A Lot Like Love |COMPLETE| AnuPre Fiction

Chapter 19 : One Step At A Time

A/N : Rise and shine readers! :)

So, I see quite a drop in readership in the last chapter; I did sort of anticipate it a little, to be honest! So there were two elements at play in the last chapter:

1. It was a gear change from Anurag to Prerna

2. It was a PreRish chapter with hardly and AnuPre interaction

While I understand how much we all love AnuPre, but this chapter was opening the gates to Prerna's past - a place where Anurag was absent, so one chapter was needed to place the foundation of the story - that's what the story demanded.

While I promise rest all chapters (barring one maybe) has more AnuPre than Rishabh Bajaj - I think the readership will be restored - but I must call out one thing - if the readers are stopping to read thinking this Prerna centric part of the fiction will have less involvement of Anurag or AnuPre to begin with - dear readers you are HIGHLY MISTAKEN

Prerna's past is darker, and her healing has WAY MORE ANUPRE than the first part, so hang in there, and read with me! I promise you a good read :)

Much love,

A.

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Anurag was sitting with a few of his clients that they had invited, they were discussing their next project for quite some time now, he was so wrapped in discussion that he didn't pay heed to the time. They were interrupted by his father.

"My God Anu, take a break. You have invited these gentlemen here for your sister's engagement, not a conference! Let them enjoy!" Anurag agreed with a smile, he then looked at the time, was he actually sitting there for an hour. He looked around and his eyes fell on the stage, Nivi and Anupam were talking to each other; he looked around the guests were now scattered between the lawn and the banquet hall, having food. Where was Prerna, he thought to himself, he hadn't seen her ever since he left her near the stage. He quickly excused himself from the table and ran to the banquet, maybe she was there – but she wasn't; he came back to the lawn to check again, he scanned around but she wasn't there – for a second he looked around for Parth, but thankfully he was around, she wasn't with him lurking in some corner – with him trying his luck. He laughed away the idea – Prerna was now his. He quickly thought of checking with Anupam, maybe he sent her for an errand?

"Hey Anupam, where is Prerna?" he asked as he walked up to them

"Thank-God you came Anu, I was going to ask you the same thing! I haven't seen her since the ring ceremony" he replied.

Anurag scowled, "What are you saying, I left her with you guys an hour and half ago, wasn't she with you when all the guests were crowding over here to congratulate you guys?"

Anupam and Nivi both looked surprised. "No bhai, she wasn't here then, I was infact looking for someone and the Shivi, Anupam's friend helped me out" Anurag was surprised.

"But when I brought her back here from the banquet, she left saying.." he muttered to himself. "Okay, never mind, she must be around, I will call and check" he said quickly and left. Anurag was feeling a bit strange now; of course there was nothing to be worried about, where would she go? Restroom? out for a smoke at most? he'd call her and find out; but why wasn't she answering her phone? He was contemplating whether he should check the ladies room first, but then he decided to check outside once, maybe she had gone for a smoke? Wasn't she saying she needed one when he was talking to her sometime back?

He rushed near the gate but there was no one there, he asked the guards but they were unsure, there were lots of women who went in and out, they couldn't confirm. Now he was starting to feel anxious, coming to think of it, she did look a bit pale and disturbed even in the banquet hall – he remembered how she had shrieked; but she had said she was okay, did he miss out on something? He was wondering where he should go looking for her, when he heard a phone ring; he looked around there was no one there, where was the noise coming from? He followed the ringtone and that led him further into the driveway towards the parking area, then he spotted it; it was lying on the road before a car, he picked it up and looked at it, the name of the caller flashed, "Anupam" – Anurag looked surprised for a second and then he realised it was Prerna's phone! An unknown panic suddenly gripped him but he didn't take long after that, as he took one step ahead he froze on his spot, Prerna was lying there next to the car, unconscious; she was lying on her back, face up, arms spread and she was chalk white.