The Haunted Fortress of Bhangarh: Book 1

9. The tale of the identical fragrance

Bemused he was because of the way he had been getting chased by random blobs of smoke every now and then, but he chose to disregard the misgivings he was having and attributed these as random hallucinations of a madman rather than a chimerical reality of his life. With a swirl of jumbled thoughts fogging his brain yet again, he entered the living room of his house, spinning the keys in his hands as a frown was imprinted on his features.

His orbs fell on the way Nidhi and Ishita were huddled on the couch, hovering over the latter's phone as a mischievous glint shone in their eyes. The television was paused, and a few animated characters were seemingly amidst a physical altercation while the girls were busy giggling and snorting at whatever they were watching. Half his mind wanted to slip away from the spot as he was a creature of habit and Ishita was right in front of him—the annoying girl next door. But the other half of his rationale asked him to stay put and discover the reason behind her sudden churlish attitude.

In between his vacillations, Ishita glimpsed up from the screen, and the congenial smile on her face morphed into a grimace. Snatching the phone out of Nidhi's hands, she rolled her eyes at Rudra and stood up from the couch. "Your brother is here. I can go now. Have a good night, Nidhi."

That was when Rudra recollected the instruction his mother had issued over breakfast that morning. Avinash and Shweta had a work party to attend, which even Rishika and Shaurya were invited to. Thus, Ishita was going to not only stay at the Sharma household for the evening but also babysit Nidhi, for Rudra had plans for the afternoon. The three of them were supposed to have dinner together, and the two girls could potentially go to sleep in Nidhi's room if the Vermas were to return late.

Hence, watching Ishita gather her belongings sent alarm bells ringing in his head. "Where do you think you are going?"

Her nose flared in a rage as she stuffed her pink notebook in her bag after picking it up from the center table. "Now that you are here, my work is done. Shweta Aunty didn't want Nidhi to be by herself, and that's why I was babysitting her. I will go home now."

"Mom didn't want you to be alone either. She told me you will stay here and babysit Nidhi until Rishika Aunty and Shaurya Uncle are back. So, you can't step out of the house."

Though Nidhi cringed whenever they spoke of babysitting her, she was peering at the arguing duo with piqued interest. Never before had she seen Ishita speak in such a rude manner with Rudra, given it was a universal fact that the girl had an innocuous teenage crush on her brother. However, as Ishita huffed and scowled and retorted, she was prompted into cerebrating furthermore, but she was drawing a blank.

Ishita scoffed, slinging the bag over her shoulders. Rounding the center table, she made a move towards the main door, but she had just strode past Rudra when he grasped her upper arm, clenching his fists firmly around her, ensuring not to apply more pressure than needed. Fire burned in her eyes as she saw the way he had held her while the cool demeanor he assumed infuriated her more. "Leave me."

"Sit here, watch a movie, eat dinner, and go to sleep." He flashed her a smile. "What part of it didn't make sense to you?"

She attempted to forcefully wriggle out of his hold, tugging at her arm to get rid of him, but she was failing consistently. Huffing and puffing in frustration, she muttered, "I don't want to be anywhere near you. What part of it doesn't make sense to you?"

He didn't allow frown lines to develop on his face. "Fine. I will be in my room, away from you."

"Hah!" She let out a farcical giggle. "You would love that, wouldn't you?"

He clicked his tongue. "I am in no mood to argue with you. Sit with Nidhi until your parents are back."

She wiggled out of his hold as soon as his palm around her arm loosened. Crossing her arms across her chest, blowing air out of her mouth, and rolling her eyes, she gawked at him for a few moments in utter distaste before grumbling under her breath and retracing her steps back to the couch. Abandoning her bag, she wordlessly sauntered towards the end of the hall, vanishing behind the door of the washroom while the lock clicked shut.