"OMG, then how do you guys refill your water bottles???" Maahi asked her bus friend. She huffed.
"We have to walk to the microbiology department to fetch water. I mean, I am so crossed now.....it has been two months already and there's no watercooler installed in the department. I think I need to complain to the director now." Vaishali, her bus friend, was jittery. Maahi chuckled.
"Don't worry, they'll arrange a watercooler for you soon. Oh, we have reached the bus stop....see" Maahi said looking outside the window. Her bus friend clicked her tongue.
"Nothing new dear. It's the same boring bus stop!!!!" she said bored. Maahi pouted. The bus started filling up with the students. Maahi busied herself in her phone as the commotion was simply deafening.
"KARANVIR BHAIYA!!!" clamoured the boys in unison. Maahi stiffened. Her fingers clutched the seat cover tightly as her heart started pounding heavily in her chest. She could feel his presence inside the bus.
"Huh, here comes the dork!!!!" Her bus friend muttered contemptuously. Maahi shuddered. She was too scared to lift up her gaze and see if he had sat on the last or not because she was doubtful about him taking a seat at the back. She felt his presence kinda close to her which simply implied that he hadn't advanced further in, but what was he doing in the middle of the bus.
"Get up idiot, Karanvir bhaiya will sit here." she heard a boy shout close to her. Maahi furtively peeked at her left and gasped. Karanvir had taken a seat on the next row of seats unlike last time when he had sat on the last. His seat was close to the door and mostly it's the bus conductor who sits there but no one questions Karanvir. Maahi's terror doubled when she realised that his spot was most apt for watching her. Maahi shifted uneasily on her seat as she could feel his burning gaze on her. She quickly stuffs her earphones into her ears and plays some music just to ignore the creepy Karanvir.
The bus starts after a few minutes and she is relieved. A girl had sat next to her which had ,to some extent, blocked Karanvir from her view. She looked outside the window while listening to music. Abruptly she felt a movement taking place beside her, she impulsively looked to her left and stopped dead. Karanvir had swiped seats and now he was sitting in the front seat of the same row but this seat was close to the driver and from here nothing in this world could stop him from watching her with no hindrance. She gulped as inadvertently their eyes met and a cruel smirk developed on his lips. She quickly averted her eyes. Although she was trying every measure to not pay heed to him but still she could make out what was happening before her. He was chatting with the driver but his eyes were fixed on her. Maahi was ill at ease with his presence. Every other minute he would do something which impulsively would catch her attention and every time she would regret throwing a glance at him for he would simply stare at her as if she was a prize. Maahi was extremely uncomfortable. She inwardly prayed for the college to arrive soon but her prayers weren't answered for another 15 minutes.
"Maahi we'll have lunch together today." Her bus friend said, Maahi paused the song and smiled. After that her eyes again landed on Karanvir who was leaning on his back on the window and staring creepily down at her. She gulped and looked away.
Fifteen minutes later the college arrived and the driver drove into the campus. Once inside the bus stop, the driver killed the engine and the students began climbing down the bus. Maahi quickly grabbed her bag and started scurrying towards the door in order to escape the creepy Karanvir. But she wasn't fast enough as the big Karanvir was already behind her. Her breath hitched at this unsettling proximity with him. She didn't dare turn back although she could feel his nose practically upon her hairs. She couldn't understand what was his problem or why was he behaving like that. What does he wants from her??? The students were way too slow in her opinion while climbing down, they were literally holding up the line for no reason and with Karanvir so close to her she was already so worked up. Behind her she could feel him closing the gap between them and standing awfully close to her, perhaps sticking to her. She gulped. Although she couldn't hear it distinctly but she was sure that he was whispering something and if there was anything which she made out of his croonings were few words like 'Baby girl' and something like 'Mine' but Maahi couldn't figure out what exactly was he trying to whisper. Besides he wasn't saying this to her, he was murmuring all to himself rather. Thankfully her turn came and she quickly climbed down to get rid of the creepy Karanvir. She started marching up to her building. Behind her she heard his friends chuckle and whisper stuff like 'whipped' and 'swooned' which made no sense to her. However as she was walking towards her building, she faintly heard him whisper 'I love red baby girl'. She gasped in horror as she realised that she was donned in red crop top and plain black jeans. She darted off to her department, ignoring his whisperings behind her.
Maahi was sitting inside her classroom. The next class was to begun shortly after and she was preparing herself for the class. She read from her book just to make sure she hadn't missed out on anything which her professor had taught her yesterday.
"Anyone's interested in football????" a deep voice reverberated inside the classroom. Maahi stopped dead. Wasn't this voice awkwardly familiar??? She lifted up her gaze and found the creepy Karanvir leaning against the beveled frame of the door. A chill ran down her spine as he stared creepily down at her little quivering frame. The students in the class were already drooling over him, especially the girls.
"When's the selection???" asked the most talkative boy of the class. Karanvir smirked while eyeing at Maahi creepily.
"The selections are running for this entire week. Interested students can meet me after the lunch. Am I clear!!!" asked Karanvir darkly as Maahi ignored him. She was just too scared to look at him.
"Yes, we'll be there Karanvir bhaiya!!!!" the boys were exuberant, but Karanvir didn't look so. His dark eyes lay fixed on Maahi who was ignoring him since he had barged into the classroom and there were strong signs that he wasn't appreciating that.
"Wonderful. Make sure that you DON'T IGNORE this news." He hissed through his gritted teeth before storming outside. Maahi sighed in relief once he had left. However she couldn't understand why did he accentuate on DON'T IGNORE, I mean why would he say that??? Obviously no one's going to ignore the football selections, considering the fact that boys are crazy about sports. She felt that he was barmy and resumed reading from her book.
Maahi proceeded towards the library. Now there is one interesting incident which needs to be described here. Following the classes, recess happened and Maahi along with her bus friend moved towards the canteen to have lunch together. Luckily they found an empty table for themselves. They sat together to eat but then.....her eyes landed on the approaching figure of Karanvir and his friends. Maahi was aghast on finding him marching towards her. She quickly requested her bus friend if they can have lunch in their classroom and her kind friend agreed without any questions. However, as they were leaving she distinctly remember those dark eyes of Karanvir which screamed madness. Even a blind man could tell that he was already so pissed off but why, she had no idea. Right now she walked inside the library, showed her id card and hence was allowed inside the library. She takes a seat inside and starts writing down the notes. The library was empty and if there was anyone except for Maahi, it was the librarian itself who was half dozing. For a few minutes everything was peaceful but then she heard a shuffle of feet near the entrance. She impulsively looked up and gasped. Striding in with heavy footsteps was Karanvir and Co., with the Co. grinning madly behind him. She quickly looked down just to ignore him but if she had learnt one thing in so many days, it was that you can't ignore someone like Karanvir.
"Sleeping beauty." the cute guy who is always around Karanvir, scoffed at the dozing librarian. His friends chuckled which Karanvir was too busy in watching every little movement of Maahi. Maahi was scared. She was alone inside the library with only a good for nothing librarian as her only support, and with a creep like Karanvir in front of her, her fear was there for obvious reasons.
"Bhaiya ji, why don't you study a little??? I believe someone can teach you!!!" another one said and chuckled. Maahi was afraid for she knew that they were in some way talking about her. She looked at the librarian and found him fast asleep.
"Shh don't disturb." Karanvir said firmly and his friends silently chuckled. Maahi gulped.
"Bhaiya ji I told you to wear that red shirt today. You look dapper in red!!!" maahi was hearing everything quietly and fearfully while scribbling down notes in her notes register.
"If only I had known" Karanvir said only this much but with such darkness that it freaked her out. She wasn't even trying to apprehend what was he trying to say or why was he talking inside a library because she was more interested in leaving the library for she knew if stays here for even a minute longer than she will black out due to fear. She quickly grabbed her belongings and stood up.
"You disturbed her...." she heard him whisper indignantly but she oh so well ignored him and marched towards the librarian's desk.
"Sir." she politely called him but he was dozing soundly. And her terror of Karanvir was escalating squarely.
"Sir...." she called him again. Again no response. She parted her lips to try again.
"RAVI!!!!" Karanvir yelled threateningly and the librarian jolted awake. He gasped on finding karanvir's scary face in his right.
"Yes.....Yes...." he asked Maahi, out of breath. Maahi asked for the register. He quickly slid the register in front of her. She quickly filled the entries, signed and turned to leave. However she stopped short on finding Karanvir right on her face. She craned her neck to look up at him as he stared down at her weirdly. Her breath stuck in her throat on finding him this close to her.
"Sir um...... I'll return the book tomorrow." Maahi deliberately turned towards the librarian and said. She quickly changed her way by moving over to the right where Karanvir wasn't present and scurried outside to escape him. Relief washed over her on escaping the creepy Karanvir. However, when she was leaving she thought she heard him faintly whisper 'Don't run away baby girl' but later she felt that she had imagined it all as she wasn't sure if she had heard him say that. She walked out of the library and moved towards her building.
When the college got over, Maahi moved towards the bus stop. She found her bus but gasped on finding Karanvir reclining on the bus door. His lips were curled up into a brutal smirk as he stared down at her intently. She lowered down her gaze and warily moved towards the door. She quietly stood on the face of the door, thinking he would step aside himself. She must've stood for a good minute before he left the door and opened it for her. She was relieved and went inside. Karanvir did came inside the bus a couple of times but she ignored him altogether. At sharp 4:30 the bus started. Maahi plugged in her earphones and listened to some music and TRIED to ignore the creepy Karanvir who was literally staring at her face all through the journey. When her stop came, her brothers waved Karanvir bye while he was staring squarely at maahi, and the three of them climbed down. Maahi saw it through the corner of her eyes that Karanvir was still gawking at her as she walked to her home with her brothers.
At night maahi was all set to sleep. She had her dinner already, did her homework and was now ready for a good night sleep. Abruptly her phone rang. She answered the call.
"Hello." she yawned. No response.
"Hello...... anyone there???" she asked perplexed as no one was responding from the other side. All she heard was the sound of heavy breathing and except for that nothing. She huffed and decided to cut the call. However, just before she had disconnected the call she heard a faint 'Good night baby girl' which kinda stunned her. But then she felt that she was just hearing things and decided to ignore it and fell asleep.
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