Chapter-2: The Girl In The Middle Of Everything

4th January, 2015...

Vedhansh wakes up with a headache, which has been the case for quite a few days. He knows he should take some rest, but none of that reasoning puts him to sleep. He has barely slept eight hours in the last four days. Being a medical student calls for sleepless nights, but Vedhansh is clearly overdoing it. After having breakfast in Java Green, the main canteen that is located at the center of the campus, Vedhansh was about to leave for classes when he got a call from his cousin Kiran. He was the last person Vedhansh would want to talk with in any given situation, yet he doesn’t want to give his family members the wrong idea by avoiding that freaking maniac. The last time that person and Vedhansh were in the same room, he almost killed Kiran, which is why Vedhansh is curious as to why Kiran would take a chance on calling him.

"Hello," Vedhansh's voice says in a challenging tone. One snide remark, and Vedhansh would make him regret calling him for the rest of his life.

"Vansh, hi." Kiran says, his voice implying how uncomfortable he is making this call, and Vedhansh doesn't doubt it.

"What's so important that you made this call after 2 years, Kiran?" The last thing Vedhansh wants before going to class is to be pissed off by this idiot.

"Can we talk? I am here in Chennai. Tell me when your classes will be done, and I will pick you up." He says, which pisses Vedhansh off more. How does he even assume I would want to talk to him at all?

"What is it, Kiran? I am going to be late for my classes. Whatever you have to say, I suggest you say it on the phone." After how things went south two years ago, them being anywhere near each other is not a particularly peachy situation.

"No. We need to talk in person. Trust me, I wouldn't have traveled all the way here if it wasn't important." As much as Vedhansh wants to turn him down, he knows that doing so will only allow Kiran to think of a million weird ways to get him to meet, so instead he makes it as annoying as possible.

"Fine, but you're not picking me up or anything. We will talk right here on campus. If you didn't notice, I am quite busy these days. So, I won't be leaving campus. Come here at lunch, and we'll get this over with." Whatever it is that Kiran wants to talk about, Vedhansh is sure he won’t like it.

Vedhansh walks out of the medical building to find Kiran standing next to a red Maruthi Suzuki Swift, holding what looks like a toothpick to his lips, as if he just had his lunch, as he should because he’ll need that energy. As they spot each other, Kiran stands straighter, the dark circles around his eyes implying the sleepless nights he must’ve had. Vedhansh could think of nothing but how much he deserved those dark circles.

"What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?" He doesn’t bother with a greeting, as they are not exactly on friendly terms.

"Let's sit and talk, Vansh." He leads Vedhansh to the nearby stone railing that has plants on it.

"Don't call me Vansh. That's only for family."

"I guess you are still not over it, but I am not here to fight with you. So, let me just get to the point."

"Oh! You better do it."

"I am getting married, Vansh. It's going to be held next month. Mom and dad want you there."

For a second, Vedhansh thought it was a joke, but when he looked at Kiran, who looked like the world had turned against him and told him his existence was a total, useless phenomenon, Vedhansh could tell he was too exhausted to joke around. The fact that he's telling the truth doesn't help Vedhansh’s anger. In fact, it doubles the ball of rage in his stomach and makes him want to smack Kiran across the face. He curls his fist to control that fury and wishes Kiran had an explanation, or he'd end up in a pool of his own blood.

"What do you mean you're getting married?" Vedhansh says this in a deadly calm voice.

"Yeah, crazy, right? I never thought I'd get married so soon, but you know, when you get the girl pregnant, the pressure from your relatives and family just builds up. I regret it so much. I would never have slept with her if I had known it would come to this." He shakes his head like he wants to escape his life, and it doesn't get Vedhansh to share an ounce of sympathy with him. What really pisses Vedhansh off is that he gets to whine about it when he's supposed to be responsible for a mother and child from now on. He should never sleep with a person he doesn't love and get things complicated to the point that he got a girl pregnant, and he still whines like a baby.

Vedhansh’s skin prickles with the anger building in him as he curls and uncurls his fist to try and relax his muscles before he loses control and lashes out at this hypocrite. Control yourself, Vedansh. It's none of your business. He takes a deep breath and looks him in the face, trying to contemplate how good people like his uncle and aunt gave birth to a maniac like him who is too spoiled for his own good. He is already dreading having this conversation with him. Vedhansh really doesn't care what Kiran does with his life, but there's one thing he is curious about—only one thing he needs to know.

"What about Aarthi? What does she have to say about all this?" Aarthi is all he cares about in this situation, and she was all he cared about two years ago. It took every ounce of his will to rip her out of his life, and he was doing fine without her. He was doing just fine, and he was past it all, but it still hurts to see her hurt because even though she is no longer the woman he loves, she was always a friend.

"What do you mean about her? She's getting annoying by the day." That is all he has to say about her. How dare he? How could he talk about her like she didn't matter when he fought so hard with me over her? The next second, it was like a string snapped as Vedhansh lost control over everything. He yanks Kiran’s shirt at the collar and pulls him close enough for him to see exactly how Vedhansh is feeling right now.

"How dare you disregard her like that? She was the woman you fought over with me, and now you say she's annoying because you cheated on her and got another girl pregnant." Vedhansh was practically huffing with anger now, and people are starting to stop and stare at them, but he couldn't care less, not if this fucker's going to hurt Aarthi.

"What?! No. What are you talking about? I am not cheating on her. I am getting married to her," he says, his voice a little shaky from where Vedhansh’s hand is gripped around his collar, which in turn grips his throat.

Vedhansh’s body goes rigid at this piece of information as his blood runs cold. Slowly, the realization dawned on him, which didn't help his rage. Kiran has been whining about getting Aarthi pregnant all this time. The hand on Kiran’s collar moves to his throat.

"You got Aarthi pregnant?" Vedhansh grits his teeth. Not only did he get her pregnant, but he was also marrying her out of pity and not because he was responsible for the child. It disgusts Vedhansh to think he could stoop so low, and before he could control himself, his fist flew in the air and slammed into Kiran’s cheekbone. Losing his balance, Kiran stumbles back and falls to the ground.

Holding his cheekbone, he looks at Vedhansh with anger filling his eyes but also sympathy, like he understands how he is feeling right now. The latter pisses Vedhansh off to no end as he takes a step forward. Vedhansh got ahold of his other arm as he pulled him over one shoulder and flipped him to the ground, and then, with one arm locked over his neck, Vedhansh asked. "What the fuck did you do to her?"

"Nothing. I didn't hurt her. I wouldn't hurt her, goddamn it." He grunts and breaks Vedhansh’s hold around his neck by ducking under his arm. Vedhansh immediately turns around and looks at him in challenge.

"Look, don't do this. Let me explain. I know you're hurting, but I won't lie to you again and say that I love Aarthi. I don't. But you don't understand." Not another word leaves his mouth as Vedhansh tears towards him, catching him around his midsection and pushing him backward and to the ground. Vedhansh always knew commitment was hard for Kiran, but that doesn't mean he gets to hurt people by not taking responsibility.

He remembers standing in the living room of Aarthi's parents house as he questioned her about her betrayal. "I wish there was a better way to end this, but there isn't. I am sorry for hurting you, V. I regret hurting you, but I don't regret being with him. I fell in love with him, V. So much more than I ever thought." She said that, and she was telling the truth. She was blindly in love with him, and Vedhansh respected that after gifting Kiran with a black eye and a broken nose, which he notices is still a little crooked. He smiles at that with satisfaction. But that doesn't serve as a salvage for what he did.

That fucking bastard dared to go this far. Vedhansh’s body vibrates from the rage that's building in it. He tried so hard to get here. How can he mess this up? His fingers curl into a fist as he clenches his teeth hard enough for his gums to resist the pressure.

He darts forward, throwing his fist in the air. It slams into Kiran's cheek, making him sway for a moment before he regains his posture. He immediately tries to throw a punch back, but Vedhansh blocks it before he can even touch him and kicks him in the pelvis, which makes him drop to the ground, his hands clutching his midsection.

Kiran never should’ve messed with Vedhansh. After all, Vedhansh knows the human body better than Kiran. Vedhansh realizes that people have gathered around them now, but that is the least of his concerns. As Kiran hits the ground, Vedhansh attempts another kick to his abdomen, but before he can execute the plan, something crashes into him, making him lose balance.

His first instinct is to push it away, but when he notices that it’s a girl, he stops. He looked at her for about a second before he saw Kiran coming at him. He has regained his balance and is charging toward Vedhansh. Kiran doesn't notice the girl lying above Vedhansh and charges forward blindly.

Aadhira looks behind her and notices Kiran coming at them, but instead of rolling off of the guy beneath her to escape from the hit, she places herself right on top of him with her other hand on his shoulder acting as a shield, which shocks not only Vedhansh but Aadhira herself. Vedhansh’s mind goes blank for a moment, wondering why she would protect him, but soon his reflexes kick in as he suddenly pushes her down in the last second and places himself on top. Kiran's fist lands on Vedhansh’s shoulder blade, and pain shoots through his body. It almost makes him want to lie down, but he controls himself so as not to suffocate the girl under him.

Vedhansh opens his eyes to check on the girl, and that’s when he really looks at her. Her long eyelashes proudly stand around her chocolate-brown eyes. Her medium-wavy hair spread around her head like a ball of fire. She looks at Vedhansh with a certain fear. For a moment, he forgets the scorching pain in his shoulder, but the pain persistently snaps him out of his thoughts.

He immediately pushes himself up, and so does the girl. Her friend runs to her side and tries to pull her away from the chaos. They walk away and round the corner, but the girl keeps looking back, her wavy hair swaying around her head.

Vedhansh holds his shoulder and walks himself to the campus hospital. As he realized that he was just about to hit a girl, Kiran left in silence. If he had stayed any longer, Vedhansh wouldn’t have held back anymore. As Vedhansh gets his shoulder examined, his mind is crowded with thoughts. It was the first time in his life that someone weaker than him had tried to protect him. Why would someone shield a stranger instead of protecting themselves first? It was strange, but also interesting.

He shakes his head to get rid of these thoughts. He is in no position to think about these things when what he needs to do is diligently complete his assignment before it’s due. The girl is safe, and so is he, and there is nothing to be worried about. He glides his hand through his medium-length hair and gets out of the hospital bed to return to his apartment. His three-bedroom flat resides in Estancia, Guduvanchery, which is 2.2 km from the college and quite convenient. He would’ve stayed in the hostel, but his father was quite adamant about his accommodation. He needs control over every aspect of Vedhansh’s life.

As soon as he’s home, Vedhansh settles himself down to work by checking his emails for the research documents promised to him by one of his classmates this morning. He finds them in his inbox and starts to jot down some key points and examine some samples he brought home with the hematology analyzer he rented for the time being.

He spends the rest of the day going through various materials on the net and trying to come up with theories to explain how an ectopic pregnancy might occur. They are supposed to deliver some common complications of pregnancy, and Vedhansh chose ectopic pregnancy. An ectopic pregnancy is basically where the sperm and egg meet, and conception begins in the fallopian tube. Usually, the egg and sperm that have been met travel down to the uterus before conception begins, and the uterus stretches and grows with the pregnancy, but a fallopian tube cannot. This will cause the tube to tear or burst, which can cause serious internal bleeding and might require urgent surgery.

Sometimes the ectopic pregnancy will shrink on its own and miscarry. So, it's not a pressing issue until the fetus grows in the fallopian tube. Tired to the bone, Vedhansh sleeps on the sofa, not having it in him to move to the bedroom, until the next morning, when the sun shines brightly, blinding his eyes and waking him up for a new fight, and this time it's the classes, college, and syllabus that he has to fight.