Fairytales And Foulplays

Chapter five

"Yash sir I'm thinking on taking Nikhil's interview, He's the new captain, His fans are increasing, People will want to know about him"I asked my senior.

"He is an introvert yaar. He doesn't talk much," Yash sir said.

Standing quietly, I hid a smile. Only I knew that when no one is around he doesn't usually shut up.

Present day

Kashti's POV

My heart felt heavy as I walked towards the football field. I have been trying to get Nikhil to talk to me all day, but he is being distant, and I don't even know why. Was he still mad at me for the whole Nila thing? Or was there something else going on?

As I reached the field, I was greeted by the sounds of shouting and cheering. The players were warming up for the match, and I was there as part of the media team, tasked with choosing the best moments for the club's social media pages.

I watched as the players ran up and down the field, their bright jerseys standing out against the green grass. I tried to focus on my work, but my mind kept wandering back to Nikhil. I couldn't help but wonder what was going on with him.

Suddenly, I heard a voice behind me. "Hey, Kash!"

I turned around to see, Akash, waving at me. "Hello Akash" I said smiling. "Kya haal chaal?"

"I know things haven't been easy" he said.

I nodded

"Coming here despite everything, And staying as a fan from so many seasons and the media team since the past two seasons, there is no girl who is as passionate as you, No girl can even come close"

I felt a warm feeling spread through my chest. It was moments like these that made me love my job. "Shut up Akash, you know how much I love the club"

"Just club?not our captain?" He asked

"Akash you know I place him above the club right?" I said winking

"When am I making to the list then?" He asked walking closer to me.

"You're always my number two, When I want to cheat on him, I will cheat on him with you" I said giggling.

"Is that your way of saying No?" He asked walking to the dressing room.

"Maybe, Maybe not" I said winking and he left smiling.

As I clicked pictures of the practice session, I noticed a man in the hoodie lurking around the stadium. He seemed to be watching me from a distance.

I felt a bit uneasy but brushed it off, Maybe he was just another fan or maybe someone who was lost.

I continued to choose the pictures until the session ended. As I was packing up my equipment, I noticed the man in the hoodie again. He was standing at a distance, watching me.

This time, I couldn't ignore the feeling of unease that crept up my spine. I quickly packed my bags and left the stadium.

As I entered my apartment, I decided to distract myself by catching up on my favorite show - How to get away with Murder. I settled down on my couch and turned on the TV, but my mind kept wandering back to Nikhil.

I picked up my diary and started writing :

Beneath the bright stadium lights,
I capture moments in my sights. But shadows loom and eyes do stare,
A stalker's presence, I am aware.

Amidst the clicks and camera whir, My thoughts of guilt begin to stir.
I miss the one who's grown so distant,
With secrets kept, our love resistant.

I wonder if the stalker sees,
The ache within my memories.
Or if the culprit's focus lies,
On darker deeds and deadly ties

.
.

I'm so confused. Nikhil has been acting really strange lately and I can't help but feel like he's upset with me. I know Nila was important to him but I didnt do anything to take up her position. He knows that. I don't even know if he is upset or angry with me and if he is I don't know what the reason is.

I tried talking to him about it, but he just brushes me off and says he's busy with work. I don't know what to think. Part of me wonders if he has seen a shade of me which he didn't like.

But what could he have possibly found? I don't have any secrets or anything to hide from him. I trust him completely.

But that's not even the weirdest thing that happened today. When I was taking pictures at the practice session in the stadium, I had this feeling like someone was watching me. I looked around, but didn't see anyone suspicious. Still, the feeling persisted, and it made me uneasy.

I finished up quickly and left, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being followed. I hope it's just my imagination, but I can't shake off this creepy feeling. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I think I'll be more careful from now on.

.
.

As I was about to close the diary, I noticed something odd. The pages were slightly crumpled, as if someone had been reading it.

My heart skipped a beat. No one had been home other than Nik. Had Nikhil read my diary? I tried to push the thought away, but the unease from earlier returned with a vengeance. I couldn't shake off the feeling that something was terribly wrong.

Just then, my phone buzzed with a notification. It was a message from Nikhil.

"I'm sorry about earlier. Can we talk?" it read.

My heart skipped a beat. I quickly replied, "Yes, of course. What's wrong?"

Nikhil's response was almost immediate. "I found your diary. And I read it"

My instinct was right. I left my diary on the table. Nikhil was home. It is with my other poetry books usually. He might have mistook it to be something similar.

I felt a rush of panic as I thought about all the personal things I had written in it.

"What did you read?" I asked nervously.

Nikhil's response was delayed this time. "We'll talk about it when we meet."

I kept thinking about what Nikhil might have read in my diary and what he might think of me now.

As I finally drifted off to sleep that night, the image of the man in the shadows lingered in my mind.

Little did I know, the man was watching me too, and he had no intention of staying in the shadows for long.