Chapter 10

Chapter 9

“A Best Friend is Someone

Who When You Show Up

At Their Door with A Dead Body

They say nothing,

Grab a shovel and Follow you”

Riddhima smiled at her friends, as usual, they were bickering with each again. Nia and Sahil can never agree on one subject, and she always ended up being someone who had to choose the sides. At first, it was the difficult cause if she supported one of them the another would get angry, later she learned to avoid them or change the subject so subtly they could never see it coming.

Nia and Riddhima were friends from there degree days. Studied at same medical college but with different streams. Nia was studying for nutrition and dietetics. Nia was one of the rich kids with her father being the trustee of their college, she never spoke with anyone and whenever anyone tried to befriend her, she will always comment something rude. Everyone thought of her to be an arrogant girl. 

The start of their friendship was unique. Both used to study in the college library till late hours but never spoke with each other. Riddhima always wondered why would Nia study in the library when she had such a big house? Riddhima had to study from the library because they can’t always afford the books and sometimes Sejal used to call her friend’s home so that would disturb her peace.

One late evening when she was studying, she heard a faint voice, when she looked in the direction of the voice, she saw Nia snivelling. Few students were looking at her, but no one dared to approach her. 

Riddhima gathered some courage went near her and kept a hand on her shoulder asking if everything was alright? Nia flared up and told her to mind her own business in a loud voice. Thank god not many people were present in a library that day. Few gave her a sympathetic look. After which she decided to never speak with her again.

One day she saw Nia searching for something frantically. Keeping in mind her last time's approach Riddhima did not offer her help. Nia asked something to the librarian and then left disappointed. When Riddhima was leaving the library out of curiosity she asked the librarian about the issue. The librarian informed her that Nia lost her project file which she had to present and submit tomorrow early morning. That was terrible Riddhima thought; she could never imagine losing her project before the presentation but what she can do it’s not like she can help and even if she decides to help that idiot will scream some more. As she was leaving the restroom, she saw some papers below the sink. When she bent down to check it was Nia’s project, thankfully their college kept a clean bathroom the project was safe. But now how was she supposed to give it to her? 

She went to the librarian and asked for Nia’s number, if Nia again decides to scream or something then she will give her back answer. When Nia did not answer the phone, she decided to visit her house. She lived in an apartment nearby college, some of her college mates did show her the “trustee’s House”. When she reached Nia’s home, the caretaker made her sit and went to call Nia upstairs. It was a duplex flat. She could hear someone fighting loudly, Nia’s parents…

Nia came downstairs and glared at her. It was obvious that she was crying her hair mess, mascara smeared. Nia was equally shocked at finding Riddhima at her house. Silently Riddhima kept the project file on the table explained to her quietly before Nia could utter a word she left. 

Over the next 2 days, she did not see Nia anywhere on the 3rd day though she came and sat at the same table in the library, Riddhima raised her brow but ignored her otherwise. By the end of the day she left saying thank you. From then on, they started sitting on the same table and slowly, to everyone’s surprise, became best friends. The reason why Nia behaved this way was that her parents were getting a divorce. She was just going through the bad phase.

Luckily, both got an internship and job in the same hospital. Sahil joined as an intern in the psychology department. Few interns joined at the time but the three of them hit it off. At first, it was just He and Riddhima, considering he enjoyed annoying Nia a lot. After a while both turned cordial with each other but not much changed regarding bickering though. 

“So, any update from Kabir?” Sahil suddenly asked Riddhima and Nia focused her gaze on her.

“Yeh, I mean he did call. He is not sure when he can return”

Riddhima was a little upset that Kabir had to leave for some case. He went to Rajasthan with no definite timeline. She still did not say anything about the party incident and masked man to anyone and did not see any reason to worry them, it’s almost been 5 days and nothing bad had happened. She wants to forget the incidence as a bad memory. If she told Nia about it that would be a disaster, she would not take it lightly. She will demand that they report to the police. And Sejal won’t take it seriously. She knew her sister well.

“I still think you should look for more options, it’s not like you are committed to him and if he keeps delaying the process you can’t wait for him forever” Nia once again suggested her.

“What kind of a friend you are? If she likes Kabir let her be” Sahil countered. 

“I am just saying that she has many options no need to rush”

“See, this is how you girls behave and blame that boys can’t commit when the whole time you are looking for someone better”

“Hey, you are speaking as if you boys never look for option and commit to the first girl that comes to your life? If boys can look for options so, do girls...”

And here they go again….

*****

Aangre yawned. The girl was simple, in fact too simple for Vansh’s taste. Not that he was going to question Vansh. He saw the three of them leaving the hospital. That was her routine she would leave home in the morning for work and return from hospital in the evening with her friends where the guy will leave from his bike and her friend will drop her home from the car. 

Vansh will be landing today. The whole week he had sent her daily routine to his boss with her pictures and video clips whenever possible. He was supposed to return 2 days later but apparently, he preponed his arrival.

He felt pity for her. By the way, Vansh was behaving, it was sure that he was going to bring storm in her peaceful life. Not that he will ever oppose Vansh. That was never an option whatever Vansh did good or bad, he will never leave his side.

Aangre met Vansh while he was serving sentence in jail for trying to harm someone. Vansh was a year older than him. The prisoners were horrible there, but Aangre was no less. Still how much a teen boy can fight and till when? 

He was used to getting beaten up in jail. When Vansh came some of the prisoners tried to give him the same treatment but he beat one of their leaders so hard that no one went to bother him again. 

Vansh always used to see him get beaten but never interfered, one day though when someone was going to hit him from the back he intervened, and a huge fight broke out Vansh and Aangre vs others. Vansh again beat the leader this time more severely. The jailer had to interfere to stop the fight the guy was hospitalized. But from then on no one dared to go near them. Vansh was moody so befriending him was difficult but Aangre can never forget that someone stood up for him. Slowly Vansh’s behaviour mellowed towards him and after a while, they became a sort of friends. 

Vansh was released one year prior to him. It was Vansh who waited for him after his release and it was Vansh only who helped him achieve something which he was craving for a long time now, Revenge…

*****

Anupriya shook her head as she saw the temper tantrum being thrown by Ishani. She kept shouting at everyone who crossed her path. Seemingly Vansh once again denied her something. She saw her mother in law trying to placate Ishani. Anyways she must inform them about Vansh’s imminent arrival, and all this drama will stop at once.

*****

Finally, the girl reached home now he can arrange someone else to watch over her. It’s not like she will leave her house now. She rarely does. Vansh will be returning tonight. He will ask for all the reports first thing in the morning. He glanced over at a file which contained all details of Riddhima. Everything from her family to friends to financial details.

He just hoped for the girl's sake that whatever fixation his boss had with her is not there anymore….

*****

“Did you get all the information on her?” Vansh asked Aangre the moment they sat in a car.

It seems he was not even going to wait till morning.

“yes, and the boy has not returned yet.” Aangre provided sensing Vansh’s next line of question.

Vansh was silent after that. They reached the mansion. “Send her file in my room” Vansh ordered and left.

*****

These 5 days had been hell for him. Evidently, the girl affected him more than he thought. When he finished his meetings with foreign clients, he went to his hotel suite to get drunk and try to find the solution to this obsession. But he was surprised to see a girl waiting for him on his bed with very few clothes.

He did remember one of his clients mentioning something about arranging a partner for the night and asking his permission to send her to his suit. It was nothing new for him. Any other time he would have got angry at his bodyguards that they let the girl enter without his permission. But that day he was frustrated and wanted to assure himself that what he felt for Riddhima is merely an attraction.

He removed his coat, tie hurriedly and went to kiss the girl on the bed. The second their lips touched he felt a very revolting sensation. He could feel the girl opening his shirt buttons.

He remembered Riddhima, her smile, innocent eyes, the way she danced with him, the feel of her soft hands on his chest…

He hardly shoved the girl away making her fall on the floor and yelled at her to get out. 

It had just been 2 days since he last saw her. He did receive her daily updates from Aangre but they were not enough. He spent his next 3 days drinking and dreaming about her and when that was not enough, he decided to prepone his arrival.

Vansh took Riddhima’s file in from side table. Her name was written on the file and there was an envelope with her photos. He smirked as he looked at her picture and said “Get ready to 

meet Vansh Rai Singhania Sweetheart….”

*****

Note:

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