Chapter 12

The next day appeared as swiftly as his altering desires for her. It was the same time of the day when every student on the campus would gossip, eat, or perform unshackled activities.

In the roaring music of chatters, he strolled out of the washroom with stumbling feet, pain from the last day taking a toll on him. Leena was right. When she said, he won't be able to walk properly.

With that same erratic manner, he carefully sat beside Ridhan, whose eyes were quick to notice the peculiar change in his body language.

And that was not the only thing he noticed. He also detected the gloom over Vihan's head. A dark cloud numbing his senses.

Discarding the discussion taking place in the group, Ridhan whispered in Vihan's ear, hidden from everyone's eyes, asking him what was wrong.

Vihan's eyes took a fluttering change after Ridhan's questions, his lips, and his mind, thinking hard before they spoke. "I'm fine! Nothing's wrong!"

His tone was more pitchy than it should have been, his words a broken stance with a strange snicker.

He thought no one would recognize the trouble in his eyes, but Ridhan was not from that group of no one's.

He could read the discomfort in his eyes, clear and crystal. And that too, thoroughly!

Vihan could not stop thinking about the torn book pages found in Leena's dustbin. He was trying to understand why she lied about it, but could not come up with any right explanation.

He did not wish to think anything wrong about her, but everything that led them together was questionable.

—- Did she lie, because she also liked him? But she never even looked at him before that day.

—— Does she have any hidden agenda? Why would someone like her would adore him?

His head kept on transpiring words until his eyes found her sitting at the same table, right in front of him, yet far.

She's been so expressive in that dark room. They had been out on a date. She was the one who approached their first kiss. She accepted that she found him adorable. And above them all, they slept together. That is why he created explanations in her defense.

But the other side of the coin had situations like these.

She never said she liked him. She, in fact, avoided the question. She never approached him in front of his friends or anyone. They were always behind closed doors.

She never allowed him a warm smile. Her eyes were always cold. During the sex, her lips were never eager to find his. That made his head create accusations.

So, what was she actually thinking?

He also cursed himself for having such thoughts, just because of a mere page of a book. How could he let something so small affect him like that? But he could also not stop.

—- He didn't have to overthink.

Pulling himself out of the land of doubts, he stared at her and brightly smiled. But with the same bitter look, she changed the way of her eyes, as she found him looking at her.

Her hostility jabbed his heart with many daggers of doubt, the negativity once again taking hold of him.

She had always been like this, but before the page, he never noticed because of how much he liked her. But now he was seeing precisely how cold she was.

—— She just has a different personality. It doesn't mean she has bad intentions as well.

Once again, he gave himself answers to his questions, jolting his head, wringing his eyes tensely as an outer response, and remained quiet in his seat until he saw her get up and leave with Vritti.

The panic in him returned, and he quickly stood up, forgetting that he had to be gentle with himself. The shrugging pain, formed by his pants, caused his gentle groans out, prompting Ridhan to ask again if he was okay.

He shrugged off his question with the same answer and quickly ran behind Leena, leaving Ridhan astounded, not minding the sticking pain to his skin, and shouted her name in the corridor.

His loud voice quickly halted her feet, Vritti turned around to find him standing first. Gingerly, Leena turned as well, bewildered by the peculiar action performed by him.

This was the second time he was performing such an act, but somehow she was feeling bitter by the second time.

In her head, she was questioning herself about why she began dreaming about him.

—- There's nothing so intriguing about him.

Boldly, she was standing, piercing his eyes with a straight look while he was struggling to step closer to her.

As soon as he halted before her, she asked. "What?"

He could not understand why she was acting like nothing had happened the previous day, while she also looked confused by his call.

"I- I just wanted to ask, how are you?" He stuttered, his eyes unable to look straight into hers.

Simply, she answered that she was alright and asked, "Are you okay?" It was like she had forgotten what she did to him, that he was in pain because of her. A remanent of their sensual play.

"Umm, it just hurts a bit, but other than that, everything is fine." His words were hesitant, his eyes careful of Vritti standing beside Leena.

Leena eventually understood his words, her expressions altering as if she had just remembered what had happened the day before.

This sudden realization occurred on her face in front of his eyes, but what she was feeling was totally different.

She felt as if he was asking for her care, that he wanted care from her. This was a new concept for her. She had never cared about anyone.

—- So, how would she know how to care?

Mild flutters occurred in her eyes as she uncomfortably licked her red lips and asked. "Did you apply the lotion?" Her words took Vritti aback as she wasn't informed about the last day.

He bashfully nodded, a dim smile curling up his lips as he landed his gaze on the floor. The sight of compassion in a boy bore trouble in Leena's mind, making the ground beneath her feet slip a bit.

She had never seen him that way before, even if she had seen him in her dream or in her bed. This site was totally new for her.

"Hmm. I'm getting late for the class. I should leave." Leena worded, catching his bashful eyes on her still-cold eyes. There was a brightness and joy in his eyes, which made her shudder inside.

It was an unusual feeling for her, out of her understanding.

Unable to put a finger on her emotions, she lazily stepped closer to him and leaned into his ear, whispering, "I'll be waiting for you at my house. I have something new I'd love to try with you."

Her words froze him on his spot, his eyes wide open. He wasn't expecting her to ask him to come to her place this quickly. Because she had said that she would lead the relationship slowly.

He had agreed with his face burning before he left them in the corridor, his heart pounding, louder enough to reach her ears and his skin was sweating pools.

With his departure, Vritti finally unsealed her lips and asked with a bitter tone, standing behind her. "Do you still think he doesn't like you?"

Her question silenced Leena, in the corridor full of students, and frozen in her place, unable to meet Vritti's eyes. Her heart was ready to accept the truth, but her mind wasn't.

"You told him to come to your place? This quickly?" Vritti added and watched Leena turn around to face her, without a flicker of trouble on her face.

Leena was concealing her trouble well enough, but Vritti was aware of her heart. She didn't need to look at her face to learn her truth.

"He seemed desperate. That's all it was," Leena answered, her eyes piercing through Vritti in order to turn them away. But Vritti did not accept the defeat and questioned again. "Is that what you felt?"

"Tell me. Is that why you were taken aback when he couldn't even look into your eyes?" Vritti had noticed the alteration on her face as well in that previous moment, very well aware of what she was feeling, unlike Leena and Vihan.

If there was anyone who knew what Leena felt, it was Vritti. Even Leena could not understand what she felt.

"Tell him, before it's too late. Or maybe not, because your mind is becoming like his."

*****

END OF THE CHAPTER

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