The Independent Girl (Sample)

Chapter 5 - Attraction

S

andhya was frightened by his demeanor. "Why didn't you call me?" Akash asked with clenched teeth. Sandhya's mind raced as she considered how she should reply.

"I... I didn't want to give you trouble," she mumbled. He continued staring at her with his piercing eyes.

"Will you sit now?" he fumed.

She sat on the bike nervously. Did he come all the way here just for her? Why was he so angry about such a small matter?

They were silent throughout the way.

Sandhya's ego kicked in and she did not thank him when they reached her home. She had done nothing wrong. Why should she take this treatment from him? She turned to walk towards the gate without saying anything.

"This stretch is not safe for you to walk alone. I am dropping you home starting tomorrow," he said in a serious, firm tone.

Sandhya halted, dumbfounded. Did she hear him right? She turned around and glared at him. His face was stern and his eyes seared through her with a look that seemed to imply that she had done something terrible. Who was he to tell her what was safe? She opened her mouth to blurt her thoughts but her mind wouldn't let her. He still looked furious and her instincts told her that she should let things cool down before she dealt with him. She slowly turned around, walked to the door and unlocked it, all the while feeling his burning gaze on her back.

He rode off once she was inside, and she shook her head in confusion and worry. That night, she kept thinking about Akash's behavior. Why was he so angry? Was he truly concerned about her safety? Or had he decided that he could control her just because she had invited him for tea once? Or could there be the slightest chance that he liked her and was being protective? The last thought, unexpectedly, troubled her, thrilled her, and frightened her at the same time. She brushed off the thought, thinking that she was speculating too much. Why she was being paranoid about him? Any other person and she would not have hesitated one bit to make them eat their own words. Perhaps, she was afraid of losing the faint bond that they had formed by now. That evening she had spent chatting with him on the steps was one of the best evenings she remembered; it was something she would always cherish. Their lives would split into different paths in a few weeks and she did not want to spoil the remaining time here with a cross and angry Akash. She decided that she would let him drop her off if he arrived at the same time that she left every day, but she would never ask him to come inside her house.

~

Akash sat by the lake and threw a pebble into the water, the ripples disrupting the moon's perfect reflection. What was happening to him? What right did he have over Sandhya that he had behaved in such a manner? Yes, he was genuinely concerned because it was unsafe for her to walk on that road that late in the night. He would have done the same if his sister was in her place. But it was her life, damn it! She had lived all alone for four years. Couldn't she handle herself? Why did he feel this strong of a need to protect her? Would she think that he was trying to take advantage of her? He shuddered, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. There was nothing to do now other than hope that she did not misunderstand his intentions.

~

An amazed Sandhya saw Akash back to his charming self the next day, when he arrived. Gone was the arrogance and anger. He smiled and behaved as if nothing had happened. She managed not to smile back at him and remained grim. She sat on his bike silently and kept mum the whole way, still questioning why she was letting him control her like this.