Tangled in the web of love by hima (essential reading .txt) 📕

fresher’s party..." Asha said sliding down beside her. Neha was staring, hands on her hips.

What should I say that I could convince them to let me go this time, they would probably laugh off if I say that I feared dark or worse they would start question and that may lead… and I didn't even want to go there... Dia thought

"I...Um… I... can't go." She blurted out.

"What do you mean by you can't go? Is there any problem with the ride, seriously if that's it I can come and pick you up..." she cut her off.

"That's not it... I just can't go." She replied tentatively. Neha wouldn't drop it so easily.

"Is there any problem with aunt because I can talk to her..." Asha offered.

It might be a nice excuse to put it on mom; I can plead her to do this for me. I nodded trying to avoid eye contact with Neha so she wouldn't know that I was lying. I'm pretty bad at lying; mom said that my eye lids flicker rapidly whenever I try to lie. So good of me, isn't it? Dia thought.

Dia thought Neha has just let it go but she was wrong about her. She was stunned to see her all dressed in her living room that evening talking to mother, it’s a good thing that she told her mom about her problem and she agreed to play along.

She didn't miss her gleaming eyes as Anjali spoke something to her.

"I'm definitely in trouble." Dia sighed.

"She agreed... now go, get ready. We are going to have so much fun..." she cooed in her ears dragging her upstairs to the room. She fished through her wardrobe and held out to a designer wear. Let me tell you before you go expecting something like evening gown or cocktail dress or something like that. Dia was pretty stuck with traditional values and Anjali draws lines at leggings and Kurti's which Dia wear on rare occasions which was not one now.

Neha was wearing tightly fit jeans and threw a light pink shirt on it, she is not much of a dressing person either.

"Dia...Do hurry up. Aman is going to be pissed for waiting him up." She was pounding her feet vigorously on the marble which Dia was sure of having a dent now; she pounded on her door so hardly that she thought any minute it's going to break. Only god knows how a petite looking girl like her has so much energy. She was a little evil pixie just like Alice Cullen. She smiled at the apt comparison.

"You look stunning..." Neha said pecking Dia on the cheeks. Dia always wondered what people see in her to classify her as beautiful, the only thing that she liked in her is dimples.

"I like your dimples..." that familiar words rang in her mind causing her tremble at the voice.

"You need to pull your hair back so that people can actually see what a lovely heart shaped face you have..." Neha said pulling her hair back and pulled a clutch out of the drawers.

Dia looked at the reflection in the mirror, now that the hair is pulled back she could see the scar that ran through her chin and a little down to the neck, she shivered remembering how she got it.

"I don't think it's a good idea..." She mumbled tentatively feeling the rough skin under the scar.

"People can barely see it and trust me, it looks better this way." Neha said with an all knowing look and she faintly thought; does she know how I got it? Don't even go there; Dia chided her wandering my mind.

Neha half-dragged her through the entire flight of steps...Anjali stood by the door and pulled her into a hug and whispered into her ear.

"I know how you dread this but it's time you forget the past and move on...Be safe, darling." with that said she kissed lightly on her forehead.

It hit Dia for the first time what she was going to do as soon as the door closed behind her, she wanted to pound on the door and throw a temper tantrum until her mom opens the door and lets her in. She could feel the tension crawling into her skin; she couldn't face it not now or not anytime. Her vision clouded and she could feel her arms and whole body began to sweat profusely. She wanted to turn on her heels and run into the safe, confines of home. She will never be able to face the darkness.

"Are you okay?" Neha mumbled, eying her nervously.

Dia was deaf eared, her mind fogged with the screaming’s of the helpless her that night, and in the distance she heard a car honk feebly.

“Ishaan…What are you doing?” Dia shrieked as he tried to feel her up.

“Don’t you dare shout…”He slapped.
She slapped at his hands and wiggled out of his way, Ishaan grabbed her wrist and pinned her back against the wall with a vice like grip on her arms.

“You are mine and will be forever, don’t you dare cheat on me…” He slurred.

Dia was trembling with fear; she had never seen him like that. It took all her restraint to not to cry, she elbowed him in the ribs and made a dash to the exit. Ishaan staggered on the floor but seeing her run away from him only made him even mad.

“Dia…”He shouted for her.

Dia snuck in the dark alley, She was in no state to run, the drug was slowly kicking in, she shouldn’t have been so careless. It was so stupid of her to chug down a spiked drink.

Dia didn’t see Ishaan’s friend standing beside her with an evil smile playing on his lips, by the time she noticed his shadow it was too late, He grabbed her by the hair and pushed her towards Ishaan who was swigging the bottle.

“Gotcha…” Ishaan smirked.

“You should’ve never cheated on me…”he slapped her. His ring making a deep cut on her cheeks.

“Please believe me… I never did such thing. I love you…”Dia begged him trying to make him see the truth.

“Don’t believe her…she is just lying.” Ishaan’s friend coaxed him.

Dia understood that he would never understand her not until he was sober…She kicked the guy that held her in his shin and ran into the dark alley.

He growled and pulled her ankle when she landed on the dark road and something sharp pierced her skin and blood trickled and she fell unconscious.

Neha jerked her. "Dia..." She tugged her and walked her to the car, Dia felt her feet moving and she had no idea to where. She remembered the distinct screaming, ‘Don't you dare shout...’ She bit back the screams that threatened to make their way.

Aman watched moony eyed as Neha brought Dia out of her house, Dia looked so perfect in red, her flawless skin glistening in the moonlight. His gaze darted towards her light brown eyes that held his attention all the time; they held pain and gripping fear. He wanted to console her and say ‘everything is going to be alright’ and wipe away all the traces of fear in her.

"Dia..." He squeezed her hands, she flinched at this touch, Aman couldn't help but feel a tad bit sad about the way she flinched at his touch all the time. He knew that it has nothing to do with him but the feeling was always there in him, He slightly wondered if he could ever touch her without her flinching.

"Dia...It's me." he said with concern written all over his face.

"It's okay... you are going to be safe with me." He assured squeezing her hands and somehow his words eased up her.

<A night of events>
After the day events at the college, seniors planned the end of the day in a leased function hall, which was were the trio; Neha, Aman and Dia were heading to.
The hall was dark and the only light came from the globe of lights hanging directly over the stage that is set at the centre. Various colours of lights flickered casting an eerie glow to the surroundings; Music was playing out loud from somewhere. The hall seemed to be packed with many bodies swaying to the high music, Dia gulped as she saw the crazed people all around her. They were ecstatic and having fun, last time she was in such a place ended up bad and she was sure something was definitely going to happen this time too.

Her wobbly legs didn’t help her much, Aman eyed the change in Dia’s manner, He squeezed her hands gently and flashed his gentle smile.

“Come…” The music was so loud that he had to shout to make her listen. He pulled her towards a couch arranged at the corner seat with a few people sitting with cool drinks in their hands. Dia dragged Neha with her.

“Are you going to sit like this for the rest of the party?” Neha asked after a few minutes. She easily got bored sitting idle like that, It’s not her fault either she was a girl with full of energy and her sitting like that was never going to happen.

“Neha…Dia…” Ria, Asha, Rihan and few of their classmates joined them at the table.

“Hey, what are you doing here? The Game is on…”A senior came and rushed them towards the centre stage where there were all other juniors gathered.

The senior glared at Dia who sat glued to seat with pale stricken face.

“She is with me…”Aman shooed him off. Dia felt slightly relieved but she didn’t miss Neha shooting daggers at her brother as she was pushed to the centre stage.

“Are you alright?” Aman was worried about Dia, She didn’t utter a word nor make a sound since she came here, he began to worry that she was in shock or something. He could see the sweat beads rolling down her face even though the air condition was in full blast, he wanted to take her back to home but he knew that she needed to get out more than often or else she was never going to be normal again.

“I’ll get you something to drink…” he said. Dia grabbed his hands.

“Please…don’t go.”She begged at the verge of tears. Hearing her voice even if it was squeaky relaxed him a tad bit.

On the centre stage one by one each junior was being called and were asked to do something funny and embarrassing, everyone enjoyed the show and there were loud oooooo’s and aaaaah’s sometimes but none of them eased off Dia. She moved into the corner trying to hide the tears that slowly trickled in her ears.

Aman thought that Dia needed her time to get used to the darkness so he just pretended to ignore her and enjoy the show that his juniors put up. He glanced at her regular intervals to check how she was doing. Some of his friends spotted him sitting there and tried to drag him into action but he politely rejected them.

Aman being in third year, he had some command over the second years so when one of them tried approaching Dia, he would just wave them off.

“I’ll just get us something, it’ll only take few minutes…”He pleaded her, he was in