OUT OF CONTROL (18+)

9 || Forgotten Friend

There are moments in life when you wish you'd never stepped into the damn ring. And right now, watching Sourabh storm into my room after I'd just slammed the door shut, that was exactly how I felt.

"You play dirty, Ariha," he said, still clutching his balls like he was trying to squeeze the pain away.

I looked at him, feeling a twisted satisfaction. "Remember that next time you decide to mess with me," I smirked, knowing full well I should've bolted the moment I got the chance.

"You realize you've stepped in shit, right? You know you've crossed a line." His smile was calm, almost eerie as he straightened up, fixing his shirt with a casual flick.

"You think you've got me figured out? I've got enough dirt on you to make Aunt Sheila's hair stand on end. Remember the time I had her catch you with a girl? Want to test me again?" I shot back, trying to mask my nervousness.

"You're such a bitch, Ariha. Crave attention, can't get enough of it. All you wanted was me to fuck you, and when I gave you the chance, you fucked it up just to prove a point. Deep down, you're attracted to me and my body. You're just another attention-seeking slut." Sourabh closed the distance between us, making me instinctively back away.

"Look at you, acting all high and mighty when you're really just like everyone else. All you want is me to chase you. You want me to want you, don't you?" He pressed me against the wall, his arms caging me in, his breath hot and heavy against my face.

He leaned in close, his lips inches from mine. I could feel the heat radiating from his body, and my heart pounded in my chest. He dragged his finger down my arm, his touch making my skin crawl with an intense, unwelcome thrill.

"You like this, don't you?" he whispered, his voice dripping with malicious satisfaction. "Feel those goosebumps? My touch does that to you."

I was trapped, both physically and emotionally. I had to get out before I did something stupid, like kissing those pink, soft lips of his. God, they looked more inviting than a woman's.

FOCUS, ARIHA! FOCUS!

"I'll just tell Aunt Sheila that I caught you watching porn," I spat out, trying to buy some time.

He laughed, a harsh, mocking sound. "And what proof do you have? Are you going to tell her you saw my cock and just stood there staring? You even ignored me when I told you to leave."

"Shut up! I saw you in the act, and you're acting like I'm the one in the wrong."

"You know, Ariha, you haven't grown up. You're still that little girl. What I was doing was just part of being a man. But you? You were ogling me. Will you tell her how you let me touch you, kiss you, and you moaned when I did?"

His words were a punch to the gut. I felt my face flush with anger and shame.

"Do you have no shame, Sourabh? Am I just a forgotten best friend to you? Do you even remember we were close?"

He smirked, eyes cold and distant. "Once upon a time, there was this fat, chubby kid with an angel of a friend who protected him from all the shit in the world. But then she decided to bail, grab a scholarship, and leave for some high-class school oceans away."

The shock hit me like a ton of bricks. He remembered everything. Yet he acted like it was all for nothing. His voice was steady, emotionless, as he continued.

"She had a choice—to stay and support her friend or to leave him behind. She chose the latter. He was alone, bullied daily, until he decided to change. He lost weight, made new friends—fake ones, but friends nonetheless. He got hot, hit the gym, and suddenly girls were following him everywhere. He became popular, and his life was 'fine'."

The room was silent, the tension unbearable as he held my gaze.

"And then she decided to come back, acting all innocent like she never left. But he didn't need her anymore. Newsflash: The world doesn't revolve around her. She's just another girl with long legs that he pictured around his neck when he fucked her. That's all she is now. Just another girl."

I stood there, frozen, feeling every bit of the weight of his words. I was no longer the person he needed, the friend who once meant everything. I was just a ghost from the past, a distant memory.

Sourabh's eyes bore into mine, a mixture of resentment and a hint of pain. The vulnerability was there for a split second, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared.

For him, I was no longer the friend who once mattered. I was just a reminder of a past he no longer cared about. The realisation hit hard.

I was just a footnote in his story. 

A friend, forgotten. Forever.