A Bond Of Intellect

Chapter - 18

Riti and Kavya sat in the college canteen during break time, chatting and laughing together. Their conversation turned to their birthdays.

Kavya asked, "So, Riti, when's your birthday?" Riti replied, "It's next Wednesday." Kavya choked on her water, surprised by the news.

"What?!" Kavya exclaimed. "It means if I hadn't asked you, you would have never told me about it!" Riti smiled and clarified, "It's not like that. You know nobody's that childish to scream and announce that their birthday is coming."

Kavya's curiosity wasn't satisfied. "So, what's your plan for your birthday? You must be going somewhere to celebrate with Evan, right?" Riti hesitated before responding, "He...he doesn't know about my birthday."

Kavya's face showed shock. "You should tell him about it!" Riti looked down, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'm not going to tell him. It's not like it's my first birthday."

Kavya intervened, her voice filled with empathy. "But it's your first birthday after marriage. I know how bad it feels when people around you don't acknowledge your special day as your family does." Riti nodded silently, unable to respond.

As the conversation came to a close, the bell rang, signaling the end of break time. Riti and Kavya gathered their belongings and headed to their next class.

At home, Evan continued to teach Riti as usual. After dinner, they both drifted off to sleep. The whole week passed, and Riti didn't mention her birthday to Evan.

Finally, Wednesday arrived - Riti's birthday. She was fast asleep when her phone started ringing at 5 am, waking both her and Evan. Riti picked up her phone and saw her mother's number flashing on the screen. She smiled and answered, "Hello!"

Her mother wished her a happy birthday, followed by her father, who also took the phone to extend his greetings. "Your uncle also wishes you a happy birthday," he added. Riti replied with a soft "thank you".

She glanced over at Evan, thinking he was still asleep, but he had his eyes closed, pretending to be asleep. Riti put her phone back and went back to sleep.

Then in the  morning at 7 am, Riti woke up and checked her phone again. She replied to all the birthday messages from her friends and then got ready for college.

In college, Kavya wished Riti a happy birthday and gave her a big chocolate. Riti celebrated with a small treat in the college canteen.

Unbeknownst to Riti, Evan was already aware of her birthday. As her guardian, he had filled out her college admission form, which included her date of birth. He had been pretending not to know, waiting for Riti to tell him herself.

As they arrived home, Riti took out the chocolate Kavya had given her. Evan noticed and asked, "Did someone give it to you?" Riti replied cautiously, "K-Kavya gave it to me."

Evan's curiosity was piqued. "Oh, why?" he asked. Riti hesitated, unsure how to respond. "Just like that," she said vaguely.

Evan couldn't contain himself anymore. "What's the date today?" he asked. Riti replied, "It's [XX]." Evan pressed on, "Yeah, so what's today?" Riti was confused, unsure if he was asking about her birthday or something else.

Evan's next question clarified his intentions. "Should I ask your parents what today is?" Riti realized he knew and remained silent.

Evan asked again, "Tell me, what's today?" Riti finally admitted, "It's my birthday."

Evan's response was gentle. "So why didn't you tell me?" Riti shrugged. "How can someone tell anyone it's their birthday?"

Evan pointed out the inconsistency. "Then why did you tell your friend?" Riti clarified, "She asked me; I didn't tell her really."

Evan sighed and said, "Okay, I won't say anything. Get ready; we're going out for dinner."

Riti got ready and accompanied Evan to a fancy restaurant. The restaurant was upscale, with few patrons, and Evan told Riti to order whatever she liked.

Riti felt shy but knew Evan would encourage her to speak up. Without hesitation, she pointed out the dishes she wanted, and Evan relayed her order to the waiter. While they waited, Riti explored her surroundings, admiring the restaurant's elegant interior.

Their order arrived, and they savored each dishes, finishing with dessert. After the meal, they left the restaurant and headed to their car.

As they settled into their seats, Evan pulled out a small gift from his pocket. "Here, happy birthday," he said, handing it to Riti. The gift was a small box, and Riti's eyes widened as she opened it to reveal a beautiful silver bracelet.

"Thank you," Riti said, trying to contain her smile. Evan asked, "Do you like it?" Riti nodded, her smile breaking through. "Yes."

Evan recalled choosing the bracelet, opting for silver as he thought Riti might feel uncomfortable with something more expensive. He didn't want to give her something cheap either, so the 7,000-rupee silver bracelet seemed like the perfect choice.

Evan started the car, and they drove away from the restaurant. Before they went far, Evan got a call. He answered, "Hello."

The person on the phone said, "What's up, bro?" Evan replied, "I'm okay, what about you?"

The person said, "I'm doing okay. Are you home right now?" Evan said, "No, I'm out. What's up?"

The person said, "I have some business with you. Can you meet me at XXXXXX place? I'll explain everything there." Evan agreed, "Okay, I'll come."

Evan ended the call and drove to the meeting place without saying a word to Riti. When they arrived, Riti looked around, confused. Evan said, "Wait inside, I have some work to do."

Evan got out of the car and met his friend.
Riti don't  know where he went , so she was just waiting for him. Evan came back with a small bag and put it in the backseat of the car.

Then Evan got back in his seat and started driving. Riti didn't ask him any questions, knowing that if he wanted to tell her something, he would have already done so.

When Riti woke up the next morning, Evan was nowhere to be found, but his cupboard was open. She got up to close it, and her eyes landed on a mysterious bag inside. The bag was slightly open, and something shiny caught her attention.

Riti's curiosity got the better of her, and she peeked inside the bag. What she saw made her heart skip a beat - a gun lay inside. She was frozen in shock when Evan's firm voice startled her. "What are you doing there?"

Riti flinched and quickly moved away from the cupboard. "N-Nothing, it was open, so..." she stuttered. Evan cut her off, his voice firm. "You don't have to do anything, move away from there."

Riti nodded and quickly retreated to the washroom. Her mind was racing with questions. "Why does he have a gun? Is he some kind of gangster or...?" She tried to push the thoughts away, not wanting to jump to conclusions.

Riti returned to the room, her mind still reeling from what she thought she saw. She wondered if she had made a mistake, if her eyes had played a trick on her. She decided to take another look, to confirm what she saw.

Despite knowing it was wrong to snoop through Evan's belongings without permission, her curiosity got the better of her. She glanced around the room, ensuring Evan was still absent, before approaching his cupboard.

However, when she tried to open it, she found it locked. A shiver ran down her spine as she thought, "Now he's locked it. That means what I saw must be true. He's must be hiding that gun there."