Never 2

Agastya POV

Amelia, the girl that was like a hurricane that came crashing down on me, disrupting my planned life. Someone that annoys me, irritates me, rattles me but at the same time someone that brings me at peace, makes my heart flutter like a fucking butterfly, makes me feel jittery.

My Amelia. My sweet, chitchat and chirpy Amelia.

“Agastya, you can’t do this. I am your mother.” Mother’s voice brings me out of my thoughts. I looked away from the floor to ceiling window showcasing the world beneath me while I stood at the top of the building. The small cars, people and buildings feathering the ground like insects.

I ignored my mother’s voice and took a sniff of the cigarette.

“Do you think I wasn’t prepared for this when I noticed you removing every loyal person of mine from your office, from politics, from every place. Do you think I didn’t have an insinuation of this?”

I turn. With slow and lazy steps I walk towards my table and rub the bud of the cigarette on the ashtray.

I sigh, tiredly.

I am tired. I haven’t slept for days.

With lazy eyes I look up at her. In these months she has turned haggard. With shrunken and wrinkled cheeks, thin arms. Through her eyes, blazing with dominance and power were still the same.

But it won’t be long before that dominance and power blazing in her eyes will vanish in thin air. I don’t hold any grudge against her. I just want to have the complete power, otherwise she will do something again to take something of mine away. Agham was first, Rahul my best friend was second and Amelia was third.

“And do you think I tried to hide it?” I asked. I grab the paper weight, shaped in an oval, and roll it around my fingers. I sit on the edge of the table and make myself comfortable.

She glares at me.

“A suggestion of mine. Lead a stress-free life now.” And I mean this. “You have worked hard since he stepped down from the throne. Now ease your mind and live peacefully. Enjoy the things you never could.”

“I will decide that for myself.” She snaps. “It is because of me where you are today. You were incompetent for the throne. It was I that made you perfect.”

I clutch the paper weight to ease my anger.

“It was because of me where I am today.” I grit out. I get on my feet and trudge towards her, stopping an inch away from her. She looks up at me with fire burning her eyes. “I was able to handle everything unlike Agham who got killed because of you,...” Instantly her face twisted in sheer anger, “your stubbornness killed my best friend. So don’t you dare say it is because of you.”

“Agham didn’t die because of me. He died because he was soft hearted.” She says in a sheer attempt of defencing her acts.

My left jaw ticks in anger. I poke the upper side of my mouth with my tongue to control myself.

“Leave. Before. I. Do. Something. Which. I. Will. Regret.” I grit out.

Her actions make me want to kill her.

With a glare, she steps back, swirls and leaves. Her bodyguard trails behind her. He is a man who came with mother after the marriage. He is a man in his late 60s but with a great build.

I look up and heave a breath.

She still doesn’t have an ounce of realisation. Agham was not soft hearted. He never was. He always tried to keep me away from heir teachings. But the burden only grew as he grew up. He was 3 years older than me. And finally when he was 10 he couldn’t take it anymore. The constant jabs from mother, who was still sore from Virendra’s step down from throne and his constant acts to put us down, made Agham take his life away.

It was said that he had cut his wrist in the lake which was in the garden just 10 metres away from the main house. He had a smile on his face as his lifeless eyes looked at the sky as if he was finally free to fly as he wanted.

I heave a breath to soothe down the heaviness of my heart.

After he died not even one day had passed before I was announced as an heir and was pushed towards the relentless teachings.

I turned and walked towards the floor to ceiling window and looked down. My lips lift up in a smirk.

It took me six months to pull Adhira Randhwa’s influence out and establish mine. It was tedious work. It has been six months since Amelia left the city and is living in LA with Luke.

I straightened up and left my office. I get inside my private elevator and it rolls down to the ground floor.

Now I am the most influential person in India. The prime minister is under my palm. The judiciary of India is under my palm. No one can stand in front of me. And my company has already surpassed everyone, including Virendra.

I grab my keys from my pockets and unlock my black Bugatti Veyron. I had it customised personally. I get inside the car and drive out of the parking lot.

I drive freely on the roads, without any guards following me. This sense of freedom is such a sweet thing that I never want it to let go.

I grab my phone from my free hand and go to Amelia’s social media page. Though most of her posts are handled by her PR team, few of her stories are posted by her.

I click on her profile picture and her story of her dancing on the love story song starts playing. She was wearing normal tights and a t-shirt bra. Sweat glistening on her pale body and I so want to glide my tongue all over her. Twist her hair in my palm and tug her head down. I would ravage her lips, shove my tongue in her mouth, pull her toned legs around my hips. Rubbing my wood against her core.

I heave a breath as it turns hot and I throw the phone away. I slide down the window and let the cool air cool me down. My hair jeeps back as the air hits my face.

I turn the car and it drives inside the premises of the bungalow. I left that mansion 4 months ago and settled down here. Dadu and Siya are still there.

I hit the brakes and unbuckle my belt. The door gets opened by a guard and I step out. I give him the keys and ascend the stairs.

I halt at the entrance and turn, deciding to go at the backside of the bungalow. I stop on my steps when I see Amara and Amar playing with Leon, Lionel and Leonard, the three cubs of Aslan.

Aslan had died the day Amelia left me. It was devastating. I had buried him in the middle of the night. I was sad for neglecting him for days. The lioness, with which Aslan had mated, gave birth to three cubs. A few months after their birth I brought them to me, which was the same day Aslan died.

From these six months I have cut down on Amara’s and Amar’s lessons. They are still small for such harsh lessons. I can’t let them live the same life that Agham and I lived. I couldn’t let my mother control their life.

The three cubs were first to notice me. They are closer to Amar and Amara unlike Aslan who couldn’t leave my side.

I really miss him, so much that sometimes I wished I could go back and spend time with him again. He was someone who was close to me after Agham and Rahul.

Amar and Amara notice me and instantly a smile treads on Amara’s face. She fully turns and darts towards me. I bend and hitch her up when she reaches me. She squealed in happiness.

“What are you guys up to?” I ask Amara, as I walk towards Amar.

“We were playing with leon, leonel and leonardo.” Amara answers. Her hands on my hair, playing with it.

I stop before Amar and sit down on the grassy ground.

“I will bring a chair.” Amar and Amara’s new babysitter, Priya says but I declined it. I put Amara on my lap and looked at Amar.

“What did you do all day?” I asked, Amar. I kind of had to read some books about managing kids. Since I wanted them to have a normal childhood, that I and Agham never had. I still had a little bit of normalcy in my childhood till I was 7, because of Agham.

My heart gets heavy as I remember those days. Those days were best, but only for me as for Agham it was hell.

Agham always tried to give me as much of a normal childhood as possible. He always tried to keep me away from the tough teachings of the royals because even though I wasn’t the heir I still needed to learn.

“We studied, played, and did some basic dining etiquette.” Amar answers like he is in a meeting.

“Do you want to do some cool things?” I ask them, rhetorically. I look at Priya. She instantly straightens up. I ordered, “Bring some papers on the rooftop.”

I get up, with Amara in my arms, I look at Amar. I advance my hand towards him and say, “Let’s go.”

He awkwardly looked at my hand and stiffly walked to me and slid his palm in mine. His hand stretched up fully as he clasped my hand with his small ones.

I bent down, my hands loosened around his palm. I pull him behind me and pull his arms around my shoulder.

“Tighten up.” I say as I stand up with him in my other arm. His hands instantly tighten around my neck. He squeals in fright and I laugh. His legs tighten around my torso, his head lands on my shoulder.

“Scarry cat.” I tease as I start walking. Amara’s laugh echoing in my ear. Because of Amelia I have learned a little to joke and tease.

“I am not.” Amar replies.

I decided to continue this conversation. “Your little squeal didn’t say that.”

I look at him through my peripheral vision to see him glaring at the front. His cheeks puffed up as a pout adorned his face. His pale cheeks had a light tint on his cheeks.

“No, comeback?” I ask with a teasing voice. I laugh loudly when his cheeks turn more red. Amara’s laughing voice overpowers me. I look at her face to see her faking the laugh as if she wants my attention on her.

I stop laughing and so does she. Her lips lifted up in a big smile. I get this sudden urge to peck her chubby cheeks but I stop myself and look away, straight ahead.

We reached the rooftop. It was quite breezy here. I put the children down and surprisingly the cubs were here too.

They instantly launched themselves on Amara and Amar as soon as they were on the ground. Papers were already ready on the sitting area, with a shade.

I grabbed paper while the children were busy with cubs. Memories start resourcing as I fold the paper diagonally and it creates a diagonal line on the paper. I fold on edge till the diagonal line, creating a triangle with a pointy neap. I do the same with the other side. I again fold the paper on both sides and it creates a plane.

I look at the paper plane fondly. I bring the backside of the place closer to my lips and blow some air on it. I look at the sky and throw the paper and it flies with the help of the breeze.

“Woah.” Amar’s voice pulls my attention to him, to see him gazing at the plane with fascination.

After a few seconds the plane falls on the ground.

I look back at Amar to find him already looking at me with twinkling eyes. Right now he really looks like me, the me from the past and not Agham.

“How did you make that?” He asked.

“Come I will teach you.” I say.

He runs to me. I hitch him up and put him on my lap and teach him how to make it. I give him the newly prepared plane and show him how to fly it.

I put him beside me as he got engrossed in making a plane.

“Daddy me too.”

I hear Amara’s voice. I teach her as well.

My phone pinged with a message. I grab it from my pocket and my lips lift up in a smile when I see the message.

“Done, boss.”

Note,

Don't skip first part of book.

Never : meant to be together