Chương 11: Spunk and Blood
"What? Rushabh? Why didn't he tell me about it?" Shanaya asked to no in particular, clearly shocked by the news. Avyan couldn't care less what happened to Shanaya and Sonia. Both were a nuisance for him.
"On another thought, guess guys' standards have been going down these days." Shanaya couldn't help but taunt. And Nitya didn't need to guess to know that it was meant for her.
"Guess, they like more than just a pretty face these days." Nitya couldn't help but open her mouth. Earlier she used to stay quiet about Shanaya and Prashvi's verbal bullying but she was growing tired of it now. Just because they were rich, it didn't mean they were better than her.
Shanaya fumed at Nitya's retort while Prashvi, although angry, was impressed a little by the spunk in the girl in front of her. Avyan wanted to laugh out loud but resorted to shaking his head softly as his shoulders shook in silent laughter. This was the woman who had captured his heart; the strong, independent, and fiery Nitya. His eyes twinkled as he gazed at her.
Whereas on the other hand, there was Tarun. He hadn't seen Nitya's plucky avatar till now. To him, she always seemed like a soft, conservative girl who never failed to stand up for what was right. First, her outfit and now her retort had shocked and confused him. This was not the Nitya he knew.
Nitya left shortly after finishing her meal quickly, bidding a swift goodbye to her boyfriend. She tried to call Sonia again but it was switched off. The news of her being with Rushabh was enough to worry her about her friend's safety. She just needed assurance that Sonia was not in any trouble.
"Where is this Sonia?" Nitya murmured to herself as she searched for her friend around the college premises. Ever since Nitya came to know of Rushabh being Sonia's boyfriend, she was worried for her.
She knew that Rushabh didn't love Sonia. In fact, she doubted if Rushabh could ever love anyone but himself. As much she'd come to know Sonia, she knew that the silly girl was madly in love with the 'oh-so-nice' Rushabh, the image he had painstakingly created of himself in front of everyone just to demean Avyan. Though the latter was no saint himself, he had a heart that was just too wounded.
She was too engrossed in her phone trying to call Sonia when she ran straight into someone. She looked up to find that it was Tarun who steadied her.
"What's wrong, Nitya?" He asked seeing her distressed state.
"Tarun, I can't find Sonia. I'm so worried for her. She's a fool behind Rushabh and he's just playing with her." She shared.
"Nitya, relax. Maybe you're overthinking. I mean, it is possible that Rushabh likes Sonia too." He suggested.
"No, Tarun. Boys just like to play with hearts. They don't care about the feelings of girls. They can't love anyone." Nitya spoke out loud unknowingly. Tarun was confused upon hearing the words coming out of her mouth. It was clear on her face that she was speaking from experience.
"What are you talking about Nitya?" He asked.
"Nothing, sorry. Should I call Rushabh?" She quickly changed the topic which Tarun noticed but didn't comment on it.
"If it eases your worries, go ahead." He replied with a smile.
"Thank you." She returned him a smile and called Rushabh which went unanswered. She knew that he was in the college today because she'd seen him loitering around here and there, a few hours ago.
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Even after asking around for Rushabh's whereabouts for half a day, she was unsuccessful. A few minutes later, she saw Avyan stumbling in from the other end of the corridor. He sat on a bench and removed his loafers which revealed sand and gravel upon dusting them. Nitya knew something was fishy the moment she saw this scene. Avyan, the classy and sophisticated rich kid, would never dirty his own hands and feet without a bigger purpose.
When Avyan felt someone's eyes on him, he looked up to find Nitya staring at him. He sighed to himself and walked towards her.
"What? Why are you staring at me?" He asked, bringing her out of her trance.
"Nothing. Where are you coming from?" She enquired suspiciously.
"I didn't know that Ms. Nitya Sanghvi had taken up the job of being my girlfriend too," Manik exclaimed sarcastically. That was one of the other things he was a master at. Nitya mimicked him silently and made a bad face at him making Avyan go all 'La-La' over her.
Nitya huffed at him and turned to go when her hand collided with Avyan's fingers. Despite all the misunderstandings and arguments, the spark between them was evergreen. The two looked at each other to find the same feelings etched on the other's faces as they themselves had buried in their own hearts. Avyan looked away first because he knew if he continued to look at her, the dam of self-control that he had built might break. Giving one last look to her, he turned back and moved in the opposite direction.
Apart from his feelings, Nitya didn't fail to notice something else with Avyan too. She didn't miss the bloody bandage he had wrapped around his palm. That was the moment in which she knew that Avyan had done something. And as far as she knew Avyan, Rushabh had been the target.
She walked in the same direction she'd seen Avyan come from a few minutes earlier. She had a bad feeling and to confirm her hunch, she called Rushabh once again.
A faint sound of a mobile phone ringing could be heard in the nearby distance. Upon walking several hundred meters further, she reached the back entrance of the University. While the front entrance of their University looked no less than one of those peppy schools dramatized in Western cinema, the back entrance was pretty run down mostly due to construction work that was still underway. Apart from laborers, it was mostly frequented by people who had no ounce of good intentions.
Walking over to the bushes where she could the loud blaring of the mobile phone, she bent down and noticed a mobile phone lying there which belonged to Rushabh, evident from his lock screen image.
Her expression changed from being confused to extremely worried when she noticed blood spots on the concrete nearby and spatters on the grass. Remembering Avyan's hand, she now was sure that Avyan and Rushabh had been embroiled in a fist fight there.
She walked further into the area trying to spot any more signs which could clue her in about Rushabh's whereabouts. Upon hearing muffled sounds from the overhead water tank, she rushed towards it and lifted off the heavy iron lid.
Her eyes widened in shock seeing Rushabh's hands and legs bound inside the tank. Thankfully, the water level was too shallow. However, it stank of such a foul odor that someone would take it for a sewer. And she wouldn't be too surprised if Avyan had some hand to play on that front too. After a few unsuccessful tries, she managed to untie his hands.
Removing the tape from his mouth, she tried to make him breathe by patting his back. When Rushabh appeared to be a bit stable, she helped him out of the tank and gave him her scarf to wipe himself. He took a few deep breaths in and then rage filled his eyes as soon as he remembered what happened to him.
"Avyan! That son of a bi-" He shouted but stopped as he glanced at Nitya.
"Rushabh, calm down." Nitya tried to pacify him which, however, was an impossible task.
"No, Nitya. Avyan has to pay for what he's done to me." Rushabh yelled before taking off angrily.
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