More than all the stars in the sky - An Addicted Prequel

Shit happens all the time...

Sometimes, life rewards you for being kind and generous and sometimes it punishes you for the exact same reason. Manvi's only friend in the city was her apartment mate - Rinky. She helped her get a job in the cafe and had been the sole guide to her in the city. So, ofcourse when Rinky asked Manvi if she could do her boyfriend a favor, Manvi said yes without as much as blinking her eyes. 

This favor however, today,  had her standing in front of a sports bar in the wrong side of the city. Dave had been missing since a week. Rinky told Manvi that he usually hangs around in this club. Manvi really needed to find him that day.

She was standing outside the club nervously unable to decide if she should go in by herself. The crowd was very - as Virat had put it the other day - shady.

She decided to call Rinky to know if she had heard back from Dave. Rinky was too depressed to as much as speak with anyone. She and Dave broke up. And ofcourse she did not answer her call.

Now, she had no other option but to find Dave and ask him directly. Just when she was about to enter into the club, her phone buzzes with a message.

"Where are you busybee? I haven't heard from you in three days." It read.

"Bad time Virat. I have some business to take care of. Wish me luck." she messages back. 

"And if you do not hear from me in 15 minutes, can you call for help." she sends a second message for backup.

In the next instant her phone rings.  "What are you upto?" he enquires.

Taking a deep breath she explains where she was and what she was about to do. 

"I really admire your courage. I really do. But, can you wait half hour? I am taking a cab there, as we speak."

"Why?" she asks confused.

"Because you are about to do a very stupid thing."

"Virat...you really do not have to do that."

"Really?"

"You don't have to be so condescending okay! I am sure he forgot about it. He will see me and then we can go to the bank and he will transfer back the funds."

"So, let me get this clear - you loaned him your entire tuition money."

"Rinky said he would give it back by the end of the month."

"That is...I am sorry to say but so STUPID! What the fuck were you thinking?"

"Excuse me? Listen, I am not asking you come down here. You do not have to talk to me this way and do not yell at me."

"When do you have to pay your fee?"

"Today?" She said in a low voice.

"Sorry? A little louder please."

"TODAY! OKAY! TODAY! You do not have to rub it in."

"What will you do if you don't find this guy?"

Manvi did not reply. She looked around nervously. "I don't know..." she replied after a long pause. If she was not able to pay her fees today, they will withhold her registration and she will not be able to take her tests which started the next day. 

"I will find him..." she said, her voice choking.

~

Virat got off from his cab and shakes his head disapprovingly.

"Stop being mad at me." she shouts at him.

"How much?" he asks.

"Can we just go in and find him."

"How much, Manvi?" he asks again.

"I have 5 with me. He has 10. I have to pay atleast 12 thousand by tomorrow morning."

"Okay..why don't you sit in the cab? I will go find him." he holds the door open for her. Hs voice was definitive and he looked very angry.

She looked at him with ten different arguments in her head, but decided to not pursue them looking at his face. He closed at door of the cab and walks into the club. 

She kept looking at the door and her watch alternatingly. It had been 15 minutes since he had gone in. What would she do if they could not find him? Will she really quit school and go back to her father? Maybe, she will ask Swetha. But even she is in Europe, it will take a couple of days to get the money, even if she had that kind of cash. 

Half an hour later, Dave comes out of the club and Virat follows him. Manvi gets out of the cab and walks to them. "Dave! Where were you? I have been calling you like crazy..." Manvi asks him.

"I am sorry Manvi. I will give you back your money next month. I had this thing that came up you know.." he explained.

"What thing?" Manvi asked.

"Um? It is called gambling...Must have heard about it." Virat snaps at Manvi. 

"Really? How can you do that, Dave? That is my tuition money." Manvi asks him shocked.

"I am sorry Manvi...I was so upset too. I thought I was going to double it you know. I have a 100 bucks. Here..." he puts it into her hands. "I will get the rest in a few days."

While Manvi looks at him dumbfounded, Virat holds his collar and pushes him back against the wall. He looks at his dazed eyes - he was obviously hammered. "I see you anywhere around her, her friends or her apartment - I will strangle you. Understand? Loser!" he bangs him against the wall.

Manvi was looking at him cupping her mouth. "Let's go..." Virat takes her hand and drags her to the cab. But then, stops, smiles and drags her back to the club and opens the door.

She looks at the scene inside in a shock - it was a ghetto joint - there were hookers, pimps, drugdealers and all sorts of criminal looking people in the club. People starting cat calling as soon as they set their foot inside.

She clasps his hand tighter and looks at him in a daze.

"Wanna hang around? Get a beer with our cronies?" he asks her mockingly.

"Can we please go?" she says looking down.

"I am sorry..." he says in the cab after a few minutes. "I wanted you to realize how dangerous those kinda places are..." he tells her.

"That's okay. I will get dropped off at the apartment."

"Don't you have a class?"

"What class? I will not be able to go from tomorrow anyways." she says looking out of the window. Her eyes were filled up and she felt so helpless and alone.  What is she to do now? How can she arrange for 7 grand in 24 hours. There was no way that something like that could happen. She did not want to ask her father for two reasons - one, his girlfriend would freak and second, he will never trust her with money again. Or any of her decisions for that matter.

"Heeey.." Virat holds her hand.

"I worked all summer for that money..." she whispered with her head hanging low.

He looks at her and felt his heart break looking at her beautiful face become so sad and low. He scoots beside her and lifts her chin up. "Shit happens all the time..."

She looks up at him and asks "How can he just lose that money. That was my money...I worked so hard for that money...late night shifts...weekends..holidays..." her eyes got filled up.

"I don't know sweetheart. There are all sorts of people in this world. Heeeeeeey...come on..don't cry." he put his arm around her protectively.  "We will figure something out...It is going to be okay..." he tells her and she hides herself in his arms.

 "Can you pull over here please..." he tells the cab driver. She looks up and sees that they were at her campus. She looks at him and shakes his head.

"We still have a little bit of time. Go to your class." he tells her. 

 "What for?" 

"Just trust me on this one."

"Virat, why are you doing all this for me?" she asks, moving away from him.

"Because that is what friends do." he smiles. "Go now..I will see you in the evening.."