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Chapter 15 - Between Truth and Rumours

"Omg Yamika, I thought I shouldn't say this, maybe I'm just overthinking... but the day you shifted here, barely a week later, Nick asked me about you," Vedika suddenly confessed as we were walking back from school.

I froze. "What?"

She sighed and continued, "He asked me for your socials. I gave him your Instagram ID. But girl, Nick isn't what you think. He's mischievous since childhood, the most notorious in the neighborhood. He's a playboy, a total flirt. He's been in so many fights back in high school. My brother gives mixed signals to so many girls... and already, I warned him not to get close with you since you're my best friend. He has a lot of female friends he just calls 'friends.' I don't know much beyond that because he hides things from me, but I'll warn you this much whatever he does here, it's just timepass and fun. You're playing with fire."

I laughed, trying to look cool. "Vedika, seriously? Nick and me? You've been watching too many dramas."
But inside... her words stung. What if she was right? What if everything I thought about him was just a beautiful lie?
That evening, while returning home, her words kept replaying in my head. Nick's mixed signals, his mysterious nature, his sudden mood swings it all fit. But... what if he was just misunderstood? I didn't know whom to believe.

I opened my phone after days of ignoring messages. Dozens of unread memes and reels from Nick. A few from my girlfriends. And one important text from Bhuvan: "What was it you wanted to ask me?"

Oh God I'd completely forgotten about him in my little spy mission. I replied quickly, asking if we could talk on call that night.

Later, I climbed up to my terrace and called Bhuvan. At first, it was small talk how hostel life was, how classes were. Then I asked him the question that had been eating me alive.

"Why were you crying that night on the call? I saw you from my balcony."

There was silence. Finally, he sighed. "Don't tell anyone, okay? I was fighting with my girlfriend. She's in New York studying. We've been long distance... and I miss her. When I first saw you, I thought you looked so much like her. Same vibe. Same personality. You distracted me, Yamika. If I wasn't with her, maybe I would've dated you. But... I love her. And not you."
His words were honest, and weirdly, they didn't hurt. But then he added something else something that shook me.

"You know, even if I or anyone in the neighborhood wanted to like you, we wouldn't dare. Because of him."

I didn't have to ask who. He didn't say Nick's name, but I knew. He laughed it off and changed the subject, but my heart was racing.

To balance the awkwardness, I asked for a favor. "Hey, tell me about your cousins, na? I had a fight with Vedika, and I don't know how to make up for it."

Bhuvan laughed and started revealing random things about everyone in the family. I wasn't even listening properly until he got to Nick.

"Nick's different. Yeah, he's mischievous, but he's actually one of the smartest and most helpful people I know. He always figures things out before others. And trust me, when he cares, he really cares. He's loyal in his own way."

I hung up, even more confused. Vedika painted him as a player. Bhuvan described him as intelligent and caring. Who was telling the truth?
I couldn't sleep. My curiosity was burning me alive. And so, I made a plan.

If Nick wasn't going to reveal himself to me, I'd find the answers myself.

Two days later, when Vedika and I were studying together at her place, I executed my plan. While cooking, I "accidentally" spilled pickle on her kurti. She ran off to take a shower. That was my chance.

I cleaned the mess quickly and slipped into Nick's room. My heart was thudding so loud I was scared someone would hear it.

His room smelled like him fresh cologne mixed with gym sweat. Trophies lined the shelf, dumbbells stacked near the bed, clothes neatly folded, his headphones tossed on the table. Nothing unusual. Until I spotted a drawer.

Inside: old documents, notes, and... a phone.

I almost gasped. An old phone. I pressed the button 5% charge left. Desperate, I tried the simplest password in the world: 12345678.

It unlocked.
"Seriously, Nick?" I whispered, shaking my head.

I scrolled quickly. Mostly boy-trip photos, group shots, nothing important. My hope started to die until I opened the gallery folder hidden at the bottom.

And there it was.

A single photo.

Something that made my entire body freeze, my heart drop, and the dots start connecting in ways I wasn't ready for.