revealed who the stranger was. She could sense that Devanshi was both upset and angry.
“I...errr… have a spare pregnancy test. I… okay.. I will take it.” Vedika said and got up to search for the test. She stumbled when she got out of the bed, her feverish muscles protesting in pain. Her head pounded with all the stress about her possible pregnancy. But what hurt most was seeing Devanshi with a stoic expression watching her almost fall and not even moving to help.
She rummaged in her drawer and found the test under the pile of her things. She turned around to show Devanshi the kit and found her staring back with scornful eyes.
“I...uhhh… should go take..the test.” Vedika stuttered and walked into the bathroom.
10 minutes later, when Vedika came out of the washroom, her expression was blank.
“What is it?” Devanshi snapped, bringing Vedika back to reality. Vedika looked at her with a petrified expression.
“I… pregnant,” was all she could manage to choke out. Devanshi’s already cold expression hardened.
“Great… really… Vedika, I had never expected such a thing from you. Do you have any idea what you have done? How much is this mistake going to cost you?”
Vedika shuddered at the mere thought. A baby. And she was still in college, even though it was her last year, she was too young. And being a single mother in this cold and cruel Indian society was going to make her life hell. Everyone was going to talk shit about her, hell, even her best friend was judging her right now.
But she knew what she would do. She knew that she would keep the baby, anyways she was financially independent and was going to graduate soon. What she didn’t know was how she was supposed to do this without anyone to help her or guide her. Her parents were dead, her relatives weren’t too close to her and now her best friend looked like she was going to end the friendship. She also wasn’t sure if she was going to tell Anirudh about the baby. She sighed.
“I don’t know, I don’t know how much this will cost me. I don’t know how I am going to do this. But I know that I have to do this, for the baby, for myself.” Vedika said, more to herself than to Devanshi.
“Really? You are going to keep the baby? I thought you had more sense than this. I guess I was wrong.” Devanshi said harshly.
“Look, I know what I did was wrong. It was a mistake, a big one at that. But… I can’t… kill my baby. It will be the only family I will ever have now.”
“So what was I to you all this time? Am I not a family?” Devanshi scoffed.
“Of course you were like my family. I considered you the closest person in my life, a sister. But the way you are reacting to this…” Vedika was cut off by Devanshi’s huff.
“Really? Can you blame me? You were the one who hid such a big thing from me. You are still hiding the most important part, the father of the child and you expect me to trust, understand and support you in this madness?” Devanshi raised her voice and Vedika flinched.
“I… Dev.. look, I am sorry okay. I know you are my best friend..sister to me. But this was something...too personal for me. I was… not in a good place at the time...An...the man I slept with...it’s too complicated. I couldn’t tell you… I still can’t. It was too hard for me.” Vedika tried to explain, but Devanshi just rolled her eyes.
“Do you even know the identity of that...the guy? Or were you such a slut that you just used him for your needs and left as soon as you were done? And now you have his dirty blood, a bastard, a mistake growing in your stomach.” Devanshi sneered and Vedika was stunned. Slut. It was bad enough to hear that word from a rude stranger that day at the orphanage, now even her best friend…. She sucked in a deep breath.
“Dev...Devanshi. Look, I get it. I can understand your way of thinking, your ethics and morals, I respect that. But you have no right to call me that..that word.. Or judge me in any way. I know what I did… I do regret it. But this baby.. It’s my baby… my flesh and blood. Now that I know what you think of me, it is my only family and I won’t tolerate any insults towards my baby...and myself. Please...mind your words.” Vedika retorted, trying to stay calm. Her head was spinning, she had too much to deal with right now. She didn’t want a big fight on top of everything with the girl she had considered a sister. And now she was tired of explaining herself. She had known… she had already thought about this at the time of her first pregnancy scare and she knew that Devanshi was not going to take it well. But hearing those words for her and her baby…. It hurt too much. And if this was her best friend’s reaction, she couldn't even imagine how Sameer and Meher were going to react. And what about Anirudh? Will he accept the baby? Will his family accept it? What if they forced her to abort the baby for their reputation? Automatically, Vedika put a hand on her stomach protectively. No!… No one could take her baby away from her. She had to protect it.