Cigarettes & Peonies

17

During lunch maahi visits her friend vaishali. They both sat together inside the classroom and were having lunch while maahi told her about today's drama in the morning. Vaishali was stunned.
"What!!! That dork. Look maahi, you better stay clear of him..... he's filthy and pathetic. And don't fear him, I'll mangle his bones before he tries to harm you in any way." vaishali said sternly. Maahi nodded timidly. A couple of minutes later, they heard a shuffle of feet at the door.
"May I come in??" karanvir's husky voice boomed inside the nearly vacated classroom. Maahi stiffened as she looked up at his tall figure in horror. Vaishali glared vehemently at him.
"No. Get out." she hissed, her voice loud and threatning. Karanvir rolled his eyes.
"Thank you." and he came in, unaccompanied but all the more joyful and frivolous. Vaishali gaped at him.
"You're so shameless...."
"I ignore you....Hi Maahi!!" he turned sweeter like dripping fresh honey from a honeycomb while talking to Maahi. Maahi didn't reply but stayed silent.
"And we too ignore you Karanvir the dork." vaishali seethed visibly. Karanvir heaved a sigh with difficulty, possibly controlling his temper.
"Hey maahi, will you go back to home with me....I mean your brothers are coming along as well. So...."
"She won't. She's going by the bus. Understood dork!!!" vaishali cried, livid and unyielding. Karanvir finally looked at her tiredly.
"Vaishali why do you love me so much!!!" he said feigning a grin. Vaishali's mouth hung open as maahi gasped out loudly.
"What!!! No way. I only love my boyfriend." vaishali fumed. Karanvir smirked slyly.
"Then why are you always barging into my affairs??" he said resentfully and vaishali was taken aback. Quickly karanvir turned to maahi and smiled sweetly, at least he tried to act sweet.
"Please Maahi!! I...... I'll feel happy if you just......um, there's..... there's an ice cream parlor there and my little brother just love ice creams and....."
"Thank you sir but I can manage!! I'll go by the bus with my friend." maahi said flatly, ignoring her drumming heart. Karanvir's face dropped. He looked sad for some reason.
"Can I ask you to reconsider your decision??" he said politely, taking every measure to not frighten her. She gulped and slowly looked up into his dark eyes.
"Absolutely not. Come Maahi, I'll drop you to your classroom." vaishali interjected harshly. Maahi timidly stood up from her seat and all the while karanvir's eyes were desperately searching for answers in her scared ones.
"Just one more thing maahi." maahi stopped dead in her tracks and spun round to face his grim face. He looked straight into her eyes and spoke.
"Do you think of me as a bad guy??" his abrupt question bewildered maahi. Ofcourse he was a bad boy and the next in line mafia king, but you surely don't say ill about anyone on their face. His eyes were cold and impassive, his face blank but still she saw a growing restlessness in those cold eyes. Maahi was stuck in a quandary. She didn't know what to say.
"Yes. She thinks of you as the baddest boy in the entire town. Now beat it!!!" vaishali said curtly, grabbed maahi's wrist and left from there. Karanvir watched maahi's retreating figure silently, his cold eyes now darker and more evil.

The rest of the day went pretty well for maahi. She hung out with vaishali during the free lecture and cherry on top, karanvir wasn't seen after their peculiar conversation in the classroom. Maahi couldn't be more glad and therefore refrained to even mention him. After the classes, she went to the bus and there too she saw no sign of Karanvir. Perhaps he had left, she thought. Even during the course of her journey from her college to home she saw nothing of him which was a blessing to be honest. So at near 5:00 in the evening she reached her home, took a bath, ate some snacks, watched TV and later went back to her room upstairs. There she decided to peek outside the window at the mountains, which was her favourite thing to do, before she starts studying. She shoved the window open and looked outside at the mountains looming in front of him. Far up in the cliffs, mist settled upon the pinnacles and blotted out the cliffs from the vision. Slowly she lowered down her gaze and once they fell across her house, she gasped loudly and literally jumped in surprise. Right in front of her house, in the wide balcony, was the creepy Karanvir, his eyes staring creepily at her little petite figure. He smiled at her amicably and waved her hi. She gulped in fear before meekly waving her hand at him. He grinned.
"Do you like the mountains??" he asked in his usual husky voice. She nodded timidly. Now, she wished to run back inside but that would just seem too insulting to him, hence she stood on her place. He chuckled.
"There's a picnic spot up there, a very nice one at that. It's a small glade and there's this beautiful stream flowing narrowly beside the camp site. Wanna go there for a holiday?? I can take you there. I've been there many times." he said hopefully. Maahi quickly shook her head.
"Thank you but I don't go for picnics. I-I have to go!!! I've to study." she said and turned to leave. He waved her bye but didn't stop her. She shut the window and went to her study table to study.

Late in the midnight maahi woke up with a start. She had a nightmare. Now, sitting up on her bed she felt thirsty. Looking beside her bed she found the jug empty and groaned. She tossed the duvet off her body, slipped on her slippers and sauntered towards the door in the half asleep state. She climbed down the stairs and reached inside the kitchen. After pouring some water for herself, she felt a presence behind her. Before she could turn around, a strong hand covered her mouth while the other hand slipped around her waist, hauling her to a strong muscular chest by force. She began screaming under the hand but no voice came out except for muffled cries.
"Shhh!!!!" the assaulter said, pressing his lips against her cheek. Maahi sobbed in fear. The assualter kissed her cheeks softly as if he was afraid that he might injure them if somehow he puts more pressure on them. Her tears wetted his hands while he was busy kissing her cheeks and neck. Suddenly she felt the hand around her waist slipping away. She struggled to break free but he was quick to again wrap his hand around her waist, but this time tightly. Now, she saw there were multiple chocolates in his hand which he had withdrawn momentarily and he was slowly bringing it up yet still keeping her body close to his to prevent her from escaping.
"Take these." he whispered in her ear. She sobbed and quickly shook her head in a no. He tightens his hold around her and she cries in pain. Helplessly she accepts the chocolates and she could feel him smiling on her cheek. After that he kisses her deeply on her head, whispers I love you in her ear and withdrew his hands from her body. It took a minute for her to gather her senses after which she sobbed and cried out for her father. Her father came running outside and so did her brothers and mother. She quickly jumped into her father's arm and cried.
"What happened maahi??" his father asked with concern. She hiccuped.
"A......Man..... broke into the house...... and tried to molest me....... and gave me the chocolates." she hiccuped. Her father pulled her close to him.
"What kind of an assualter gives chocolates??" luv whispered confused. Maahi's father looked hard at the open window.
"A psychopath. We're sending for the police tomorrow. Maahi, you sleep with your brothers today. Ok." her father said and she nodded with tears.

She couldn't sleep that night even though she was sandwiched between her brothers on the bed. They were her bodyguards for tonight. Around 2:00 in the night her phone pinged. She looked at her screen and gasped. There was a message from some anonymous number which read 'Did you like the chocolates baby girl' with love emojis. She quickly switched off her phone and waited for the morning to come.
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