LOVE AND DHARMA

33. CHECKMATE

One afternoon, Priya had decided to take a quick shower, wrapping herself in a towel afterward. She wasn’t expecting anyone to be around, but Aritree, ever the prankster and always on the lookout for an opportunity to tease her friend, was hiding just outside the window.

Aritree had an idea. She'd climb up the nearby tree, sneak a peek at Priya, and take a picture. Not for anything sinister, just for some harmless fun. She figured it would be hilarious to send it to Priya’s crush, Dr. Vikram, knowing how flustered Priya would get.

Climbing up the tree with a mission in mind, Aritree positioned herself carefully. But in her excitement, her pants snagged on a branch. Suddenly, she was hanging upside down by her waistband, her underwear on full display. Her arms flailed, and she let out an embarrassing scream. “Priya! Help! I’m stuck!”

Priya, hearing the frantic cries, rushed out of her room, towel still wrapped around her. When she saw her friend dangling like that, she almost dropped her towel in shock.

“Are you serious?” Priya exclaimed, running over to help.

Aritree, still upside down, spotted the one person she was hoping to avoid at that very moment—Dr. Vikram, walking up the path with a medical kit in hand. His calm, collected demeanor was exactly what Priya needed—if only the situation weren’t so embarrassing.

Realizing the opportunity in front of her, Aritree grinned mischievously. “Well, if I’m going down, I’m going all the way,” she muttered under her breath.

With one swift move, she yanked Priya’s towel off her body, letting it flutter to the ground. Priya froze, her heart skipping a beat as she turned to face her crush, completely naked in front of him. Her face turned the deepest shade of red imaginable.

“Vikram! I—I—” Priya stammered, her voice cracking.

Dr. Vikram, who had been focused on helping Aritree, blinked a few times, his face a mask of polite shock. "Uh... I—"

“I—oh my god, NO!” Priya screamed, quickly covering herself with her hands and turning away, but it was too late. Vikram, clearly flustered, excused himself awkwardly and walked off, muttering something about “handling things from a distance.”

Priya, mortified, stood there for a moment, frozen. Then, with a burst of frustration, she turned back toward Aritree. “I can't believe you just did that!”

Aritree, still hanging upside down and now realizing how much worse the situation had gotten, tried to apologize, but Priya wasn’t hearing it. “You know what?” Priya grumbled, marching over to Aritree. “I’m done helping you.”

With a huff, Priya yanked Aritree’s underwear down instead of freeing her from the tree. “There. Now, you’re even.”

Aritree, now dangling in her underwear, shot Priya a sheepish grin. “Well, I guess that’s one way to get my attention.”

Priya, still mortified, couldn’t help but laugh despite herself. “You are unbelievable.”

The moon hung high above the city, casting a silvery glow over the crumbling ruins of an abandoned warehouse. Vijay moved cautiously through the shadows, his every step muffled by the dust and debris beneath his feet. He’d followed a lead, a vague trail that might bring him closer to finding Vrushali and the others. The air was thick with tension, each creak and groan of the building making his nerves prickle.