Conundrum 》ICT AU

-35-

Gia was walking along the promenade, looking at the scenery when someone tapped her shoulder. She turned around to find a familiar smile.

"Hardik! What are you doing here?" She hugged him and moved back, wondering why was he here.

"I live on this street." He pointed right and then looked back at her. "I was feeling too cooped up at home, couldn't study. I usually come here for a walk. What about you? You're alone?"

"Oho, that's why." She nodded. "I really like this garden, I usually just come here once a week to paint." It was then that Hardik noticed her bag with an easel sticking out, wonder in his eyes.

"Oh shit, you paint too?" Hardik wondered, surprise in his eyes. "Are you any good?"

"Hey, I win awards okay." Gia laughed. "Do you paint?"

"If you count stick figures, yes." He nodded seriously, snickering after a moment.

"Come on then, paint with me. You have anything else to do?" Gia looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Nope." Hardik moving his head side to side. "Lead the way, ma'am."

As they both sat down and painted, Hardik had a sense of peace and happiness. The two painted the sunset, although Hardik's painting looked like someone had thrown up the colours of the sunset in one easel, she still took it home and hung it, writing Hardik's masterpiece on the side.

It still hangs in her room.

-

"So we're all in agreement, no one saw anyone suspicious?" Nupur commanded while writing something on the whiteboard in her room, her friends nodding.

"Fuck man." She exclaimed, sitting down. "Literally we've been at this for two days and we're nowhere closer to finding out who's the snake."

"We'd be horrible detectives." Rohit muttered, drinking his third coffee of the day. "Thank goodness, we don't have to decide what do we have to do."

"True." Virat hummed, then put his head down on the table. "I'm so sure, Jasprit knows something. That fucker is way too slippery. I went to speak to him, he was continuously looking everywhere but at me. He knows something."

"If he knows something and he's not telling, that means it involves somebody that he wants to protect." Simran chimed in from her seat, making heads turn towards her.

"Fucking finally, your brain is working!" Nupur cheered. "So tell us Simi, who could he be protecting?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Anushka replied. "The love of his life, Shruti. No offence, Simi darling."

"Yeah, I lost that title a long time ago." She shrugged. "No point crying over spilled milk."

"Wow, you're actually so clever sometimes!" Rohit said in a sarcastic tone. "If only that cleverness was used in daily life."

"Rohit." Ritika warned. "Leave her alone."

"We have to ask Shruti. I'd hate to say it but Simran, you'll have to do this." Virat groaned out, getting up. "I, on the other hand, have an appointment."

"Would that appointment be at the Mathur estate?"

"Shut up, Rohit." Two voices chimed in, simultaneously.

-

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Jasprit slammed his hand on the wall, Shruti wincing behind him. "No matter what I do, I still get dragged back to that group."

"Jassi I'm sorry." She wailed out, tears running down her face. "I really am."

"I told you not to mess with them." Jasprit turned around. "I told you. What do you do instead? Plan with that Meera instead?"