Dear Destiny

7- Dear Stealers

*REET*

Today was the first time I had ever bunked a class. As the school day was ending, I found myself reflecting on what an unexpectedly memorable day it had been. Ariv had taken revenge on my behalf against the three chipmunks, and at the end, I had a fleeting, intense eye contact with Atharv. Even though he looked away, clearly uninterested, I couldn't help but blush. His dark eyes, so dangerous and intoxicating, made it impossible for me to stop loving him despite my better judgment.

I was rushing downstairs, the empty corridors echoing my hurried footsteps. It was no surprise that the top floor was deserted, given that the school was about to get over and I had just come from the roof.

Suddenly, a harsh grip seized my wrist, slamming me against the nearby wall.

"Ahh!" I winced in pain, looking up to see Rudraksh standing in front of me, fury blazing in his eyes. His face was bruised and cut, the aftermath of Ariv's antics.

"Oh my god, Rudra—"

"Shut up," he snarled, making me flinch in fear.

"Oh, my Juliet, not having fun with your Romeo?" he taunted, twisting my arm painfully. I cried out in agony. "Huh? Tell me, tell me," he continued, his abuse relentless.

"Rudraksh, please leave me," I pleaded.

"Cry, my dear, cry," he mocked, grabbing my other hand and kissing it forcefully.

"No, stop it!" I screamed, tears streaming uncontrollably down my face.

"Yell all you want, but just remember, your Prince Charming won't come to save you anymore," he said, biting my wrist bracelet and ripping it off.

I couldn't take it anymore. Summoning all my strength, I kicked him hard in the groin.

"Ahhh!" He let go immediately, and I sprinted away as fast as I could. I ran until my lungs burned, not daring to look back. In my desperation, I tripped and fell down the stairs, injuring my knee.

Tears continued to fall as I lay there, humiliated. Complaining would do no good; the school would never punish the Chemistry HOD's son. And my mother, she would only blame me for everything.

I closed my eyes, feeling utterly defeated. The school bell rang, signalling the end of the day. Wiping my tears quickly, I got up and limped into the girls washroom.

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*ARIV*

It was around 11 pm, dark and black outside. Finally, it hit me—I had created a whole new set of problems that would come back to haunt me someday. Satisfied with my daily antics, I entered the house to find Atharv frantically moving around, searching for something.

"Oh, I've lost it, I've lost it!" he muttered, reshuffling things here and there.

"Oh, are you talking about your brain? Nah, you can't lose something you don't have," I said, grinning.

He shot me a death glare. Okay, not funny. I dropped my smile.

"Tell me, what are you looking for?"

"My goddamn laptop charger. I can't find it anywhere!"

"Did you check the living room?"

"Yeah, I did. It wasn't there," he said, still rummaging around.

"Oh, come on, it has to be there! Or maybe in your room, or mine, or the kitchen. Heck, check the bathroom too."

"Wow, thank you so much for the expert advice on how many rooms we have. God bless you. Now, please, let me do my work." Okay, I shut my mouth, but my concern was genuine.