Beauty & The Nerd

Part 19

After dropping Anjali and Kabir to school, Khushi and I headed to the university, at the parking lot she bid me goodbye and headed to see her friends and I headed to attend my classes as usual.

Nina was already there, she smiled at me as I settled down beside her and smiled back at her.

"So what's up, where is your dear Khushi." She teased.

"She must be with her friends, and she's not my Khushi." I replied.

"Why are you talking like this, I was just teasing you Arnav, I thought that's what friends do." She looked at me sadly, I know I was a bit rude but I was hurt because Khushi had told me very clearly that there was never going to be anything between us.

"I am sorry Nina, I dint mean to be rude." I apologized.

"What happened Arnav? You can tell me." She looked at me curiously.

"It's just that after Khushi told me nothing can happen between us, it's kind of disturbing me, I mean I know it's her choice but it does hurt yeah."

"I understand you Arnav, don't worry everything will be fine." She assured me, well I hoped so.

The door to the classroom opened and I was expecting the teacher to walk in but instead Rish did, he came straight to me and stood in front of me smirking.

"So?" He asked.

"So what?" I asked.

"Did you talk to her? Please tell me you did."

"I told you Rish, I'm not talking to her, if you are interested then approach her yourself." I said looking at him strictly.

"Sometimes I wonder why we are even friends if you can't do a thing for me Arnav." He rolled his eyes as he headed straight out of the class banging the door behind.

"Look how interesting my life is Nina." I said sarcastically while she looked at me with pity, I hated that she pitied me.

*****

After the class was over I stood up to leave with the rest of the students but before I could do so, Nina grabbed my hand and pulled me back as I sat down on my chair again.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"I have a free period right now so I was heading to the library to read. Did you have anything to say to me or?" I asked.

"No, I also don't have any lesson so I'll join you?"

"Sure, let's go." I smiled, she nodded excitedly and grabbed her stuff as she followed me to the library. We both settled down in a silent corner and got out our books and started reading.

Every few minute's I'd look up and find her staring at me with a smile on her face and when I'd look she would look away, it was weird, her behavior was a bit strange today.

"What's it Nina, I can feel there's something you want to tell me but you aren't saying it." I asked.

"I was just thinking, that now Khushi is out of the picture, do you by any chance think that you would find someone else someday and fall in love with her?

Maybe someone who will love you like you wanted Khushi to love you, I mean are you willing to move on?" She asked.

"Right now I have no answer to that Nina, I don't even know what I want anymore but why do you ask?" I looked at her curiously.

"Because I have started liking you Arnav, and not in a friendly way. I mean since I came here, you've been so nice to me, and not to me only, you are always nice to everyone, you're such a great guy but that wasn't it.

I've seen how you look at Khushi, the way you feel for her it's beautiful and I always wanted that kind of love in my life, you know the one you feel for Khushi and I guess that's what attracted me towards you, your love for her, funny isn't it." She giggled.

"Nina." I looked at her in surprise, I always thought we were friends, I dint expect her to start feeling things for me suddenly especially when she knew that I loved Khushi.

She moved closer to me, looking me into the eyes, then she diverted them to my lips and tried to kiss me but before she could do so, I moved backwards.

"Nina, please don't." I said as I stood up, why was everything unexpected happening today? And why was Nina behaving this way with me? It was very strange.

I grabbed my books and walked out of the library, I dint even know what to think about all this.

As I descended the staircase I had some voices, I bent over and looked at the space under the stairs and saw Khushi and Rish there, Khushi was leaning against the wall and Rish had both his hand blocking her from both sides.

"This is the last time I am telling you Rish, get away from me before I scream and gather everyone here." Khushi warned him.

"Oh shut up, stop pretending to be a saint, we all know you aren't. Tell me what you want to get in my bed and I'll happily give it to you babe, just once." She said.

"You are so freaking disgusting." Khushi said as she tried to push him away but he grabbed her wrist and tried to force himself upon her, what the hell.

I rushed downstairs immediately and grabbed his t-shirt and I pulled him off her and stood in front of Khushi hiding her behind my back.

"What the hell were you trying to do Rish?" I looked at him angrily almost wanting to kill him, how dare he touch her like that?

"Well I asked you for help but you refused so I had to do something. I mean we are best friends Arnav, come on, we can share her." He smirked proudly.

I always knew Rish was such a narrow minded person but today was when I learnt that he was also a terrible person and I hated that he was my friend.

"She isn't my property that we would share and you freaking lied to me! You told me you liked her and now you're here lusting over her."

"So you wanted me to tell you that I wanted to take her to my bed and you'd have agreed to help me? Come on Arnav, I've known you enough to know how to convince you for things."

"You disgust me, really. You know what, from today onwards our friendship is over, I don't know you anymore, and next time your dare show me your face, I'll ruin it." I looked at him angrily, and then turned to look at Khushi who was silently standing behind me, I grabbed her hand and pulled her along with me.

"Look at you acting like the nice guy in front of her, admit it Arnav, you want the same thing that we all want, to take her to your bed don't you?" Rish asked, I ignored his disgusting comment and continued walking until we were at the parking lot.

I opened the door for Khushi as she walked in and then I headed to the other side, got inside and drove off. I dint even have the guts to look at her, no after the guy that I called my best friend acted this way with her.

All I could hear were her sobs and it was making me mad, I dint want her to cry, not at least because of such a stupid guy.

"Khushi, please don't cry." I looked at her sadly.

"Isn't it the truth Arnav? All the guys at college look at me like that don't they? They look at me and the only thing they can think of is that they would like to take me to their bed, none of them ever think that they would like to know me, spend time with me and maybe love me." She looked at me sadly.

"You know I don't think that way about you Khushi."

"I know Arnav, but what's the point of it because I can't love you. Now I look at myself and wonder, is it that you don't deserve me or I don't deserve you? Maybe god knows that you deserve better that's why he's making me not love you, because after what happened today, honestly, I'd want to feel the way you feel for me, but the problem is, I can't force myself to feel it." She looked at me sadly.

I parked the car outside her mansion and looked at her, she dint step out, instead she moved closer to me and wrapped her arms around me hugging me.

"Thank you for what you did for me today Arnav, I'll appreciate it always." She whispered.