Reckless Rival : An Indian college romance

Chapter 20

Nami was worried about how Ramya would recover from it all from a mental health perspective. It had been almost a week since she reached out to the student council for help. The president, Abhiram Simha, gave her assurance that eased her mind. Rana was working with his cousin closely to find the guy who was threatening Ramya.

She was thankful for Ava's help in getting the tests done discretely for Ramya, which was another huge step to make her cousin feel better, especially when she was cleared of any sexually transmitted diseases.

What she had not expected was how Rana lashed out at the news. He was visibly angry, something she had not seen outwardly before. That was the last time she had seen him too, and however much she ignored the new unresolved longing, it would not go away.

She was in her room that evening, working on her project updates when Ramya came barging in. Her eyes were lit up, and the smile she had not seen on her cousin's face in weeks was back.

"Nami," Ramya said out of breath. "They found the guy, and he is in jail."

"Wait, what?" She let out a laugh as Ramya came to hug her.

"Thank you, Nami." Ramya pulled back to kiss her cousin on the cheek. "I'm so glad you talked to Ava about it, and Rana just sent me the message about the guy who was arrested off campus for carrying drugs."

"Oh, what about—" Nami was worried about the videos they had on Ramya.

"The videos and pictures were found on his phone and deleted permanently." Ramya was squealing with joy at this point. "And Rana said no one will ever know about what happened that night."

"Wow, that's wonderful." Nami was ecstatic.

"Thanks to you and your sweet guy, I feel so relieved." Ramya fell back on her bed. "I'm going to go sleep all night."

Nami could only smile as her heart swelled for the guy who brought the smile back on her cousin's face. "You better eat something before you hit the bed."

Ramya let out a laugh, nodding. "Yes, Mommy. I already ordered food."

"Good." Nami stood up like her body had a mind of its own. "I'll be right back." Overcome by a sudden need to see him, she quickly pulled on a hoodie over her T-shirt.

Ramya was amused at her cousin's urgency. "If you are gonna go see him, give him hugs for me too."

Nami was out of the door in a few minutes and went straight to the boxing arena. It was much later in the evening, but she knew that's where he would be, especially since the international boxing championship was right around the corner.

She jogged all the way and was out of breath by the time she arrived at the sports center. Her heart was thudding, but she knew it was because of the anticipation to see him. She went straight to his locker and saw his things were in there.

Relieved he was around, she first went to the boxing ring, but no one was there. She went from one empty room to another, but he was nowhere to be found. Disappointed that she could not see him, she stood looking out into the open gardens through the window from one of the rooms.

Should she call him? Maybe he was out for dinner. What if he was with someone else?

The very thought made her stomach knot and her queasy. The entire campus thought they were a couple, but only they knew what the deal was. As she stood debating whether to call or not, she picked up a movement in the background. She looked keenly through the window, and that's when she saw the tall figure she was seeking.

He was standing outside by himself, dressed for practice, but he looked lost in thought. Ecstatic to see him, she went toward the back door and stepped into the outdoor space.