The Girl With the Red Scarf | ✔️ [DriKshit]

Temptations and Longings

FIVE MONTHS LATER

DRISHTI'S POV

In the past five months, a lot has happened. It is difficult for me to choose a beginning for the events that led to where we stand today. But I think everything in our lives turned upside down the day Maasi walked in on Divya and Sikhar in the midst of a passionate kiss, three weeks after I visited Rakshit when he was sick. Both of them are to be blamed equally, because even after repeated warnings from me and Rakshit, neither of them found the urge to decrease the level of their public display of affection. Maasi was indeed horrified on finding the youngest daughter of the house liplocking with an indecent, insincere and shameless boy that she had never ever seen before. Presumably, there was a huge uproar in the house and since Romi kept his phone silent while on duty, I was called back at home during lunchtime. It took me several hours to finally convince Maasi that Sikhar was a decent boy, had a decent job and belonged from a family with an educated background. Even then, she blamed me as well as herself for giving Divya so much freedom to mingle so freely with boys. Finally after a long lecture and promises of marrying Divya, Maasi let Sikhar leave. Divya was embarased as well as infuriated. She kept blaming Maasi for barging into her room without knocking and telling off Sikhar like that. Their fight lasted for another several hours. When I finally convinced them to dinner, they sat with discontented, pissed off faces and kept passing hurtful comments every now and then.

A month after the incident, Maasi invited Sikhar, Rakshit (obviously as Sikhar's brother and not as a friend of mine) and Mahima aunty to dinner to discuss Sikhar and Divya's marriage. When Mahima aunty politely suggested that it was too soon for a marriage and that Sikhar and Divya should get to know each other first - Maasi cut her off and mentioned the kissing incident. Mahima aunty choked on her food and I had to forward her a glass of water. She remained silent for the rest of the dinner.

A week later, we visited the Shergill house and their panditji decided a date for Sikhar and Divya's marriage, six months later. But Maasi was still not happy. According to her, how can the younger sister marry when the elder one is still unmarried? It required a lot of convincing to finally make her agree that Divya will marry first and as soon as she does, I will marry too.

This was the entire Divya and Sikhar story. While Maasi was busy keeping Sikhar and Divya away from each other before marriage, I was getting closer to Rakshit. Yes, I was - I am. There is a different comfort zone I find around him - a space that I never get with anyone, not even Divya. We talk for hours on end on the phone at night and even met a lot of times outside, but mostly we sit in his car and talk. These five months had brought us so close, that we feel free to share everything with each other, what we did the entire day, teasing each other, cracking jokes. I love to be around him, he makes me laugh so much, I feel like I can be myself without thinking  if he will judge me.

Divya and Sikhar often teased us both on our closeness, but we never listened to them. I mean, I liked Rakshit, but it was in a totally non romantic way (wasn't it?).

There was one other thing that was bothering me constantly, since the past month and I had not shared it with anyone yet - not Rakshit, not Divya.

Akash was messaging me everyday, but I just read the messages and let them be. I know what he did to me was beyond horrible and that, I will never forgive him. But with each day, I felt my self respect break a little and with each break, the temptations jumped him. He texted me each day, telling me that he would divorce Sweety and marry me and then - then it would be a happily ever after...

I sealed my self respect each day thinking about how much pain he caused me, but after what he texted me yesterday, I felt my self respect falling apart. I knew if I didn't tell anyone soon, I would be doing what I feared the most - forgiving Akash again and returning back to the toxic life I was leading when he was in it.