A Bond Of Intellect

Chapter - 15

As Riti raised her arm, Evan gently pulled off her top, revealing her bare back, except for her bra straps. He examined her back and found  blue bruises on her right shoulder and near the strap.

As Evan touched her waist area, Riti suddenly screamed. To calm her, Evan quickly covered her mouth with his hand, saying, "Shh... does it hurt where I touched you?" Riti nodded rapidly.

Evan thought to himself, "There are no visible bruises; the injury must be deeper, in the muscles." He chose not to share his concerns with Riti, not wanting to scare her.

As Evan prepared to help Riti put her top back on, he noticed it was dirty and had bloodstains. He realized she must have injured her arms as well. Quickly, Evan went to his bag and retrieved a clean T-shirt.

Evan helped Riti put on the clean T-shirt. He carefully carried her and turned her around, her face in front of him. Examining her arms, he found red bruises covered in blood on both elbows. He realized she must have scraped them against the rocky ground.

Evan's gaze then fell upon Riti's knees, where her torn jeans revealed more injuries. Quickly, he grabbed his phone from the table and called his friend Suresh, who was waiting outside in the car. "Hey, yeah, I've found her," Evan said. "Quickly, I need a whole first-aid kit. Come with it to my room." He ended the call.

Before leaving the room, Evan instructed Riti, "Don't try to move. I'll be right outside the room." With that, he stepped out, leaving Riti alone for a moment.

Evan returned with a first-aid box after a few minutes. He placed it on the table and began cleaning Riti's wounds with cotton, applying topical antibiotics afterwards. Riti was in pain and could only cry. Evan remained gentle, focusing on her wounds as he took her hand and said, "Stand up." With his assistance, Riti slowly stood, and Evan pulled up the T-shirt she was wearing to examine the jeans buckle.

As he opened the buckle, he instructed Riti to let the T-shirt fall back down. Evan carefully pulled down her jeans, avoiding her wounded areas. Riti placed one hand on his shoulder for support. After removing the jeans, Evan helped Riti sit back down on the bed.

He sat down beside her, with one knee folded under him and the other foot on the ground. Evan cleaned the wound on her knee, and Riti realized she had injured it when she fell while trying to get up after being pushed.

As Evan cleaned the wound, Riti felt a sharp pain in her back, and tears began falling onto her thighs. Evan noticed and asked, "What's wrong? Does it hurt anywhere else?" Riti replied, sobbing, "M-my back is hurting v-very much."

Evan said, "Okay, wait. I'm just finishing up," and applied antibiotics to the wound. As he stood up and closed the first-aid box, he stared at Riti to see if she was still crying. He noticed a blue bruise on her left cheek, and his expression darkened.

Evan suddenly grabbed Riti's chin, turning her face to examine the bruise. Riti stared at him, confused, but looked down when he gazed at her with intense eyes. Evan pressed the bruised area with his thumb, causing Riti to feel pain and utter a soft "ahh."

Evan released her chin and said sternly, "Now you realize how many areas hurt, don't you?" Riti remained silent, and Evan stared at her for a brief moment before closing the first-aid box and setting it aside.

Riti realized Evan was still angry with her, but she didn't know why. Evan approached her and said, "I know your back hurts, but first, tell me everything. Then I'll let you lie down on the bed." Riti nervously bit her lower lip and began to speak, her voice trembling.

"After we came back from the trip..." She recounted the entire story, except for the parts about what the girls had said regarding her and Evan's relationship. She only mentioned that they had said bad things about it, and she cried as she spoke.

After telling her story,  Riti asked, "Di-did Kavya tell you about me?" Evan replied, "Yes, and she told me everything about what happened in the garden." Riti felt embarrassed, realizing that Evan must know what they  had told the riti about getting good grades from him.

Evan then asked sternly, "Are you some kind of fool?" Riti shook her head, indicating no. Evan continued, "Then, instead of telling any teacher, why did you run behind them alone, like a fool?" Riti, feeling embarrassed and guilty, replied, "They'll break my phone if I tell the teacher."

Evan's expression turned furious, and he said, "So, it's the phone, right? Behind all those wounds, even if they hadn't broken it, I think I would break it myself." Riti's eyes fell, and she looked down, ashamed.

Evan noticed Riti's pained expression and said, "Let's sleep now. I'll take you to the doctor in the morning." He carefully lifted her into a bridal carry and gently laid her down on the bed. As he set her down, Riti winced, uttering a soft "ahh."

"What's wrong?" Evan asked, concern etched on his face. Riti's tears began to fall again as she replied, "It hurts ,my back hurts so much." Evan quickly pick her , turned her onto his side on the bed , not making her lie straight on her back, and moved her to the middle of the bed. Then, he lay down beside her, facing her.

Riti felt a surge of shyness due to their faces on same side , but her injuries kept her from moving. Evan moved very close to her , her face was touching his chest and he wrapped his arm around her waist, gently massaging it, and asked, "Does it feel better?" Riti softly murmured, "Hmmm," her breath whispering against his chest.

As sleep began to claim her, Riti vaguely recalled that she was only wearing underwear on her lower half, but Evan's T-shirt provided sufficient coverage. Despite her embarrassment, she remained silent, letting sleep overtake her. Throughout the night, Evan continued to gently rub her back until he, too, drifted off to sleep.

In the morning, Riti woke up first, opening her eyes to find Evan in front of her, which surprised her. She then remembered the previous night's events and began admiring his handsome, shaved face. As she stared at him, Evan woke up, opening his eyes. Riti quickly closed hers, pretending to sleep, but Evan was too sharp. He had noticed her and got out of bed,  said, "I know you're awake, so stop pretending."

Embarrassed, Riti opened her eyes. Evan leaned towards her, picked her up from the bed, made her stand, and asked, "Do you need any help with the washroom?" Riti hurriedly replied, "No, I'll manage." She slowly walked to the washroom and went inside. Since she couldn't take a bath, she did her business, washed her mouth, and came outside, feeling embarrassed about her bare legs. She quickly sat down on the bed.

Then Evan went to the washroom and came back, saying, "You haven't eaten since last night, so do you want to eat first or after meeting with the doctor?" Riti replied, "After meeting the doctor." She thought to herself, "He also didn't eat last night, must be hungry, so it's better to eat after meeting the doctor. We'll eat patiently."

As they prepared to leave, Riti remembered her lower half was exposed. She grabbed Evan's T-shirt, stopping him in his tracks. Evan moved closer to her and asked, "What is it?" Riti looked down, feeling shy, and said, "Uh, down... I-I'm not wearing anything except under..." She didn't complete her sentence, but Evan understood. He noticed her bare legs and realized he couldn't let her go outside like that, but her injuries would worsen if he made her wear something.

Evan said, "It's okay, we'll buy something for you to wear on the way." But Riti thought she didn't have anything suitable, like a skirt, to wear. She assumed Kavya must have something, and asked, "Can't I go to my room and get something?" Evan bluntly replied, "No, there's no time." They left, and in the elevator, Riti hid behind Evan, scared of meeting any students or teachers. Evan reassured her, "Don't worry, they've already left for their next spot." Riti felt relieved.

Evan took her to the car and first drove to a nearby clothes store and buy a long skirt for her and then , At the clinic, they met with a doctor who examined Riti's back and ordered some X-rays. After reviewing the results, the doctor said, "It's not that serious, just a muscle strain. However, one week of bed rest is necessary. You'll need an injection, and I'll prescribe some medication."
The doctor continued, "As for your other injuries, they've already been bandaged

Riti's face contorted, as if she might cry at any moment, but she remained silent. The nurse then called her to lie down on the bed for the injection. Riti lay down, and the nurse administered the shot. Riti's tears welled up, but she hid them. After taking the prescribed medication, they left the clinic.