Until I Find My Star

Chapter 30

Author's Pov:

Anu remembered the first time she had tried to push him away, how he had laughed—a dark, knowing sound—as if she had merely amused him.

"You can try, love" he had murmured, pinning her against the library shelves, making her shiver as his fingers brushed over her wrist where he had caught her. "But you and I both know how this ends."

And he had been right.

He always was.

The more she resisted, the tighter his hold became. The small moments of defiance—the time she ignored his calls, the time she dared to leave a party without him—had only led to punishment in ways that weren't seen but were deeply felt.

Like the time he made sure her group project failed, isolating her further from her friends and classmates.

Or the time he had dragged her into his car after he caught her talking with one of her classmate who happened to be a male acquaintance, his grip bruising as he whispered in her ear, "The fuck are you doing? You really test my patience don't you? Why are you keep on fucking testing me? I told you not to talk to other men. Why can't you just listen to me for once. You belong with me. You're mine." He shouted before rubbing his face harshly to calm himself while muttering like he needed to do something. Something that will put her under his control by not being able to deny him anymore.

She couldn't breathe. It had been so suffocating and consuming.

And yet, in the quietest corners of her mind, she remembered something else. Something she hated herself for recalling.

The times when Vikram had been unexpectedly gentle.

Like when she had fallen sick, and he had skipped his own exams to make sure she ate, to make sure she rested, brushing her hair back with a softness that had left her confused.

Or the night she had broken down after another one of his controlling displays, and instead of mocking her, he had pulled her into his arms, his voice strangely hollow when he whispered, "You'll understand me one day."

She never had.

And she never wanted to.

And hopefully she never will.

Whatever he does, he always ends up hurting her either physically or mentally.

Because one moment he would be a soft lover who was afraid to hurt her and then the next moment he would behave like an obsessed lover who loves to torment her.

As the days passed, he made it his mission to convince her to date him either by his soft gestures or as usual threatening her. He would often show up at her classes, sitting in the back and staring at her with an intensity that made her skin prickle with uneasiness.

At first, she tried to ignore him, but Vikram was relentless. He would follow her to the cafeteria, sitting down beside her boldly and striking up conversations that left her breathless. Her friends or the ones he allowed to talk to tried to help her with her situation but in the end they ended up getting his wrath badly. No one stood up against Vikram and his friends.

He would show up at her house, bringing her flowers and chocolates, and demanding her to give him a chance. Her dad was on cloud nine but Anu was mortified, as the days turned into weeks, she found herself growing more and more exhausted. She couldn't escape Vikram, no matter how hard she tried. Even her parents were on his side, and somehow he managed to voo her mom too. At the beginning her mother disliked him so much but somehow typically she changed her mind. So he was everywhere, always lurking in the shadows, waiting for his chance to pounce.