Love Me Like You Do

CHAPTER 1

No matter what we expect from God, it never happens that way. All I wanted from God was a simple and peaceful life, but he definitely has other plans for me. I was a scholar in my school and a happy child irrespective of all the damn things that used to happen in my house, my father being a cheater.

Yes, how much I hate to admit it, my father, cheated on my mother with his ex-lover, and my mom being a mother let him have chances because of me and my younger brother. He continued giving me chances and he kept on cheating on her, till the point that she broke down completely and took her life.

My world changed in a blink of an eye, all that I have, all that I ever wished for came crashing down my feet. My mother, my best friend, my everything, she killed herself. And I lost all hope in love the second I saw my mother lying over there on the floor covered with blood.

My mom used to love my dad with all her heart but he never valued her, cheated on her countless times with his ex-lover but she always used to give him chances for us for her children’s betterment. I lost all my faith in love the day I lost my mother. No one in this world would be there for each other, it’s just you against this whole world.

After my mother died life became terrible over here for my brother and me, luckily, I was a scholar and had applied to several colleges outside India. I got really lucky that I got selected for one with a full scholarship covering all the other expenses as well.

That was the point I knew, that life over here is nothing less than terrible, and being a burden over here on my extended family who doesn’t like me one bit is of no use and I need to get out of here, cutting all ties with these people as they were just taking care of me because I was about to turn 18 and get the money and power my mother left me in her will. They all were behind the share of the properties that were in the name of my mother and that I would be inheriting after turning 18 which was just in 3 months.

Thank God the semester in Germany starts after fall in spring so I had the time to make arrangements and arrange all the required money that I have been saving since my school. I won a lot of cash prizes in the school competitions and also the competitions held in the colleges and considering the level of the competitions they always used to hold a very big prize pool. I never needed to spend even a single penny out of those because my mom provided me with all that I ever needed.

And since I was planning to surprise her with a gift that was a house of her own, brought by my money I opened a new bank account that was unknown to my father even. I always used to ask her to leave my dad and move out but she always reasoned that we were dependent on him for our financial needs and the fees and all the other stuff like that, so for her own selfish reasons she couldn’t jeopardize our life. And, I used to feel very bad about that but couldn’t help it, she was right in some matters and I was also young at that time, neither having a fixed income that I could take care of mom and Arnav, so I always used to think that what life I could give to them once I start earning.

And, I had a decent amount in my bank amount after almost five years to support me and Arnav in Germany. Considering it is an expensive country I knew I needed to find a job over there with my college studies and I applied for some with the help of letters of recommendation from my professors and the company I was interning with previously I landed a good paying job before even going to Germany.

I made all the arrangements and took my transfer certificate from my college, said my goodbye to all my friends the day I had my flight and also to the guy I thought I started to like over time. Ranvijay, a senior of mine in college and one of the most popular guys over here. We were quite quirky enough together and loved each other’s company. There were none the words said between us, but we both were aware of the spark we had and the chemistry we shared but life had other plans. I do believe all the boys are the same and no one is different and Ranvijay is no exception to that case.

He would also turn out like my father in the end, but I never knew why my heart wanted to believe differently. I knew I am always going to have that feeling of guilt for not letting him know my plans and not telling him a proper goodbye, for not telling him that we won’t be meeting the next day when he told me that he would see me the next day.

On the last day, I wanted to spend some time with the only people that kept me sane over these past few months after my mother, so I stayed till late in college it went so much lately that Ranvijay had to come and drop me near my house, he didn’t drop me in front of the house since he knew what type of a family I have and how my life is. I would always regret not telling him that this was the last time that he was seeing me.

When he dropped me off, I embraced him tightly, inhaling his unique scent that used to calm my nerves and stop me from breaking down. I told him good night and goodbye and also to take care of himself, but didn’t tell him that I would see him tomorrow because I know that I won’t be doing that, and we won’t be meeting ever again.

That night when I was about to serve the dinner, I added a heavy dose of sedative to all of their food. I and Arnav weren’t allowed to eat dinner with all of them after my mother died, they allowed us to continue with our studies but just because the judicial system won’t provide them with our custody if they won’t treat us right, and they let us study and go to school and college was just because they didn’t want us to be taken to the child care since they would lack on the property if that happens.

It was still a week before my birthday and they were very near to getting what they wanted. My dad always used to come home drunk with one or the other women and used to beat me up, stating my mother destroyed his life and one week more, and then he would take what was actually his and then get rid of me.

That night, after the sedatives worked that were given to everyone the children, i.e., my cousins, the children of my uncles and aunts that used to live with us. I haven’t packed our bags yet, not even a bit because I didn’t want them to get suspicious about what I am about to do.

It was after ten in the night when all of them slept and I told Arnav that we are going to leave this place and go to a different country, till that time he never asked me about what I was always busy doing on my laptop till late night, he became a quite child after mom. The always chirpy, fun-loving, and naughty boy was gone after everything, and the way they all treat him took a toll on his mental health.

He didn’t contest my decision and told me only one thing ‘that I am his only family now’ he didn’t consider anyone over here as a family, not even our biological dad. He trusted my decision and also knew that there was nothing left for us over there. He knew the second I would turn legal these people will get what they want from me and dispose of me as they did to our mother.

We didn’t want to take a lot of things with us, so we just took the necessities like clothing, a few of the things that will help us sustain till we adjust completely in Germany, and also all the important documents, including my mother’s will and the papers of the properties.

Arnav was only nine years old then, but the trust he had shown in me that day was something I couldn’t believe. He was ready in a blink of an eye to leave his comfort zone and friends and travel with me to a new country not knowing anything, just because his sister asked him to do so. And from that day onwards my brother and I became each other’s best friends, we knew we have each other’s back always.

We completed our packing by two in the morning and were ready to leave for the airport, I already booked a cab for us since our flight was half past five in the morning, and considering it to be still night, I knew we would reach the airport in thirty minutes max. my cab was already waiting outside my colony, so I didn’t call the driver inside knowing there were cameras all around and all these people will definitely try to find me first thing in the morning and I don’t want them to know by any means where I am.

I went on to the balcony to check that there should not be anyone around there, and I was lucky everyone was sound asleep and no one was on the roads. I took Arnav’s hand and went outside the house from the back door, avoiding the cameras. We went to the cab already waiting for us and turned back one last time to look at the house where I was born and grew up to never come back. To all those happy years that turned into the worst nightmare for me in a few months. We were past the society and a had a tear slip through my eyes which Arnav wiped away with his own tears. What he said at that moment was enough to comfort me “Dii (used to address elder sisters in India) wipe these tears off, and look towards a brighter future for us, for you and me, together.”

I was taking these steps for a better future for us both, I knew over here with these people I, and Arnav would also die like our mother, but that wasn’t the future she wanted for us. She wanted us to grow old, happy, and satisfied with our lives. She wanted her children to be self-dependent and financially well-off and I am going to achieve all that. I’m going to fulfill all her dreams, she wanted to see me and Arnav successful in our lives and we will do that. And, we’re going to do that no matter how much hard work it takes but we are going to achieve that.

I took Arnav’s phone and threw it out of the window, after destroying the sim card. I knew that it is the most prominent way of tracking us down and I didn’t want that. Arnav was shocked at first but knew why I was doing that, then I took my phone but before disposing of it I contemplated a lot about whether I should text my friends and also Ranvijay for one last time, but then I looked at Arnav, there was nothing more important to me than his safety, not Ranvijay also. So, I just destroyed my sim card and then threw the phone also.

On the way, to the airport, I closed my eyes and remembered all the happy times over here in this city and the country, all the people close to me, and all the people who were about to get closer to me. The last person I thought of on the ride to the airport was Ranvijay, and I felt guilty for not texting him one last time, but now I couldn’t help it. What is gone is gone.

We reached the airport on time as expected and did all the formalities and before I could realize we were in the airplane. I wanted this journey for Arnav to be a memorable one, to mark the start of a new journey. That was a 13-hour long and tiring journey and for that, I booked both of us first-class tickets. Arnav was really happy and I saw him this excited for something in months, and I was really happy I could tick off one of his wishes of flying in first class. I closed my eyes as soon as the plane took off, thinking that till when those people would woke up, we would be very far away from them.

All the things were good, at least for us. Arnav got admission to a very good school over there, I’m going to continue with my education at the best university in Germany and that too on a full scholarship, they provided accommodation for both of us and that was included in the scholarship and also that I have a stable part-time good job, that would help me sustain mine and Arnav’s expenses over there.

My family over here when they wake up can try as hard as they want to find me but won’t be able to do so. They would never find me or take away from me what was of my mother. I left them with no clue at all to intervene in my or Arnav’s life from now on. With that amazing thought of being away from them and close to fulfilling my mother’s dream I drifted off to an amazing slumber, only to be woken up, by the over-excited voice of Arnav when we were about to land.

And with this, it is the start of an amazing new life.