HER SAFE PLACE

Avoiding

"Where are you, Shivangi?" I said as I stepped out of the washroom. I headed towards the bed to find my phone so I could call her, but I saw her phone lying there instead. Frustrated, I grabbed my hair and decided to go to the balcony to get some fresh air.

As I reached the balcony, I noticed Shivangi sitting in the garden with a guy. Squinting to see better, I realized it was Arun. My hand tightened into a fist and my jaw clenched in anger. Seriously? After waking up, she went straight to Arun? Why? Does she really like Arun that much?

I hurriedly went towards the garden and saw them both laughing and giggling. She looked so happy and relaxed with him, a look I had never seen when she was with me. I approached them, feeling a knot in my stomach. As I got closer, I cleared my throat to get their attention. They both turned towards me, and Arun greeted me with a cheerful "Good morning," but I couldn't take my eyes off Shivangi. She was avoiding my gaze, looking everywhere but at me.

I stepped closer to her, intending to speak, but she quickly said she wanted to meet Vani and rushed off. As she walked away, I heard Arun say, "Arey, abhi toh thik thi, achanak kya ho gaya?" His question caught me off guard. Did she remember everything from last night? Oh no.

Feeling a surge of panic, I hurried after her. I saw her heading into one of her cousins' rooms, but not Vani's. I sighed in relief—at least she didn't go to Vani's room, as they would still be sleeping at this hour.

I went to my room and freshened up. As I came out, I saw Ravi standing shirtless in the corridor, talking on the phone. He sensed my presence and looked at me. When his call ended, I asked, "What are you doing here in this state?" I pointed at him from head to toe, noticing the bite marks on his chest and scratches on his shoulder. He scratched his neck nervously and said, "Shivangi is inside, shifting her clothes to another room. I was just going to get my things, but then a call came."

I nodded in understanding, and we headed towards the room where Arun and Ravi were staying. We chatted for a bit, and Ravi quickly changed his clothes in that room. Then he gathered his stuff and moved it to Vani's room.

After we all got ready, we headed towards the restaurant for breakfast. I chose to ride my bike, but Shivangi declined and opted to go in the car, mentioning she was feeling a bit tired. It seemed strange since she hadn't exerted herself, and I thought the fresh air on the bike might help if she had a headache. Nonetheless, one of Arun's friends joined me on the bike for the ride.

When we arrived at the restaurant and started eating, I noticed that Shivangi didn't look at me even once throughout the meal. I couldn't shake the feeling that she might be avoiding me, which left me wondering about the reason behind her apparent distance.

Throughout our day of visiting various places together, Shivangi didn't utter a single word to me. Each time our eyes accidentally met, she averted her gaze quickly, almost as if avoiding any form of interaction. In stark contrast, I couldn't help but notice how effortlessly she engaged in conversation with Arun, her smiles and laughter seemingly reserved for him. This stark disparity between her behavior towards me and Arun filled me with a mix of frustration and hurt.

Internally, I struggled to make sense of her actions. The sight of her enjoying Arun's company while seemingly disregarding me stung deeply. Despite feeling anger rising within me, I knew confronting her or expressing my feelings would only complicate things further.Only i know how i controlled myself from not beating the hell out of Arun and kiss the life out of shivangi but i know i can't. So, I swallowed my emotions and tried my best to carry on with the day's activities, though the tension and unease lingered.

As evening approached, we returned to the hotel and decided to set up a bonfire in the garden. Once everything was prepared, we gathered around the crackling fire. Ravi and Vani seemed inseparable, sitting close together and enjoying each other's company. Shivangi, on the other hand, maintained a distance, sitting between her cousin and Arun, appearing somewhat withdrawn and not engaging much with Vani or anyone else.