One month later

Alizeh

"Stop"

"Alizeh, if you don't wake up in a second, I will go without you" Ace says impatiently, tugging on my blanket.

"Okay. Goodnight." I say my voice laced with sleep.

"This was your fucking idea, why the fuck should I go alone?" he exclaims.

"Mmmh"

Suddenly I feel cool air on my legs. I open one eye hoping he is gonna pick me up romantically and take me outside. Instead, a bucket of ice cold water is thrown on my face.

"WHAT THE FUCK" I shout.

"Come out in two minutes" he warns and runs outside the room. I sulk and go to the washroom.

Till the time I come out, he is already on the verge of bashing my head against the kitchen counter. Yeah we really went from banging to bashing against the counter. I internally laugh while he looks at me like he wants to gauge my eyes out.

I give him an air kiss and run out of my house.

It's been a month since everything happened. Everything's the same. I still love this asshole more than anything in this world and I still want to leave this hellhole more than I want to breathe. Our dads have left us alone. We haven't won, not by a long shot. Our dad's have made it seem like they are threatened by us. They know, they aren't. Maybe they still have some amount of fatherly feeling towards us.

Me and my mother are cordial. She isn't too sad or guilty about what went down between us and I never really was close to her to feel betrayed.

Me and Ace are friends for now. More like we tolerate each other every hour of the day. I told him I wanted to take it slow. He surprisingly agreed without an argument. But we have had at least twenty fights in the last month. I almost ended up kicking his nuts.

We are on our way to protest against the CAA-NRC Act. I dragged him along with me as we walked with our friends towards the parliament. Ace is as passionate as a dead fish whereas I am shouting on top of my lungs. Zain is leading the parade shouting freedom quotes while everyone follows him.

Suddenly, police vans rush into the crowd. They spray tear gas and start using batons to beat up the kids in the front. We all run separate ways as adrenaline kicks into me.

Ace takes my hand as we rush into an isolated construction building. The cops warn that if any student comes within a radius of this area, he would be arrested immediately.

I know for a fact that if we both are recognised, our dad's business would face a huge load of damage. I grin at Ace wickedly.

"No. First of all, you brought me into this mess. Secondly be real, we both need their empire." Ace says, shaking his head at me disappointedly.

"I can't believe this just happened." I say as he just continues to stare at me.

I look down the building and realise Anoushka is protesting as well. Her dad is from the party that passed the law. So she would be in big trouble if she is found.

I decide to take her picture because I have absolutely zero conscience.

It passes my petty brain that its the best time to take revenge on Anoushka. She is the only girl beside me, he has kissed. And I hate it with every fibre of my bone.

"I didn't kiss her" he whispers.

"What?" I say in shock.

"You were pretty jealous when I told you" he smirks.

"You dog! This means I hated her all these years, for nothing?" I cry, not sure if I should feel happy or betrayed.

"Not because of nothing but because you were petty, jealous and miserable." he scoffs.

"Shut up. I hate you"

"You love me" he says as I look ahead.

We sit in silence when I finally ask him what's been on my mind since a month.

"How did you agree to be friends so easily?" I complain.
He stares at me, shakes his head and starts laughing.

I look at him pissed, infuriated and sexually frustrated because his laugh is so fucking hot.

"Baby, we have almost been living together since a month. You literally sleep on my body every night and I don't let you spend time with anyone other than me. We always start from sitting six feet apart to finally your breast smashed into my chest. Although no complains there." he smirks as he points at how I am almost sitting in his lap.

I quickly try to move away. The emphasis on try because he holds my arm in a steel grip.

I don't say anything for a long while. I just replay the past month and realise I have fucking been played.

"You lied to me" I splutter in disbelief.

He just continues caressing my lips with his thumb.
"You manipulated me and made it seem like I was incharge and everything was going my way. But it was all on your terms" I shout.

"Yeah baby, why don't you shout a little higher so that we are arrested by the police." Ace scorns.

I scoff at him ridiculously and realise I am not even angry. Just relieved that he still loves me enough to manipulate me making me realise how fucked up the wiring of my brain is.

He doesn't provide an explanation, just shrugs his shoulder and looks down. The area is cleared and safe to go.

He takes my hand, kisses it, pulls me up with him and says "Let's go"

By the time we reach home it's already late in the evening. The sky looks clear and the sun spreads along evenly in different colours.
There is just something about twilight that sometimes scares the hell out of me.

My mom comes out from her room and gives me a smile which I return. Not because I have forgiven her but because I will never forgive her.

I look at Ace behind us playing video games. As focused as he is, I know he is staring at me to make sure I am okay.

I go and kiss him on the cheek and he just juts lip out while I laugh. I kiss his lips and his neck while he continues playing.

It feels so domestic, new and unreal. It sends shivers down my body. I never expected staying with him would be so natural and addictive.