Destructive Love (#1)

CHAPTER 25

|AUTHOR|

Anurag was awake at the crack of dawn even though he had only slept a few hours the previous night. He changed into his running gear. He ran until he felt the burn in his chest and the tightness in his chest. Aarav joined him on the jog about an hour later.

Anurag slowed down and wiped the sweat from his face. He sat down on one of the wooden benches and signed at Aarav to continue his jogging. He stretched his legs and cracked his neck. The birds chirped and the cool breeze hit his face sending a slight shiver down his sweat-laden body.

He sighed and crouched forward. His mind was blank at the moment but not for long because it was another day when his sweet and kind mother was not alive and another day when everything was a reminder of his mother.

He sighed and shook his head. He rubbed his palms against his face and let out a breath again. It was always hard for him around this time of the year. A raw reminder that the world has a dark side and many like him were a victim of it. Justice did not prevail and exist in these parts of the world.

He was always angry and got angrier as the day approached. He leaned against the bench and stared at the sky which was now painted with splashes of orange and yellow. The sun was rising and it was the beginning of another new day.

"Every day is an opportunity and every day there's a chance to create something commendable." His Ma's words rang in his ear. He smiled slightly and blinked his eyes as they turned misty.

He snapped out of his thoughts when he felt a slap on his shoulder. He glared at Aarav who grinned at him and was still slowly jogging on the spot.

"Accompany me for the last lap? Or are you already tired old man?" Aarav wiggled his brows.

Anurag rolled his eyes. "We are born on the same day ass," Anurag said and began jogging in front of him.

Aarav chuckled and jogged a bit faster to catch up with him. "Of course, I know that but it's always fun to tick you off besides you were born five minutes before I graced my presence in this world."

Anurag snorted but could not stop himself from smiling at his ridiculous brother. Aarav grinned, he was happy to see Anurag smile. The two of them finished their morning jog and went back to their respective homes to get ready for the day.

Anurag took a quick shower, grabbed his things, and threw them into his backpack. He knew that his phone had pinged a while back but he wasn't in the mood to reply to any messages. Not bothering to open his phone he tossed them in his pockets and locked the door behind him. For a brief moment, Priyanka's face flashed in his mind. He shook his head and tousled his hair. He would agonize and dissect his feelings for her later.

He met Aarav in the basement and threw the keys at his brother. They drove towards the National Sports Center. The ride was quiet as Aarav played the radio and Anurag leaned against the headrest relaxing for a while before the long and intense practice started.

"Are you excited for the interview?" Aarav asked while taking a turn. Anurag scoffed and shook his head.

"Aarav you know how I feel about this, I do not wish to speak to a stranger. I hate it when they try to prod and dig information that they have no business knowing in the first place. Why can't you be the one to represent us both? It's not the first time you will be doing that, so what's the problem?"