ღ Love Games [The Game Begins] ღ ✓

❣ 6. Bitter Sweet ❣

6. Bitter Sweet

Kriya

It was a year after my parents' death. Swayam and I had moved from the States to London, where his parents lived. Just a day after we had moved, he had left. He didn't say anything to me. He just left. I didn't know how to make sure he was alright. I needed to know, but understanding that he too was going through just as much as I, I didn't probe it further. If I had lost my parents and my sister, he too had lost the one he loved.

Eventually, I got into the habit of going to school, coming home, studying and going to bed - the same routine every day. The new friends I had made knew nothing of my past life. All they knew was that I had lost my parents and so lived at a family friends' house. Swayam's parents were, after all, my parents' friends.

They treated me as their own daughter, or atleast Swayam's mom did. I feel... no, I know that his dad was angry with him for what he'd done. He didn't like me because of that. He didn't like me staying with them. But, for his dead friends, he didn't say anything directly to me. I would have left if I could. I was bound by my promise to Swayam that I wouldn't leave from there. Neither did I have the heart to leave his mom - she had been so nice to me and reminded me of my own mother. I had lost my mother, but I couldn't bear losing her as well.

That day, as I was sitting with my friends in the football field, just chilling, I saw a shadow creep up behind me. I didn't look behind as my friends looked up to see the person behind me. "May we help you?" Neha asked.

I didn't bother and continued writing in my journal. For a couple of passing seconds, I didn't hear a response back from whoever it was. Then, I felt it... the gaze on the back of my neck. "Kriya," the voice followed and now, my suspicions were true. It was him. Swayam. Why didn't aunty tell me he was coming back? I wondered, but then thought maybe she too didn't know either.

I gradually looked up after recovering from the shock. The pen from my hand had dropped in the journal as I closed it, thus book-marking the page I was at.

"You know him?" Vishakha asked me.

I nodded and got up, turning to face him. "Hi," I knew my voice didn't emanate the same softness it did the last time we talked - which was a year ago. I was angry at him for leaving me alone when he had promised he would always be there. Everyone had left me. He was the only one I could count on... lean on for support. And despite promising to never leave me, he had. Then again... I should have known better than to take his word for it, right? Still, I trusted him.

I didn't want him to know I was mad at him; still, my voice gave me away.

A flash of pain crossed in his eyes hearing the anger in my voice. I wish I could take it back, but it was too late. I didn't like to see him hurt because of me.

"Is he bothering you?" Bharat got up and stood in front of me, pushing me behind him as if to protect me from Swayam. I was somewhere hurt now. Did my friends really think Swayam would hurt me? At the same time, it was different seeing someone protect me other than Swayam. Until then, I hadn't realized how lucky I was to have them as my friends. I felt guilty, for always taking them for granted. Now was not the time to think about that though.

I put a hand on Bharat's shoulder. "It alright, Bharat. He would never hurt me." Seeing my confidence and understanding I really meant it, Bharat stepped away. Looking into his eyes, I could see that Swayam was somewhere happy that I still believed he would never hurt me and that I had trust in him, despite him knowing that he had hurt me by leaving. Once again, it was just me and him standing in front of each other, challenging the other to speak first.