A Bond Of Intellect

Chapter - 21

In the evening, Riti was engrossed in her phone in her room. She didn't realize the time passing by until she suddenly noticed a commotion coming from the living room.

Curious, Riti went to check what was causing the commotion. As she entered the living room, she saw Evan sitting on the sofa with her father and other family members, including her uncle and aunt, who were all chatting with him.

Riti hurriedly rushed back to her room, checked the time, and was shocked to see that it was already past her college off time. Her heart began racing, but she took a deep breath, calmed herself down, and sat on her bed.

In the living room, Riti's father was talking with Evan. Then, Riti's mother came and said, "Beta, I'm preparing dinner, so eat here, before you go." Evan agreed by nodding.

The whole time, Riti didn't come into the living room until her mother called her for dinner. She came to the dining table, sat beside her mother, and found Evan sitting with Riti's father. His concentration was on his dinner and listening to Riti's father's conversation.

After they finished dinner, they got ready to leave for their apartment. Riti sat in the passenger seat of the car, and they left. On their way, after a while, Evan broke the silence between them by saying, "So, do you watch the lectures I send you?" Riti's mind paused for a moment because she had forgotten about the lectures. Now, she was getting scared to say anything, but she knew that if she lied, she would get scolded even more. Then, she replied in a very low voice, "N-no, I forgot."

Evan's eyes remained on the road as he replied, "Well, it's not new. I had already guessed that you weren't going to watch the lectures. It's okay." Riti felt relieved that he didn't scold her. After a while, they arrived at their apartment and went inside. As they entered the room, Riti saw the bed and was ready to sleep, so she quickly grabbed a blanket, turned on the air conditioner, and went to bed. On the other side, Evan changed his clothes and also got into bed, soon falling asleep.

In the morning, they woke up and got ready for college. As Riti reached college, Kavya was excited to see her back and hugged her, saying, "You know, one day felt like an eternity for me!" Riti smiled at her friend's exaggerated statement.

During break time, Kavya filled Riti in on all the college gossip from the previous day and informed her about the announcement made yesterday. The announcement was about an upcoming art competition to be held in their college, open to students with artistic talent. Hearing this, Riti felt a mix of excitement and nervousness, and asked Kavya, "So, where will we make our piece, at home or in front of everyone in college?"

Kavya reassured her, saying, "Don't worry, if you want to participate, you'll have to prepare your piece from home. I don't know the other details, but I knew you have a hobby of drawing and painting, so I thought it would be good to tell you. If you're interested in participating, let's go check the notice board for more information." They both went to the notice board, read through the details, and Riti decided to participate. She gave her name to the teacher in charge.

In the evening, after college, Riti felt awkward telling Evan about her participation in the art competition. As they drove, she struggled to find the right words, saying "Well... ...Kavya told me... That... that... that..." She repeated the words, unable to continue. Evan encouraged her, "Hmm! What's next? Say it."

Riti finally completed her sentence, "She told me about yesterday's announcement about the art competition." She stopped, and Evan replied, "Go on, I'm listening." Riti continued, "S-so, I gave m-my name." After a brief pause, Evan responded, "Okay! So, do you need to buy something?" Riti replied, "Y-yes."

Evan stopped the car in front of a stationery store and said to Riti, "Come with me into the shop." They went inside, bought what Riti needed, and then departed for home.

The students had a whole week to prepare their paintings, so Riti had plenty of time and thought to start the next day. The next day, after college, Riti began working on her painting at home. Evan didn't disturb her and let her focus on her work. She sat on the carpet on the floor, surrounded by her colors and art supplies, while Evan sat on the bed, engrossed in his laptop.

As the week came to a close, Riti finished her painting. Feeling shy, she asked Kavya to accompany her to submit her artwork. The results would be announced the next day, when students from other colleges who had participated would arrive, along with a renowned chief guest, a famous artist of his time.

Riti had talent in art, but she lacked self-confidence. She never gave much importance to her hobby, and her parents hadn't realized her talent either. After seeing her piece, both Evan and Kavya's expression were shocked. They had never seen such a good painting in their lives. Kavya praised Riti and gave her numerous compliments, while Evan simply said, "You really have talent. It's nice." Riti felt incredibly happy.

The next day arrived, and the college auditorium was decorated. All the students, including those who had participated in the competition, were present. Riti, lacking confidence in her piece, sat with Kavya, admiring the other artworks on display. The teachers, including Evan, were also present. The teacher in charge gave a brief speech, welcoming the chief guest, Mr. Firoj Pur.

As Mr. Pur took the stage, the teacher asked him to announce the winner, runner-up, and second runner-up. Mr. Pur opened the envelope and said, "Riti Singh." Riti, still seated, didn't realize what had happened. Kavya shook her, saying, "Why are you still sitting? Stand up, it's your name!" Riti, still in shock, replied, "W-what? Did you hear right? I don't think it's my name." As she said this, her name was announced again, and she finally realized she had won.

Riti felt extremely shy and nervous, her face turning bright red. As she climbed the stairs to the stage to receive her prize, the chief guest stared at her. As she approached him, he whispered near her ear, "You have talent, do you want to pursue that career?" Riti felt uncomfortable with his proximity and moved away slightly and didn't replied anything to him.

After receiving her prize, during the photo session, Mr. Pur's hand went to Riti's back, and his fingers moved slightly, checking her waist. Riti felt extremely uncomfortable, but no one noticed, as the teachers were seated on the right side, and the students were in front.
But then she put that thought aside by thinking it can be misunderstanding.
She stood aside, get More  scared to see that Mr. Pur didn't touch another girl like that who came on stage.

However, during the group photo session, Mr. Pur deliberately stood next to Riti and squeezed her buttocks. Riti quickly moved aside, ruining the photo. They had to retake it. As soon as it was done, Riti hastily left the stage with Kavya and was going to returned to classroom. Riti's mind went blank; she had never imagined something like this would happen to her. She felt like crying, but when she turned around, she saw Mr. Pur staring at her, and she quickly left the area.