Bit Broken.

Payback.

The sun getting in through the window woke me up. My body was really sore. My eyes heavier than ever. I was in Vijay's tee, in his bed, in his house. I grunted as I tried to pull myself up. Vijay was still sleeping on the other side. Curled up like a baby. The entire blanket was on my side. He had tucked me carefully. I noticed the bloody stains on the sheet as I got up. The tee on me was reaching till my mid thigh. I looked at his body for the first time, he was good. The abs were perfect. His body hairs were erected due to the cold.  I threw the blanket on him. He looked up with his eyes half open, lifted his head a bit and went back to his original position. I looked around his room. The street could be seen from his room. The kids were playing. The old uncles in the park on their morning walks. The people walking their dogs. I sat on the couch. My phone was kept on the table. Fully charged. Papa smiled at me through the lock screen. It had been two days since I had lost him. I unlocked the phone. Now Tara smiled at me with those perfect dimples.  These two persons were my everything and now all I have is their photographs and memories. It's weird that I didn't have time to grieve about Papa. It's weird that I now had a lifetime to grieve about Tara and Papa. My  hands reached for the other phone. Probably Vijay's. The screen was of course locked. I tried the pin. 221003. I saw a tattoo on his body. Left side of chest below his n****e. I tried the number. The phone unlocked. I was there on the wallpaper. I was sitting in the last seat of the class looking at my note book with a weird expression. 

"How did you open the lock?" Vijay startled me. "Aren't you hungry?"

"I am sorry..."I uttered with nervousness. " The...the tattoo on your chest has that number...I thought." My own voice was so alien to me. Hoarse. My vocal cords have gone through a lot of screaming, shouting and crying recently. 

"You know the date...Do you remember it?" His lips curled up with a smile.

Twenty second October was Tara's birthday but it was weird. Why would he have her birthday tattooed on his body? "No." I replied, still looking at the photograph of mine. He was indeed a good photographer. 

"It's the day I first saw you." He smirked. "I first fell in love." He exhaled through his mouth.

"Also the day..." I looked at him, "I fell in love with Tara..." I smiled with a tear film in my eyes. "I am really hungry..." I tried changing the topic. I got up from the couch. He held my hand at once. He startled me again.

"Are you alright? Does it hurt?"

"It's okay...Don't worry about ..."

"Can we not talk about last night...like ever?" He asked. 

I had nothing to say. I looked at his face blankly. 

"Yes...I dreamed of holding you in my arms...but not like last night. " He hung his head low and looked at the ground still holding my hand. 

"I won't...." I nodded. "Is this your home?" I tried changing the topic yet again.

He cleared his throat and looked up with a fake smile. "No...it's my apartment. I don't call it home.  I come to stay here whenever I have a fight with my dad." 

"And what did you fight about this time?"

"The marriage..His biggest business collaboration which failed!" He scoffed. "Let's get food now!" This time he changed the topic. 

"Wait! I have something to show you..." I took out my laptop and opened the file containing the scanned data. "Have a look."

Vijay was perplexed. "What is this?" He looked at me blankly. "What am I supposed to do with these numbers?"

"Are you not understanding a thing?"

"No." He answered honestly. "Look I am not so smart...correction I am an i***t. I somehow passed but..."

"These are from the Malhotra Group..."I explained, "It can take him down."

"What are you planning to do?"

"Can I meet your dad...Mr. Singh? I am gonna provide him with what he wants."

Vijay thought for a while. "Yeah...Sure." He nodded. "But are you sure about this? Would it work?"

"Your dad will know. Now Mr. Malhotra will see what a servant's daughter is capable of doing...I'll pay him back for everything he has given me... the insults, the pain, the tears. Everything."