Watching the sun set, she felt a surge of hope. The beautiful transition from day to night served as a reminder that endings could be stunning, too. Each streak of color was a promise, a symbol of potential hiding in the wait for a new dawn. Despite the descending darkness, the sunset instilled in her a radiant optimism.
She was roaming in her terrace, listening to music. Heart pounding thinking what will happen tomorrow. A tear left from her eye when she remembered her first day in school. The day from which she got bullied.
Having the flashbacks, she was also breathing heavily.
"DIDI."
Her brother came running towards her with a plate full of fruits. As she was breathing heavily, Sarthak understood that she was having flashbacks. So he kept the plate on the floor and hugged her tightly. While stroking her head, he said.
"Didi, calm down, it was your past, nothing will happen, they are gone from your life now, besides we are in a different state too."
He told her to make her calm down. After some time, she calmed down and said to Sarthak that.
"I'm too scared to go tomorrow to college because I know they will bully me."
After seeing her worrying so much, he said.
"Arre didi, don't worry if they bully you just give them a savage reply or beat them to death, I'll handle the case when I'll be 18 years old."
She laughed at his answer.
"Ayy, this was not expected from you, I'm giving you such a great idea, and you are laughing at me."
"Yes, I'm laughing. But you said that even if you die, you'll not become a lawyer when you grow up, then how will you handle the case?"
"I meant to say that I'll tell them I'm the criminal who murdered them, not my didi, and yes for you if I have to become a lawyer then I'll become. Anything for you didi."
"Awwlee, Mera bhai bada ho gaya!"
"Arre didi yaar."
"Kya...kuch galat thodi na bola hai."
He looked at her with an irritated face. She laughed at him. He also laughed, and they both ate the fruits, talking, singing, and laughing the whole evening.
"Sarthak and Shirin, both of you come down right now."
Their conversation got interrupted when their mother called them from downstairs.
"Yeah, yeah, coming just 2 more minutes."
Shirin replied, and slowly, they started coming downstairs.
"Phir kya hua na didi, wo aaya aur mujhe bol raha tha ki teri didi na bahut sundar hai, kash meri girlfriend ban jaye."
"KYA!? Ye bola usne."
"Aur nahi to kya."
"Phir?"
"Phir kya maine usko maara."
This was the conversation in which they were so immersed.
"Ayy, you two stop talking now and eat dinner."
"DINNER!?" Both asked together in sync.
"Yes, dinner."
"But why now maa, it's just 8.30 pm now." Sarthak said.
"Kal didir college ache, o k to kheye taratari ghumate hobe, taratari uthte hobe toh (Tomorrow is didi's college, she have to eat now and sleep, she have to wake up early.)"
"Uff maa, I can wake up early. You don't need to worry."
"Yes, maa, she can wake up early. She's an adult now."
"Bilkul sahi kaha."
"Hmm, hmm, by the way, why are you two talking in hindi?"
"Maa, we are in Mumbai, that's why."
"Then you should talk in Marathi, right?"
"Aree maa, we are comfortable talking in hindi, that's why."
"Okay, now you go and have your dinner."
"Okay, maa."
After saying that, Shirin washed her hands, ate her food, and went to her room. Her father was in metro service. This week, he got the night shift, so he will come home at 12 am or a little late.
That's why Shirin didn't wait for her father and went to sleep after praying to Krishna Ji. She was trying to sleep but she couldn't. After all, it was 9.30 pm, she never sleeps before 1.30 am.
Where is her fault, tho?
So she sneaked in her brother's room and asked them if he they could go for a walk. Sarthak didn't agree and scolded her for not sleeping. She pouted at him and went back to her room.
Then she thought,'kya hua agar mujhe neend nhi aa rahi hai to, main books padh leti hu aur kya' and started reading books.
She was reading till 1.30 am and thought that she should sleep now. So, without wasting any more minutes, she went to sleep.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
"Moksh beta, how much proof did you collect?"
Dadi asked him.
"Zyada nahi dadi, the only proof which is very clear that I didn't do anything has been deleted. We can not do anything about that, dadi."
"Koi nahi ho jayega beta, 1 week is enough for you, and I know you can do it!"
"Arree meri dadi, I also know that I can prove it, but the proofs are already cleared."
"Kya karu beta bol? Tere Papa ko samjhane gayi thi, mujhe hi daant laga diya, bola humare bich me taang mat adhao."
"Unki baaton ka bura mat mano dadi wo to hai hi waise aapko to pata hai."
"Chal chal, main uske baaton me kyu bura manu, pagal hai."
"Ekdam sahi kaha dadi."
His dadi laughed at him. Then they chatted for almost 1 hour and 30 mins.
"Beta, now I have to go, I have to sleep now or else I will feel very weak."
"Okay, dadi, main pahucha du aapke room tak?"
"Na beta main thik hu, tu padh le."
After saying that, his dadi slowly disappeared from his eyes. He went to study.
When his phone rang, he checked the caller ID and saw it was Anurag, his bestest friend.
"Kya hai?"
"Bhai mil gaya banda jisne delete kiya hai cctv footage."
"Well done, ab usse humare hotel me le aa, main aa raha hu."
"Thik hai."
Then he quickly got ready, picked his car keys, and went to the garage.
Starting his Mercedes-Benz S Class, he drove to the destination very fast. Reaching the hotel, he saw his friend's cars parked there.
Smirking, he entered the hotel. Everyone bowed to him. His assistant Nakul came after he gestured him.
"Nakul, I want you to tell everyone that if Papa asks about me, if I came here or not, say no. Got it?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good."
Then he went upstairs.
Reaching there, he saw Anurag standing outside the room.
"Bro, you came."
"Yes bro, I came."
"Now deal with him."
"Hmm."
Then Moksh entered the room. He saw a boy who was tied up. He went towards him and asked politely.
"Who told you to do this? See if you answer politely like how I asked you politely. I'll do no harm to you, but if you don't reply like a good boy, then I've to take a serious step."
The boy was scared out of hell, but still, he didn't reveal the identity of the real culprit. Until.......
He gets beaten by Moksh.
"TELL ME YOU RASCAL, WHO TOLD YOU TO DO THIS?" He shouted at that boy, making him flinch by a punch on his face.
"R..r..rr.."
"Yes, rrrr what?"
"R..rr..ro..rohi..rohit told me, trust me Moksh I didn't do anything please leave me, I'll never do anything like this, please let me go please."
"I'll let you go."
"Thank you... Thank you so much."
"But."
"But?"
"Was Rohit doing all this because it was his plan, or is someone else there?"
"That I don't know, he just told me to delete the cctv footage so that you get rusticated for college."
"Get lost now."
"Thank you so much."
"And yes, before going hand over the footage to Dhiraj."
"Okay."
After saying that, he quickly grabbed his bag and ran as fast as he could.
"We need to find the real one."
Everyone turned towards Moksh.
"But how will we get to know who is behind all of this? I mean, he or she is so eager to get you out from the college."
"We must find him or her because my Papa doesn't trust me after Arjun's case, even if I did nothing this time my father was not trusting me, it's not so easy to get his trust back, so I have to control myself from all these shits."
"Koi na bhai abhi to tu ghar ja warna aur bhi bada kand ho sakta hai agar uncle ko pata lag gaya ki tu abhi ghar me nahi hai."
"Haa bhai, Nakul jaldi Gari start karo main aa raha."
Then, after bidding goodbye to everyone, he went home as fast as he could.
Luckily, there was no one or maybe someone who was watching him sneaking into the house.
After entering the room, he checked his phone, and there were 10 missed calls from Anurag.
He called back him to know that that boy didn't give the real footage and just escaped from there. He was ready to punch him again when he will meet him again.
"That bloody bastard just escaped without giving the footage, I have to find out the real culprit."
After that, he got fresh and slept because tomorrow there was college to attend.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
"Didi, I'll go with you bas mujhe aur kuch nahi sunna."
Sarthak was constantly requesting Shirin to take him with her. He wanted to see her sister going inside the college with a smile on her face.
This was the 17th time he was asking her.
"Okay, but after I go inside, you'll come back home and study, okay?"
"Arre haa."
"Jao ready ho jao."
"YAYYYY!!!"
He screamed I excitement. Within 10 minutes, he got ready.
After eating breakfast, Shirin also got ready. She wore a new kurti, which her mother bought her. She thought that her mother's gifted kurti would be the perfect outfit to attend the college.
She was ready to go. After touching her parents' feet, she left with Sarthak. Her father was telling her that he'll also go, but she rejected him and told him to take a rest.
After all, they came to Mumbai in such a hurry that nobody got time to rest properly.
In front of the college, they were standing. Shirin was scared to go inside. Her brother comforted her that everything would be alright.
While they were talking, two girls were watching them. One of the girls who was looking like Shirin's age came and talked to them.
"Hello, I am Love." Saying that she gave her hand for handshake.
"Hello?"
"Arre, actually, my full name is Lavanya Gupta, Lavanya is such a long name, that's why everyone calls me Love."
"Oo accha, first year toh?"
"Ekdam."
"Accha hua, konsa stream?"
"Business studies, you?"
"Same."
"Tumhara name?"
"Oh, it's Shirin Sengupta, I'm from Kolkata, West Bengal."
"Arre waah you also Gupta, me also Gupta, Gupta-Gupta, arre we are meant to be together yaar."
"Ohh yeah!"
While they were talking and smiling, Sarthak was also smiling, looking at his sister.
But there was someone else who was busy staring Sarthak. Love's sister Annie (Ananya). She was 16 years old. A year younger than Sarthak. She fell in love with him.
First sight, love, you know!
They were talking when a girl came and started laughing at Shirin. Love rolled her eyes seeing that girl.
The girl who was laughing was Krisha Verma. She is the popular girl of the college. Her father is very rich and is a professor under biology subject. She is just very proud of that.
"Eww, look who came, look at her fashion sense!"
She made fun of Shirin. Shirin knew that she would get bullied that's why she didn't react at her sentence.
But someone was fuming with anger, Sarthak.
He's very possessive for his sister!
"At least my sister's fashion sense is better than your whole existence."
Everyone gasped. Ananya fell in love with him even more. Krisha just can't tolerate it that's why she left that place.
"Very possessive, haa?"
"Yes."
"It's okay. You can trust me..."
"Sarthak, it's my name."
"Yes Sarthak, you can trust me, I am not new. Actually, Shirin came 1 month late after the session started, so she don't know anyone, I'll help her, and yes, don't worry, I'm trustworthy."
"Thank you so much. Love didi! Please take care of this clumsy girl."
"Yes, captain."
After saying that, Sarthak left, and they both went inside the college.
Hello everyone, I'm back with a new chapter, I hope you all will like it.
As you all know that my exams are gonna start from 16th Jan so maybe I can't post the chapters regularly, but please be patient.
Which character you liked till now? Please tell me in the comments.
Till then take care and love you all. 🫶🤍