Owned, Not Saved
Rain began pouring as water dripped through the broken roof, soaking her.
She sat there trembling.She looked at all of them.
Anita
Virat.
Viki.
And then
Omkar.
"I hate you..." she whispered.
Then louder ...
"I HATE YOU All!"
The Rain didn't just fall.It attacked.
Everyone was drenched.The dust on the floor turned into muddy patches. The air turned cold. Heavy.
Meera sat on the floor, shaking, her breath still uneven from the pain, her sobs barely under control.
And slowly...
Her white kuti began to cling to her skin.Soaked.Transparent in places.
She didn't notice at first.Her head was down. Her arms wrapped weakly around herself.
But they noticed.Viki's grin widened first.Virat's gaze followed.
Their eyes dropped. Stayed.
Lingering.Cruel.Hungry.
A silent understanding passed between them before Viki tilted his head slightly, lips curling in amusement.
Virat let out a low chuckle under his breath.
Omkar stood still. He also watched where they were looking.
His eyes flickered once toward her But his face remained completely blank.
No smirk. No reaction.Nothing.
Meera sniffed, wiping her tears weakly, trying to breathe.
Then she felt it.The staring.She looked up slowly.
And saw.
Their eyes weren't on her face.They were lower.Fixed.Watching.
Something inside her snapped into awareness.Her body froze.Her gaze dropped to herself.
And realization hit.
Her hands flew instantly to her chest, desperately against her.A broken gasp escaped her.
Viki laughed.A sharp, mocking sound.
"Well...seems like Meera eats Milk well." he drawled, glancing sideways at Omkar with a smirk.
Virat snorted.
"You're right.She definitely does." he added casually, as if discussing the weather.
The words didn't sound loud.But they felt like knives.
Meera's shoulders shook violently.
Her fingers pressed harder against herself, trying to disappear into her own skin.
Meera voice trembled.
"You're... disgusting," she whispered.
No one reacted.Her voice grew louder.
"Don't you have mothers? Sisters?How can you look at someone like this?!" she demanded, her eyes burning now.
Viki tilted his head.
"Because my mother and sister," he said lazily, "aren't cheap like you."
The words landed.Heavy.Cruel.
"They don't sell themselves, like you" he added.
Meera's head snapped up.
"I DON'T!I never did anything like that!" she shouted, her voice breaking.
Viki rolled his eyes.
"Yeah?Then explain the photos."
he smirked.
Her mouth opened and Closed because she knew anything she said they could against her.
No words came out.No energy remained.Her hands trembled as she tried to hold her soaked kurti together.
Her eyes moved desperate Searching.
They landed on Anika.A girl .Someone who should have understood.
"How can you... let them do this?" Meera asked weakly.
Her voice wasn't angry anymore.
It was pleading."You're a girl too..."
Anika's expression hardened.
"Don't drag me into your mess," she said coldly.
"If you didn't want this kind of attention, maybe you shouldn't have acted like someone who enjoys it."
The last bit of strength left Meera's body.
She didn't argue.
She simply lowered her head and cried quietly, her small hands trying uselessly to protect herself from their eyes.
Only thought her aarav with her . Then no one dare then see her like that . Aarav can make their life hell .
But meera didn't know her her aarav don't her anymore. He already had his love .
And Then
Footsteps.Slow.Measured.
She looked up.
Omkar.
Walking toward her.Each step echoed.
Closer. Too closer.
Meera held her breath.He stopped right in front of her.
For a moment.Nothing happened.
Then suddenly.
He removed his jacket.Placed it over her shoulders.
Covering her.
Virat blinked .Viki straightened . Anika stared.
Shock spread like wildfire.
First the kiss.
Now this?
Meera looked up at him, stunned.
Speechless.
Her fingers slowly gripped the jacket.
Warm.Heavy.Real.
She never expected this from him.
From someone who had just destroyed her.
He leaned down.Close.Too close.
His lips near her ear or can say touching her ear.
His voice was barely a whisper."Don't misunderstand this."
Her breath hitched.
"I don't care what anyone does to you," he continued calmly.
A pause.
"You're just my favorite thing now ." he said.
Her eyes widened.
"Something I want to destroy myself. Not for everyone."His tone remained steady.
"I don't share my things and I don't like anyone else even looking." he added.
A chill ran through her.
"Only I can do that."
Then...
He straightened .Stepped away.
Like nothing had happened.
Meera sat frozen.
Her mind is unable to process.
There was cruelty in his words.
But also...
Something else.Something she couldn't name.
Across the backyard...
Virat and Viki exchanged confused glances.
Anika also because speechless .
Omkar never did this.Not for anyone.
They had ruined others before.Many.
So why her?Why now?
Before any of them could speak .
Meera moved.She scrambled to her feet, clutching the jacket tightly around herself.
And ran.Out of the room.Out of their reach.
Leaving behind only silence
And questions none of them were ready to answer.
Meera stumbled into her room, her body moving on autopilot.
She didn't even remember walking here.Her hands trembled violently. Her chest heaved.
The door shut behind her with a dull thunk. She locked it. Click.
She barely walked, barely even lifted her feet. Her legs carried her like someone wading through thick, heavy water.
The bathroom. She needed it. She needed a mirror, needed herself.
Her reflection hit her like a blow.
Messy hair. Red, swollen eyes. Clumps of mascara smudged down her cheeks. Wet lashes. Lips quivering as if they had just screamed.
Her gaze dropped lower...Her lips.
The memory was instant. Sharp. Cutting.
Omkar's lips. Pressed against hers.
Her stomach twisted violently. Her fingers rose slowly, trembling touching her own mouth.
"No..." she whispered.
Her whole body recoiled from her reflection. She wanted to disappear, and wanted to vanish into herself.
"I didn't want that... I didn't... I didn't.." her voice broke mid sentence.
The humiliation clawed through her. Deeper than pain. Deeper than every insult, every whisper, every stare she had endured.
The worst part?
It wasn't something she could tell Aarav.
And that thought... that shattering question... gnawed at her.
Would he even care?
Her knees buckled. She sank to the floor. Tears streamed down her face unbidden.
"Why would he care...He... he left..." she whispered hoarsely, a sob catching in her throat.
Her chest tightened. Every inhale felt like a struggle."Today... today was the worst day of my life..."
And her mind, relentless, went back to him.
Omkar.
His smirk. His hands. His words. His jacket. Everything about him burned in her memory.
"If he wants to destroy me... then why protect me today?" she asked the mirror, voice trembling, pleading.
"What does he... what does he want from me?"
The mirror didn't answer.
She turned on the shower . Cold . Harsh.
She stepped under it.And finally, finally, she let herself break.
She cried.
Her body shook. Her hands clutched the wall.
"I... I didn't do anything...I didn't deserve this..." she gasped.
The water ran over her, washing her face, mingling with tears until she couldn't tell the difference between them.
Minutes passed. She washed, she changed, she tried to compose herself. And put medicine on her burn .
She sat at her desk. I opened her books.
But just studying was the only way to quiet the storm inside her.
At cafe:??
_____________
Miles away, Aarav sat in a café. His coffee had gone cold hours ago. He didn't care. He wasn't here for the coffee. He was waiting.
For Aditi.
His fingers scrolled absentmindedly through his phone.
Then her profile appeared.
Meera.
Everywhere else is blocked. Every app, every platform... except this one.
He hadn't dared block this completely.He hesitated. Thumb hovering.
Then tapped.
Her pictures loaded. Smiling with Veer. With Ruchika. Living. Breathing. Laughing.
No love captions. No declarations. Nothing.
Something inside him loosened. A strange cocktail of relief and selfishness...or said satisfaction.
She was still alone.
Then he noticed the missed calls.
94 . 94 missed calls in one day.
His chest tightened. His stomach lurched.
"What... why would she call me that many times...?" he whispered.
Fear crawled under his skin. He wanted to call, but...
Two years. Two years of silence.
Would she even answer? Would she... hate him now?
He made a decision . He called his mother.
"Mom?" he asked, forcing his voice normal, casual.
"Aarav! Everything okay?" she replied, worry threading her tone.
"Yes... yes. I'm fine," he lied. "How are you, Maa?"
"I'm fine... you tell me about you ." she said.
"Maa... actually i want to ask you about something." he said
" What, beta?" She asked .
" First tell me you don't you don't said anything." He said.
"Okay, fine. Now ask ." She said.
" Actually i want ask about Meera . How was she" he asked.
A pause.
"Why... why are you asking about her suddenly?" she said, a flicker of irritation.
" I already you don't question. " He said
"I... I just asked if she was okay," he said, trying to keep calm.
"She... doesn't look fine, Aarav. She came back from college today looking... scared," Janvi said quietly.
"Like... like she'd been crying. I asked her, but she didn't tell me anything." she said.
Aarav felt his stomach drop. His chest tightened painfully.
"Thanks, Maa," he whispered.
He hung up. Stared at Meera's number.
Nearly ten minutes passed before Aarav finally stopped fighting himself.
His thumb hovered over the call button again.And again.
Each time he almost pressed it . something inside him pulled him back.
But her name.Her 94 missed calls.
They wouldn't leave his mind.
His chest felt heavy.
"What if something really happened..."A quiet worry formed despite his resistance.
Before he could rethink .He pressed call.
Meera's phone started ringing.
Unknown number.She glanced at it once.
Ignored.It rang again.
She sighed, irritated already.When it rang the third time . her patience snapped.
"Hello? Who is this?"She answered.
Her tone was sharp, hiding the emotional exhaustion she was drowning in.
Silence.She frowned.
"Hello? Say something."Annoyance rose because today she couldn't tolerate mystery.
Still nothing.
"I'm warning you, if this is some joke.."Frustration built inside her.
Then..
"Hello."A calm voice.
A voice she knew too well.Her breath froze.Her fingers tightened around the phone.
"Aarav...?"Shock spread slowly through her chest.
"Yes, Meera. It's me Aarav."His voice stayed composed, but tension hid beneath it.
Her throat tightened instantly.Her knees felt weak.
"Why... are you calling?After so long..."Disbelief trembled in her voice.
Old wounds stirred.
"You don't call without reason."Her guarded pain surfaced.
Aarav inhaled slowly.
"You called me 94 times ."Concern slipped through his control.
"You never do that.I thought something was wrong."
Reluctant worry surfaced.
"Maa also said you didn't look okay." Restlessness showed.
Meera's heart skipped.
"You spoke to Madem?"Surprised filled her tone.
"Yes.And I wanted to make something clear."His reply was short but firm.
Her grip tightened."Clear... what?"
Fear rose inside her.
"You shouldn't expect anything from me."His words were steady but defensive.
"Not love. No promises."he said.
Emotional walls rose.Detachment entered.Meera swallowed hard.
"You called... just to say that?"Pain cracked through her voice.
He stayed silent.
Then
"And to check if you're alive."Concern slipped out unintentionally.
Her breath trembled.
"You checked."A weak laugh escaped her.
"And now I'm alive."Loneliness wrapped her words.
"But today..."Her voice dropped.
"Today was the worst day of my life."
Emotional exhaustion surfaced.
"And somehow...You called."Her lips trembled.
A long pause followed.
Then
"Aarav..."Her voice turned heavier.
"I hate you . I hate you.For not being there. Not with me" she said while crying hard
"If you were here...This wouldn't have happened.""
Fear returned.Aarav's tone sharpened instantly.
"What do you mean?What happened, Meera?"Alertness rose.
Tension grew.She hesitated.
"A boy..."Her voice dropped.
"He..."Shame wrapped around her words.She couldn't finish.
"Meera."His voice turned firmer.
" Listen to me."Control entered his tone even over the phone.
"Tell me properly."Demand masked worry.
Her breath shook."He touched me."
"He didn't listen when I told him to stop . But he .."she cried harder.
"He..."Her voice cracked.
"He kissed me."Disgust and pain flooded out.
Then..
"Did you push him?"Anger tightened Aarav's voice.
"Did you shout?" He said.
"I tried."Self..blame surfaced.
"But he said he doesn't need permission."she said.
Aarav's breathing changed.
But instead of exploding He forced calm.
"So?It was just a kiss."Cold distance returned.
"People kiss."Mock logic entered.
"Why are you crying like something really happened?"Emotional suppression spoke.
Meera froze.
"You really think that?"Her voice trembled.
"Someone crossed my boundary." She said and hurt.
"And you're asking why I'm crying?" She asked while tears went down because of his hateful words.
"Don't twist this."His patience thinned.
"Just tell me his name." He command slipped in.
"Why?You said it's nothing." She said.
Resentment grew.
"So why do you care?" She challenged him.
Aarav's voice lowered."Because I asked.That's enough reason."
Possessiveness lingered. Meera's anger surfaced.
"You don't get that right anymore." She cried in Pain and that turned sharp.
"You lost it when you left." She said while trying to take her side.
"I don't owe you anything." She said to him when her independence was hurt.
Aarav exhaled slowly.
"Meera..." his Warning entered his tone.
"Don't make this harder." He said.
She snapped.
"You don't get to control this!" Her Frustration burst out.
"You don't get to demand answers!You walked away!" She said tried to fight back into his control.
"So why should I tell you anything now?" Her defense replaced vulnerability.
His voice hardened."Because I'm asking calmly."
"And I won't ask calmly again." His
threat lingered.
Fear crept into her silence.But anger still burned.
"You don't care anyway.You already said it's just a kiss.""Her voice softened.
Disappointment settled.Aarav's control cracked slightly.
"Meera..." His frustration was built.
"Stop testing me." His Danger voice entered.
"Tell me his name."His tone became firm.
She hesitated.
"I don't want trouble." Her Fear surfaced.
"I just want this to end." Her Emotional fatigue showed.
His reply came instantly."It ends when I say it ends."
Dominance slipped through.
Her lips trembled."You haven't changed."
He didn't reply.Silence pressed.
Finally
"His name is..."Her resistance weakened.
"Om..."
Reluctance filled her voice.
And suddenly.The phone was snatched from her hand.