(Royal college of Architecture, Bhopal)
A bright sunny day was all that required to bolster the spirit of the students of RCA. As the recess period was going on and many students had a break from consecutive lectures, they seemed to be in full mood to enjoy their recess. Some students were engrossed in heart to heart chat over cups of coffee and sandwiches; some were basking in the sunlight spread over the lush green bed of grasses enveloping the campus ground. And some extremely studious ones were trotting sometimes behind the lecturers and sometimes towards the library.
However not all students were so studious, especially the cool gang of the coolest student of RCA. Almost everyone in the institution was well acquainted with him or rather his mischievous pranks. If one doesn't know him than it means one is new in RCA. But today must go down in history since today there was absolutely no sign of either the leader or his followers. But wait! What was all that commotion about?
Apparently a bunch of clamorous youngsters were cheering and hooting about something or for someone. Meanwhile a young man and woman careened past the rows of trees that had provided the spot, where the clamorous crowd had assembled, an almost secluded aura, isolating it from the rest of the campus ground. They shoved the onlookers aside and squeezed through them. As soon as the view in front of them was revealed the duo gasped in horror.
Two guys were engaged in a lethal combat. Well apparently it was already approaching its destined culmination as one of them was tethering at the edge of collapsing into unconsciousness. The other guy, clad in a pair of blue denims, a white shirt whose sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, with a bruised forehead and a few scratches here and there, did not appear to be much bothered, either by demeanor or by expression. He wiped off the small droplets of blood trickling down the edge of his lips and punched his rival hard right on his face. Quite a few spectators gasped at the sickening crunch and the thick mass of blood that flowed out of the guy's nose as he swayed for a second and then dropped down like a stray, dry leaf. The duo who had encountered it with frightful eyes looked at each other and then back at the scenario where the guy who emerged as the winner had just bent down, grappled an empty glass bottle and was about to smash it against his rival's head.
The young man and woman muttered together:"Oh no you won't."
They tried to shoulder their way through the mob to reach him, to stop him else he will be neck deep in trouble. However before they could so much as get closer to him, a soft, fair, feminine hand clutched his hand, preventing him from striking the glass bottle into his rival's head.
The guy finally turned to face the girl, crimson eyes ablaze with an uncharacteristic fury.
The girl entreated him to leave his rival alive: "Ayaan! Plz stop it. Leave him Ayaan please."
But Ayaan was nowhere to pay any heed to her entreaties: "You leave my hand Humeira. I'm not going to leave him at all."
Seeing no other way Humeira finally threatened him with the name she was sanguine would bring his temper down: "Leave him Ayaan. Or else I'm going to inform bhaijaan right now."
And that worked the magic. Ayaan blinked twice and then as Humeira's words registered in his minds his eyes widened and he gulped hard. As expected, all traces of rage were gone within an instant only to be replaced by apprehension. Humeira smirked and letting go of his hand she strode away.
Ayaan : "Oh no! I'm so dead now. Humeira! Humeira stop please. Don't say anything to Bhaijaan.He will kill me. Humeira!"
He was about to dash after her but he halted for a moment and gazed down, the fury blazing in his eyes yet again, as he threatened his rival who was lying at his feet, moaning and grumbling in pain: "I warn you Akram. Next time don't mess with me. Or else I won't be responsible for the consequences."
With every word of that warning hanging in the air, bearing an ominous premonition, Ayaan whirled around and sprinted away in search of Humeira.
Humeira knew that she could never complain to bhaijaan about Ayaan. When did she ever? Ayaan might not have a single clue about it but she was well aware of the fact that she was hopelessly, irrevocably and undeniably in love with her childhood best friend. She was lost in her own thoughts when someone yanked her by grappling her wrist and she collided with a well built, masculine form.
Humeira gasped as she looked up only to loose herself in a pair of mischievous chocolate brown eyes. However her entranced state was short lived.
A mischievous smirk playing in his lips, Ayaan wiggled his eyebrows: "Where are you lost Humeira Begum? (As Humeira was about to say something, he relinquished his grip on her wrist and pulled his collar up with a smug smile) Oh I know right! You are lost in me, isn't that? After all whom else you'll think about if not a handsome hunk like Ayaan Ahmad Khan?" (He winked at her naughtily)
Humeira rolled her eyes at this incorrigible flirt and retorted: "Oh please! You know what Ayaan, daydreaming is bad for sanity. Why would I think about you when I have so many admirers?" (She fanned herself with her hands, feigning a smug demeanor)
Ayaan chuckled and pinched Humeira's nose while playfully retaliating: "Who will be mad enough to tolerate you other than the one and only generous Ayaan Ahmad Khan?"
Humeira's jaws dropped in astonishment, listening to this while Ayaan chuckled some more.
However, soon she composed herself and feigning agitation, retaliated: "Really! If I'm so intolerable than it shouldn't matter if I call bhaijaan and inform him about the infamous deeds of his beloved brother. So let me just make a call to him."
She fished out her mobile and was about to punch the numbers into it, when suddenly it was snatched away from her hand. She glared at Ayaan who only made a puppy face at her in an attempt to mollify her.
Ayaan: "Humeira begum! I was just kidding. You know me right. You are the world's most beautiful, nicest, kindest girl. Anyone will be so lucky to have you as a friend, as a lover and as a wife. Really."
Humeira smirked: "Are you sure?"
Ayaan: "Sure Humeira. Hundred percent sure. Please don't say anything to bhaijaan. He will kill me."
Before he could say anything more, the guy and the girl who had been the witness to the deadly combat and were about to stop Ayaan caught up with them, panting heavily.
Ayaan: "Hey Nikhat and Imran. What happened guys? Why are you both so out of breath?"
Nikhat strode off to Ayaan's side and playfully swatted him on his forearm with her file.
Nikhat:"It's all because of you, you jerk. What were you thinking? Do you have any idea what can happen if the news of your display of chivalry spreads out?"
Imran: "Better still if your brother comes to know about the fiasco along with you he's so gonna kill me too."
Ayan shrugged off his friend's concern: "Relax dude! Bhaijaan is out of the country on a business tour! And he's gonna return after five days. Till then everything will settle down."
Imran sighed in utmost relief while Nikhat chuckled at his predicament. Imran in turn glowered at her.
After quietly listening to the conversation for some moments Humeira finally spoke up: "Are you sure Ayaan that bhaijaan isn't going to return for next five days from his business trip?"
Ayaan began to negate the feasibility with supreme confidence, but the small knowing smile that crept up onto Humeira's lips caused his confidence to falter. Narrowing his eyes in suspicion, he enquired: "Humeira is there something that you know but I don't?"
Instead of a candid elucidation, Humeira beamed enigmatically as she replied in a sing song voice: "may be or may be not."
Then in front of Ayaan's befuddled gaze, she whirled around on her heels and strode away.
Ayaan swallowed hard and turned around to look at his other childhood friends, Imran and Nikhat.
Ayaan: "Guys do you have any idea what she isn't telling us? (He sighed when they both denied) I just hope Bhaijaan isn't returning anytime soon. If he does and if he comes to know about today's fiasco, then I'm dead for sure."
Imran wound a compassionate arm around his buddy's broad shoulders, as he quipped: "You are not the only one, pal...you are not the only one!"
Nikhat giggled at their predicament while the guys contented themselves by glowering daggers at her, which, instead of dampening, increased her amusement.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the city, a tall, broad shouldered man with an athletic build sauntered out of the Bhopal airport in a slow but determined stride. More than half of his forehead was concealed from view by the fringes of thick, dark hair and his eyes were concealed behind dark shades, matching his expensive and classy black business suit. He stalled in front of the queue of cabs just outside the airport. Flagging down a cab, he was about to move in its direction when some raised voices caught his attention. He turned around in search of the source of the commotion. A deep frown creased his forehead and his jaws clenched.
Precap - Who is the man? What happened that made him so angry? lol happy guessing. 😉
Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon
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