CH 6 : A Secret Admirer?
Rey was in projector room with taani, both were filling the submission forms of dance camp. Taani was busy in filling up the forms while he was re-checking them and throughout, he kept stealing glances at her. Her hair were falling over her face, disturbing her. Unknown to him, his lips curved into a small smile when he saw a cute frown appearing on her face. But soon, he avert his gaze from her, realizing what he was doing.
"Done." She murmured as she finished filling up the last form. She looked up and handed over the file to him.
"Lets go, we have to go to association's office to submit forms." Rey said to her, she gave a small nod to him while she avoid looking into his eyes. No matter how much she try, she couldn't gather courage to look into his eyes and see the hatred for her in them.
Sha gathered her stuff and followed him silently as he walked out of the projector room. They went to parking area, where his car was parked. She could feel nervousness bubbling up inside her, it was first time she is alone with him, after that incident.
Rey opened the passenger seat side door for taani, taani sat inside quickly. Rey sat on the driver seat and drove away from there.
The ride was filled with uncomfortable silence which broke when her cell phone ringed. She picked up the call, it was ashi's call.
"Hello, Ashi."
"Taani, lets go for shopping in the evening."
"Shopping? Um..Sure. I am out for some work right now, I will call you once i will reach home."
"Thats fine with me. Thanks-"
"Bye, ashi." Taani ended the call with a smile. In past few days, she & Ashi has come pretty close to her and now, she knew she could count her as her own friend, not her brothers.
"So you are pretty close to ashi, huh? I have never seen you hanging out with other girls of our gang?" Rey asked her, breaking the silence that has engulf them, again.
"Yea! Ashi is my friend where as others are bhai's friends." She murmured in low tone, looking out of the window of the car. Rey didn't had anything to reply to her, because he also knew, she was right. Gang members take her as swayum's sister, though they do invite her in gang's gatherings as a part of formality, but she never attended any, and now he knew the reason behind it.
"We have reached." He mumbled as he parked his car in parking area, opening the door of the car, he stepped out of the car. Taani followed his move and come out of the car, then they both walked inside the office. They submitted the forms and collected some necessary information about dance camp schedule.
They were walking toward his car when his cell phone ringed, he excused himself and went little away, to attend the call. Taani was standing there quietly, but her lips curved into a sweet smile when her gaze fall over the ice-cream stall on the other side of the road. She look at him then at the ice-cream stall, a sudden craving for ice-cream crept up in her heart. Ice-cream was her weakness since she was a child, it was something she couldn't resist along with chocolates.
Seeing Rey was busy in talking to someone over the phone call, she decided to have an ice-cream till then, and with that thought, she crossed the road and went to the ice-cream stall.
"Bhaiya, One chocolate cone, please." Taani said to the vendor, he gave her ice-cream cone, taani thanked him and paid him for the ice-cream.
She tore the wrapper away and started enjoying her ice-cream.
While on the other hand, Rey ended his phone conversation with his father and turned around, to face taani but frowned when he didn't found her there. He looked around to see where she went. An unknown restless settled in him when he didn't found her there.
"God! This girl-" He sighed when his gaze fall over her figure, standing near the ice-cream stall and having an ice-cream. He shook his head and walked toward her. He was about to shout at her for disappearing suddenly, but stopped when he saw sheer happiness reflecting in her brown orbs. She was happy and it was visible to him and it didn't allowed him to shout at her and ruin her happiness. It was first time he was seeing her happy after that incident.
"Taani, let go. We are getting late-" Rey said to her, gaining her attention, her smile faded away and look at him hesitantly, hoping he is not angry with her.
She gave a small nod to him and walked away with him. They sat inside the car and Rey drove away to her home.
No one said a word, they didn't had anything to talk about. Things are too awkward between them, Taani doesn't want to burden him again with her unwanted presence where as he had no idea how to be friendly with her, after whatever had happened between them. He didn't knew how to approach her. He kept stealing glances at her, he could see changes in her personality, she wasn't the same bubbly, clumsy, talkative taani anymore, infact, she was more of a silent reserved girl now, barely smiling, talking, and all this make him feel guilty, somewhere he knew he was the reason of her pain.
Rey parked his car outside her house, taani thanked him and got down for the car hurriedly, Rey shook his head and stepped out of the car and followed her inside the house, since he had to meet swayum.
"Hello, bhai." Taani greeted her brother with a smile, he was seated on the couch in living area. Rey greeted him and slumped down on the couch beside him, both got busy in talking to each other when swayum remembered something and stopped taani, who was going toward her room.
"Taani, some has sent a gift for you." Swayum said to her while pointing at the gift box placed on the table. Her brows knitted in confusion, she walked over the table and picked up the gift.
"Who sent it?" She asked her brother.
"I don't know. There is no info about sender-" She hummed in response after hearing her brother's reply.
"Should i open it?" Taani asked him, unsure to open the gift since it was sent by a stranger.
"There is no harm in checking." Swayum muttered, he walked toward his sister and took the gift from her hands. He unwrapped the glittery paper and opened the box.
"A teddy bear?" Swayum bemused seeing the gift, he checked inside for some kind of note that will gives away some information about sender, but instead he found a love note inside.
A teddy bear for my cute love.
He read it loud, earning a gasp from his sister. Rey look at the gift in swayum's hand then at taani's shocked expressions. An unknown restlessness settled in his heart, realizing there is someone out there, who loves her. But why? His heart questioned him the reason behind his restlessness. Why does it matter to him? Why the thought of her being with someone else, makes him uncomfortable? His chain of thoughts came to an halt when he heard swayum's voice.
"You have got a secret admirer, taani." Swayum voiced out his thoughts. He was feeling uncomfortable and angry, there is someone out there, who admire his sister, sending gifts to her, it awoke the possessive brother in him.
"Who it could be?" Swayum turned to taani, who shrugged in response, she herself doesn't have any idea.
"I don't know, bhai. And lets throw this gift out, i don't want any gift, that too from a stranger." Taani told her brother, not feeling right to accept this gift. Rey's heart skipped a beat, an unknown relief washed over his heart after hearing her words which confused him further on, but he chose not to ponder over it.
"She is right. Accepting the gift will mean, encourging the guy who had sent this." Rey voiced out his opinion. He tried hard to hide his anger, but failed, Surprising her yet again.
"Yea! Thats what i was about to suggest." Swayum muttered under his breath. Taan passed a smile to her brother, she took gift from him and walked out of the house, to dumped it in dustbin.
"Rey, who he could be?" Swayum asked Rey, who had little idea about taani's new found secret admirer, but decided not to tell swayum about this as of now. He wanted to confirm his doubts.
"No, dude. But he could from our college since taani is new here and not many people know her-" Rey replied to him, swayum nodded in agreement. Rey was in deep thinking, He had to find out about the secret admirer, for taani's safety and for his own satisfaction as well.
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Arjun
Cricket
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