First Love

“She was nothing like them because her heart use to dance on the rhythm of her own individuality instead of following the trend.”

| ERICA’S POV|

” Relax.” Dr. Mayra smiled.

I nodded, absentmindedly and sat on the leather chair across the table. She passed me the glass full of water which I gladly took and gulped down my throat to calm down my nerves which were ready to burst.

I’ve to do. I’ve to get over this.

” What was his name?” She asked, softly.

I clenched my fist and all of sudden, his memories stormed back into my head. I pressed my eyes shut and stayed numb for few minutes before breaking the itching silence. ” Stefan.” 

I can do this. I have to come out of my pathetic state and start my life over again but without him?

Don’t think about him, Erica. Just don’t. He’s gone, your Stefan is gone.

” Don’t think me as your Psychiatrist, consider me your friend.” She said, putting my file aside.

Friend? I blinked, looking in her direction.

Her expressions were just as soft as her voice. She had her hairs tied in high pony in a professional way. Without any lipstic, without any makeup her beautiful face was calm and to say that she was gorgeous would be an understatement. How can someone be so pretty yet so sweet? Usually beauty comes with bitchiness. But you’re a bitch without beauty.

My eyes fell on her white coat which had a name tag attached on pocket. Mrs. Mayra Malhotra.

So, she’s married. No wonder, a pretty face like her can never be unloved.

Cursed are the women like me who doesn’t have a beautiful let alone presentable face. 

But why would a woman like her wants to befriend me? I am nothing compared to her. Is she acting all warm to me just because she’s my Psychiatrist?

” Erica?” She called out my name, pulling me back into the reality.

I cleared my throat and simply nodded my head like a robot.

” Excuse me.” She whispered, glancing towards her cellphone which was displaying the incoming call of some person named Max.

” Max, I am not free.” She answered the call in a strict professional tone and then hummed before ending the call. To my periphery, I catch the glimpse of contact picture on her phone and automatically my jaw dropped in surprise.

She was talking to The Max Costello? That Player Billionaire Max? But how come she knows him? Is she his girlfriend but from what I’ve heard about Max Costello, says that he never do girlfriends.

Dr. Mayra is Malhotra and he’s Costello. They couldn’t be family relatives then? Wait, did I said Malhotra?

” Are you Mayra Malhotra, wife of the Billionaire, Rehan Malhotra?” I asked, trying to hide my surprise.

She nodded, smiling and let me add that her smile wasn’t out of ego but it was proud that she was glad about being Rehan Malhotra’s wife.

She’s such a famous personality and here I was wondering that how come she’s so pretty. Off course she has to be pretty since she’s the wife of such an influential man.

” Erica, would you like to share something about Stefan?” She asked.

I stiffened at the mention of him and took a deep breath before mumbling. ” He was my boyfriend who had died two months back in a car accident.”

My heart constricted inside my rib cage and my mind flooded with only one face and that was of Stefan.

” Can we skip anything related to him and focus more on my depression thing?” I spat, not being in mood to act as if nothing’s wrong.

” Mayra, your husband has f–cking ordered me to drop you home.” Suddenly the door flew open followed by a thick husky voice making my eyes snap in that direction.

As soon as my gaze went on the owner of that voice, my eyes almost popped out of their socket. In front of me, there stood an exotic species of humankind- Max Costello.

His eyes locked on me for a moment before he shifted his attention to Dr. Mayra.

” Max, please wait outside.” She said in a sharp tone and adjusted spectacles over her eyes.

I admired her professional attitude before glancing in the direction of Max Costello who was now throwing some curses under his breath.

Rich expressions, straight jawline, perfect stuble, pink plum lips, intimidating figure, deep blue eyes. Alas! This man was a magnet for all the women out there. How can someone be this handsome? Off course, everything screams about him being a player. And trust me only the player word itself was a huge turn off for me.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

I felt disgusted by him and it had taken few seconds for me to realize that we are having an eye contact. He must be thinking that how ugly I am. I pursued my lips together and collected my gaze to land on my lap.

Through my periphery, I found him shaking his head a little and stepping outside.

Everything soon became normal and Dr. Mayra again brought her complete focus on me as if right now I was the most important thing for her. Bless this woman! She’s no

less than a healer.

But I am still very confused that after being the wife of such a famous man, how can she act with me as if everything’s normal? I look nothing but like a piece of crap but still she’s not bothered by that fact.

” Can I go home for today? We will continue this, tomorrow?” I whispered in a cracking voice and nervously rubbed my fingers together.

” Sure.” She smiled, gently.

***

” Still you’re watching TV.” I sighed and ruffled his hairs while sitting next to him on the couch.

” Sis.” He scoffed, wrinkling his nose.

I laughed at his actions and munched on the chips.

Alex kissed my cheeks. I smiled and for a second glanced at his teenage face which was still in the process of undergoing changes under puberty. Sometimes I can’t believe that my baby brother is already seventeen. In my whole twenty five years of life only he’s the constant person otherwise everyone have left me at some point or other. My parents had died five years back when I was only twenty with a huge responsibility on my shoulders to fulfil that is to take care of Alex.

Is still remember my mother’s last word.

” Take care of your brother. ”

Since then I’ve done my level best with my small, energy draining jobs to give him better life. This year he is about to graduate from high school and then he will attend college. I am trying to save as much as possible for fulfilling his future college expenses.

I can manage everything but if only everything’s goes with my wish then today he hasn’t been suffering from cancer. Yes, cancer. The most horrible reality which I never want to accept.

He’s continuing his life on the edge of medicines. Doctors had said that he can be saved if I’ll get him appointed to one of the cancer specialist but for that I need lots of money. I don’t know how I am going to gather this much money but I know I will, even if it means giving up my own life.

I will give him beautiful future and that’s my promise to myself.

” What are you thinking, Eri?” His voice brought me back from my trance.

I blinked the tears away and forced the smile to touch down my lips.

Only he’s the reason why I am taking appointment to Psychiatrist for coming out of the depression and making my mind stable so that I can put everything together.

I’ve no hope from my own life and why would I? After all I am cursed to stay unhappy, forever. First my parents left me then Stefan–the only person who dared to love me despite of my ugly face also left me, forever because god decided to take him away from me, too.

I’ve nothing left in my life except Alex and now he’s suffering too. Sometimes I think that maybe I am cursed that people around me can never be happy.

” He will be fine, he has to be.” I mumbled under my breath and shifted my attention back to Alex who was now gawking in my direction as if I’ve grown two heads.

” What?” I arched up my eyebrows.

” You’re crazy.” He rolled his eyes.

” So you’re my baby brother.” I winked.

He scowled and clenched his teeth in irritation. ” I am seventeen, I am no longer a baby.”

” You’ll always be my baby brother.” I shrugged my shoulders and with that we both started arguing till he gave up and decided to fix his concentration on news channel playing on TV screen.

” Max Costello and Cassie Fox were spotted kissing, last night.”

I laughed, humorlessly at the news and took a sigh. Why this media has to create such a big deal? I mean Max Costello was nothing but an Asshole who only uses women for his bed. I will never understand that why women falls for his charm? Okay, I’ll agree that he’s got everything from riches to panty dropping look but what about his disgusting image of player? Why women can’t see that they will end up broken hearted? Once a player, always a player. He can’t ever love any one.

” Sis, see, how cool he is.” My brother exclaimed as if he was talking about some fucking god.

Did I mentioned that The Max Costello was his idol? Ugh. Teenagers these days.

” Cool? Alex he’s a bloody player.” I said in irritated tone.

” That’s what makes him even more cool. Just look at him, he’s perfect. I so want to become like him, when I’ll grow up.” He chirped, happily.

As if I’ll let that happen. But who knows after all Alex has got the charming look unlike his sister that’s none other then me. Right now, all the girls of his school are crazy for him and if he continued to walk on the road of Max Costello then god knows what will happen.

” He had kissed, Cassie fox.” He exclaimed, further.

” Cassie, who?” I asked in a bored tone.

” Cassie Fox, that famous singer. You don’t know a thing, idiot.” He pinched my nose.

I narrowed my eyes but took a look of image of Cassie Fox, displaying on the TV. My jaw dropped in awe as I saw a pretty cum sexy woman. Indeed, Max Costello had kissed her after all they both seems perfect for each other.

What’s with me finding beautiful women, today? First Dr. Mayra then this Cassie Fox.

Ah, Dr. Mayra reminds me that I’ve forget to tell Alex that I’ve seen his hero face to face today.

” Alex.”

” Hmm.”

” I’ve seen Max Costello, today.” As soon as those words slipped out of my mouth, Alex jumped in front of me and stared my face for a good few second before screaming to give him details.

” He had came to meet his friend Mayra Malhotra who happens to be my psychiatrist.” I said, stuffing chips inside my mouth.

Alex jaw dropped, almost hitting the floor. “Mayra Malhotra is your Psychiatrist? Wow.  She is wife of Rehan Malhotra and he’s also my inspiration. He had got perfect look and duh! Everything about him screams power and charm. Both Rehan Malhotra And Max Costello are best friends since high school, I’ve done research on Google about them. Eri, I so want to become like them.” He completed his rant.

I rolled my eyes and restrained myself from throwing the damn TV away from my house. Alex is getting crazy day by day.

” And why do you want to become like them?” I asked.

” They are billionaires, Eri. They have money, power, riches. I see you crying everyday with your hard working job. I want to give all the comforts to you. You’ve struggled a lot, I just want to make you happy, sister.” He said with a little smile.

My heart filled up with enough emotions to just hug him tightly. Tears started streaming down my face and at that moment, I once again repeated my promise that I won’t ever let Cancer won over Alex’s life.