Sameera woke up by the sounds of loud screams and sobs.
Getting out of her room she entered Shrithik's as the sounds were coming from there.

Opening the door to his room, she switched on the lamp. In the dim, soothing yellow light she found out that the room was trashed. Pillows, clothes and book were scattered on the ground and beside the bedside table, he was sitting.

He was sitting there crying with his knees to his chest and his face buried in his hands.
He was shaking violently and sobbing hysterically.

Upon hearing her entering his room, he looked up. But upon seeing her, he again kept his face in his hands and started crying.

Sameera's heart broke when she saw his condition. His face was all wet and eyes were bloodshot. His lips were trembling and hairs were disheveled. There was so much sadness in his eyes that even an ocean could drown in it.

She quickly made her way towards him and crouched down beside him.
She poked him to get him to look at her but he didn't. She did it three or four times but he didn't look up. In the end, she came in front of him, took his face in her hands and forced him to look at her.

Still crying he removed her hands from his face and said in a hoarse voice

"Please, go away."

"No. I can't, old man. Look at me."
She said but he turned his head to the side, still crying.

"Please go away. I've already hurt you enough."

He said and she shook her head. Then somehow making him sit in Indian position, she crawled up on him.

And in an instant, the guy who wanted her away, was clutching onto her as his life depended on him.

The sobs that broke through now, were even more louder.

Sameera, just hugged him. One of her hand was rubbing his back and the other was running through his hair.

"Shhhhhhh. Now tell me what happened."
She asked and he looked up at her. With trembling lips, he uttered

"You'll.......y-you will hate me."

He buried his face in her neck and took her skin in his mouth.
Sameera gasped as his mouth made it's way on her skin. But what surprised her was that, neither he was kissing it nor was he biting it. He just took her skin in his mouth like babies keep their thumb in her mouth.

Along with his wet tongue she could also feel his tears dripping.

"You have to tell me, baby. Why are you crying?"
Words flew out of her mouth, neither of them giving them much attention.

"Nooooo! You will hate me!"
He cried and looked at her with his wide brown, teary eyes.

Sameera couldn't help but sigh. He was not gonna tell her this way.

Then she, in a swift motion stood up to get him some water.

The broken puppy whose name was Shrithik, clutched her hand. She looked back at his baby like expression and before she could say anything he stood on his knees and clutched her waist and started speaking

"Don't leave me. I'm sorry. Please. Forgive me. Please. I'm sorry. I......I haven't killed him. I haven't. Please. For-forgive me."

Sameera immediately pushed him back on the ground and sat on him when she saw that his pleading for her to forgive are going in an intense direction.

He again clutched her tight, letting her support him. His sobs, quickened and Sameera couldn't do anything other than rubbing his back.

"Oh old man, I forgive you. Everyone forgives you. You've done nothing. Nobody will say anything to you. My old man can never do something bad."

She said and he felt as if a huge weight lifted off of him. But still, his heart was heavy.

Sameera took his face, which was in the crook of her neck, and pushed him away a little to get a better look at him.

She ran her soft hands on his wet face and rested them on his cheek. Slowly she blew on his face and he felt the cool air sooth him slightly.

He closed his eyes and leaned in her hand.

Sameera couldn't help but look at his dark eyelashes which were wet. The tears gave them a large volume.

His black beard too was wet, shining in the yellow lamp light. And she couldn't help but think that he was the most gorgeous man in this whole world.

She kissed his forehead and he again got a crying burst.
Again he clutched her tight and sobbed. She muttered sweet nothings into his ear and he calmed down a little.

Then taking both her hands in his,and rested his face on them. He cried

"I'm t-telling the truth. I didn't...... didn't kill him. I-I...... I'm s-sorry."

As Sameera snatched her hand away from him, his hope died. His soul almost died. So she did hate him. So she did think that he was monster. So-

His thoughts were cut when she cradeled his face in her hands and rested her forehead upon his.

His heart fluttered and his eyes rained even more. They stayed in that position for almost 30 minutes.

Then Sameera leaned away. She wiped his face and then kissed his forehead. Then kissed both of his eyes and his nose.

And then whispered
"I love you. Nothing can make me hate you."

The face that she wiped, once again became wet with tears.
She hugged him tight and this time his tears died down.

Sameera then stood up, wanting to get him to the bed.

Holding his hand, she pulled him up and spoke
"Let us get you to the bed. You are tired and you need some rest."

She led him to the bed and he followed her with his head down. He was like a small child who has been crying for a long time and whose energy has been drained. Plus he also had the fear that Sameera might abandon him.

Sameera made him lay on the bed and covered him. Then once again running her feather like hand on his tired face she pushed his black hair back. Then kissed his forehead.

He closed his eyes when he felt her lips on his head. Then opened them to find her inches away from him, looking at him.

Her black, night sky like eyes were searching for answers, but she didn't utter a word in that matter.

Then slowly she started drifting away from him. And his heart beated rapidly. She was leaving him.

Sameera was going to her room when she felt her wrist being held by Shrithik.

Looking back at him she found his lips trembling and the fear that she'll leave him, clearly written on his face.

"Please. Don't go."
He said with his throat full and she nodded. She cannot leave him like that.

She crawled up on the bed and immediately he hugged her tight.

Samera rubbed his back and slowly she felt his breathing slow down and in rythm, indicating he was asleep.

Sameera looked down at him, his head was burried in her chest. She snorted out a laugh and a tear escaped.

She wiped it and hugged her old man tight.

After sometime she too was asleep with him clutching on her like his life.

_______________________________

When she woke up the next morning, she woke up panicked. Because Shrithik was not beside her.

But her panick subsided when she saw him in the kitchen. But she again made her way inside her room.

After brushing her teeth did she made her way towards him. Hopping on the counter she picked up the cup of choclate milk that he prepared for her.

And soon he was standing between her legs taking the glass from her hands.

"So............you want to know right?"
He asked and she nodded.

"You know the Kaushik Textiles?"

She nodded.
"Yeah. It's one of the most successful industries in India."

"Well, it's founder was my dad. I was born as the son of the most rich man of India. I lived in a big mansion. About two times bigger than the Singhal's mansion. My mother too was a buisness minded woman and I, never got any attention from any of them. I was a lone child. But my nanny, she loved me. She was everything to me. Mother, father, sister, brother, everything. But that didn't stop me from growing up in a rich bratty spoiled kid. I was intelligent guy and my hatred for my parents didn't stop me from doing what I wanted. And I wanted to be a doctor."

He said and she asked

"To help others?"

He laughed and waved her off.
"Hell naah. My mother or my nanny's husband died because someone stabbed him and he didn't get a proper medical attention. So, I wanted to be a doctor so that when I get attacked, I'll be able to help myself.

You know drugs and all were at their peak during the 70's, along with ragging. And because I was that rich brat, it was my duty to bully. And for your knowledge, medical colleges have the most number of bullys even now."

She nodded and asked

"Then? What happened? Did you bully some witch or anything like that?"

She asked and he shook his head in no.

"No. It was my second semester for the P.G. when I saw this guy. He was a freshie. He was good looking, had a nice personality and was intelligent. In other words, he was better than me in every aspect. And I was extremely jealous of him. He just had one weakness and it was his body. He was a little weak."

She gasped and asked
"I hope you are not gonna tell me that you beat him to death."

She asked and he smiled venomously.

"I hurt him. Daily. Little little. I humiliated him. I did everything to humiliate him. But I'll tell you, I always protected him from the other bullys, because they dipped their victim's faces in the toilet. But that doesn't mean that I was any better. Because of my doings he was covered in brusies. And when I was angry I'll beat him till he was seconds away from death. And one day, he got tired of the humiliation and beatings and jumped off the highest building of our campus and died.

There was this girl, who loved him and she cursed me to be invisible. Afterall everything I did was for attention and attention alone. And after being invisible nobody would be able to see me, let alone give me attention.

For the first one month of invisibility it was fun for me actually. But after that, I started facing problems. And you know I didn't speak for many years.

And then one day, twenty years ago on November 23, 2001 I got some powers and those powers are increasing till this very day."

He said and Sameera took deep breaths before saying

"That's my birthday."