Chapter : Seventeen  

"Ow!" Abhi yelped in a whisper.

"Cut the drama, I haven't even touched your knuckles yet," Kirti deadpanned.

"Fine," Abhi muttered, "But the thought is enough excruciating,"

Sighing at his amusing fear, Kirti averted her eyes back to Abhimanyu's hand. The knuckles had turned a fair shade of red and seemed to have swollen a bit. For a guy like Abhi, Kirti assumed already that he rarely got into fights. Otherwise who ends up hurting their own self while punching the rival?

The fight had been declared over back in the basketball court when Abhi had punched Rohan anyway. He well realized that he was outnumbered and thought better to leave. Meanwhile, Shruti looked too numb to react over all that happened. She excused herself from the group and walked back to the library to spend the rest of the break time in private. None of the friends objected since they wanted to give her time to sort out her thoughts.

Yash too left the group to enjoy some silence and headed for the soccer field which was usually devoid of any students during the break time unless any practice sessions would be going on. The remaining four –Abhi, Kirti, Jiya and Paras– decided to go back to the canteen.

"But here's a good news for Abhi," Jiya interrupted Abhimanyu's rant about how dreadful his hand looked.

"What?" Abhi asked, crinkling his nose already in anticipation of something bad.

"You injured your right hand," Jiya pointed, "that means you don't have to work on any assignments for the next few days in the least,"

Kirti expected Abhi to smile with excitement about the thought of having so much of free time now but his expression fairly surprised her. Abhi muttered some incoherent Malayalam words and knitted his eyebrows in frustration.

"I was looking forward to this year's Literature essay competition!" Abhi exclaimed, realization dawning over his face.

"And its deadline is two days away," Jiya added fuel to the fire, making Abhi panic out. Kirti took his wounded hand in hers and ran her fingers gently over the back of his hand, her fingertips brushing over Abhi's skin, making him look at her. She smiled at him in a comforting manner to tell him that it'll all work out one way or the other.

Abhi felt a weird feeling grow inside him at Kirti's mere touch. It was as if she cast some enchantment over him with her deep, chocolate brown eyes. Her dark lashes moved when she blinked once, making her face appear ethereal with that angelic smile playing on her rosy lips. He felt as if Kirti channelized her positivity into him, creating an aura he never knew before.

The moment was ruined by a shrill exclamation. "Oh, babe! I heard you were hurt in a fight with Rohan!"

Kirti instantly drew her hands out from Abhi's and turned her face away from him. Frowning at the sudden loss of Kirti's warm touch, it took Abhimanyu a moment to process the fact that Anika was standing beside him. Her face looked worry-stricken, a bit too much in Abhi's opinion that it almost appeared to be fake.

Pulling a chair, Anika settled down beside him, creating a barrier between Abhi and Kirti as she took his wounded hand in hers. The touch, however, didn't soothe or pacify his knuckles in any possible way this time. He wondered if it was because Kirti's hold was a genuine one while Anika's hold was... No, it couldn't be; Abhi almost immediately refused to agree to his inner thoughts and rejected the ideas immediately.

Anika was the one and only girl for him and she cared for him with all her heart. Otherwise why'd she come running to him when she acknowledged that he was hurt despite their row which had occurred the other day at their house? Abhi argued internally.

But Anika was displaying her concern through her exclamations while Kirti barely holding his hand in hers was enough a testimony to her concern and care for him. Her sincerity was unmistakably visible in her eyes.

***

The cold, harsh breeze blew across their faces as the group pedalled through the busy Alleppey streets. The skies possessed an untamed beauty to them as grey clouds swarmed overhead, turning the vast scape into an ashen sight. A thunderstorm or at least a heavy shower was on its way, Kirti could tell.

"How long do you think the two of them would be sulking from one another?" Abhi asked Kirti as he steered his cycle closer to hers so that she heard him over the blaring horns of vehicles and the thundering lightning that occasionally brightened the dark skies.

Kirti looked ahead, focusing her eyes on Yash and Shruti. While Yash was pedalling away at a recklessly high speed, overtaking every other vehicle and beating the entire group out, Shruti was silently sharing a ride with Paras who was talking to Jiya as they pedalled next to each other a few feet ahead of Abhimanyu and Kirti. It was so unusual because it was always Rohan who used to pick and drop Shruti from school and on days when Rohan couldn't, Shruti would happily share a ride with Yash.

It was clear that Shruti and Yash were avoiding one another after the break-time debacle.

"I hope they resolve their issues-" Kirti was speaking to Abhi when she stopped short on her words. A certain car caught her eye. Or more precisely, the person driving the car did so.

Kirti's speed faltered a little as she stopped pedalling, her limbs turning paralysed as her eyes locked over that square jaw and clean-shaven face. The man was wearing thick-rimmed glasses which might have been helpful in concealing his identity but how could Kirti, of all people, forget that face? After all, he was one of them.

Kirti snapped out of her flashbacks when she noticed that they had approached an intersection where the man took a left turn, driving away. Kirti flicked her eyes over to Abhi and her group which was still pedalling to go straight ahead. Abhi had his eyes trained on Kirti with concern. He must've noticed the sudden rigidness to her demeanour.

Sighing, Kirti knew what she had to do. She couldn't let go of this golden opportunity. Not when she was this close to following them to their spot.

Before her cycle dwindled down to a complete halt, Kirti changed the gears and took a sharp left turn, dodging an adjacent biker swiftly who cussed at her dangerous driving skills. Abhi called out to her with worry lacing his voice but Kirti couldn't care less as she pedalled faster, steering past pedestrians and vehicles as she followed that black Toyota a few cars away.

Her heart pounded against her chest as she breathed out in exhaustion. Following a car with a cycle must sound utterly crazy but what other option did Kirti have anyway? The cold winds hit her face like a hundred needles, piercing her skin and making her lips quiver with numbness as she sliced through the crowding streets.

To add to her troubles, rains had begun to seep through the skies, trickling down to the earth. Cold droplets of the fast-approaching thunderstorm splattered over her face and shoulders, making her shiver lightly, affecting her speed. Maybe Kirti would've given up with this stupid car chase already but determination and fortitude surged through her veins when her father's smile crossed her mind.

She was not giving up so easily.

Gripping the handlebars tighter, making her knuckles turn white, Kirti pedalled harder than ever before. The Toyota which had moved quite far was now just a few feet away. Kirti knew that maintaining a perfect distance would be the best idea if she didn't want him to know that he was being followed. The car took a few turns and with every deflection, the street appeared to grow more and more desolate.

The winds were now searing through the surroundings at high speeds, in the opposite direction to Kirti, hitting her face and arms mercilessly. Her white shirt was completely drenched and her blue skirt had turned a dark hue of navy with the entire downpour. Kirti would've continued following him had it not been the agonizing pain which shot up her ankle, flowing through her entire being. She had overstrained her body as much as she hated to admit it.

Yet, she stubbornly attempted to continue, pedalling in the same momentum.

Kirti yelped in pain as agony gripped her consciousness, overpowering her resolve. Hitting the brakes, Kirti tried and steered the cycle off the bleak road onto the adjacent grassy field which was most presumably an abandoned playground where wisps of grass had grown all around. Losing her balance, Kirti let go of the ride and limped away, trying to avoid the probable collision with the ground but failed miserably as she tripped over her right leg and stumbled down to the earth, landing on all fours.

Breathing out a painful cry, Kirti grasped her ankle which hadn't been any better. Gritting her teeth, she sat over the muddy playground; her hands soiled with the wet mud, as she averted her eyes to that black Toyota which appeared to grow smaller as it drove farther away, merging into the now-darkening backdrop. She fished out her phone from her skirt pocket, her body shivering uncontrollably by the bone-chilling shower which was still pouring down on her. The unforgiving gusts of wind didn't help her situation either as she dialled the number with shaky fingers, her mind going numb with the thought that she was so close to tracking them down.

"Hello, Kirti," the familiar voice reverberated through her handset.

"Sekhar," Kirti whispered, trying to sound composed, "I need help,"

"What?" Sekhar asked, concern lacing his voice, "Where are you?"

"I- I don't know..." Kirti admitted. In all of her hurry of following the man, she didn't even pay any heed as to where she was heading to.

"You stay where you are," Sekhar ordered, "I'm coming to get you,"

Author's Note:-   

Hello reader! Was the chapter good?

I tried to portray some difference between Anika and Kirti through Abhi's head which I hope came across as clear.

How was the car chase btw? Who was this new character whom Kirti recognized with such urgency? Stay tuned to know.

See y'all at the next update! *waves a goodbye*