BROKEN BUT BEAUTIFUL

9. Her protector

"Priyanka, humse bhi mil lo!" Kavya said while getting up from her place. Listening to her voice Priyanka turned to her and they both greeted each other. She then also greeted Vikram.

Kartik introduced his other friends to her and then she sat down with them.

"Tum log apne dimag par itna zor mat do. Ye Kartik ki girlfriend nahi hai, she is just a friend." Vikram clarified the doubts of their friends. Shanaya took a breath of relief when she heard this. But still she was jealous to see that they both were very close.

She spent a good time with him and his friends in the park, chit chatting and laughing. After an hour, Ananya called her. She bid good bye to everyone there and went out of the park with Kartik, who came to drop her till the gate.

"Accha suniye?" She turned back to say something and found that he was already staring at her.

"Ji kahiye!" He took a step forward.

"Aaj shaam ko dinner, mere ghar pe, 7'o clock."

"Aap pooch rahi hai ya bata rahi hai?"

"Bata rahi hoon." He raised his eyebrows at her listening to her.

"What?" She asked seeing his expressions.

"Waise ye dinner party kisliye?"

"Kal cafe mein meri treat thi, par Rahul aur Riya ki wajah se hamara din bhi kharab hogaya aur bill bhi aapne de diya tha."

"Ok! Aap treat diye bagair nahi maanne wali, samajh gaya main. But I was just thinking ki aap akeli rehti hai, toh would it be right aise mera dinner pe aana? Hum kahi bahar chale jaate hai dinner karne ke liye."

"Mr. Kartik Mehrotra, 7'o clock. Pohanch jaana ok?" Saying this she turned back and went from there.

He chuckled at her statement and stood there, eyes on her only, till she vanished from his sight. He then went back to his friends.

_________

"How is this possible? Rahul ne achanak se, apne aap, apni galti maanli?" Kavya asked her both friends, sitting on the sofa.

After they left the park, they went to her house, to spend some time alone, only best friends' time.

"Bechare ka hriday parivartan hogaya hoga." She threw the cushion on Vikram's face, who was munching his snack.

"What do I look like to you? A fool?" She asked him sarcastically.

"Ab sach bolunga toh muh bana legi." He whispered in Kartik's ears to which he let out a chuckle.

"Kya bola? Zara zor se bolna." She interrogated.

"Kuch nahi baby. Main isse keh raha tha ki tumhe sach bata dete hai."

"Kaisa sach?" She asked looking at both of them.

A smirk appeared on Kartik's face. He turned to look at Vikram who had the same smirk on his face, already looking at him. She was now convinced that they were behind all this Rahul's apology story.

Flashback.....

"Bro!" Rahul turned to see the owner of the voice, when he was standing at a tea stall buying cigarette.

"Actually bro there's some problem in my car. Can you please help?" A young man asked him.

They both moved towards the car when he agreed. The young man asked him to check the back seat of the car, as he told him that it was giving him some trouble. When Rahul opened the back seat door,he felt a handkerchief near his nose. Suddenly he felt dizzy and fainted.