Chasing divine love ✨

chapter 5

Rudraksh’s POV

I was interrupted by Gitika Rai, along with her father, Suresh Rai. Gitika is Kavya’s best friend, and to be honest, I never really liked her. She’s always so clingy, trying to pull me into conversations when I don’t want to engage. It’s exhausting, and I don’t know how my own sister likes someone like her.

“Hello, Mr. Rathore, how are you and your family?” Suresh Rai asked, his voice shaky, almost trembling with anxiety.

“They’re well, thank you, Mr. Rai. And you? How is everything on your end?” I responded coldly.

(Suresh’s eyes flickered to the ground as his voice trembled slightly.)
“Ah… everything is, uh… progressing. Slowly, but... surely.”

Then, Mr. Rai began talking to Dadaji. Just as I was about to tell Shivani to meet me in the library, I was interrupted again, this time by Gitika.

“Mr. Rathore,” she said, her voice dripping with false sweetness. “You’ve been looking a bit... tense lately.” Her eyes glimmered, and I could practically hear the unspoken invitation in her words. “Maybe I could help you relax?”

I gritted my teeth, already feeling the sickening disgust settle in my gut. She didn’t stop. Never does. She took a step closer, her perfume too heavy and nauseating, her presence like an unwelcome weight. I didn’t move, though every part of me wanted to step back and escape her.

She leaned in just a bit too much, her voice now softer, more insistent. “You know, Rudraksh, you don’t always have to be so serious. Life can be... more enjoyable if you just let someone in. I’m more than capable of helping you loosen up.”

My hands balled into fists at my sides. No one, literally no one, has the right to call me by my name other than those I’m close to. I could feel her eyes on me, like she was studying me, testing how much I would take. It was disgusting, the way she thought she could make me feel something with her teasing glances, or the way she touched her hair like she was some game I should be interested in.

“I’m fine,” I muttered, forcing my voice to remain calm, to keep from snapping. The last thing I wanted was to ruin this function.

But it didn’t stop her. She tilted her head, studying me with that smug expression on her face. She stepped closer, her fingers grazing my arm like she had every right to be this close. It made my skin crawl. I immediately jerked her hand off, but she didn’t back off.

“You don’t have to pretend, Rudraksh,” she said softly, almost as if she were whispering a secret meant only for me. “I see the way you look at me. You want to, don’t you? You don’t have to be so cold all the time.”

No. I hated this. I hated her. I could feel the anger boiling just beneath the surface, but I forced myself to stay composed.

I stepped back, creating space between us, my tone turning icy. “I’m not interested, Gitika. Stop wasting your time.”

She looked unfazed, even a little amused. “Oh, I think you are,” she said with that insufferable smile. “You just don’t want to admit it yet.”

Everything about her was an annoyance—a constant buzzing reminder that I couldn’t stand her. But she wouldn’t stop, and I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of showing how much she disgusted me.

“I said, stop,” I growled, my patience running thin. I took another step back, my heart pounding in my chest. The urge to snap at her threatened to overwhelm me. My body felt taut, like a bowstring ready to snap. Why the hell couldn’t she just leave me alone?

But before I could speak, a soft, almost imperceptible voice cut through the fog of my frustration.

“Rudraksh ji... calm down.”