I know I am late and I apologise. It was not intended.

Enjoy:)

"You are very quiet today," Samar said after having examined Dia for some time. She had again barged in without an appointment early in the morning, which was not objected. She, like always, was well received. He was working while she sat, occupied in his own thoughts. They exchanged few words and then minded their own business.

"Hm," Was her ignorant reply.

"What is the matter?"

"I was thinking about what it will be like when I meet Aman. When he finds me. I am in no delusion that I can live in a den all my life."

"That is a good thing. It is better to be aware than to have false hope. So what are you thinking? How will you answer him back? Or how you will shock him with your response?"

She shook her head. "How I will break down and how scared I will be. I will be so scared that day."

"If you think, you will be." He looked away from his computer. " But why not change what you think? Instead of thinking how scared you will be, think how you will boldly stand up for yourself. How you won't let him rule you and how that day will be the end of your struggle."

"How will that day be the end of my struggles? I believe it will be the beginning of it. I will be scared of seeing him again. It will be terrifying."

"The best thing about fear is once you have encountered it, you no more feel it. Or maybe you feel it but the degree will come down. You will never be that scared again."

"I do not think that is true. I will be scared the same amount all the time. More actually"

"Then you are doing something wrong. Facing your fear tells you that you can do it. It shows how survival is possible. How can that not generate hope and encourage you? Of course, there are exceptions but I do not think your case is one of them."

"No! Once I meet him I will run away and then I will be more afraid of leaving the house or crossing paths with him."

"Then who is telling you to run? Face him. You do not wish to live with him. I do not think he will keep you with him at the gunpoint."

"What if he does? He may blackmail me?"

"About what?"

"I don't know, anything."

"Think carefully. Is there anything that will get you back mailed?" Dia gave that thought some time. Her mind wandered from the day they met to the present day. Many incidents crossed her mind. She did not find her actions to be weak. Shaking her head she said, "I do not remember."

"Than there is nothing he can blackmail you for."

"He will just take me! He has power and he has sources. He can do anything."

"He can but will he? Why will he force you to live with you? Is he so deeply in love with you? You have that image in your mind mostly because he is a villain for you. But be honest to yourself will he do such a thing?"

"Who knows?"

"Has he ever forced you to do something out of your free will?"

Dia shrugged. "I had to attend his family events. Meeting his friends and having a meal in a restaurant on ever fifteenth of every month, I hated it all."

Samar observed her for a moment before asking, " Did he really force you to do all that? He never excused you from doing them?"

After a moment of thinking, she replied, "Once I said I did not wish to attend a wedding and he said nothing."

"Dia, " He had a curious but disturbed look on his face. " Did you obey him because he made you or because you were afraid of him?"

"How is that different?"

"In the first case, he gives you no choice and makes you do what he wants. And in the second one, you don't give yourself a choice and do whatever will please him because you are afraid of displeasing him."

Dia opened her mouth to reply but could not reply. She started to think of all those things that she had thought ample of times before but from a different angle. Her day was spent in rethinking, analysing and interpreting everything again. Her mind was again in a puzzle only this time because of her own self. She was disappointed by her conduct but with a thought "he would have not liked me disobeying" she gained her peace back. By evening she had found a way not to think about it and to keep herself busy. She slept with a peaceful mind and woke up with an energetic one which proved to be a disadvantage for people around her.

"Talk to her!"

"Change your words or thoughts. But change something."

She rolled her eyes," when, when, when?"

"You were not given my number for idle talks. Only in case of need."

"I am calling you as a friend and as a future family member."

Samar smiled."Don't use my words against me. If you really don't have anything else to talk then please disconnect."

"How can you be rude so sweetly?"

"Dia, I am leaving." Anya came in the room saying that. She picked up her watch, her phone and her rings. She turned to look at Dia for a brief moment. "Who are you talking to?"

"Your friend."

She thought no more and moved out of the house after she had grabbed all that she needed. She did not let her mind think of the reason for her anger, she allowed it to be angry and nothing else was done. She was well aware her anger was not justified. This was why her heart was no more at ease. She came to a halt after she had departed from the station towards her office. Sitting on a bus stop which did not take her to her destination, she called the person who was always the first one she wished to reach in distress. Due to her recent adventure and secrecy, she could not rely on him. That day she thought of no one but him.

"Hello?"

Anya closed her eyes. It was uncertain to her whether she would be able to talk without variation in her voice. She replied only after another sentence was said by her father.

"What happened?"

"Stress."

"Office stress?" She shook her head.

"Where are you?" She asked while praying to cry. She thought she would feel fresh after a shower.

"About to leave the house. What happened?"

"Nothing."

"Where are you?"

"Some bus stop."

"Not going to the office?"

"Quite close to it."

"OK. Want to meet?"

She shook her head furiously. "Yes."

"Should I come or will you come?"

She wished to say come now. As that was not possible due to their commitment for the day she replied the next best location she thought of. "I will come home. You come home early today."

"I will."

"I am getting late. Bye."

"Bye. Will you be fine?"

"Yeah."

"Come home. We will be waiting."

"I will too" she wished to say but her nature did not allow her. Her day was spent in the presence of a dark could over her head. Her distress could not be hidden, partly because she could not compress her spirit and partly because she did not wish to hide it. She picked a quarrel with Rohit. They had been on a good term since their last encounter but it could not last. Rohit was not cross instead happy to have regained their relationship. He could not be pleased with Anya's sympathy. It made him feel worse. That was an argument which made him truly happy but not his colleague. Anya thought of nothing related to that. Her mind had anger in it and no thoughts. Her day was one of the worst but it became worse when she had an argument with her old friend who now did not lose a chance to get on her nerves.

"Be careful," Kabir said when Anya accidentally bumped into him.

"Yeah, be careful!" She snapped before walking away. Kabir did not reply. This was in the morning when they had entered the office. The next encounter was some time before the lunch break. Anya was getting a xerox copy of her presentation and Kabir had been waiting for ten minutes to do the same. After his patience wore out he asked, "Will you ever be done? I have work to do."

"I don't come here to dance."

"Then stop wasting time."

"I am not wasting time. I am working."

"What took you ten minutes?"

"The machine is not working. What can I do about it?"

"Then let me do first. I only have five pages. It's urgent."

"Then you should have told me earlier. You don't have to yell."

"You are yelling."

"You started first!" Anya pulled the paper out of the machine and walked off.

Kabir murmured a few things but continued his work. Another encounter ended. Next, they met at the water cooler where they ignored each other. Their last meeting was what changed the day from tolerable to terror. Anya was waiting for the lift but it was stopping, what seemed like, on every floor. After waiting for five minutes when the left was still six floors away, Anya took the stairs. She was walking down quietly with nothing on her mind. Two floors down she found Kabir talking to someone on his phone. She took a few more steps down before sitting down. What made her sit down was uncertain. It may be because of the exhausting day she had or maybe the need for some peaceful minutes or perhaps need for a loved one to be around. Her friend did not notice her until the end of his conversation. He shortened his talk and disconnected when he could. Looking at her he said, "Go home. Why are you still here?"

"Why are you here?"

"Because I can not go home thanks to you."

"What have I done to you and your house?"

"You were born and the rest was done."

She looked at him at last. With a look and tone of annoyance, she said, "What is your problem? Why are you angry all the time?"

"Because I have spent my life around you. What else can one expect?"

"Enough is enough now Kabir. You are being harsh for no reason. What have I done to you?"

"Harsh for no reason? If anyone is being that, it would be you, Anya. Your stupidity, ignorance and selfishness are causing this all."

Anya stood up in rage. "Causing what? I cannot be accounted for your misbehaviour. I am two years older than you, let me remind you of that."

"My misbehaviour is the result of your acts! You may be older than me but you are the stupid one."

"What do you think you are? You are becoming a very rude person, Kabir!"

"I can never be ruder than you! You acquire the first position and will always do."

She clenched her teeth. "You are so mean!"

"So are you. Worse than me."

"Then don't talk to me! Leave!"

"Anya, let me tell you something, you are ruining your life with this attitude. You will earn nothing. Stop being stupid and start acting smart. You may have professional success but your life will be a big failure if you don't change now. You will have no one by your side."

"I will have many, you don't have to worry!"

"Yeah? Then why did my brother never asked you to marry him? Why even at thirty-three he would rather be alone than being with you! Do you have an answer? I will tell you, your attitude, your selfishness and your pride! This is why you are still alone."

Anya clenched her teeth harder and balled her fist. There was a lot she wished to say, not just say but scream. But instead, she starred him for some time and quietly left. Kabir kicked the stair in a froth of him in anger. Anya, like a robot, followed the path registered in her subconscious mind. Her mind was occupied with rage. For anyone, it would have been the 'she had never been this angry before' day but for Anya, she had been angry a lot and more. Her anger had been her companion longer than any human. She was well versed with it. She did not mind it. What caused pain was her feelings that got hurt. She had been hurt before but not to that degree. It was adverse and she could not handle. She could not understand what must be done. Her pride, ego, heart, everything was hurting.

She had not felt more exhausted before in her life. Her arms, legs, shoulders, eyelashes, everything was ready to break down. That day a sense of content came to her when she saw the door of their house.  She ringed the doorbell and all her energy flew her body. She could not stand without the support of a wall. When the door opened she regained some energy. Her mother's face brought peace to her. Greeting her she entered the house. Her father was sitting on the sofa reading newspaper. He smiled at her to which she could not reply. She kept her bag, umbrella and phone on the table and sat next to him. She rested her head on his shoulders and wrapped her hands around his arm. A feeling of being at home captured her heart and brought her peace. Peace was appealing to a great extent, so much as to make her think of coming back home. She did not wish to leave that place again. She did not wish to leave her father's side.

"How was your day?" Inquired her father.

"Hm, " she replied. Wanting to avoid further interaction, she closed her eyelids. A place next to her father, a place peaceful and safe, was not to be disturbed. Everything erased from her mind. She had only one memory which was to be with her parents. Soon she lost consciousness and fell into a deep sleep, managing to escape the trouble for one night.