"Bhai please gaadi dheere chala, varna tere ghar ka to pata nahi but jannat bilkul time pe pohochenge." pleaded the guy clinging onto his dear life and the black leather jacket of the biker who was unbothered by the poor passenger's pleas and cries. 

He focused on the road as he revved the engine even more, making the bike growl. The metal beast jerked forward at an intense speed than before.

"Bhai meri baat sun, abhi to meri girlfriend bhi nahi bani hai. Agar main teri vajah se kunwara mar gaya to mera bhoot tujhe pareshaan karega, maa kasam."

The scared passenger could do nothing but wait for either his pleas to be heard or for his soul to leave his body for the fear and the adrenaline rush were too intense to bear.

"Abe sale tu to aise ro raha hai jaise tere ghar pe teri do biwi aur ek bacha intezaar kar rahe ho."

The sadist biker barked a laugh as he enjoyed the sound of fearful cries and desperate pleas from his friend's mouth and tore through the night air.

The flapping of his friend's blazer was a constant throughout the ride when, the fear-wrapped guy spoke,

"Bhai meri itni acchi kismat kahan and vo actually 'ek biwi aur do bache' hota hai" he said with his eye shut tightly squeezed as if it would help with the insane speed of the vehicle. 

"Tu samajh gaya na? Bas."

The speed lover chuckled, speeding through the night.

He stopped his bike in front of a luxurious thirty-story building and tapped on the guy, sitting behind him, who was trembling like a dry leaf in the storm. 

"Utar."

The crying guy stepped down off his death immediately and fell to the ground with his legs now turned jelly, making the biker laugh inside his helmet.

"Vyom bro, tu lift mangta hi kyu hai jab tujhse high speed sahi nahi jati." 

"Aur tu kutte, itni tez gaadi bhagata kyu hai jab pata hai ki mere se sahi nahi jaati?" 

"Bas yar, tu meri baby girl hain na and I want my baby girl to cling onto me like she can't live without me."

He said amid his laughs.

"Tu 'Please Daddy' bolta to main dheere chalata, only for you, my princess."

If sarcasm and mockery had a baby that would be this statement right here.

He turned his bike around to leave when he heard the guy on the ground cursing him out loud, "Bhagwaan ne pakka tere liye bhi koi tersa jyada sava sher bnaya hoga. Ek din tera bhi bura din ayega aur tab main tujhpe hasunga, kutte!"

The biker smirked and sped off, leaving his friend reeling from the intensity of the ride.

The speed dial moved up a notch little by little. The night served silence and peace for a second to him. Peace from all his thoughts, these voices in his head, these words that he was fed and had started believing in for quite some time. 

The engine worked overtime as the speed kept on turning up as if he wanted to exceed the limits, and break through the barrier of sound and light. Fuck physics up but, no. He could never escape - the past, the memories, the words, the hurt, the torture, the break.

Maybe it was the adrenaline rush that kept his heart pumping or maybe it was the claws of the horrors, of the past, and the dire need to run away from them that made him ride fast, carefree, careless. He leaned forward, chest pressed against the oil tank, the speed dial trembling. The demons he lived with made him a demon himself. No one titled him one, but he did himself, he loved that name.

Akuma.

He felt his chest tightening, he unzipped his leather jacket a little and freed one hand from the throttle rubbing knuckle over the tightened chest before slapping it a little. This feeling of being trapped that his heart felt never went away. He tried everything, every fix, every technique in the book known but useless. Useless like... he shook his head a little, grabbed back the throttle, and got back on track. 

That's him.

Rudra Pratap.

The second son, younger brother, respectful brother-in-law, and a fun encourager chachu. Out of all the Prataps, Rudra was the only one who didn't just live a life but had a blast out of it. With those looks and charms, he was always put up high on a pedestal by girls around him. 

Cocky Bastard.

He was a guy of great build, standing at the height of 6'4 just like his brother. His thick dark hair was never set or tamed down but was rather in a messy yet hot look with a mullet and if someone took a look at him the very first thought crossing their head would be of him coming straight after steamy car sex, even though the guy was a lover of motorbikes. 

The calm he felt while burning out those tires of his bike and running around the city with no thought in his head was what he needed all the time. The kind of man he felt when the speeding air deafened him was as if he had stepped into a state of stillness. A state of nothingness but everything at the same time. The only time when his heart drummed like a bitch, but he didn't mind. It was like a drug he needed at all times but sadly, 'house' was where he would end. The end to all his ecstasies was Samridhi Bhawan.

Rudra had pretty and the sharpest eyes in his whole family, sharp enough to pierce through women's hearts and burn a hole through a guy if holding anger and rage in them. That perfect 120-degree angle sharp jawline was defined under that periodically groomed and well-maintained stubble unlike his father and brother, who were big-time beard fans.

With those defined cheekbones, straight nose, pretty pigmented yet pink downward-turned lips, and his wheatish fair skin Rudra had no trouble finding a girl to touch and taste. Well, his record of the night was twenty girls, all thanks to his hot looks and messed-up personality; apparently, such boys are in high demand. 

Blame the dark romance authors.

A Greek god's body was what he had. Pure perfection and all credit go to the astronomical balance of genetic traits and his time spent in the gym. Wide shoulders, built back, big biceps, puffed out chest, pretty lickable dashboard abs and those defined thighs (totally meant to be someone's seat) were not made in a day. But who needs a day when you have all your life? This bitch was straight out of a needy girl's wildest imagination and the fucker knew it all too well.

Self-aware huh?

Rudra was all about waking up late, eating brunch instead of breakfast or lunch, staying in their in-house gym all day, and then leaving for the streets and bars across the city, late at night. I mean who doesn't crave such a routine? I do.

He was a living embodiment of Weeknd's songs and, apparently, his favorite artist too, with a high demand among girls, a lavish lifestyle, dream nightlife, and a bad body personality, our 27-year-old Pratap was just a good ol' blend of what kind of guy one wants but also stays away from.

Drinking, smoking, food, gym, and bikes were what Rudra lived for, subtracting the girls from this equation because he didn't kill for them, but they did for him. He turned a gaze, and a queue of girls would be lying on the floor the very next moment, metaphorically.

Girls were a great vice to subside his burning hunger for something unknown and unexplainable. The hunger for touch? The craving for heat? The desire to be dominant? The urge to prove something? Anything? 

He would wonder on odd nights if he wanted true love or if that chapter was closed for good. But just like many other questions that boiled up in his brain at 3 am after getting drunk and a good make out, this one too would simmer - eventually cooling down until next time.

Despite the negative traits and bad boy aura, Rudra was a big-time family guy. 

He listened to his father not out of threat but out of respect and his mother's words were an absolute order for him. His elder brother was like Ram to Laxman while his sister-in-law was equivalent to his sister and mother combined, depending on whom he needed. Coming to his niece and nephews, he was a total cute yet 'classic Rudra' for them. Partaking in their stupid baby adventures and spoiling them was what made Rudra feel like a baby sometimes and he loved it. Feeling free and light was what he wanted, at least he felt that way with the two Pokemons of the house, his Advit, and Arohi.

Currently, he was parking his beloved thunderous bike after riding it, with a roar, back into the premises of the mansion making everyone aware of his arrival.

Today was a lot different for him because right now according to his 'routine', he should be on his way to a club or some underground motorbike race event. But he is here, at the entrance of his house, awaited by all for a family dinner. Rare, very rare, more like a historical event. Someone, please mark it on the calendars.

He rushed up the steps to the front door unzipping his leather jacket and went straight to wash his hand. Throwing his biker gloves on the couch, revealed his rough calloused hands due to all that heavy weightlifting and gripping tight on the dumbbells. He made his way to the dining room with everyone waiting for him and had already begun their dinner.

He greeted his family as he took his seat right next to Advit, ruffling his hair after kissing Arohi's forehead. He focused on the dinner until his father interrupted his peace.

"Rudra hume ladki dekhne jana hai next week."

He stopped chewing on his food, the morsel stuffed in his right cheek as he looked at his father and then his mother. 

"Mumma, aap papa ki dusri shaadi se okay ho?"

Everyone mentally face-palmed themselves and looked at Rudra followed by turning their gaze to Tej, awaiting his reaction.

Sandhya answered calmly as she continued eating unbothered by her younger son's stupid talk,

"Rudra, ladki tumhare liye select hui hai, tumhare papa ke liye nahi."

Rudra placed the spoon on his plate calmly and leaned forward on the table. His head propped on his right hand with his eyebrow cocked up.

"Kis bechari ki life kharab karne ka plan banaye baithe hai Mr. and Mrs. Pratap?"

His lips were turned up in a mock smile.

"Be ready for the meeting Rudra. And try not to bring shame to us."

Tej said with a low voice as if instructing him, more like leaving him with no other option.

Rudra's gaze turned cold and slightly irritated.

"Shame" he murmured the words in a low voice, just for his ears to hear, as if a reminder of something that he would never forget.

Tej and Sandhya left first as if they knew that Rudra needed someone else to talk to and understand him.

Someone who was not them.

Also, they had nothing to explain to someone who would be stubborn and unbothered to hear them out. Therefore, they rather not waste their energy and make their way out of the dining hall.

"Bhabhi literally? Aapne mumma papa ko kuch kyu nahi bola? Main aapko shaadi material dikh raha hu kya?"

Ishika turned her attention from her kids to this big kid and smiles apologetically,

"Rudra bhaiya, unka decision final hai, and also you are of age. Aapki girlfriend to nahi hain na?"

Now her smile was full of tease.

Rudra scoffed,

"Like in hell I will do it all over again."

His voice had a hint of disappointment and pain of age-old betrayal.

"Humare nawabzaade ko casual flings se fursat milegi to girlfriend bnayenge na."

Abhay said with a calm tone, in a way that he knew Rudra wouldn't take it to heart or be hurt and Rudra knows how he has to perceive his brother's statement and that is as a fact because it was. He had no shame in admitting that bodies were what he ran after because he was a bad judge of hearts. He had accepted.

"Bhaiya aap mera chordo, for that poor girl's sake hi mom dad ko mana karte ya samjhate. You know how I am." 

Abhay wiped his mouth clean with a napkin before taking a sip of water. He knew Rudra was not degrading himself or joking but was being rather genuine and admitting himself.

"I tried but you know, jab papa decide kar lete hain to fir no one can push him to do otherwise."

Ishika called the maids over to clean up the dinner table before looking at Rudra and giving him a warm smile, "Rudra bhaiya ek baar ladki se mil lijiye. Mummy ji and papa ji ki choice galat nahi ho sakti." 

"But-"

Abhay interrupted and kept a hand over his shoulder,

"Ek hafte mein khudko prepare kar and I don't think tere paas us ladki se milne ke alawa koi option hai."

Abhay tried reasoning with his parents when he first came to know of this decision, but it was useless. Even the gods cannot make Tej change his decisions because according to him just like the rest of the parents, whatever they are doing is beneficial to their children. No one can fight that idea seeped into the crevices of their brain so why bother fighting?

"Don't worry bhai. Mere hi paas option nahi hota. I don't have the freedom to choose. You know. I know. We know."

"Chill chote. Look at me and Ishika, we love each other and hum bhi arranged the. Be optimistic. Hmm?"

Abhay's tone was not cold but calm and rather brotherly than he often gets. Rudra sat silent gazing at his brother and taking his words.

"Bhai, just because tere saath acha hota hai iska matlab ye nahi ki sabke saath acha hota hai. Try to be less about yourself." 

The evils of his brain were lacing his words with poison against his will. His heart called him out and his choice of words, but the devil sat on his shoulder, closer to the brain that controlled the body. This mouth that he was running out right now. The voices called out to him.

Ishika and Abhay knew, Rudra didn't mean the hurt so just like any other day, they brushed off his words with a sigh and a smile. The couple looked at Rudra and left for their room with their kids in their arms, while the guy sighed heavily and leaned back on the chair.

His arms lopping down on his sides. His eyes stare at the ceiling. Yes, he was angry about being controlled by his parents but no matter how dark his heart or actions were, he had a clear idea of himself. He genuinely was feeling bad for the girl he would be tied to. He didn't want to.

"Bechari." He scoffed as he shook his head, a tone full of pity.