Riposte

  "Don't forget we are here for her. She might be an orphan, but she's got a family. We are her family. So before you even think of trying to destroy her, you'll have to get through us first." She continued, going to stand in front of her best friend, shielding her from Sahil's dirty glare.

  "And you say a word to her, or lay a hand on her ever again, we won't spare you. Remember that Mr Verma." Came Rohan's quiet voice behind Sahil. "I suggest that you leave from here."

  Sahil looked at Arjun, who merely raised his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders, all while giving him a cold glare. Turning on his heel, he stormed out of the restaurant, ignoring everyone's glances and sniggering at his now reddened cheek.

  "I'm really sorry." Arjun apologised quietly, and looked at Aamanda, who was now just staring at the table to her side. Aaliyah ignored him, and turned to see if she was okay.

  "Mr Singh, it would be best for you to leave too." Rohan's formal voice cut through the thick atmosphere.

  "Listen, I didn't think this would happen. I had told Sahil to ignore you guys."

  "Yeah, but it did." Aaliyah snapped back. "I don't care if you're only his lawyer; just get out of our sight at the moment. Anything to do with him, we don't want it!"

  Arjun sighed, it was obviously pointless trying to apologise to them. The one whose forgiveness for his carelessness he really needed was a silent spectator at the moment.

  "Aamanda, please, I'm sorry."

  "It's Dr Wade." She spoke in an almost silent voice. "And I think it's best if you leave too."

  That cutting, cold, emotionless sound which rang through his ears took some time to be processed by his brain. He hated it. Especially when it was directed at him. Finally, when those words registered themselves, he composed himself and nodded once to Rohan before making his way out of the restaurant to Sahil. Just before he left, however, he looked back to see Aaliyah hug Aamanda once more, who reciprocated with a slight smile. Her eyes searched his, and in that small moment between them, he knew that she didn't blame him for what had just happened. His lips curved as he turned and walked through the door, feeling a million times better than he had in the past five minutes.

  "What the fuck was that?" Arjun asked, once he and Sahil were seated in his car still situated outside the restaurant.

  "Awwh...shucks. That woman just makes me so mad!" Sahil muttered angrily. But that was not the answer to Arjun's question. Feeling a bolt of fury speed through him, he banged his hand on the steering wheel, startling Sahil, making him almost jump out of his skin.

  "Damn it, Mr Verma, I thought I told you to ignore them. You went and picked a fight with her instead?!

  "I was just trying to get her to withdraw the case, Arjun."

  "It's Mr Singh!" Arjun corrected him. Somehow, his name from a mouth that foul did not suit his ears at all. "Firstly, a rape case cannot be withdrawn, and secondly, I don't know Miss Wade well, but I know she will never even think of it. So what made you?"

  "Well, I thought maybe…"

  "Do you realize what trouble you could put yourself into because of this small idiocy of yours?" Arjun spat out, unable to control the anger that was pumping right to the tips of his fingers. "Do you have any idea that I could walk out on you right now and you will have no one to save your sorry ass on this case?"

  "Hey Mr Lawyer," the stupid grin was etched back onto Sahil's face, which did nothing to improve Arjun's darkening mood. "I'm paying you for this aren't I? And it's good money. And if we win this case, there'll be more won't there?"

  Arjun breathed, and waited for a moment before making direct eye contact with his spoilt brat of a client, whom he despised ten times more than he did the first day he met him.

  "Mr Verma, let's get one thing clear." His voice was deadly quiet, and Sahil seemed to be on alert mode at once. "I am not your servant, I'm your lawyer. There is nothing in this world that can stop me from leaving you in the middle of this case, not even your father's God damned money. So let's make life easier for both of us. If I tell you to do something, you do it, when and wherever I say. If I tell you to be somewhere at a certain time, make sure you are there at that specific time. If I tell you to call me, then call me. If I tell you to say something, you say it. In short, you go on my orders." Arjun's voice turned more dangerous and deadly than he had ever thought it could. "If I tell you to sit, you sit. If I tell you to run, you run. Walk, you walk. Shut up, you shut up! Don't even breathe..." he paused, letting it sink in as Sahil's eyes widened in terror. "Unless I order you to, otherwise the moment I pack my stuff and resign from this case, there will be nothing, not even your bloody reputation that will stop you from spending a minimum of ten years behind bars. Got that, Mr Verma? Don't fucking think of treating me as your servant boy, or going against me ever again. You need me, not the other way round, do we understand?"

  Sahil gulped once, not being able to remove his eyes from Arjun's no matter how much he willed himself to.

  "Do we understand, Mr Verma?" Arjun repeated slowly, putting unknown force into each word, until Sahil, positively frightened of the towering monster of words and illusions that had been created in his head, nodded once. "Good. Get out."

  And he did not need to say it again, while his client frantically searched for the lock, opened the door, and scrambled out of the car in haste, making sure to bang the door shut, then flinching at Arjun's gaze through the window.

  "bastard," Arjun found himself muttering as he forced himself to calm down and put his head back on the leather coated head rest. Sighing inwardly to himself he looked back inside the restaurant, and saw his three oppositions resume to their jolly selves once again. But the one that needed all that happiness was the one least involved in it. "This was for you Aamanda." He whispered, before bringing alive the engine in his car, and driving off.

  Only two weeks were remaining for the second hearing, and both Arjun and Rohan were hard at work. Rohan kept going through files and files hoping to see a loophole where he could possibly trap Sahil, but something seemed to always cover up. Sighing in utter frustration, he banged his hand against his office desk. Something had to be wrong somewhere! Sahil could be entrapped easily, if only this Arjun Singh was never his lawyer! Rohan thought back to that evening, where Arjun had apologised for Sahil's behaviour. He knew that somewhere, Arjun was aware that he was defending the wrong person. And he sympathised with Aamanda. But then again, he was doing what he was paid for, which

  meant that he wasn't putting his whole heart into it. Then WHERE was that loophole that Rohan kept looking for but couldn't find? He had to find it out. How, was the biggest question.

  "I'm going to the Social Care." Aamanda called out, and Rohan immediately got up.

  "I'll drop you." He volunteered, and refused to listen to her when she tried to protest. Honestly, he wasn't letting her walk anywhere alone. And especially not at a time like this, where Sahil was still roaming around freely looking for opportunities to ambush her again.

  Finally, just after he dropped her off inside and was coming out, to his astonishment, he met none other than the same Arjun Singh he had been despising, at the entrance. What was he doing here?

  "Morning" Arjun smiled genuinely. "We do bump into other a bit too much don't we?"

  "Too much for my liking." Rohan muttered rudely. He couldn't help it; it was his best friend's life on stake here. And this lawyer, with his flawless skills, was trampling out every reason inside her to live! For that, he would probably never forgive the man in front of him.

  "Look, Mr Agarwal, I'm sorry for what happened the other night. I really am." Arjun honestly did not know how to make them believe it. He hadn't intended anything of that sort. Especially not with Aamanda being the victim.

  "Tell me something Mr Singh, do you always defend rapists?"

  Arjun was taken aback at this question, shock clearly written on his face.

  "I'm sorry what?" He managed to ask again, sure that he hadn't heard him well the first time.

&
nbsp; "You and I both know the truth. How can you stand up and defend someone who you know is guilty? You never struck me as a bad guy, but I'm quite interested to know how you can do something like this so readily."

  Funnily enough, Arjun just smiled once, calmly, and replied,

  "Mr Verma wasn't in his right state of mind when he committed the act."

  "Even so..." Rohan argued. "How can you?"

  "Sahil wasn't in the right state of mind." Arjun repeated once more, casually, as he smiled at an old lady, who was walking past that instant.

  "I don't care whether he was in the right state of mind or not! We both know what he did was unforgivable!" Rohan almost shouted, clenching his fists, ready to beat up Arjun, who was doing an extremely good job of getting onto his nerves!

  "I'm sorry, but I mean what I say. He wasn't in the right state of his mind, now good day." Arjun said ever so politely and walked inside, leaving a furious Rohan muttering and swearing under his breath.

  How could that idiot keep repeating something didn't even half answer his question?! 'Sahil Verma wasn't in his right state of mind'! Obviously he wasn't! Who would be to go around raping girls they're attracted to? It was only when he was in the car, contemplating over their conversation, while driving at a speed of over a hundred km on the highway, did realisation suddenly strike him.

  "He wasn't in the right state of mind."

  The words roamed around his head, and his mind started kicking back into fifth gear, as he turned around and headed back home.

  "Right state of mind."

  If what he thought that meant was right, then Rohan had found the biggest hole he couldn't have even dared to hope for! Something which would throw Sahil in prison for a guaranteed seven years, even if he was found not guilty of the horrendous act he had committed. Something that Rohan would use to his advantage, to give that ass maximum imprisonment. And he couldn't help, but thank Arjun in his mind when he finally got home, opened Sahil's files, and confirmed it.

  Meanwhile, Aamanda had finished looking over a patient she had personally come to see, after admitting her at the Leicestershire Social Care service herself. The woman was an elderly Asian lady, who diabetic and needed to be looked after. Unfortunately, her son had just left her in the hospital and run away, hoping the UK government would look after her, which they did, however only financially. What the woman needed more was love. So Aamanda vowed to herself to go see her whenever she could, and today was that special day.

  "I'm sorry,but I have to go." She told the woman quite wistfully, who in return just smiled back, and grateful for the emotional support this child was giving her.

  "ohh, so when will you come back?"

  "As soon as possible" She replied smiling. Aaliyah may be here any moment, as the hospital was situated quite close. They would then walk back home together, which in reality took fifteen minutes, but seemed like only two when they were together.

  "Wait, lift!" She called, seeing that it was closing, and rushed towards it. There was no way she was climbing down five flights of stairs! The person inside put his foot in between the closing doors, giving Aamanda enough time to get there, while the lift doors opened again. Smiling at her luck, she thanked the man, then turned to look at the third person occupying the large lift. Her face dropped, as her heart picked up pace again.

  Arjun smiled nervously at her, but she looked away, not acknowledging it. The tension between them was evident to the guy that had stopped the lift for Aamanda, who looked curiously at them, then shrugged. Arjun sighed. Why did they all hate him so much? And why the hell was it bothering him so much? Why, why wouldn't they understand? It was his frigging job! And true, Aamanda had borne the brunt of everything. For that, he was partially to blame, but he honestly was sorry! How many more times should he say it?

  Yet, before he had the chance to contemplate, the lift suddenly jerked and stopped midway. The lights flickered and Arjun could see Aamanda's eyes cloud with a sudden, gripping fear, which set his own blood in his body pumping faster. What was happening?

  Darkness enclosed them suddenly. Arjun swore desperately and heard the other guy do the same, but sudden sharp breaths and tightened sobs held his attention.

  "No!" she whimpered, as those flashes played in front of her again. That feeling was back, of dirty hands grabbing her, filthy fingernails digging into her flesh, rough, dry lips forcefully parting hers! She heard the rip and tear of her clothes all over again, while the devilish smirk which exposed surprisingly well kept teeth, filled her mind. His heavy, alcohol filled breath filled her nostrils once more, and finally, she let out another sob. It was all happening again! And this time, worse! Tears streaming down her face, she cowered against the edge of the lift until dropping down, trying to stifle each sound she made. Her nails had dug so hard into

  her palms that she could feel liquid fill up inside them. Her lips felt numb after biting them for so long, to keep her voice at bay, until she tasted blood. Her eyes shut tight, and only opened when a soft touch on her cheeks filled her senses once more. There was light, and she was looking into a pair of blue, caring and concerned hues, which momentarily wiped out everything in her mind.

  "It's ok," a soft voice whispered. "Nothing's happening. I'm here. I won't let anything happen." And she couldn't help but trust this voice, as the warmth shone out from somewhere inside him.

  Arjun had almost immediately guessed what was happening the moment he heard the stifled sobs and the fear filled 'no' which escaped from her mouth.

  "What's happening?" the other guy in the lift had asked, but his question went ignored as

  Arjun searched for a source of light from his pocket. Finally, he switched on the torch in his mobile, and shone it around the lift, only to see Aamanda crouched against the corner, her eyes shut tight while she tried her utmost to remain silent. Quick flowing tears were ripping down her cheeks, one after another and something about that made Arjun guts squelch inside. He needed to help her! But how? He'd done nothing in psychology, and in the little he had, he'd only learnt how to play with an opponent's mind. This was different, but never the less, he went down both knees, making sure the light was on both of them and hesitantly, very hesitantly, lay his fingers extremely lightly on her soft, tender cheeks. At that, her eyes finally opened and he saw a flicker of hope. The vision in front of him blurred slightly, but he forcefully blinked back everything, saying the first words that came to his mind.

  The light helped, he figured, as he finally felt her stiff body relax, and her head lean onto his shoulder for support.

  "Are you okay?" he whispered as he caressed her hair.

  "Is she okay mate?" the man asked, and though Arjun's back was turned to him, he nodded slightly, hoping the message got across. "Wow, nut case. Is she mentally fine?" The man continued and Arjun felt a bolt of fury race through him like lightning speed as he felt Aamanda stiffen.

  The lights came back on, and Aamanda suddenly stood up, pulling Arjun along with her, clearly ashamed of what the man had said.

  "Look Mister. She's been through a trauma. Don't judge someone before you even know them. Because from what I know, you probably wouldn't be able to last a day in her shoes." Arjun replied coldly, and turned to Aamanda again, who still had her eyes on the floor. He could see a drop of water gleaming on the steel plate below her. Clearly embarrassed at Arjun's harsh words, the man shut up, waiting for the elevator to restart. Arjun on the other hand, turned back to Aamanda, pushed her chin up slightly, only to see her at her most vulnerable state. The helplessness that she had concealed so well finally emancipated and lay bare before him. But he hated seeing it. Bringing up his fingers, he slowly wiped away each tear on her rounded cheeks, and the blood that had clotted up on her lower lip. If her emotions were stark naked in front of him, his weren't covered either. He had such a hard time gulping down the lump that formed in his throat and before he could even think of anything, she pushed herself into him, allowing him to be her pillar.

&nbs
p; Her sobs increased, and all her pent up emotions over the past few weeks let themselves out onto his shirt, in the hollow of his neck.

  "Sssshhhh..." he found himself consoling her. "You're fine. You're safe." And putting one arm around her waist, and another on her head which stroked her silky locks, he let her remain there for quite some time, ignoring the third party that kept staring at them awkwardly. She hiccupped, but he continued holding her. She fisted his shirt in her hands, but he continued holding her. Once or twice, she let out another sob, sniffing, and he still didn't let go of her.

  The lift finally jerked and moved down and even then, he didn't let go of her, nor she of him. There was this odd sense of solace that they both found in each other's presence. While her sobbing came to a stop, she still remained in his hold, feeling protected, cared for, and this one other feeling which she couldn't exactly name or pin point. It was what she had wanted for so long, something she had given up on to such an extent that she had forgotten about it. Now wasn't the time to ponder this, though. Now, she had someone who had taken over when her best friends hadn't been able to. She didn't care who that someone was. He was there for her, and that was all she needed at the moment.

  The lift doors opened and the hustling and bustling of people around caught their attention, as they slowly parted unwillingly.

  "I…" Aamanda started, slightly nervously, wondering what on earth she was going to say. Instead, she dropped her lashes low, unable to meet his eyes gazing earnestly at her even though he was barely centimetres away from her.

  "Come with me." He whispered, and led her out, onto the ground floor. But before she could turn towards the entrance of the building, he turned her complete opposite way and led her to the back door, which led to a small garden. Because of the chilly weather and wind howled behind closed windows that evening, the garden was empty, and he sat her down on the bench, while she wondered what on earth it was he was doing.

  "What…"

  "Hush. I'll be right back. Please stay here."

  Heart beats racing, she frowned in confusion as he left her. Should she stay and wait, or should she just get up and go? Part of her screamed inside, that this was Sahil's lawyer! He was defending the same guy who had made life hell for her! But some part of her protested that he was after all doing his job. He really wasn't a bad person by heart. In fact, from what she had seen, he was quite the opposite. There was something inside that drew her towards him. Something she couldn't pin point. However, before she could fully comprehend the situation, he was back, with a bottle of water.

  "What are you doing?" she asked.

  Arjun smiled and replied,

  "Making sure you don't go out like this."

  Once he had opened the bottle of water, he tipped some of out, onto his handkerchief, and brought it closer to her face. Slightly alarmed, her muscles tensed up, forcing her to move back, making him realize what he was doing.

  "Sorry." He whispered, and handed her the equipment so she could do it herself. Swallowing, she did so in silence, while he just stared out into the setting sun. When she was done, she poured some water onto her hands, and cleaned the dry blood off, trying her best to remove it from inside her nails. It felt disgusting, but she finally managed it all without saying a word for a full five minutes.

  "Thank you."

  Her quiet voice brought him back from his thoughts, as he turned to look at her. The colour was rushing back to her face, and he couldn't help but wonder at how beautiful she really was.

  "You've still got some, here." he pointed, not daring to have the bliss of touching her again.

  She tried wiping it off, but wasn't even close.

  "Now?"

  "May I?" he asked, genuinely, and after a brief pause, she nodded, unaware of the reason behind the drumming against her chest.

  She saw him moisten his own hands and inch closer to her while she willed herself to stay in one position. Heat flushed up to her neck and cheeks, while she felt his smooth touch on her raw skin and saw his face only a few centimetres away from her. Her lips started quivering and she felt her heart banging itself on her ribcage while something knotted itself inside her stomach. Should she dare to look up? She wondered. He could probably hear her shallow breath and the continuous pumping of the strongest muscle in her body. He was probably laughing at her right now, so when she finally garnered enough courage to fix her eyes on his, she gasped.

  There was something so intense. Something she failed to understand. Something that was possibly never meant for her. And yet, she still couldn't bring herself to tear her gaze away. It was in that precise moment of being held captive by his mere oceans which spoke depths and depths of emotions, that her phone chose to beep in her pocket and break the trance she and Arjun had fallen into.

  "It's done. You look perfect." He stated as he moved back and created distance between them. Shaking her head to allow the flow of more oxygen into her brain, she removed her phone and saw Aaliyah's name and message.

  Sorry for being a bit late. Got held up. I'll be there in ten. XOXO'

  "Aaliyah...she'll be here in a while." Aamanda answered his unasked question. "I didn't expect to see you here."

  "Well," he smiled bitterly. "We all have secrets, don't we?"

  "I came to see an old friend." Aamanda pursued, hoping this conversation would lead somewhere, but he merely nodded.

  Aamanda shut her eyes. This wasn't what she really wanted to say. There was more. Unanswered questions, for a start. Like why had he been there for her? Why had he supported her? Why did she feel so safe with him? Why was she so unsure around him, when in actual fact, she should hate him to the core?! What happened between them a few seconds back? What was that look in his eyes? And most of all,

  "You know Sahil is lying." She found the words on the tip of her tongue. "You know what the truth is. That's why you..." His prolonged sigh and silence made her heart burn. "Then why are you defending him?" she whispered, her voice cracking.

  "It's never too easy." Was his vague reply, but Aamanda was not looking for that. She turned her face away, unable to meet his gaze all of a sudden.

  "This isn't the answer. At least I deserve to know the truth."

  "I'm a lawyer. Lies are as transparent to me as clear glass." He thought back to the day Sahil had first walked into his office.

  "Mr Verma, I can tell the difference between a lie and the truth as easily as light and dark. So I'll ask you this question again. Did you or did you not rape the woman?"

  That was when Sahil nodded, just once and Arjun had hated him from that moment onwards.

  "Why?" she asked again.

  "Did you wonder why I'm here, Miss Wade?"

  "You can call me Aamanda." She nodded.

  "I'm here because I've admitted my father for these few weeks. He's suffering from Alzheimer and if I don't see him every day, he forgets who I am. But I can't really keep him at home else he might just end up harming himself while I'm out. This and his on-going treatment need a constant flow of money. The treatment just slows down the progression and if it wasn't for that, he'd be much worse right now." Arjun let it all go. He'd kept it all to himself for so long, kept it tied up somewhere inside. He didn't know why he'd told her. Maybe because she had let him in. because she had let him help her, even for a fraction of a moment, though it seemed. She had trusted him enough, so it was time to trust her now.

  Aamanda collected herself. There was more to Arjun. If she had taken a proper look behind his lawyer exterior, she might have been able to see, that there was always more to the story than what appeared to the naked eye. And in a world like this, where bastards like Sahil threw money all around them, someone was working hard day and night so they could provide for their family, feed, clothe, look after. She marvelled at how readily she had judged him. It was true, Arjun had his reasons, and she might always hate him if he won the case and set Sahil free. But could she really blame him?

  "So Sahil offered you good money?" she ques
tioned, laughing sarcastically.

  "And Sahil offered me good money." He repeated, as though ashamed at what he'd done. "If I win the case. I never meant to be harsh on you. And I hate that we're meeting like this, because…" he stopped. 'Because there was something about her that drew him towards her like magnet,' he wanted to say, but changed it. "I might have been a lot more likeable, had we met under different circumstances." She nodded in response, feeling her guts wrench out from inside her.

  "For what it's worth," she managed to say, though she couldn't think of herself in his position, "I might have done the same thing for my family."

  "It's selfish." He muttered.

  "It's loving." She defended him.

  "I never thought once about you forced myself not to, until I met you. Then I couldn't stop." He admitted.

  "So it's your first?" he nodded. "You've never defended a lie before?"

  "Not something as big."

  She sighed, wondering where all this was leading them. It was then that she noticed Aaliyah would be here in a few minutes.

  "Aaliyah will be here just now, I'd better get going." She saw him turn to look at her and could swear that he was begging her not to leave. She couldn't help it. She had to! Aaliyah would jump to conclusions as soon as she saw them together! "I'm sorry." She whispered and just when she reached the door, he called out to her.

  "I never planned to be like this. Never thought I'd ever be a devil's advocate."

  "I don't blame you, Arjun. But until the case is over, this is probably the only thing you'll be to us."

  She couldn't watch the effect her hard words had on him. She hated herself for doing that, but at the end of the day, he was right. He was the Devil's advocate. And she was the victim. Right now, she forced herself to see nothing else. "Good luck, Arjun."

  With that she walked back inside, composing herself. Life was tough, and it got tougher. But heck, everyone had to handle it. Everyone had to make difficult choices. Not many people prided in making ones that could hurt other people. But then again, that was life, wasn't it. It was a race. Survival for the fittest. In that, you only saw to yourself and people you cared about. This meeting with Arjun taught her that very thing, and that if she looked further inside someone's heart, there was bound to be something else that forced them to act upon things that others found unforgivable. Except of course, with shallow people like Sahil. The less said about them, the better, she thought bitterly.

  And when she saw Aaliyah standing at the entrance, waiting for her, she knew that no matter what happened, she would not put Aaliyah's and Rohan's efforts to give her justice in the dustbin. Though the man behind her had left a deep imprint somewhere within her, at the moment, they were the ones that came first for her. And somewhere, she desperately hoped he understood.

  I, I'll get by

  I, I'll survive

  When the world is crashing down

  When I fall and hit the ground

  I will turn myself around

  Don't you try to stop me

  I, I won't cry

  The lyrics to Avril Lavigne's song, Alice (Underground) pumped in her head while she sped through Victoria Park. Her forehead was clamped up in sweat and so was her whole back, despite wearing a t-back red sports top. Aamanda's eyes roamed around the whole park, on that particular morning, as she saw couples strolling around, hand in hand, leading an almost blissful life. The lyrics flew out of her head. Her eyes clouded up as a knot formed inside her throat. She might never have that, will she? She might always live in the shadow of her past. Was this some way of living? As a reflex, she suddenly stopped and breathing heavily walked the rest of the way to the entrance. About time she got back home, or Aaliyah and Rohan would worry. Plus there were only a few days remaining for the second hearing, and she needed to practise the answers Rohan had prepared for her.

  She plugged out her earphones, and stood by the edge of the road, the recent memory of a couple kissing filling her mind. Will she ever have that? She wondered? Will she ever be able to live that sort of a normal life? In fact, if they lost the case, would she be able to survive the disappointment? Would she ever, be able to move on? That was the initial idea, wasn't it? And now she was having doubts. Why was everyone going through so much trouble for her? Surely, if she never existed, things would have never been this bad, right?

  Heavy drops scorched her cheeks once again. She could feel her senses grow numb, as she looked towards her right. A car was speeding down the road. Just one step, and it could make everything load better. Just one. It was getting closer. Her feet automatically inched forward.

  ZOOOM!

  It flew past her, in front of her face, and she found herself breathing quickly, her heart racing. Once more, she looked back up the road, and saw another one on its way, its speed similar to the first. No one would probably care. Face it, she could probably never find the will to live normally ever again. Then why pretend?

  "Oh, hey, Sahil, could you please help me with these boxes." Aamanda had almost jumped out of her skin when the lights suddenly went off, and the door banged shut. But when she saw Sahil's silhouette against the pale moonlight which seeped through the barred window, she asked for help. And she needed it! Seven trips up and down three flights of stairs left her drained!

  "Yeah sure." There was something strange in his voice, as though he wasn't really himself. Nevertheless, she shrugged it aside, and allowed him to come closer.

  "Aamanda…" she heard him rasp and got startled at how near his voice started.

  "Sahil, what are you doing?" her alarmed question came out as she leant backwards, confused. "Sahil Verma, leave my hand!" she ordered, and instead, he grabbed her shoulders, digging his nails into them, making her wince out in pain.

  "You have no idea what you do to me Aamanda." She heard before her skin felt his dry lips. Aghast, she freed one hand, and slapped him hard across his visage, her eyes wide with fury. She could hear the slap echoing in the empty room. How dare he! Taking her purse, she quickly scrambled inside for a phone, but the next second, it was snatched away and thrown into some deep, dark corner, the contents of it spraying wildly. She could make out his eyes, filled with rage, the blood vessels in them pumping out, burning her insides. That's when his intentions grappled her.

  "Sahil, don't…" her eyes pleaded, but that lunacy had already taken possession.

  She bumped into several things, boxes, tables, while trying to find her way to the door, frantically turning the knob to open it. Alas, after a few attempts, and his wild grin, she realized she was trapped. That's why he was advancing on her, slowly and steadily. They both knew there was no way out for her right now, and Aamanda's heart jumped into her mouth as she saw the wild glint dancing in pupils.

  "Why don't you just make things more pleasant for both of us?" he whispered, as horror struck her face. Again, his hand made its way towards her, but she slapped it away!

  "This is the fiery attitude I've always loved about you." He mocked, and continued coming closer, while she backed off. Everything she threw, his way, was caught and thrown again someplace else. Every shield she tried to put in between was removed with a lazy flick of his hand. Panic had already clenched her insides, but this time fear took over too.

  "Sahil don't touch me. I'll scream!" she put on a strong front.

  "Go on, sweetheart. Who'll hear you? The walls?"

  "HELP!" she shouted. "SOMEBODY! HELP ME!!!" Dodging him, she darted for the door again, and banged her hands against it, causing it to shake. She tried to break it with her physical strength, praying for something or the other to come out. But nothing happened. It didn't open, and no light shone through. It was just a circle of darkness, with the Devil in the middle, laughing at her.

  "SHUT UP BITCH" he roared! That was when he slapped her, and pushed her down with all his weight. But she fought! She bit, kicked, scratched, screamed, looked for objects to use as weapons, and heard the first RIP! Then the second! However, she still continued f
ighting! With everything she had! His teeth dug sharply into her skin, making her cry out loud, while everything inside her contradicted every single touch of his. Somehow, she still managed to free herself, by letting her own teeth sink into his flesh, this time. Aching, she still tried to run, but he caught her, turned her around, and swung his hand around her face, once again.

  Her vision blurred, and she swallowed thickly. She could see the silver glint on the roof of the car. She wouldn't have to live in torment every day. Automatically, her left leg found its way forward, hearing the engine of the vehicle approach. It wouldn't be too painful, people loved driving at high speeds here. Finally, hearing the roar of the engine get louder, she shut her eyes, lifted the right leg, and...

  Someone yanked her arm, pulling her by her waist back to the safety of the pavement.

  "Are you crazy?" Arjun asked her, shaking her whole body and forcing her to open her eyes. What a coincidence, he wouldn't even let her die in peace, she wondered sourly. That's when the world snapped back in front of her face. Was really about to commit… she couldn't even think of the word! Her eyes widened with the thought, as she looked back up at his blues which matched his t-shirt, and had rage, fright and immense care held in them. Her breathing took to becoming more shallow, while she fumbled for words. How could she have done that? How on earth could she have even thought of wanting to give up her life like that? What would Aaliyah and Rohan do? Hadn't she sworn to not let their efforts go in vain? Then how the hell?

  "I…I don't...know..."

  "Aamanda" He whispered, not letting go of her shoulders. And before she knew or felt it, another drop of water had fallen had escaped onto her cheeks.

  "I swear, I don't... know... how… how I…"

  "Shhh…" he shushed her, by placing his fingers onto her lips. Her eyes travelled down to them, then back up and she could swear that her heart must have skipped a beat, heck, several beats in this moment.

  With his head slightly bent, she leant forward to let their foreheads meet when she saw him shutting his eyes.

  "I don't think..." she proceeded to explain herself.

  "What if I hadn't been here?" he asked, his voice hoarse. She was taking in his breath and could swear that nothing had ever seemed sweeter.

  Arjun had just finished his casual morning walk, which he always took to clear his mind, when he saw a figure on the edge of the pavement, waiting to cross the road. It was until he came closer, that he realized that this figure was Aamanda, and just as he rushed up, not wanting to miss a chance to talk to her, she was stepping onto the road, putting herself right in front of the speeding car! His heart raced furiously, and with the adrenaline that pumped in his blood stream, he sprinted the last few steps, and pulled her out of the way, just before the driver could realize the intention of the person standing right in his path, and slam the breaks on! Arjun had probably never felt so scared in his life, in such a short moment, like then. He feared to even imagine the consequences had he not been around!

  "Why would you do this?" Was his question, while she could almost taste his bitter-sweet, minty breath on her lips which set everything inside her racing at a speed she never knew existed!

  "I don't know." She answered back, wanting nothing more but to hug him close to herself this very second, let him assure her that there was a reason to live. There was a long moment of silence between them, in which they both stood frozen, soaking up the others' presence. "I don't want to do this anymore." She finally admitted. "I don't know if I will ever be able to live like I used to." Her eyes opened, and she took a long look into his sky blue coloured hues.

  "I won't..." she stopped half way, afraid that her voice may give way to her feelings.

  "You won't..?" he leant back, making her frown at the loss of warmth, but immediately held her face in his hands.

  "Be able... to live... like I used to. Dream... like I used to." She wanted to tell him in words, that probably, she will never find someone to love her, unlike the girl whose shining eyes wouldn't leave her mind. That girl had someone. And yes, she had Rohan and Muskaan, but this was different.

  "Aamanda, listen to me." His tender voice urgently found its way into her head. "Your life is yours to live. No one can take that right away from you. Not one person, not a thousand. Okay?" the direct eye contact which he held, despite being centimetres away from her, proved useful as she nodded. "You haven't given up in all this time. It would be a shame to do so now." He continued.

  She couldn't help but let his words sink in.

  "It's hard." She whispered.

  "Who said it's easy. But you are one of the toughest women I've seen." She saw his dimples appear on the sides of his face and admired them. Suddenly, she let her lashes drop as she felt blood creep up her neck and cheeks, hoping desperately that he couldn't see it. "Now will I see you at the court in a couple of days' time, giving it your everything?" She nodded, but he shook his head. "I want to hear it from you."

  "Yes." She replied back, more confidently, and his dimples became deeper.

  "Good. May the best man win. And in this case, it's you."

  Aamanda found her organs quit responding when he inched ever so close to her face, his lips almost on hers. She shut her eyes, wondering what that feeling in the pit of her stomach was, and the only other thing she was aware of was his breath getting heavier on her lips, giving her goose bumps all over her arms. She could feel his right hand trace up her cheek and remove a tendril of hair that was stuck there, making her eye lids flutter. There was a light touch of his lips on her clear skin which lasted for such a short time, before he drew back, and walked away, leaving her in a vacuum devoid of emotions, thoughts, and wander.

  Arjun sighed to himself, as he forcefully took each step away from her. He didn't want to at all! He just wanted to stay there, with her, and erase all her insecurities. He wanted to hold her close to himself, and assure her that no one would ever dare to touch her again. He wanted his lips to touch her soft skin again. He wanted to feel her lips on his. But he couldn't have all that he wanted. It just wasn't possible. Especially not at a time like this. And he cursed his fate, his heart hammering against his ribcage trying to force him to act on those thoughts.

  "Miss Wade, when Mr Verma attacked you, was he, to put it in common words, 'in the right state of his mind'?" Rohan asked Aamanda, who frowned slightly at this question.

  "He…" she paused. "He smelt of alcohol. And his eyes were red." She shut her own remembering those terrible memories which had become a recurring nightmare.

  "This happened on the 20th of August 2011, at precisely one am in the morning, after the party?"

  "Yes" she whispered. If only she hadn't volunteered to go into that room to put back the boxes filled with paper plates and everything. If only she had just sauntered off back home, in the car Rohan had given her for the night. If only she had, like Aaliyah, opted to stay at home instead. If only this hospital party had not been thrown in the first place. But all these 'if only's were now pointless.

  "Your honour, I would like to give some more proof, that Mr Sahil Verma was responsible for this derogatory act against Miss Aamanda Wade." Rohan requested as his voice boomed across the court room. "Miss Wade's clothes and accessories which she wore that night are present in the bag, and here are the reports of two DNA samples found on the clothes. One, obviously matches Miss Wade's and the other, Mr Verma. And I would like to call upon the defendant, with your permission."

  The documents and samples of clothing were all taken to the adjacent room, waiting to be inspected by the jury.

  "Mr Singh, would you like to cross examine the prosecutor?"

  Arjun stood up and Aamanda felt her heart clench. She ordered her raving heart to cut the furious pumping it was conducting, and held her breath for a mere second. She saw his gorgeous blues direct themselves to her own hazel browns. That moment was the only thing needed to reassure her of the warmth his inner self held. And though she felt herself heating up by
his mere gaze on her, she willed herself to look away, lest someone notice the electrical connection between them.

  "No, sir" Arjun answered back. "However, I would like to point out that DNA samples can be a very vague source of proof, as they could have been obtained from anywhere, any time. That's all you honour."

  And Arjun took his seat again, leaving Aamanda shocked to the core. He hadn't questioned her at all! Not once! And here, she had been preparing herself for a full on war, like the last time. The only difference was, this time she had a shield and experience. She turned her concentration back on him, but he was busy talking to his assistant.

  "Prosecutor may leave the witness box. Mr Agarwal, you may call upon the second witness."

  "Thank you, your honour. I would like to request," Rohan paused, wondering why he was requesting this son of a bitch to step into the witness section, when he wanted to kick him there instead. "Mr Sahil Verma to stand up and present himself in front of everyone."

  "Where were you at one am on the 20th of August 2011?"

  "At home" Sahil answered confidently.

  "Can anyone bear witness to that statement?"

  "My servants, probably." Sahil replied, getting slightly cautious.

  "That's good." Rohan's sarcastic voice floated in the room. "Where was you father at that particular time, Mr Verma?"

  "Out. Business tour... I mean, not out of the country, just within, actually, within the city, I mean." Sahil's constant change of answer got everyone raising their eyebrows.

  "What do you mean, Mr Verma?" Rohan's mocking tone threw Sahil even more off guard.

  "I mean, he wasn't at home. But in the city, with a client."

  "A client at one am? Funny, I thought prostitutes were the only people with clients at that time of the night." A soft voice dripping with sarcasm was all that statement needed to have sniggers erupt from the panel of jury.

  "I mean, he was out of the house, I don't know where alright." Sahil covered up, humiliation leading to anger.

  "You don't know where your father was. He didn't think of informing you?"

  "We, we don't get along too well." Sahil's smirk was back on once he found the perfect answer. But Rohan merely looked down, and said in an audible voice,

  "No wonder," which wiped that silly grin right off Sahil's unshaved visage. "I mean," he corrected himself more clearly, "Quite understandable."

  Sahil threw a 'What the fuck' look to Arjun, asking him to intervene. Arjun on the other hand, just shrugged his shoulders and leaned back in his chair, watching Rohan with amusement. Oh, he was good. And entertaining! If only he had caught on. And like a miracle, Rohan's next question cleared Arjun's hopes, making him want to stand up and hug the opposition in front of everyone!

  "So, Mr Verma, when did you last take drugs?"

  "Uhm... I… what?"

  "The question is quite clear, when did you last take drugs?" The sharp voice rung through everyone's ears, making them sit up a bit straight.

  "I... well...uhmm…"

  "Hesitation, your Honour, don't you think worth taking down?"

  "I'm just surprised that you would ask me this question!" Sahil roared, while Rohan just looked on, unaffected.

  "Why should you be? Weren't you caught a few years back doing drugs in college? The court has all your records."

  "Yeah, well, I haven't since then." Sahil defended himself.

  "Then I'm sure you wouldn't mind taking a drug test with this small kit I present you with." Rohan replied, in an ever so sweet tone, but the danger that lay behind it was evident to everyone.

  "Why should I?" Sahil asked, nervously eyeing the box, as though there were explosives piled in it.

  "Reluctance, your Honour. Please note that down too. Ok, since we can't force you, Mr Verma, can you explain where an addition of 10,000 in your bank account came from, all of a sudden, on the 30th December 2011? I wouldn't think these bank statements are wrong, are they?"

  "I uhmm... my father gave me the money." That quick answer was all Rohan needed. He grinned inwardly, as the mouse had fallen for the bait.

  "Weren't you the one who said you're not on good terms with your father?"

  "I'm not, but that doesn't stop him giving me money."

  "Mr Sahil Verma, if the court can get your bank statements in a few e-mails, it wouldn't be too hard to get Mr Verma senior's bank statements either." The serious, authoritative tone Rohan had put on was alerting every single sleeping member inside the court. "And here they are. There has been no withdrawal of 10,000 at all."

  "What are you trying to prove?" Sahil asked, glancing at Arjun, who was busy observing everything with an interested eye. Rohan gave the documents to the court.

  "Hesitation; when I asked you about drugs, whereas the other answers were all given with full confidence. Reluctance to take a drug test. Miss Aamanda Wade mentioned seeing your eyes red. All this points to the fact that you, Mr Verma, have been consuming drugs, and were probably under their affect the night you sexually assaulted your fellow colleague whom you had been attracted to ever since you'd set eyes on, as Mrs Agarwal stated earlier!" Rohan's voice became rhythmic and more powerful. " Not only that, your honour, but I suspect that Mr Verma has been dealing in drugs, which will explain the random increase of 10,000 in his bank accounts. Am I right?" Rohan faced Sahil and focused his intense glare onto him.

  It took a while before Sahil composed himself.

  "What rubbish." He replied coolly.

  "Give me another explanation then, Mr Verma."

  "I refuse to say anything more."

  "I'm afraid, that leads me back to my conclusion. Judge, Jury, This man has not only committed a crime against humanity, but has also committed a crime against our country. As I understand, drug supply is an illegal business, which is punished severely by the law of this country. I leave it up to you and rest my case, your Honour."

  With that, Rohan walked back to his table after giving a victorious smirk to an ashen faced Sahil, and sat down, drained from all the energy he had used in a time span of three hours.

  "Mr Singh, would like to cross examine the defendant?" the jury asked.

  Arjun stood up and replied instantly.

  "No, your Honour."

  Rohan gulped down a whole bottle of water as he watched the judges and the jury file into the conference room, leaving the room empty, except for the defendants, opponents and a few policemen there to make sure no violence took place.

  Waiting was hard work. And especially when you didn't know how long you were going to wait for! An hour and a half had crawled past, so slowly, Aamanda was starting to wonder whether she was in an environment of surrealism. The decision could take an hour to make. Maybe two. Or ten! But Aamanda sincerely hoped not while she drummed her fingers against the desk. She wanted to get out of the room, but there was only one thing, one person that was holding her there. And he didn't even need to say a word to her to keep her captured there. Quite often, when she looked up from the low conversations she was having with Rohan and his assistant, Michael, she caught him staring much too obviously at her, which after startling her initially, made the blood rise up to her neck and ears, hoping desperately that no one would notice. And when she'd look back up, she'd see the dimples on his face, telling her that even if no one else had noticed her colouring up, he had, and had thoroughly enjoyed it!

  Putting her head on the table to hide her embarrassment, she never knew when she dozed off, for the first time, in the most uncomfortable position, into a dreamless sleep, a small smile playing on her lips.

  "Ammy" she felt someone shake her and got up, blinking her eyes at the bright light. "They're back." Aaliyah whispered, making Aamanda sit up straight after rubbing her eyes. She glanced at the huge clock on the wall opposite her, and saw that he had dozed off for a good hour and fifteen minutes. How had she been able to manage that so easily? She wondered as she watched the judges take their seats at their respective places. Maybe because of the emotional
drain she had experienced over the past few weeks, with one face, which had a pair adorable dimples, constantly appearing in her mind, leaving a bitter sweet taste inside.

  She looked across at the owner of those features, but he was busy emerged in a quiet conversation with his assistant. Though it didn't seem like they were talking about the case at all. Their relaxed postures on their leather chairs, and smiles suggested anything but the case which was now coming to a close. Her eyes automatically darted to the root cause of all this mess. Fuming was an understatement of his condition. He hadn't managed to decipher how on earth Rohan could bring him down so easily, humiliate him in such a way that he had failed to answer back.

  The low murmurs hushed immediately when the Judge used his gravel to bring silence into the room.

  "Jury has come to a conclusion. Given the evidences, and witnesses' answers, the decision has been approached that at one O'clock am, on the 21st August 2011, Mr Sahil Verma, the defendant, has been found guilty of committing an act of sexual violence against Miss Aamanda Wade, under the probable influence of drugs. This court sentences him to a minimum of ten years of imprisonment, at Prison, at Buckinghamshire."

  Aamanda shut her eyes as her heart, which kept increasing it beating rate with every nano second, slowed down abruptly. The sentence kept circling inside her head, 'minimum of ten years', while some part of her wondered whether all this was really true, or was she still dreaming.

  "The court further announces a drug screening test for Mr Sahil Verma, and a thorough check of all his possessions, followed up with an inquiry of everyone he's been in contact with. The defendant will be trialled for consumption of drugs and dealing in the illegal drug trafficking market. The case is now closed."

  Her soul breathed the first bout of fresh air for the past seven months. All her tensed up insides loosened up again to such an extent that she was surprised everything was still in place! She couldn't help, but let a smile of relief, a smile of victory, a smile of justice form on her face, while Aaliyah and Rohan both simultaneously put their arms around her. Her vision clouded, and she heard Aaliyah sniffing next to her, while she could barely keep hold of her own emotions that were soaring high into the sky at this very moment. Finally, the time she had waited for so long, so long, had emerged from murky waters! And it was worth every single second of patience she had to endure. Worth every single sweat she and her best friends had shed to make sure nothing went in vain. She wiped away the small drops of water which formed at the end of her eyes. No, she was done crying. She'd done enough for her whole life and there was no way she was going to do more, through happiness, be it.

  Her head shot around to look for Arjun and her hazel brown marbles caught his oceanic blue ones. WOW! Something inside her did a double take. Did he just pass a small wink at her? Was he happy for her? She felt heat get to her again, and tore her eyes away from him.

  "I want bail!" Sahil demanded and Arjun sighed.

  "You've been sentenced, Sahil. Not just thrown into prison! There's a difference, you can't get bail."

  "I want to appeal."

  "You can't do that either, until your drug case is over." It took everything for Arjun to stop smirking at his client's face.

  "So when will that be?"

  "I don't know, Mr Verma. The case could take a few years, and if you're proved guilty of drug dealing, then you'll be sentenced for life without doubt." Arjun's professional voice was back on. "I signed a contract for this case only. Not another. And before you suggest it, I refuse to take up that case."

  "Wait, what to do mean Arjun?"

  "It's Mr Singh, and clearly, I mean what I just said." That's when his eyes flickered over to Aamanda's and he felt a warm sensation buzzing through him when that soft smile enlightened her elegant visage. Sahil at that particular moment was being handcuffed by the policemen that were present, and saw the tenderness in Arjun's eyes for Aamanda.

  "You're smitten aren't you? You're in love with her?"

  Arjun's gaze directed back at him as he refused to contradict Sahil's statement and instead looked at him in such disgust, which would make any man quail in an instant. But not Sahil.

  "She charmed the pants off you too didn't she?" Sahil continued, while Arjun clenched his fists, his eyes producing fire.

  "I don't have anything more to say to him." Arjun controlled his desire to punch the living guts out of his client, and instead, addressed the officers. "He's all yours." And with that, he watched Sahil being swept out of the room with utmost contempt. He took one last, long look at Aamanda, and felt his lips curve when he noticed how her face depicted relief, and some sort of freedom, was it, he questioned? Her eyes met his, and he blinked once, assuring her that this was not some dream and in fact was reality, that she found so hard to believe. He then turned and walked out, saying a silent goodbye to her.

  Aamanda watched Arjun go out and felt something contract within her. Nevertheless, she stayed at the same spot, diverting her attention to what Rohan was telling Aaliyah in a low voice.

  "If it hadn't been for that small piece of information, we would never have been able to give solid proof." He was murmuring "He let that information slip purposely. I don't think he wanted to win the case. I don't know why he suddenly changed his mind, and gave the biggest fault in the whole lie Sahil had constructed."

  "Rohan, maybe more than winning the case, he wanted to see justice. Because I'm sure he knew Sahil was wrong." Aaliyah replied, and that's when the small pieces of the complicated puzzle finally started falling into place inside Aamanda's mind.

  The way Arjun had told her he never wanted to 'be a Devil's advocate'. The way he let past a chance to cross examine her, knowing well that he could break her down like he did the last time. The way he refused to stand up and defend Sahil while Rohan was having a go at torturing him. In this hearing, Arjun never intended to win the case. In fact, he intended the complete opposite. And he had thrown away victory money for his father's medication, so that she could have a better life in front of her!

  Her breath got caught, and her veins started trembling immediately, forcing her to rush out to the door and look for him everywhere, thank him, see him once more before he disappeared. She scanned the whole crowd for just one glimpse of him over and over again. Alas, he wasn't there. And just as quickly as the joy that had seeped through every cell in her body when she heard the final verdict, this time a sense of emptiness crept through. A wave of remorse washed over her. She hadn't even been able to say a simple 'thank you' to him! Though honestly, that probably wasn't all she wanted to show him. There was so much more, which at that moment she couldn't put her finger on at all!

  Dejectedly, she made her way back to her only family, knowing well that she would be eternally grateful to him. And more than that, however, she couldn't believe the new feelings that erupted like a volcano whenever she thought back to his gorgeous eyes, the care held in them despite the dilemma he faced. Her disappointment, her anticipation, her thoughts; they all screamed at her, making her finally realize, maybe a bit too late, that she had suddenly, out of the blue, fallen for the person she had once sworn to hate. Fallen for someone who had once tried to bring her down, but brought her back up again. Fallen for, the Devil's advocate.