Cursed Love

Twenty-Three

Song Recommendation: Do I Wanna Know by the Arctic Monkeys.

Third Person POV
Aru wanted to die. Like seriously.

Okay, maybe not actually die. But, like, avoid all human contact (excluding Aiden) for at least three weeks.

It had been two weeks since the funeral. And people kept coming by the house. Mini had returned to university, flying back on the weekends to check on her family. The twins, Nikita and Sheela, stayed at home and had their work emailed to them as they did online school. Noah went back to New York and flew back every weekend to check on his family.

Sudhoyana had jumped back into his gang leader persona and Krithika returned to co-leader of Dushman. Veer and Boo went back to being e right-hand men for the Dushman leaders.

And Aru?

Aru trained harder and harder, worked herself at the gym at ungodly hours, started learning three new languages and reviewed two dozen different types of war strategies.

Her days consisted of waking up, training for Dushman, educating herself on languages, going to the gym, reviewing war strategies, going to the gym again, visiting Aiden, relaxing with her family and then going to bed to start the whole thing over. Somewhere in there she figured out to eat, go to the bathroom and shower.

It was a crazy schedule - she was in the gym or training for seven hours a day, learning or educating herself for another five and relaxing for only three hours - and her family worried about her.

Yet she kept insisting that she was fine. And she kept this up for months and months because as soon as she stopped her brain went back to that day.

Aru stepped up to her grandmother. "I love you. So much. And I'm never going to stop." She said as she lit the pyre on fire.

Mini, the twins, Noah and their parents went up one by one to light the pyre.

Aru looked around and saw dozens upon dozens of people watching them, all dressed in white. She couldn't believe this many people showed up to her grandmother's funeral.

She was loved by many, Aru reminded herself as she felt a single tear fall down her face.

Aru scanned the crowd and saw Aiden's face staring back at her. More tears filled Aru's eyes. This wasn't fair. This wasn't a part of the plan. This wasn't supposed to happen.

She stepped back and leaned onto Noah's shoulder. He pulled her into a hug and Aru felt herself break down. "This wasn't supposed to happen, Noah, this wasn't supposed to happen." She whispered before she dried her tears and made herself stop crying.

She needed to be strong but her sisters, her parents, everyone around her.

She stopped crying and pulled herself away from Noah. Noah gave her a sympathetic look to which she responded with the faintest nod.

This wasn't supposed to be happening.

Nani was not going to leave her.

Aru rushed forward, stepping up to the pyre. She could feel the fire, the heat of it. "No, don't leave me. Don't. Please. You can't leave yet. No, Nani." She cried.

She tried so hard. So hard. To keep it together but this wasn't supposed to happen.

Aru stepped further to the pyre, and reached out. There had to be away where Nani didn't leave her.

Noah pulled her back and wrapped her in a hug. "She's not coming back, sorella. She's gone. Okay? She's gone. She's not coming back, sorella." He whispered in her ear.