Manvi's Pov:

Alok is my saviour. He has always been it. My whole childhood we have been together. Mansi, I and, played together and were too young for Mansi so she found a new set of friends. Toxic snakes and that’s where she found that Andy idiot.

They had been together since high school and broke up right before her wedding with that evil creature. I don’t know why I am still thinking about that idiot but I just want to know everything right now

I checked the time and it was 1 pm. I have no appetite, no rem sleep, no happiness nothing. I feel like I am at square one again. My therapist suggested I come to India after my diagnosis but it seems it's not helping.

The place I left and the place I returned to is different. Maybe I should just go outside again. Alok said all the college mates were hanging out. “Get your lazy ass out for a while. It will not hurt.” I say to myself and drag myself to the bathroom.

I sit in the dining area and find that cold leftover breakfast.

“so your morning started now huh..” Mom says while serving me food.

“she is still adjusting to the time difference sharada, it will take time”

“no wonder that guy rejected her. I mean she doesn’t have any good characteristics to be a wife…” she goes on and on about my incapabilities.

Everything has not changed after all. My mom rants on me and still goes on and on. I leave the food on the plate and go wash my hands. “eat it completely or else I am going serve you the same for dinner” Mom screams. She says as if she will make everything on the menu of restraint if not.

“don’t make any dinner for me. I am going out with friends in a restaurant. Eat the level of food you can never make ” I mock my mother’s cooking skills.

“you are not allowed to go alone” Mom says with a raised eyebrow as if she is challenging me.

“I am going with Alok, so don’t get a new habit of worrying about me as you did for the past 2 years.” She never called me once there. The only time she talked to me was when Dad called me and checked on me.

“Ahh Alok it's been so long since I have seen him,” Dad says while reading a newspaper.

“He has become responsible, unlike your daughter. He took the responsibility of the home alone after his father’s death. He takes care of his mother and becomes so responsible…” I try to shut her taunts by shutting my room door hard enough.

Why does she hate me with the intensity that I can’t even handle after these many years? What have I done wrong? I look at my meds. Maybe it's time to take them. I have discontinued them after arriving in India thinking of them not having use but looks like I need them even more.

After taking my meds my mood balances itself. I dress in a short floral dress and put my sunglasses in a sling bag. I put on sneakers comfort. while I get out of the house Mom makes an audible gasp which I purposefully ignore.

I looked out at the window and then I knew I fucked up.

I wore a dress, a really short one perhaps which makes the window climbing impossible without flashing everyone. So I went through a bad luck hole, his home's main door.

I ring the calling bell in the chorus of Chikni Chameli and then to my shock Aunty opens. Oh no Aunty I didn’t meet her even once after my arrival.

“Hi Senorita, where have you been I missed you” I try to hug her which she successfully dodges off. “I just came to visit you from this far and you refuse a hug. Are you upset with me darling?”

“ You have been here a week and you came now.” She was pouting while I held her face to make eye contact.

“I am so sorry.” And then thud, Alok opens his bedroom door. “wait for 5 minutes.” He was saying while blow-drying his hair.

“Take your time makeover, princess, I will talk to my queen in the meantime” I sit in Auntie's lap while she complains about Alok.

“ok let's go” Alok comes with a fresh shower smell. He holds my arm and drags me out of the house.

We sit in the car as he starts the car I say “I want your mom.”.

“you have your mother.” He says while checking the surroundings to reverse the car. “let's exchange, it’s a fair deal” Alok gives me a disappointed look as we start driving to our destination. While talking random things to him and after getting tired I just start kicking to the car radio.

After I reached the destination, I just met his friends, I mean our friends—the gang of nine including me and Alok. Alok was 1 year senior to me in school. When he left for college I made a point to join in the same one next year. I didn’t have any friends of my own. All of his friends became mine. We were supposed to go together but at last, he ditched me.

“look Alok bought his girlfriend”

“Eww” they always think we are in a relationship but we are not. They look at Alok but he ignores them.

“So how is your dollar life, Manvi”. “Cool”.

“yeah after having such a high-paying job your life is full of cool I suppose,” Aditya says. He is his second best friend after me, Alok. Who is going to tell him I lost my job?

The gang keeps on going about my life out there, while I try to answer them but I get tired at last. I excuse myself for a drink then I bump into Andy the ex of my sister. he was playing for the band performing in the restaurant. "hi.."

"hi" Oh this is awkward. we exchanged pleasantries. "hey I think I am running late but can I get your sister's number new number."

he was an idiot but not a terrible person so gave him her number and he left. the next second I start regretting it. Maybe I shouldn't have done that.

“What happened? Who was that?”

“Andy,” I say pursing my lips

"the ex of Mansi" "oh yeah"

"is it your drink" he says while pointing at the drink ahead of me.

"Yeah"

“then drink it,” he says while pointing to the drink ordered.

“I don’t want to, why don’t you drink it seems like you have not been drunk in a very long time”

“Mum’s gonna be mad”

“I can handle her,” I say so confidently that he starts drinking. After a while, he gets pretty wasted.

After all the talks everyone gets stuffed inside Alok's car. I sat on Alok's lap in the back seat with four other people which seems to be one of the worst decisions of my life.

Alok holds onto me like his life is dependent on it. His arms were around my waist and his head in neck crook. He hugs like his favourite pillow and sleeps. I let him do it, because I don't think my heart wants it, and craves for it.

His right palm slowly travels to my right thigh. He is so close to my thing that I just crave it more shamelessly even though I know there are people in the car.

"let's play karaoke in the car just like old times"

"yeah just like old times" Alok says with a hoarse voice.

everyone decides to play Zara Zara. Like things already not out of hand. As everyone sings along I try to ignore the fact that he raised my dress and gave my thigh rough squeezes with warm hands.

I shut my mouth with my right hand and squeeze the back of the front seat. While his left which was resting on my waist just goes to cup my right boob. He gives me a little squeeze which makes me jump from his lap.

But he pulls me into him, which makes my ass press into his hard-on. Oh my god, how long has he been like this? As his hands do feral and smooth touches, his lips leave wet kisses on my neck.

While everyone was singing the song we were just not in this world. Maybe if these people were not in the car I would have given in for him. But this is just torture which feels so good. I want more but how do I say? Maybe the curse of bad luck door persists.