A Bond Of Intellect

Chapter - 3

One night, after dinner, Evan sat on the bed talking to Riti's father, Vinesh, on the phone. They discussed Riti's studies. "Is she studying properly?" Vinesh asked Evan. Riti sat beside him at the corner of the bed, using her phone and fearing that Evan might complain about her.

"Yes, she is," Evan replied. "You're not lying, right?" Vinesh said. "I know my daughter better. She must be giving you a hard time."

Their conversation then shifted to Riti's future education. "I think it would be best for Riti to attend college," Vinesh said. "Instead of staying at home, she can prepare for the entrance exams and even attend college if she doesn't pass the exams. This way, she can graduate on time and have a better future."
Evan replied, "It's a good idea, but which college should we send her to?" Vinesh suggested, "It's best if she goes to the same college as you. It will be safer too."

Evan said, "Well, I don't mind. I'll ask her about it and proceed with her admission. She can start next week."

That night's conversation came to a close. The next morning, as Evan was getting ready for college, he turned to Riti and said, "I need to tell you something." Riti replied, "Okay, what is it?"

Evan explained, "Last night, your father and I discussed enrolling you in my college. Even if you can't clear the exam, you can still graduate." Riti responded, "Why? Don't you have confidence in your ability to teach me at that level?"

Evan replied, "I won't let you go that easily unless you can't clear the exam. And as for my qualifications, you're not in a position to judge." Riti shot back, "If you think you're that intelligent, why didn't you clear the exam yourself instead of forcing me?"

Evan clarified, "That wasn't my dream, so I didn't choose that path. It has nothing to do with my intelligence." Riti questioned, "Then how can you teach me if you haven't even given the exam?"

Evan tried his best to remain calm, but Riti's tone was testing his patience. He grabbed his phone and showed her a photo. Riti's expression turned blank, and she was left speechless. The photo was of Evan's exam results, proving that he had cleared the exam.

Evan said, "Now Where's your attitude gone? Speak like you did before." Riti stammered, "I-if you've been selected, why didn't you go there?" Evan repeated, "I told you, it wasn't the path I wanted to choose."

Evan continued, "Now listen, from next week, you'll join the college. It's what your father wants, and I agree too. No more discussions, understand?" Riti meekly replied, "Okay."

The day before Riti's first day of college, Evan finished teaching her. "Listen, before you start college, there are a few things you need to be careful about," he said. "First, nobody knows about our relationship, so don't mention it to anyone, not even if you make friends. Second, tell me everything that happens at college. If anything goes wrong, I want to know about it immediately." Evan emphasized these points, making sure Riti understood. Riti simply nodded in agreement.

In the morning, Riti prepared for her first day of college. She wore a kurti with jeans and packed her books into the bag Evan had bought for her. Then, she left with Evan. "I'll go first, and you follow me," Evan said. "I'll show you your classroom."

After entering the classroom, Riti took a seat in an empty space in the middle row. Her first class began, and she couldn't help but notice the commotion around her. She had joined the college mid-semester, and her last class of the day happened to be Evan's.

As she looked around, Riti realized that the class was filled with girls, and she suspected that they were all there because of Evan's good looks, her handsome husband.

As Evan entered the classroom, he said, "Those who don't belong to this class, please leave before I inform the coordinator." It was his usual warning, and some students promptly left the classroom. His gaze then fell on Riti, and he began his lecture.

After class, they went home together. Along the way, Riti asked, "There were teachers present, but you told me not to reveal our relationship to others. What about the teachers?" Evan replied, "The teachers are already aware of it."

Riti didn't say anything more, and  went there way.

Her next few days at college went smoothly, and she made some friends. One day, her friends teased her about some boys. "You know, Riti, the boys in our class are all falling for you," they said. "They're just following you around most of the time. We've noticed it." Riti realized that they were indeed following her. "I don't think so," she replied, a little hesitant. "Don't be shy, you're beautiful, that's why they like you," her friends said. Riti replied, "I'm not interested in things like this. Don't tell me things like this."

Over the next few days, Riti felt uncomfortable about being followed everywhere. When she went to the canteen, they followed her; to the clubs, they followed her; and to the grounds, they followed her too. However, she didn't mention it to Evan because of her shyness.

In Evan's class, Evan noticed the boys sitting behind Riti. He got angry and called them out, "Hey, you boys! Come sit in the front seats. Why are you sitting behind the girls?" Riti flinched a little but feeling relieved too. The boys didn't argue and moved to the front seats.

Riti soon realized that her classmates were also trying to set her up with the boys. Every time they talked to her, it seemed like they were trying to pair her off with someone, except for one kind girl who didn't seem interested in playing matchmaker. Riti stuck close to this one friend but still interacted with the others when they talked to her.

One day, her friends created a group chat and added Riti to it. Just a few days later, she started receiving unknown messages proposing to her. Riti quickly realized that these messages were a result of being added to the group chat. She immediately left the group and blocked the numbers, but every time she blocked one number, messages from another number would start coming in.

The next day, one of her classmates asked to borrow Riti's notes. Riti handed over her notebook, and at the end of the class, the girl returned it to her. Riti put the notebook back in her bag without checking it.

After arriving home with Evan, he began teaching Riti after a short while. As he taught, he asked her, "Are you taking notes in college or not?" Riti replied, "Yes." Evan then said, "Show me your notes from any subject. I want to check."

Riti handed over the first notebook that came into her hands, and Evan began to flip through its pages. Suddenly, a letter slipped out, and Evan's expression changed as he read its contents. His face boiling with anger, he asked Riti firmly, "WHAT'S THIS?"

Riti, having no idea about the letter or its contents, replied, "What is this? I don't know." Evan responded, handing the letter to Riti, "It's from your notebook, and you don't know?" As Riti read the letter, her face turned pale. It was a love letter. Tears welled up in her eyes as she realised she is dead now , said, "I don't know anything about it." She couldn't bring herself to look into Evan's eye's as he looked very angry.

"It's coming from your notebook, how don't you know?" Evan said, his tone very angry.

Riti repeated, "I--I really don't know about it. I just handed it to a girl; she asked me about my notes."

"How can you be so careless that someone takes your notebook and a letter appears,  you don't even check your things properly?" Evan said firmly.

Riti didn't reply. Then, suddenly, a message notification appeared on her phone, which was unfortunately on the study table. As she saw the phone screen, her face became even paler. Evan saw it and grabbed the phone before she could. "Open your phone lock," he said firmly. Seeing his anger, Riti opened it, and Evan checked the message, which was a proposal from someone. He turned the phone towards her and asked, "Now, what's this?" with an utmost angry tone.

Riti's tears fell as she sobbed, unable to speak. "Tell me, what's this?" Evan asked her again.