ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏʟʟᴇɢᴇ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ [ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇᴅ]

• Part 40 •

Mayukh POV:

I was speeding. I was driving somewhere. I don't know where, but I was driving.
'She likes you'
Aisha's words rang in my ears.

She likes me, and I pushed her away. The guilt did not let me stop. Now she's in other country because of me. I don't even know when she left, when she'll be back, where she is. Which city? I needed answers.

"Mayukh. Come home." Mom said on call.
"I'm busy."
"Riya is here for you. Come fast."
"I don't wanna see her, leave me alone."
"Mayukh. Home, right now." She said and went.
Ugh.

I drove home and entered to seeing her family and my family sitting together - weirdly.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"Beta, we want you and Riya to start making public appearances, so we can formulate a good story later on for your wedding." Dad said.
Are they bloody serious?!
"Excuse me?!" I yelled.
"What?" Mom asked, she looked uncomfortable.
"I don't want to anything of that sort."
"Why not beta?" Riya's Dad, Amish, asked.
"Because I don't wish to form any sort of bond with your daughter, uncle." I yelled.

The whole room went silent. I don't raise my voice yet here I am today, raising it in front of my family. I'm definitely getting yelled at now.

"Mayukh. Behave yourself." Dad said.
"I'm sorry Dad, but I'm turning 22 in a few months and thats still young."
"You're 22 beta. That's fine." Her mom said.
"With all due respect everyone, I think it's my choice as to when I wish to marry and who I wish to marry." I stated bluntly.
"What is with you today?" Riya said, "you've been off the entire day and you've been odd and weird."
"What's up with me?!"
I was losing it.
"Mayukh. What's going on?"
"What's going on, Mom, is that the girl you are trying to set me up with is the reason why the girl I like is currently in another country."

Silence.
Silence filled the room.
Shocked faces. Everyone stood shocked.

"W..What did you say?" Mom asked.
"Yes Mom. I like a girl, and Riya has pushed her away from me." I stated.
"What... who?" Dad said.
I saw Riya's face, turning from shock, to anger, to fear.
"Ni—" I was about to speak but I was interrupted by Gautam Dada.
"Nikita."
Everyone turned to him.
"Nikita? As in Jhanvi's teacher?" Mom asked.
I nodded.
"Gautam, you knew about this?" Dad asked.
He nodded, "I found out when she came home."
"Riya? What's he saying?" Rita Gupta asked.
"I don't know, Mom." She lied.
"Oh you don't know?" I scoffed, "You sure Riya?"
"Mayukh... stop it." She said, as if warning me.
"Or what? You'll take away her scholarship, right? Or wait, you'll take away her internship. That's how you've been threading her, right?"
"What...?" She asked, looking scared.
"You think I don't know about this Riya? You think she's so scared of me that she won't open her mouth in front of me, right?" I scoffed.
"Mayukh..." Mom said, "Control."
"No Mom. I'm done controlling. I've been away from Nikita for a whole month just for this?!"
"What are you saying Mayukh?"

I saw Riya look in fear. She should be scared.

"Mom," Gautam Dada said, "Mayukh is right."
"What?" Everyone said.
"I saw Riya threatening Nikita at our pooja. Riya if you think that you can get away, you can't, I think you forgot that we have CCTV at home, which is always activated." Dada said.
"Wh...what?"
"Okay. I want an explanation right now, from both of you." Mom said to me and Dada.
"Sit, Mom. I'll explain." I said, and everyone sat.

"Since the beginning of the year, I have been into Nikita. Nikita Joshi. Why I like her is not something I need to tell everyone, I'll tell that to my family later on." I said that looking at Riya, "what's more important is that I've been trying to persue her, but Riya and her insecurities have been getting in the way."
"What does that mean?" Rita Gupta asked.
"It means, Ms Chancellor, that your daughter has been using your position to threaten Nikita into staying away from me."
"Mom, he's lying." Riya said.
"Oh really. Give me a second."
I took out my phone and called Kashik, "Kash, Hi. What did Riya say that day in the cafeteria?"
"To who, bhai?"
"Nikita."
"Oh... vo..."
"Kashik, don't hesitate."
"She called her a slut, and said she spread her legs for you..."

Everyone faces went wide, especially Riya. I'm sure she didn't see this coming.

"Riya? Is this true?" Mom asked her.
"Aunty... no... these... brothers are teaming up.."
"Enough Riya. You think I only have this? I have evidence." I said.
I quickly played my phone.

In the last one month, I had been gathering evidence to prove her wrong and make sure she gets what she deserves - but this is not how I wanted it played out.

I showed everyone the videos of Riya threatening Nikita in numerous occasions, leaving her nothing to defend herself with. Her face had filled with the realization of being caught.
"Anything else you want to see Mom?" I asked.
Mom's face had changed from concern to anger. She looked scary. "how dare you Riya?" She said.
"Aunty... I..."
"Do not defend what you can't."
She hung her head low.
"And what about you Rita? Is this fine to you?
"I didn't know Shambhavi."
"Lies again!" I interrupted.

I pulled out my phone to another video which I had recorded when I had gone to pick Riya up.

Flashback:

"Mom, he's still so into her. What do I do?"
"Just send her away. That CSDS internship, get her that. She'll get what she wants and you'll get what you want." Rita Gupta spoke.
"I don't understand what he sees in that village girl."
"Neither do I, but I've done a lot to get to this place and have done a lot to be in the Roy's good books and I want to stay there."
"I know Mom."
"So do as I say. We need you and him married."
"We're young, Mom."
"Who cares. Just get that Roy title then do whatever you want."
"He likes Nikita way too much, he won't agree."
"She doesn't like him. She's scared of him, use that. Scare her so she runs away from him."
"I'll give her that CSDS internship so at least she'll go away."
"What about Mayukh?"
"I'm trying to seduce, I'm trying to be that goody girl he is into. I'm trying to be Nikita, but I can't drop to that standard, Mom."
"You're not a village girl. Look, I'm gonna push Shambhavi for marriage, you continue to get in his good books. Just become Nikita for now, once you're together do whatever you want."

Flashback ends.

"HOW DARE YOU RITA?" Mom yelled.
They didn't reply.
They couldn't.
"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE, NOW." She yelled.
"Shambhavi... listen..." Mrs Gupta spoke.
"I SAID, OUT. NOW."

Mom's glare was enough to get them up and leave the house in a hurry - fearing their safety.

Once they left, Mom sat down and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"How long have you known this Mayukh?"
"1 week."
"What were you waiting for then?"
"I..." I didn't know how to say this.
"You what?"
"I wanted Nikita to be there when I expose her. She deserves to feel at peace with everything."
Mom looked up and smiled, "do you like her?"
I nodded.
"He really likes her, Mom." Dada added, "He did all this to get proof."
Suddenly, Aisha's words flashed in my mind: 'she likes you but you pushed her away'
I sighed and punched a pillow in anger.
"Mayukh?! What happened?!" Dad asked.
"Dad I... I messed up."
"What?"
"I pushed her away. She went to CSDS to be away from me."
"What?" Dada asked.

I narrated the whole incident to them, the guilt eating me in every sentence.

"So when is she coming back?" Mom asked.
"Feb."
"Well..." Mom said getting up and smiling, "If she can't come here, you go to her!"

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THE BIG EXPOSÉ 🥳

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(PS: gonna give y'all a breather! next updates might be a litttle slow for the next 2/3 days. Ganapati is here! Busy in celebrations!!! But will try my best🫶🏻🫶🏻)

Till then: pleaseee, if you haven't, check out my other story and comment!!! Will update that other one mostly tommorow since chapters are ready!!  This one may need a bit!

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