Reckless Rival : An Indian college romance

Chapter 7

Nami debated if she should share the new revelation with Ramya but decided against it. Her cousin was a bit short-tempered and might incite an argument that could be avoided altogether. She had been unable to sleep and kept waking up to the angry look on Rana's face. Based on how angry he looked in the boxing ring, she knew he had made the connection to her dad, who was once his father's best friend.

She was at the breakfast table when Ramya and Vasavi walked down the stairs.

"Good morning, sunshine!" Ramya was always at high energy, irrespective of how much sleep she got that night.

"Hello." Nami tried to keep her spirits high.

"How are you enjoying your classes, Nami?" Vasavi asked. She was another student who was also studying architecture as their minor.

"So far, so good. I'm waiting on my project approval." Nami got started sooner than usual just so she had enough time to plan for an impactful one. She had an idea for a futuristic parking structure and wanted to get the department's approval to convert that into a reality. That was her only ticket to come back for another semester. Maybe more.

"It's too early to start on a project. You need to chill a bit." Ramya scoffed.

Nami only nodded but did not say anything even as the girls conversed about the party the previous night. Except for some detail about a guy who took Ramya out for dinner, Nami zoned out of the conversation. Her thoughts were lost on how to resolve things with Rana and work through the sports internship with the boxing team.

"Nami!" Ramya's voice pulled her out of her circular thoughts, and she looked up at her. "Are you okay?" Nami and her cousin grew up together, and even though they attended different schools, they shared everything with each other. Ramya was also particularly good at picking up on any negative vibes with Nami.

"I'm okay. Just tired." She managed to convince her cousin everything was okay.

"Good." Ramya smiled and added, "If I find you awake and studying when I get back from a party, I'm taking you to a party next time."

Nami rolled her eyes. "Sure. I might actually benefit from having an outing from time to time."

Ramya let out a laugh. "I knew you'd come around. Next time I take you out, I'll make it worth your while."

Nami saw how much her cousin enjoyed her time in college, and she would surely mess up her fun if she shared the revelation about Rana. Maybe Rana would just ignore her, and she could breeze through her semester with no issues.

No point pulling Ramya into the mess.

"Did Rana call you?" Ramya asked after a few moments of silence as they enjoyed their breakfast.

Vasavi let out a low whistle at the mention of the guy's name. "The Simha heartthrob."

Those words set off something in her mind. She recollected other such references.

Reckless Simhas.

Cool Simhas.

Sick Simha parties.

I am the Simha experience.

It hit her that they meant the Simha family members and not all the students at the university. Who knew? If only she knew, she would have known he was a Simha and maybe been more careful? It sucked all the way.

Nami suppressed the shiver that passed through her spine. She hoped her cousin didn't pick up on how her hand trembled as she took a big mouthful of the cereal. She shook her head as she pretended to diligently chew every morsel of the cereal. "Why?"