A Bond Of Intellect

Chapter - 6

Riti's days were going better with Evan,  with their daily routine. One evening, they were coming home from college when Evan's phone rang, and he picked up.

His very close friends were on the line, saying, "Hey bro! You've forgotten us after marriage."and Evan said "it's nothing like that"  "You didn't even give us a party." His friend asks ,Evan by mocking him replies, "Yeah, why not? Like You didn't come to the wedding."

His friend responded, "But the party hits different, bro. All our friends have decided to meet, and they're all asking for a party. Come at around 8 pm; I'll send you the address." Evan hesitated, saying, "It won't be possible, bro. You know I'm not alone now, and the situation is different. I won't be able to come."

His friend then spoke in a very pleading tone, somehow managing to convince Evan to attend.

After reaching home, Evan changed into different clothes, but didn't mention anything about his outing to Riti. As night fell, he prepared dinner and handed it to Riti. "Umm, you... won't you eat?" she asked him. "I'm not hungry, you eat," Evan replied.

After dinner, they headed to their bedroom. Evan reminded Riti, "You should sleep early so you'll wake up on time. I didn't even get to teach you today, so be ready for tomorrow morning." Riti was sitting on the bed, using her phone,  after hearing what he said , she put phone aside, covered herself with the sheet, and fell asleep.

Evan sat beside her, watching her sleep. Once he noticed she had dozed off, he got up, changed into a black shirt and black jeans, and locked the main door of the apartment from the outside. Then, he left in his car, heading to the address his friend had sent him.

As Evan arrived at the address, his friends congratulated him on his marriage. They chatted for a bit, and one of his friends asked, "So, how's life going with your newlywed wife?" Evan replied, taking a sip of his drink, "Like same as before." His friend chuckled and said, "You're still the same, bro – never telling us straight about anything. Seems like even marriage can't change you!" Everyone shared a laugh.

Evan turned the conversation around, asking, "Why don't you tell us about your life? Didn't you get engaged just before my marriage?" His friend smiled sheepishly and replied, "It's clever of you to put others in your own situation. Well, her parents delayed our marriage, saying she wants to study." Another friend chimed in, "can't she study after marriage ?" The first friend responded, "Not every family has that mentality."

Another friend asked Evan, "Your wife is studying too, right?" Evan replied, "Yeah, I've even admitted her to my college." As he spoke, he checked the time on his phone – it was almost 9 pm. They continued their conversation.

Meanwhile, back at home, Riti woke up suddenly. She had fallen asleep early and was about to drift off again, but as she looked around, she realized Evan was not there. She thought to herself, "He must be in the washroom." However, after a few minutes, she didn't hear any noise from the washroom. She got up to check and found the washroom door unlocked. She opened the bedroom door and walked into the lobby, noticing that all the lights were on, including the bedroom lights, which Evan had always turned off before sleeping.
Riti searched every corner of the apartment, but she couldn't find Evan. She was getting scared, and her heart began to beat faster. She approached the exit door, but as she tried to pull it open, she realized it was locked from the outside. Suddenly, she remembered Evan's phone call earlier. "He must have gone somewhere," she thought to herself.

Just then, a loud _thud_ echoed from the kitchen, making Riti flinch. She rushed to the kitchen, her heart racing, and found that a bottle had fallen from the counter due to the strong winds outside. She quickly picked up the bottle and put it back in its place.

Riti returned to her room, trying to distract herself from that atmosphere. She picked up her phone and began scrolling through it. She thought of calling Evan but hesitated, wondering what she would say. "That I'm getting scared?" she thought to herself.

The sound of the storm outside made her even more anxious. "Why did the weather have to get bad today?" she lamented. Suddenly, a loud clap of thunder made her jump, and she dropped her phone. She was getting more and more scared by the minute.

Riti thought of calling someone, but when she checked the time, it was 10:15 pm. She realized that everyone must have fallen asleep by now. She felt a surge of anger towards Evan. "He didn't even tell me anything and left while I was sleeping. How could he leave me alone?" she thought, pouting.

Just then, another loud clap of thunder made her jump. Her fear turned to panic, and she felt tears welling up in her eyes. She knew she had to call Evan. She quickly dialed his number, and he picked up.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Evan asked, concern etched in his voice. Riti tried to control her tears as she asked, "W...where are you?" Evan noticed the tremble in her voice and asked, "I'm just with my friends. What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Riti replied, her voice emotional, "You left without saying anything, so what do you think my reaction would be?" Evan reassured her, "Okay, don't worry, I'm coming," and ended the call.

Riti sat on the bed, her eyes fixed on the door as she waited for Evan's arrival. When she heard the sound of the door opening and got up to see Evan entering the apartment. Feeling reassured, she went back to the room, and Evan followed.

Riti noticed Evan's wet hair and asked, "Is it raining outside?" "Yeah, it is," Evan replied. Riti realized that he must have rushed back as soon as she called him, leaving his friends behind. "Did... your friends also come back, or just you?" she asked. Evan replied, "The party was going to end soon anyway because of the bad weather, but I left early."

Evan went to the washroom to change into comfortable clothes. As he dried his hair with a towel, Riti couldn't help but stare at him because he is looking so attractive. Evan noticed her gaze and said, "Do you have something to say?" Riti flinched, "N-no," and lowered her gaze. Evan teased, "I thought there was something, the way you were staring at me like you could bore a hole into me." Riti's face turned bright red as she tried to change the subject.

"You... you left without saying anything, leaving me alone," she said, complaining. Evan replied, "I left because you were asleep, but I didn't think you'd wake up." Riti said, her voice low, "You should have told me if you wanted to leave." Evan responded, "Yeah, then you would have been even more scared than you were." Riti's face turned even redder as she protested, "W-what, who said I was scared?" Evan replied, "I know you wouldn't have called me if it wasn't serious, and your voice clearly showed how scared you were."

Evan recalled the moment after the call ended. He had instantly left, telling his friends, "Sorry, I have to leave early." After paying the bill, he rushed out to his car and sped away.

As Evan wiped his hair, another loud clap of thunder boomed outside, making Riti flinch. She quickly put her phone aside and lay down, trying to calm herself. Evan lay down beside her, turning his face away.

Riti slowly dragged herself closer to Evan, trying not to disturb him. She left only a small gap between them and closed her eyes, feeling a sense of comfort with Evan by her side.

After a while, Evan turned onto his side in his sleep, and his arm brushed against Riti's back. As he opened his eyes, he saw Riti lying there, her back touching his chest. He didn't say a word or make any move, simply closing his eyes and falling back asleep.