Page 36 of Love Locked
“Nothing...” Kyra closed her eyes as the memory she had buried deep inside her haunted her mind.
“It doesn’t seem like nothing if you look so disturbed by the mere thought of it.” Kabir urged her on.
TWELVE
Kyra had no idea how she veered off the course to tell him something she had never told anyone before. It wasn’t how she imagined herself speaking to him when they were alone in such date like setting. She wanted him to see her for who she was; not as some stupid, starry-eyed girl who acted crazily because someone threw her attention. But now, it was as though she had no control over her words.
“When I was eighteen, I had a crush on someone,” Kyra said, trying to look anywhere but at Kabir. She felt silly, like the little kid he thought she was. “But my crush was utterly clueless about my feelings towards him. I was way over in my head. It was pathetic. I had to get over this idiotic crush and...”
Kabir did not like where this was headed. His grip on his wine glass tightened. He’d been fine till now. But to imagine someone hurting Kyra… “Tell me.”
“Well, then nothing really. I went on a date with a classmate to get over my stupid crush. He had asked me out several times, but I had always turned him down. And so, one day, I said yes to him. I didn’t like him much, but he’d shown interest in me. He was cute and nice. I soaked up all the attention he gave me, thinking this was it. We dated for three months and got close. I thought at least someone thought me worthwhile...but he…”
Kyra paused, and Kabir was prepared to launch himself into a void of rage.Who was this guy she was crushing on? Was she referring to him?No. No way.She was only eighteen then, and it was common for teenagers to have many crushes.
She looked ashamed. “He…he tried to sleep with me…all for a bet.”
“Motherfucker.” Kabir cursed. He could get Adil’s friend, Rudra Singh Shekhawat, to find this guy. Ruin him. Beat him to a pulp. Or better yet, murder him.Fucking hell.He’d never had such violent thoughts before.
“Don’t worry. He didn’t succeed in having sex with me.” She fiddled with the hem of her top.
“What did he do?” Kabir had a thunderous expression on his face.
She couldn’t meet his eyes. “When we entered his dorm room, he was talking nonsensically. It was odd. Something felt off. But I was such a moron. And I got this sense of impending doom as he abruptly gripped me and forcibly kissed me. Before I could react, he grabbed and squeezed my boobs so hard that I screamed in terror and pushed him away. On hearing my scream, his friend emerged from the wardrobe where he was hiding and was taping the entire incident. They assured me it wasn’t a big deal, and they only did it to win a bet. I started yelling again, and they called me a crazy-ass bitch. And I know I am…”
“No... you’re not,” Kabir spoke, his face thunderous at the thought of that twit manhandling Kyra.
“But I am, Kabir. I was crazy to believe that guy. While he was still ranting about the lost bet, I bolted the hell out of there. My hair was a complete mess, my face was a disaster, and my top was askew. But I managed to get a rickshaw and eventually made it home. And I cried for, like, three weeks.” Kyra could not believe that she was telling Kabir everything. But it was like the dam was broken, and she was powerless to control herself.
“That fucker. He should have been the one crying.” Kabir roared.
She shrugged. “I took care of it.”
“How?” Kabir was seething. Unless the guy was chopped to death in a ditch, Kabir would not sit back. He would find that asshole first thing after they got home.
“I got to know he did the same with many girls and stored all those videos on his laptop. I somehow stole his laptop with the help of a friend. Then, I delivered his laptop to the university dean anonymously. The guy was expelled and was convicted on multiple charges with three-year prison time. I haven’t even thought of dating since then. And… I haven’t told about this to anyone, not even my sisters. You are the first one to know about it.”
“Why didn’t you tell anybody? You know your father would have put that pig to death.” Kabir seethed.
“Exactly. I know what my Dad was capable of, and my family was going through a rough patch at the time following Mira’s kidnapping. So I thought it best not to tell anyone about it.”
Kabir couldn’t think straight. His brain was fried.Four years.This woman had bottled up so much for four fucking years. For four fucking years, that asshole had caused this beautiful, amazing woman to miss out on her youth and all the pleasures that came along with it. She was a fucking virgin, for god’s sake. That jerk deserved to spend time in jail, but Kyra didn’t deserve to be imprisoned by the monster that was her fear. She didn’t deserve it. Not a single second of it.
“Princess.” Kabir took her hands in his. They were ice cold despite the warmth of the fire. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that. But remember, you’re a tough woman. So fucking brave and beautiful. Thanks for sharing this with me. I won’t tell any of this to a soul. Ever. You can trust me.”
She leaned forward and spoke in a low, serious tone. “I do.”
“You do?”
“Yes. I don’t trust my judgment anymore... but I’m not sure why I trust you. There is something about you that makes me feel safe.”
Kabir exhaled angrily as he thought of what she went through. He wanted to be her knight in shining armour while also showing her that he wasn’t the saint she believed he was. After all, he was having these amorous thoughts about a girl much younger than him. He was the pragmatic type, emotionless. At least, he believed he was. Perhaps this was fate. Maybe he was meant to meet Kyra to realise he was a real person who could feel and experience new things.
“I want to kill him,” Kabir clenched his jaw.
“Well, don’t do that. Instead, tell me one of your secrets.” Kyra smiled and gazed into his charcoal black eyes, grateful for each moment she spent with him. There was a flash of emotion in his eyes that she couldn’t place.
“I don’t have any secrets, princess. My life is like an open book.” He realised they were still holding hands. But he didn’t make a move to leave them. It felt right.
