I LOVE YOU

KARAN

T- " what the hell??"

I could see tears forming in her eyes.

T- " just say No!!! You can't leave me just like that!!"

K-" I am not leaving you laddoo!!! I am just going for work, for a few days. It would be like, ummmm, let's say a long distance relationship! It could be fun!"

T-"Long distance is not fun! And besides it's worse than that! You have been in my head for months calling and texting me like a maniac, when you didn't do it for the last few weeks I went mad!! And now you are telling me that you will not call me and text me for how many days, I don't even know!!"

K-" Awwww!! My baby missed me!!"

T- "that is not funny Karan!"

K- "it's just 3 months!! And you will get to see me every day! It's me who is not going to even hear your voice!!"

T- " looks like you are okay with it!"

K- "No my Anda!! It's just... I have taken the offer way back, and it's work commitment I can't just say No!!"

T- "what if, what if you tell them your girlfriend is unwell!"

It made me chuckle!
"Are you my girlfriend!"

T- "you just said you like me!!"

K-" that doesn't make you my girlfriend!! Because you haven't said you like me back!!"

T- " I just don't want to get into this cute conversation! I want to go home, NOW!"

K- " NO! Stay with me baby! Abhi thode dino me mein chala jaunga!" I said and she just kept her head on my shoulder.

T- "Karan!!! Will you come back?"

K-" ofcourse!! What is this question? Mein Jung par nahi ja raha, ek show me ja raha hu?"

T-"No, not like that! What I mean is, will you come back to me?"

I could sense her voice shaking, was she crying?

K-" Tu royi?" She nodded in response.

T-" I am scared!"

K- "of what?"

T- "my..." She cleared her throat " my last relationship was a long distance one!"

She looked at me and I nodded, for her to continue
"It was easy in the beginning! We were face timing and chatting and phone sex and sexting!! Everything you could imagine that one could do in long distance!! But then things got weird, he started doubting me!!"

She looked down at our fingers which were entangled, and was lost for some minutes.

K-" hmmm!"

T-" he just kept questioning me about everything and everyone 'yeh kaun hai? Ye tumhare itne pass kyu khada hai? Iska hath tumhari kamar par kyu hai?' first the questions were simpler I thought he was just being possessive as we can't meet regularly and physical intimacy was missing, you know that phone sex or sex on video calls cannot cover up for the touch that was missing!! But then the questions got really..... Bas?? I don't know if that's the right word! 'kya chal raha hai tumhare beech me? Wo ghar ata hai? Kitne ladke Ghar ate hai Teju? Uska hath sirf kamar tak hi ruk gaya ya...' She took a hard breath '.....ya aur bhi kahi pohoch gaya tha? Tumne kya kia uske liye?' when I got a good raise in my salary and a promotion he went mad 'did you suck your boss for this promotion? Did you sleep with.....' ummm..."

K- "stop, stop!!"

I can't hear more!

How could someone....

T- "when he came to Delhi... I was in Delhi befor last year..." She filled the detail to avoid me getting confused, I nodded and she continued
"When he came to Delhi... I was trying to convince him that I didn't cheat on him and he... He slapped me!! Not once but 4 times and left!!"

She was crying!! She was having hiccups!!!

K-" Teju.... I am sorry.... I didn't know..."

T-" ofcourse you didn't... I left Delhi, quit my job and went back home... It was then when you saw me at Diwali party... You remember.... I just came for 10 minutes and left... I don't know if you remember... You were with your.... Ummm... Girlfriend!!"

Yeah!!! I went home for that Diwali with Anoosha!!! Before she accused me of cheating!!! But I regret not noticing Teju back then or talking to her. My little girl was going through a lot.

K-" I should have talked to you back then..."

T-" no!! You didn't need to!! You were with your family and someone you loved! You should not have bothered about me back then!"

T-" I still tried to keep the relationship working, I went Boston where he was working to surprise him for Christmas! My parents were against me going there, but I guess that's how I am I just can't let go of things, I give it all!!" She let out a sob..

"I went to his apartment to surprise him and found out he was with two girls!! When I questioned him he said he was not having any affair it was just a one time thing...  He wanted to 'try'. After those girls left he tried to 'rape' me saying that he still was my boyfriend and he can do it even if I don't consent!! And when I didn't agree he again.... Hit me.... And threw me out of his apartment... It was Christmas and I was standing  on the road, in pain and alone!!!"

"Now that I tell you all this I feel so ashamed of myself!! I allowed all of this to happen to me! Then I came back to India and got a new job in Mumbai... That's why Neha gave me your number so that I will not be alone and have someone other then my aunty to talk to!"

K-"I am glad she did!! She gave you my number!!" I said nodding my head.

T-" I was scared of getting into any relationship!! Not because I lost faith in love or anything, I still believe love is a beautiful thing, I have seen my parents, your parents so much in love! But I was scared that what if I couldn't find someone like that! What if I fail again!!"

K-" I will never hurt you...." I tried to reason with her.

T-"....and I know that but, what if we didn't workout!! I have had enough!! what if after sometime you don't want to continue with me! You also want to give someone else a chance, or worst you met someone and realised that person was 'the one' and I was just... I don't know what? And now that you are going away... I think I shouldn't have come here! You would have been fine after few days and me... I would have lived with it..."

K-"Teju... I am glad you came! And I am glad I fell for you!! You are too young to go through all this... Can you trust me... Can you trust me with yourself!! I will never ever hurt you!"

T-" I don't know! But I am willing to give us a chance!"

_______________________________

I am sorry if you didn't expect this... But there has to be some reason na jiske liye Teju was pushing Vidhi towards Karan so that he forgets about her!!

Also, as I write this, I would like to share something like this happened to someone close to me, they were not girlfriend- boyfriend but were engaged, luckily were not involved in physical intimacy, as it hurts more when you have given it all and still someone treats you like shit! She called off her engagement 15 days before her wedding and now is married to her best friend and happy with a child!!! To jab tak happy ending na ho picture humesha baki rehti hai!!

Share if you know someone who has been in abusive relationship and is out of that and happy now!!

I also realise we have so many stories around us!! Be it happy or sad!!