As the dark clouds ominously consumed the vibrant glow of the sun, a gentle rain started to pour. Neeraj was standing in the balcony, his heart burdened by an unseen weight. With a hesitant sigh, he took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, carefully extracting a single stick and igniting it with a flick of his lighter. The thin wasp of smoke trailing in the air like a snake, swaying in harmony with the whims of the ever-changing wind. Across the way, Darla lingered outside engaged in a phone conversation, when it started to rain hard, she hurried to the house, shaking off the droplets from her dress and wiping the droplet off her body. Suddenly a towel was placed over her head, a smile curled up in her lips and started rubbing with it. Ram satted on the.with his gaze was fixed on her. Even though she knew it, she never dared to look at him.
The sound of the rain hitting the rooftop was soothing, suddenly the smell of freshly brewed coffee greeted her. Bhoomi came with a tray containing two coffees. she winked at me and left. My gaze shifted to Ram who was sitting beside me.
He sipped his steaming mug, he gazed out the window at the grey sky, feeling a sense of peace wash over him, cozy and warm, as the rain continued to fall outside. She was stuck mesmerizing him.
Neeraj was standing beside the door while staring at her. A smile curled up on his lips, after seeing her smiling face. suddenly it has changed into a guilty face. Before going back to his room he never forgot to look at her once again. He lay back in his lounge chair and gently closed his eyes. The cold buried memories started hitting him. With that rain, the flood of memories rushed over him.
(Flashback will be in author's pov.)
5 years back
During interval time
Neeraj was searching for Shyam and Manu, the deafening scream echoed from the library hallway cause dashed towards the source of the disturbance.
"Tha... that's Shreya. What the-"
He rushed forward to intervene,forcefully separating the two girls. While asking the reason he delivered a swift blow to the girls face. But a sudden intensive pain fell over the body, causing him to crumpled to the ground. The unexpected kick on his most sensitive area left him gasping for breath.
Everything around seemed to blur and spin. He could hear Shreya's voice, engaged in a heated argument with her. Somehow Neeraj managed to stand up and turned to the person who kicked him. He was shocked for a second to see a girl with striking blue pupils stood mercilessly before him. Her ocean-blue eyes blazed with a fiery hue of anger, her hands clenched into fist.
"Darla come...let's go..." that's when he noticed Bhoomi beside her.
"Oh so she's your friend. Bhoomi...." He raised his voice a bit and everyone flinched.
"Onkitte ethana vatti solliyirke ippadippathava kitte pasathenu. Yendi kekkamatteya? Such a crazy bitch...". Bhoomi averted her gaze, seemingly uncomfortable with those words.
"Hey Mister! Mind your tongue. None of us have come to behave without manners like you. You interfered where you weren't needed and assaulted me".
"W..what assaulted? I meant no offense; my intention was to prevent you from hurting Shreya". As he said she glared at Shreya.
"Is physical assault your chosen method of intervention? By striking someone's face?" she challenged
"T...That was just a slip, an accident" he stammered
" An Accident? Seriously?" her face started to turn red.
"Darla...enough, please". Tanu and Bhoomi were also attempting to restrain her.
"Do you know , physically harming someone is a criminal offense."
"In that case, I'm also a victim"
"That could be considered self-defense, " She argued
"And what about Shreya?"
" The same applies, it was an act of self-defense," She clarified.
"Unbelievable, Gosh....Sherya!!! what on earth have you done?"
Sherya was startled by the sudden increase in his tone, still she remained silent."Come on, just spit it out".
"What's going on here?". a professor interrupted, prompting everyone to gasp.
"Kadavule Hitler" Neeraj mouthed...
The room fell into an uneasy silence following the abrupt question that hung in the air. Darla was confused at first but as time passed she understood it is a professor.
"Why...can someone explain? Neeraj... Shreya..." everyone was silent until a faint voice finally broke through the tension.
"Sir, Can I?" The girl's confident tone cut through the stillness, she took a deep breath to recount the events that had happened from the very beginning to until he arrived. However, there was a visible error in the story -
The part where he resorted to physical violence to his utter confusion. Neeraj looked at her with a questioning face as she glanced in his direction with a challenging gaze.
The professor sternly addressed Shreya, scolding her for her misbehaviour towards a junior and before leaving he abruptly dismissed the gathered crowd.
"Hey... hey wait". He made several attempts in the bustling crowd to reach her, but she managed to slip away and vanished without trace.
