A GIRL LIKE YOU

18

"I don't wanna disturb but you need to stop the bleeding." Aaliyah's voice broke the spell and I felt Ansh release me. He looked at my face and ran his hands from under my eyes, wiping any evidence of tears to my cheeks and down my jaw. I don't know what he is doing but it feels good.
He then sighed and stood up and walked a few steps away.
I was calm now. And my mind was racing a mile a minute. I am thinking about what I wanna do next as Aaliyah began putting bandage on my injury.
"Lets get you changed and you can come and stay with me for a few days." Aaliyah said. That caught my attention.
She is so precious. "I want to, but I can't." I said and I can't recognise my hoarse voice.
"What do you mean you can't?" She frowned.
"You are pregnant Aaliyah. I can't be a imposition on you at this time. You don't have to take care of me when you need your husband's care." I tried to make my argument.
"Bullshit! You are coming with me. I'm not letting you go back to your parent's home. Your mom will drive you to suicide with her bitterness."
Suicide seems like a nice option. My whole life's been a big disappointment to my parents. I think they would finally be proud of me once I die.
"I wish I had my own place." I whispered.
I really wish sometimes.
"You can come with me." Ansh said. Aaliyah and I looked up at him in shock.
Is he for real? This beautiful, handsome boy who is so compassionate and generous. This man standing right in front of me feeling guilty for something he didn't do. Clearing up the mess of a best friend who didn't even feel important to tell him everything. Feeling sorry for me even when he knows he doesn't have to. Knowing that I'm not his responsibility and still standing there and offering something like that.
I think I fell in love with him a little at that moment.
"Really?!" Aaliyah asked as if she couldn't believe he just offered something like that.
"Yeah. I mean I understand if you don't want to. But I am your friend Kiara and I want to help you anyhow. So you can stay with me for as long as you want."
Its about trusting someone. And right now there is only two people I trust. Aaliyah and Ansh. I can't choose Aaliyah but I can choose Ansh. But that is so fucked up. He is the bestfriend of the guy who just left me.
"I can't Ansh." I found myself saying even though I want to take up on his offer. "You live down the hall from Aarav. Its not a good idea." I rationalised with him. I knew if I saw Aarav again I will kick him in the balls. Not for running away, of course not, but for hurting my parents. He could've given me a warning so I would've ran away with him, and then I wouldn't have to face this day.
"I am not going to take you there Kiara. Obviously not. We can't tell anybody that you are staying with me, because people will frown upon that. And everybody knows that I live there."
"What are you saying?" I stood up.
"I have a place just outside the city. Its the place I stayed when I was in college. Couldn't give it up after all the memories attached to it, so I brought it last year. Only a few of my friends know about it and they won't bother us. I promise."
Oh my god. He is serious. His offer is tempting but...
"I can't Ansh. This is my mess. I can't just put it on you or Aaliyah. I have to deal with this."
"This is not your mess. This is Aarav's mess. And you don't have to deal with it." Ansh said and took a step towards me. "Let me help you Kiara. You don't deserve the way your mom treated you. I can't just walk away from here knowing that I left you in this hell when I could've helped you."
I felt compelled as I stared in his eyes.
"He is right Kiara. You should go take a break. You don't wanna stick around to deal with the fake sympathy and name calling and rumours here." Aaliyah said. I looked at her. "Trust me Kiara. Its going to get ugly. And if your parents are not with you then you will break. I can't see that happening. If you don't want my help then take Ansh's"
"What about everyone else?" I found myself asking. I can't believe I'm entertaining the idea. Of taking the easy way of a coward and running away. But I guess, that is the only way I am going to live past this whole disaster of a wedding day.
"I'll handle everyone." Aaliyah said. "They won't know where you are. I'll tell them that you were hurt and you needed to be alone."
I looked at Ansh. "Come with me. Let me help you. We are friends Kiara. Let me make this better. It'll help my guilt." Ansh said. He has no reason to feel guilty but he is feeling it, because he is such an amazing person.
All the doubts ran away from my mind when, my mom's voice echoed in my head again.
What did you do?
Yes. I won't be able to take it. The verbal abuse. I need to be away from this. From all of this. For a while. Until I feel like I could take it. Until my parents find the truth and give me a chance to explain.
Until I feel okay.
"Take me away." I said to Ansh. That one sentence held so much meaning for me, Ansh won't even realize that.
He nodded and smiled a little. "Half an hour. Shower, change, eat,pack. I'll be back and then we'll get going." He said and Aaliyah quickly got into action as she picked out my suitcase and began throwing the clothes I won't need, out of it.
"Where are you going?" I asked him as he began moving towards the door.
"I need to talk to Preeti. She'll handle everyone here while we're gone. I also need to pack my stuff." He said.
He took another step towards the door. I don't know what he saw in my expression but that made him came back and close the distance between us. He leaned down and kissed me on my forehead.
"Its gonna be okay." He whispered and then he was gone.

...