Moonflower

CHAPTER 25

Picture: Scarface

Five Hours Ago.

The warm sun rays spread gently across the living room where Mehek sat on her regular couch, peacefully. A hue of soft pink tinted her cheeks as she blushed recalling about her moment with Ayaan a few minutes ago. She buried her head in the cushion she was holding in the embarrassment of not being able to stop smiling from ear to ear. Though she was a little afraid of this new excitement in her life, she couldn't help reminiscing about her teenage years and live in the moment, which she hasn't been able to do for a long time.

Mehek has found meaning in her life again and Ayaan was a special person. Ayaan wasn't special because he became the meaning of her life, he became special because he was the one who helped her find meaning in her life. Mehek was not thinking of her past or her future and was simply enjoying her present. Her body was relaxed with untensed shoulders and uncurled toes. She was literally alive because of him but the thought of how she almost gave up on her life triggered a cold wave in her body which she decided to shake off.

"I can do so much more in my life ahead. I mean, my happiness is my responsibility, I shouldn't expect someone else working hard for it," Mehek sat up straight as she bubbled with excitement, "I could look for a new job, reconnect with my old friends, I could start playing badminton again, probably me and him can live together..." the last thought made her bury her head back into the cushion again. Just then, there was small sound outside the apartment door but Mehek wasn't in a state to pay heed to it, ignoring it thinking as one of her neighbours outside struggling with their keys.

The sound got louder and it was right outside her apartment. Mehek removed her face from the cushion and looked towards her door. She stood up, suspiciously staring at her door and listening carefully. As she started moving towards her door, she saw the handle of her door being fumbled and she immediately retreated backward.

"A...Ayaan...?" Mehek called out with her heart picking up pace, "No, it can't be him. He always comes from the balcony," she thought to herself.

The silence that followed later made her look for a weapon like object at her home. Her safety was in her hands and the first thing that caught her eyes was the blue vase but she decided to pick something else since she was afraid, she might break it. Before she could hold onto something else, the main door suddenly flung open and as soon as she saw an unfamiliar silhouette of a man, she panicked and dragged her wobbly feet towards her bedroom with no voice coming out of her mouth; and was planning on locking the door but she was too late.

Scarface had grabbed her hand, turned her around and placed a firm hand on her mouth which wasn't necessary because her voice was stuck in her throat. Mehek began to struggle to free herself but as soon as her eyes met Scarface's, she slowed down. Her hands fell to her sides, voluntarily.

Scarface's eyes became wide as he pierced his grey eyes into her brown eyes and his gaze shifted unsteadily as he let go of his hand that was placed on her mouth. He took a step forward but Mehek's doubtful and unaffectionate eyes made him take two steps backward.

"Bhaiya? Rishabh bhaiya...?"

Scarface's lips began to quiver as he heard this familiar voice after a long time. With his childhood memories flashing by in front of his eyes, he couldn't utter a single word in front of his younger sister, the same sister who he would think about from time to time as to how she must be, is she being loved or is she lonely...

Scarface never planned on reuniting with his family after he left his home and was never going to go looking for his sister while indulging deeper into his criminal activities. It never occurred to him about the possibility of a chance meeting and how he would react to the situation. He never hated his family but he wasn't sure whether it was the same from the other side.

Mehek, on the other hand, had made a resolution with herself to break her ties with her brother who left his family for crime. She had always looked up to him but the fact that he wasn't there during the hardest times of her life had affected her emotionally, leaving an irreparable scar on her heart; and yet, the fate was too cruel in bringing these siblings together in such a predicament that fazed their hearts, deceived by their hidden love.

"Bhaiya, it is you, right?"

Scarface remained speechless.

"Why are you here and how did you find my house?"

Seeing his grownup sister in front of him, Scarface's brotherly love shone through his twinkling eyes that he wasn't aware of. He had almost forgotten of his purpose of coming here and exhaled out a long and burdensome sigh.

"I didn't know this was your house and I wasn't planning on meeting you-"

"Of course, you weren't. I mean, why would you? I don't mean anything to you anyway."

"Mehek-"

"And why were you breaking into my house? Why, you wanted to kill me too, like you almost murdered someone and-"

"MEHEK!" Scarface's lost control on his voice and his fiery eyes almost scared her. He calmed down his nerves, agitated by emotional pain. He was immensely hurt but the hurt he saw in his sister's eyes was greater than his which shattered his heart into pieces.

Mehek was battling with her tears to stop them from falling but she could sense them trickling down her cheeks which frustrated her more.

"I will be leaving now," Scarface decided to leave which he thought was for the best and lunged his heavy footsteps out of the door when he suddenly halted.

"Wait, Pirate! Pirate would...He knows! He knows... he might...Mehek would be..."

Scarface turned his heels in urgency and pulled on Mehek's hand which she protested, "Mehek, we have got to leave right now!"

"I am coming nowhere with you...stop it, let me go" Mehek began to hit him as he pulled harder.

"You don't understand, I had come here to kidnap you but I didn't know it was you," Scarface said hurriedly. Mehek's eyebrows creased in disgust as she paused for a while.

"You, WHAT?"

"Pirate had told me about you since I need to take revenge on Black Beast by..." his head was hit with the sudden realization that felt like a dozen arrows hitting a bullseye at the same time, "Wait...then, does it mean that YOU ARE THAT SPECIAL GIRL IN BLACK BEAST'S LIFE?!"

The wrestling stopped from both the sides as Scarface lost his mind and slapped his forehead hard while Mehek just shrugged, trying not to think about the way she felt when she is being called his "special" girl since it was not the right time.

"Whatever, we will talk about it later," Scarface said as his elder brother instincts kicked in. He began pulling her wrist again, "We have no time, we need to leave now. If not me, then Pirate would definitely kill you."

Now that Mehek wasn't complying at all, Scarface decided to use his real strength and began dragging her out of the apartment. In this process, the cabinet was pushed roughly and the vase fell and broke down into pieces.

Mehek looked back upon the now shattered vase and got an ominous feeling as she was hauled out of her apartment.