章 24: Chapter-23
Since that day, Navya has always tried to avoid Mohit. She knew that Mohit always wake up before six in the morning, and Mohit would leave for campus before seven. Because of that, she purposely came out of the room after seven o'clock, already showered and dressed neatly, ready to go to campus. Usually she takes the morning snack that Miss Padma always provides at the dinner table, puts it in the lunch box, and immediately asks her driver to take her to campus. The snack was eaten in the car.
Likewise in the afternoon. If Navya came home earlier than Mohit, she hastened to eat, then went into her room to take a shower and change clothes. Studying and watching TV is all she does in her room. If there is no need, she tries not to leave her room so she doesn't have to meet Mohit.
It's been a week since Navya has been 'hostile' with Mohit in that way. Even if they live in the same house, even sleep next to each other, it feels as if they live in two different worlds. Sometimes she feels longing to chat with Mohit again, hearing voices dignified and the man's crisp laugh, but against all the desires of her heart, she had to remind herself over and over again: "Mohit doesn't really care about me. He's only looking after me out of retribution!"
Today, Suraj had promised to pick her up at three after college. Five minutes past three, Navya walked to the front gate of the faculty, but Suraj's BMW was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, a metallic white Ferrari car slid and stopped quickly in front of the eyes of Navya. Suraj got out of the Ferrari with a big grin on his face.
"Oh my gosh!! Suraj!!" shouted Navya looking at the Ferrari. She quickly ran to Suraj. "You bought a new car?" She asked him.
"You like it, Navya? Isn't it good?" asked Suraj.
"Gosh, Suraj! This isn't good anymore, this is awesome!!" Navya exclaimed while covering her mouth.
Suraj chuckled proudly. "Come on, Navya. Let's enjoy sightseeing in my new car." He has opened the passenger door for Navya.
Navya was still stunned, barely able to believe her eyes. She got inside and sat in the luxury car. The leather seats of the car felt very soft. The interior is also luxurious and sophisticated. Suraj smiled at Navya.
"I bought this car on purpose, because I wanted to show you something fun," said Suraj.
"What's that?" asked Navya curiously.
"You'll see by yourself." Suraj said to her.
The Ferrari car slid at high speed away from campus. They headed to the Lok Kalyan Marg area and stopped at a very large field. It turned out that in the field there were already dozens of other cars, all of them looking luxurious and modified to resemble racing cars.
"You ever seen a car race, Navya?" asked Suraj.
"Car race?" Navya gulped. "But isn't that dangerous, Suraj?" She asked to Suraj.
Suraj laughed. "Don't worry, Navya. I won't bring you here if it's dangerous. I've often races, but usually borrow my friend's car. But now, I have a new baby!" exclaimed Suraj, patting the handlebars of the car. Obviously he was very proud of the Ferrari.
Navya laughed too. The two of them got out of the car, walked over to the other race car participants who were standing on the edge of the field near their respective cars.
"Wow! What's up, dude!" said a man with short hair and stocky build. He immediately embraced and greeted Suraj. "Crazy! New Ferrari! No kidding!" He teased him.
"Obviously! Just watch, this time Suraj Rathod won't be defeated!" shouted Suraj as he raised his hands up.
Suraj's other friends also gathered around and greeted Suraj, praising his new car. The average racer was a young man, almost the age of twenty-five-year-old Suraj. There were also a number of girls seen accompanying their partners. Most of the girls were dressed tight and skimpy, in contrast to Navya who wore a blazer, shirt, and knee-length skirt, her daily clothes when she went to college.
"Navya, meet, these are my friends," Suraj introduced Navya to his friends.
They laughed and teased Suraj. "Not just a new car, but a new trailer too!" teased a tall, bald-headed man.
Suraj just laughed. Navya was actually uncomfortable with the way they spoke, but she just ignored it. Suraj had always been nice to her. She doesn't care about Suraj's friends.
"Navya, you just wait here, okay. I want to practice with my friends first," Suraj said. He led Navya to a tin roofed building having no walls. There were long benches where the audience sat and watched.
"Okay, Suraj. Be careful..." Navya was about to say 'don't speed', but of course it was a very stupid thing to say especially in a car race.
Suraj and his friends got into their cars, standing at the starting line, waiting for the signal. A girl in a tank top and miniskirt stood in the middle, lifted a red handkerchief up, then lowered her hand quickly. Instantly the cars drove by high speed, making a loud roar and a thick cloud of dust. The race track is made of limestone, surrounding a field the size of a football field. Suraj's white Ferrari stood out from the crowd, continuing to outperform its competitors.
"You're Suraj's girlfriend?" Suddenly, a girl with blonde hair and a face full of thick makeup stood beside Navya who was sitting. Her eyes were unfriendly. She was clearly a local, even though her hair was purposely blonde.
"I'm only a good friend of Suraj," replied Navya in a firm voice. She admits Suraj as a boyfriend in front of Mohit just to provoke Mohit's reaction.
"Oh friend? You're not like the other girls Suraj has been with," the girl continued. Her eyes seemed to scan Navya from top to bottom. "So Suraj's taste is in office girls now?" The girl said to Navya.
"I'm still in master's degree, I'm twenty three years old." Navya deliberately put emphasis on her words, because she believed that the girl was already way older than her, judging by the thick makeup.
The girl raised her eyebrows, her face looking displeased. "Oh, college kid. Why are you after Suraj? For money, or...his body?" The girl asked in a curt tone.
The girl's words sounded very impudent in Navya's ears. Navya stood up and looked at the girl bravely. "Sorry, I don't need anything from Suraj. We're just good friends. And just for your kind information, it was Suraj who approached me first, not the other way around." Navya said to her looking straight into her eyes.
The girl snorted, smiling mockingly. "Anyway? Good friends? I just heard this time that Suraj needs a girl to be his friend." She looked at Navya with a sarcastic face once more, then turned around, walking away.
Navya glared at the girl with disdain. "What's the point of talking about Suraj like that?" She thought in her mind confusingly.
Navya's attention was immediately diverted, because the audience who had been watching quietly began to stand up, cheering, and clapping. It looks like the race is about to enter its final lap. Navya also stood up, her eyes fixed on the speeding cars.
Suraj's white Ferrari took the lead, closely followed by a black Porsche. Porsche cars continue tried to overtake, but Suraj's car was still faster. A white Ferrari speed across the finish line, followed by other cars. The audience cheered wildly.
Suraj stopped his car in the middle of the field. He got down and raised his right hand towards the audience. Some of his male friends greeted him and embraced him. They laughed together.
After the atmosphere began to subside, Suraj ran over to Navya. The wide grin never left his face.
"What's up Navya? Did you enjoy the show?" Suraj asked. His face was still dripping with sweat.
Navya didn't really watched car racing, but she clapped her hands excitedly to please Suraj. "Amazing Suraj! You are really great!" She said smilingly.
"This is only a little part of my world, you haven't seen it all," Suraj said, his eyes were so passionate.
Navya smiled sweetly. She wasn't sure what kind of world Suraj was referring to, but anything new always appealed to her.
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