Chasing her

Chapter 17: The Weight of Decisions

AJAY POV:

I felt my leg shaking with shock, so I tried to calm it by placing my hands on it. "I never knew Nitya was Mira's stepsister, and Mira never told me. How did you find out?"

"When Nitya's parents committed suicide, we questioned their family members. That's when I learned that Mira's father, Veerendra, remarried Yamuna after Mira's mother died. A year later, Yamuna gave birth to Nitya. Even though Yamuna raised Gaurav and Mira, they always hated her and Nitya as they were growing up," Rajesh bhai explained, looking at me.

Realization finally hit me as I said, "Now I understand why Gaurav thrown Nitya out of his house. But I can help her and correct the mistake I made without loving her, Rajesh bhai."

"You still didn't get it, Ajay. She doesn't need you to solve her problem, she needs someone to fill the void left by her parents. And you too need someone to fill the void left by Mira," Rajesh bhai said.

Before I could respond, Rajesh bhai interrupted, "I know what you're thinking, but if you agree, I will talk to her and convince her to marry you. What do you say?"

I was stunned by his words. It's like there is a second chance in front of me, but Nitya might not agree no matter what Rajesh bhai says. And even if she does, I'll only bring her more suffering because every time I see her, I'm reminded of her sister Mira and the deaths of her parents. So I can't marry her.

As I stood up from my chair, I looked at Rajesh bhai and confirmed, "No, Rajesh bhai, I don't want to marry her, no matter what you say. If that's all you wanted to say to me, then we are done here."

Frustrated, Rajesh bhai shouted, "You know, it was a mistake to think you could love anyone other than Mira." As I headed towards the door, he continued, "I gave you a chance to fix your mistake, but maybe you can't fix anything. Just go, keep thinking about her, chasing after her like a madman."

As I walked out of Rajesh bhai's chamber, I saw Nitya, Navin, and Trisha waiting for me. Navin, looking puzzled, asked, "What happened? What did Rajesh bhai say to you?"

I replied, "He said the school management didn't want to press any charges against us. So we are all free to go."

They all looked happy. And as rajesh bhai came out of his chamber, Nitya approached him, asking, "Sir, what about the complaint I filed against Murugan? Did you arrest him?"

I didn't know who Murugan was, and Rajesh bhai hadn't told me about him. Meanwhile, Rajesh bhai glanced at me, then turned to Nitya, saying, "Don't worry, Nitya, I have already sent my men to arrest him, and I will make sure to teach him a good lesson."

"Thanks, sir," Nitya said with a warm smile. Rajesh bhai added, "No need for that, Nitya. I am a police officer, and it's my duty to arrest those bastards."

After speaking with Nitya, Rajesh bhai left the police station because he had urgent work outside. Meanwhile, Nitya approached me, and I felt a surge of nervousness. She asked, "Ajay, can I have your number? Maybe we all could meet up sometime, and I'll give you guys a treat for saving us."

I wanted to distance myself from her, but she was asking for my number, which meant I'd have to meet her. But before I could respond, Navin interrupted and said, "I will give you his number, just note it down."

That idiot gave her my number, and Nitya saved it on her phone, saying, "Thanks a lot. I just called you, did you get it?"

I checked, as my phone was on silent, and with a fake smile, I replied, "Yes, it came."

As I noticed Navin hesitated to talk to Trisha, even though she was beside him. Finally, he took a deep breath and turned to her, asking in a low tone, "Trisha, is your scooty still at the school? How about we take an auto there, as my bike is also parked there?"

Trisha turned around, smiling warmly, and said, "Yeah, sure. But before we go, I'll ask Nitya if she wants to come with us, and what about Ajay? Isn't he coming?"

Before Navin could say anything, Stephen aka masked man, sat on the floor in the cell. He joked, "You look so pretty when you smile, Trisha. It would be so much fun to make that smile disappear." Navin tried to go towards him angrily, but I quickly grabbed his left hand to stop him. However, Stephen continued, turning towards us and laughing crazily, "And you, Nitya, right? Maybe I didn't clearly see you yesterday, but you look even more beautiful than Trisha. How about you give me a treat for giving your friend Trisha one hell of a night yesterday."

As he stood up from the floor, holding the cell, he continued, "Trisha, didn't you tell her what happened? Once I am out of here, you will get the same fate as her, Nitya."

I stepped in front of Nitya to cover her, and Stephen remarked, "You, do you think you can save them from me? No, you can't. And Ajay, don't worry, I won't hurt you first, because I want you to feel the pain of not being able to save your friends as their lifeless bodies lay in front of you, and only then I will hurt you."

Taking the black glasses from my pocket and wearing them, locking eyes with Stephen, I said, "I'm waiting...."

Leaving the station with Nitya, I held her hand tightly. Stephen, frustrated, shouted at me, but I paid no attention. His frustration grew as he punched the wall repeatedly, blood pouring from his hands, yet he didn't stop.