Anguish & Affection

Part 16

Twelve Years Ago, 

Diya threw the ball at Rohit with more force than usual, her arms crossed firmly over her chest. "C'mon guys," she shouted. "Atharv and Rohit get to bat all the time. It's not fair! I want to try batting too!"

Rohit deftly grabbed the ball thrown at him before sharing a knowing look with Atharv. Unable to contain their amusement, grins spread across both of their faces as they tried to hold back their laughter in the presence of her righteous indignation.

Rohit said with a laugh, tossing the ball back to her, "But shouldn't you perfect one craft before trying something else? We've never stopped anyone from taking over our job. Go on, give it a try!" Atharv silently agreed with Rohit and showed his support by doing a thumbs-up.

Diya exhaled sharply and spun around to face the rest of the team, most of whom were closer to her age than the two batsmen. The group had discussed their plan of revenge, and Diya was ready to put it into motion. The next three balls either resulted in sixers or boundaries, sending Rohit's confidence soaring beyond the level of just regular self-assurance.

She bowled a yorker to Rohit, the ball making contact with the edge of his bat and being caught in the fielder's waiting hands.

"Hooray!" she shouted, poking her tongue out at an amused Rohit and Atharv from non-striker's end who were chuckling at their friend's misfortune.

Diya chuckled and asked, "Still unsure if I'm up to the task?"

"I suppose I should give you a chance," Rohit said dismissively, attempting to pass off his misstep as an act of kindness.

Atharv had not seen Diya bat in a while, and he was eager to watch her join him in the game. He noticed something odd about her that day—there was an extra spring in her step, a mischievous glimmer in her eyes, and a hint of a blush and frown on her face. These observations left him with more questions.

His gaze shifted to her, walking towards the striker's side in Rohit's place, and it didn't take long for his eyes to be drawn to the bright red spot on her pants. Whether others simply hadn't noticed or she had intentionally kept them from seeing it.

He acted fast. "Diya, you can't play," he said as he approached her and towered over her petite figure with his tall stature.

"Not you too, Atharv! Stop being mean!" she fired back, attempting to turn towards him but being blocked by his arms so she wouldn't be seen. Even though he thought menstruation was just a normal body process, he was aware that others didn't feel the same way, and he wasn't willing to take any chances.

He hoisted Diya's small body, although she was trying to fight back. He motioned to Rohit to take over the match as he marched towards Diya's house, which was just a stone's throw away. "I didn't know you could be so cruel, Atharv!" She shouted. "I'm not talking to you ever again!" Despite her protests, he kept holding onto her.

Atharv asked for the key to Diya's home, letting her down softly and promising that he was acting in her best interests. He felt panic rising as he noticed her parents weren't at home. Diya considered this before handing him the key from her back pocket. She could feel something sticky on her hands along with the smell of blood which made her realize the gravity of the situation.

"You tried to murder me, all for the sake of your friend!" she shouted, her finger thrusting in his direction. He looked at her in amazement, unable to comprehend how she had arrived at this notion.

"Kill you? What are you talking about?" Atharv exclaimed, preventing her from leaving by holding onto her hand as he unlocked the door.

She shrieked, pointing her fingers which were daubed with a spot of blood, "This BLOOD!" He then realized that her hands had found some residual blood on the back pocket she had just probed. Atharv tried his best to calm her down by saying, "Oh, that! That's why I took you away from the match over here. You will be alright," though he wasn't quite sure if he was doing a very good job being reassuring.

"How can you say I'll be 'alright'? I feel like I'm dying!" Diya screamed through her sobs, and Atharv knelt by her side to brush away her tears, though she resisted his comforting touches.

"Diya, hear me out. This is a natural occurrence that happens each month..."

"You poisoned me? What did you give me? Do you two really want to fight that badly?" Diya asked, flabbergasted at her friend's explanation.

"God, Diya, we didn't do anything. It's just natural. Your mom and Mumma have this too. You want to be like that fighter girl from your cartoon, right? Does she give up easily when she's scared?" he questioned, anxiously awaiting the arrival of her parents because he was quickly losing control of the situation.

She shook her head, tears looming in her eyes.

"What do you say? I promise to do your homework for next week if you stop crying," he suggested, involuntarily feeling his own eyes begin to water at the sight of her distress.

She raised an objection while her eyes sparkled with a cunning glint. "But, you said that it will happen every month, and your offer is only for next week."

Atharv sighed as he got to his feet, realizing she had seized the chance to get what she wanted. "All right. Once a month, for one week only. Now let me call Di in here and she'll - ah - take care of you!" he said, shaking his head in disbelief as she broke out into cheerful laughter at getting away without having to do her homework.

Unbeknownst to her, all she had to do was voice a request and he would do whatever it took to make it happen.