Siya's Raghav

The next day, as soon as Siya entered the classroom, she glanced at all her classmates and then walked over to the boy sitting on the front bench. The poor guy got flustered, quickly stood up and said –"Did I do something wrong, Siya...?"

Siya slapped her forehead 🤦 and muttered to herself –"This Kabir's brat has spread such terror in Raghav's name that no one even dares to speak to me properly. Everyone acts like I'll devour them raw—without even salt or oil!"

All day, Siya tried to talk nicely to different classmates, but no one felt comfortable enough to engage with her. Everyone was simply too scared of Siya and Kabir.

During lunch, Siya sat alone because Kabir was sitting with Shreyansi, and Siya didn't want to "lower her level" by sitting with her. Just then, the 12th-grade students entered the cafeteria and immediately started making a racket. Siya, already annoyed, snapped at them and shouted –"Stop it! Do you think this is a fish market that you're creating such chaos here? Not another word now!"

As she sat down again, a deep, composed voice echoed in her ears –"Is there a tax on speaking that no one's allowed to talk?"

Siya looked around in surprise and said –"Who said that? If you have the guts, come out and say it to my face. Hiding in a crowd and bleating like sheep—typical!"

Again, the same voice responded –"Did no one teach you the difference between a lion and a sheep?"

Everyone turned to see who had spoken—it was a fair-skinned boy scrolling on his phone.Fair complexion, intense dark eyes, perfectly styled hair, a glow on his face, and a clear aura of arrogance. His tone was serious, and although he was probably 18 or 19 years old, there was a maturity in his voice far beyond his age.

Siya just stood there staring at him, wide-eyed. There was something so captivating about his presence that she couldn't even blink. The boy stood up, walked toward Siya and said –"So, what were you saying—that no one should talk in the cafeteria, huh? Did your father buy the whole place?"

His voice broke Siya's trance. She straightened up and said with pride –"You have no idea who I am… I'm Siya… Siya Prajapati."

The boy ran his fingers through his hair and replied –"So, should I have flyers printed with your name on them?"

Siya flared up and raised her hand to slap him, but he caught her wrist, pulled her closer, looked her straight in the eyes, and said –"Listen carefully—I'll say this only once. My name is Anurag Chauhan. I don't pick fights without a reason, but remember—if a fight does begin, I'll be the one who ends it. So it's better to end this right here and walk away."

Then he pushed her hand away and started to leave. After a few steps, he turned around and added –"And today, you made the mistake of trying to hit me—don't repeat it. Otherwise, I'll forget you're a girl."

And with that, he walked off confidently.

Siya just stood there, stunned. There was something in his eyes, something so magnetic that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get him out of her head. 

When Kabir found out that someone had spoken to Siya in a raised voice, he came running to her and said –"Hey lizard, are you okay...?"

Siya looked at Kabir and replied –"Yeah, what could possibly be wrong with me... Come on, let's go to class."

Kabir said –"But I heard that—"

Before he could finish, Siya ignored him and walked away to her class.

That boy had taken over Siya's mind today. Of course, Raghav's personality and aura were quite charming too—his eyes were like deep blue oceans, so deep and captivating that once you looked into them, you wanted to keep staring. But unlike Anurag, he didn't have arrogance, nor the same commanding presence or attitude. Raghav had a gentleness about him that took the place of all that. Siya had never heard Raghav raise his voice at anyone, and his face always carried a warm smile.

But Anurag... his arrogance only amplified his persona. His careless nature, his indifference to people—whether you wanted to or not, you were drawn to him. It's just human psychology—when we don't have something, or when someone ignores us, it starts to bother us. And unknowingly, that person begins to occupy space in both our mind and heart.

And that's exactly what was happening with Siya. She didn't like that Anurag treated her like any other ordinary person. Ever since childhood—be it Aman ji, Kabir, or Raghav—everyone had treated her as someone special. Even in school, everyone behaved with respect toward her. So, Anurag ignoring her had become a thorn in her side, and now, she wanted to teach him a lesson—no matter what.

Siya had returned home, but Anurag was all she could think about. Sitting on the swing, her mind was filled with thoughts of him. Just then, her eyes fell on the diary Raghav had gifted her. Initially, she had planned to write her and Raghav's journey in it. But for some reason, she couldn't resist. She picked up the diary and pen... and started writing about her first encounter with Anurag.

Meanwhile, when Anurag reached home, one servant took his bag, and another took off his shoes. Loosening his tie, he began walking inside when a middle-aged woman appeared in front of him. Annoyed, Anurag snapped –"How many times have I told you not to show your face in front of me? I hate the sight of you..."

Saying that, Anurag walked past her, and tears welled up in the woman's eyes.

With a frustrated mood, Anurag went to his punching bag and began furiously hitting it. After a while, he took off his sweat-soaked shirt, threw it on the bed, and walked into the bathroom, standing under the shower.

Water droplets began soaking his body. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall.

A little while later, Anurag came out, got dressed, and yelled for a servant. One came running, and Anurag roared –"Where's the key to my bike...?"

The servant, trembling, said –"bhaiya , actually…"

Anurag grabbed his collar and snapped –"I'm your bhaiya (big brother), am I? Call me sir!"

The servant, now shaking, quickly corrected himself –"Sir…"

Anurag shoved him away and said –"Go bring me the key!"Then he went downstairs while the servant started searching for the key in the room.

As Anurag came downstairs, he saw an elderly man approaching. Though old in age, his face radiated an aura of pride and authority. Anurag touched his feet and smiled –"Grandfather…"

Before we proceed, here's a quick introduction to some key characters:

Jagjit Raj Chauhan – Anurag's grandfather

Mahendra Chauhan – Anurag's father

Soundarya Chauhan – Anurag's stepmother, Mahendra's second wife

Pratap Chauhan – Anurag's uncle (father's younger brother)

Aastha Chauhan – Anurag's aunt (Pratap's wife)

Apoorva – Anurag's real sister

Anant – Anurag's stepbrother

Abhay – Anurag's cousin (uncle Pratap's son)

Avyaan – Son of Soundarya's brother, currently staying at Anurag's house

Nakul Bhardwaj – Anurag's maternal cousin (now deceased)

Jagjit Raj Chauhan hugged Anurag, patted his back and said –"You're my lion… my lion!"

Anurag simply smiled.

Standing just behind Jagjit Raj Chauhan was Mahendra Chauhan, but Anurag didn't even glance at him. Jagjit and Anurag walked toward the sofa. Just then, Soundarya entered, carrying a tray with glasses of water.

Jagjit Raj took a glass and said –"Daughter-in-law, did you speak to your family about Nakul's marriage?"

Soundarya lowered her head and replied –"Father, Nishtha wants to study more… so she refused the marriage."

Jagjit Raj shot an angry look at her and said –"You know very well that we are not used to hearing 'no'. And that ordinary girl dared to reject marrying my grandson? Talk to her family again. The news of this wedding has already reached the media—now they can't back out."

Jagjit Raj began walking toward his room, then turned and said –"And yes, make sure they understand clearly what happens when someone dares to say no to Jagjit Raj Chauhan. It would be better for them..."

Soundarya kept her head lowered and said softly –"Yes, Father…"

Jagjit Raj walked toward his room.

Anurag also left and headed outside.