Chapter 19
The next day when Shanaya was leaving the college she got a call from her father. Rajeev asked her to come to the office after she's off to college. She spotted the car waiting for her on the porch. "Okay dad, I'll be there," she said and hung up the call.
She hopped in the back seat and the car drove off. She was engrossed in her phone when she felt the heated gaze of someone. In an instant, her head shot up at the rearview mirror and the driver immediately averted his eyes. The driver was wearing a mask and a cap while driving the car.
Weird.
She felt odd but didn't voice out but soon her mind got alert when she saw the car was moving in a different way instead of the office root it was driving in the opposite direction and she uttered "this is not the root to the office" she looked at him from the rearview mirror but he didn't say anything.
Her brows furrowed when he ever so slowly lifted his left brow glancing at her through the rearview mirror and that was it. Her mind got cautious and she screamed.
"I am asking you something. Where are you taking me?" She tried to sound intimidating but her fear was visible in her voice. Her heart filled with dread when he still didn't answer her query. "S…Stop the car" she stuttered, clutching the side of her floral dress.
"I said stop the car" she cried out while trying to unlock the door. "Not before you talk to me" he said in his thick voice, making her eyes go wide in astonishment. Her hand halted and she ever so slowly turned her head to him. "Y…You" she whispered in disbelief and at the same time he looked at the rearview mirror and their gaze clashed.
The urge to get out of the car felt so strong at that moment. Her heart thudded wildly and without presuming much she opened the door.
"Hey, close the door" Avyaansh screamed while the car halted abruptly with a loud screeching sound in the middle of the vacant highway. She grabbed her phone and jumped out of the car leaving her bag there and ran in a random direction.
He got out of the car as well and charged towards her and with long strides, he was able to take hold of her. Grabbing her arm he yanked her back and she clashed with his chest.
Their gaze collided.
Brown against the blue.
"Leave me" she struggled wildly while he clenched his jaw in anger. "What the fuck you think you were doing?" He roared his grip tightened on her arm, making her flinch and she shut her eyes tightly.
He noticed how her palms which were pushing at his chest now gripped his shirt tightly in fear. "You want to die by jumping from the car like that" he yelled as his teeth gritted in rage and his hold tightened on her arms.
"L…Leave me" she breathed out her eyes still closed as if she was avoiding looking at him. Her avoidance pissed him off; he pressed his lips in a thin line while gaping down at her with a clenched jaw. "Look at me," he demanded, pulling her closer with his other arm wrapped around her waist.
In an instant, her eyes opened wide as she looked at their position. He was caging her in his arms, her hands fisting his shirt tightly. He was too close to her for her liking.
She glared at him and tried to push his chest but to no avail. This man was like a giant not moving a bit.
She was stumbling to get out of his grip while he was busy gaping at the girl who looked annoyed and puffed her cheeks in anger. His anger calmed down a bit looking at her face.
Cute.
He was quite enjoying her struggling. She looked like a little kitten. She huffed when she was tired and glared daggers at him.
He tilted his head as if asking if she was done. She looked away and quit struggling. "If you are done. We can talk now" he said and she heaved a sigh before she glared back at him.
"Let go" she demanded and this time he let her go and she immediately stepped back clutching her arm. "What do you want to talk about?" She asked without stammering and thanked her stars that she didn't cower back in fear.
She didn't do anything wrong then why would she feel embarrassed? With that thought, her confidence was boosted and she stood in front of him trying to appear strong and unaffected but from inside she was terrified.
"About that party night," he said in his thick voice, narrowing his eyes at her and all her confidence flew out of her system as she recalled that night. Her throat bobbed up and down as she gulped. "I…I have nothing to talk about" she stuttered while her hand shook.
Her stuttering gave away her fear and he looked at her with a scrutinizing gaze. "But I have, and you have to listen to me" he deadpanned, coming closer to her that she had taken multiple steps back.
She looked around for her escape but to her bad luck the road was vacant and she was alone with him. She lowered her head and gaped at the ground which he didn't like a bit. He took deep breaths to calm his anger and tried to talk as softly as he could.
"Look, I know you must be thinking about me as some kind of creep guy but my intentions were not wrong," he said and she looked at him in disbelief.
Seriously. He took away her first kiss and he was saying his intentions were not wrong. When she didn't say anything he rubbed his face with both of his palms and continued.
"I didn't know what to do when you fell unconscious. The only idea I got was to give you CPR and I did" he said and sighed as if a burden left his shoulder. She licked her parched lips and looked anywhere but at him.
"And you were not even breathing. I was so scared for you. I didn't presume much and…" he trailed off and left the sentence unfinished.
Her heart thudded wildly hearing him. 'Was he scared for me?' She raised her head and was staring at him whose eyes were dead set on her. His face didn't give away the emotions but his words began affecting her.
She couldn't comprehend what he was thinking. On the other hand he can read her like an open book and answer her unasked question. "Yes, I was worried for you. I couldn't afford something bad to happen to you" he sighed and this time she can see the sincerity his eyes showed.
But little did she know what his eyes spoke. He couldn't allow something bad to happen to her before he had his way with her. She was his pawn and he can't afford to lose his trump card. She was just staring at his face and he got the cue, his manipulative words were doing the work on her.
"B…But you…after that you…Kissed" she hesitated and looked away licking her lips in anxiety but she wanted to make him realize his mistake. It was her first kiss and he seized that away. "I am sorry. Forgive me please" he breathed out and apologized and grasped her palms in his big hand.
She stared at him with a confused look plastered on her face. How does it even matter to him if she wants his apology or not? He could have smoothly brushed that off if he wanted. But here he was, asking forgiveness. 'Does he really mean it?' She thought.
"I just didn't know what came into my mind. I never behaved like that before" he whispered, his voice was so soft like he was trying to convince a five year old. He stepped closer to her and cupped her cheeks sideways.
She was just listening to him and he was
clarifying his image in her eyes. And somehow he was succeeding in manipulating her.
"B…But that… that was… " she was cut off by him. "Your first kiss" he completed her sentence and blood rushed down her cheeks. Her ears turned dark pink and her cheeks heated in embarrassment.
His lips tugged in a small smirk looking at her flushed face he hid it immediately but she saw it, he smirked, it was there. "Can you please forgive me Shanaya?" he asked, caressing her soft cheeks and when she tried to avoid meeting his gaze he held her face and made her look at him.
"Please" his voice appears soft. Her heart was melting for his sweetness. She couldn't comprehend what was wrong with him. Has he hit his head somewhere? Or was he drunk in the daytime? But he didn't smell like a drunk.
He was about to say something when her phone rang. She tried to step back from his grasp to pick up her phone but he didn't let her.
"I…I need to take…this call" she said, seeing her father's name flashing on the phone screen. "You can answer the call. I am not stopping you" he said and she creased her brows. He was still caging her in his arms and gaping at her. It was difficult for her to even look at him.
"I…How…" he cut her off. "Answer the call, Shanaya, your dad must be worried for you," he said, and she picked up the call. "H…Hello," she said.
"Where are you? The driver is waiting for you outside, come quickly" Rajeev asked. "Dad, I…I am with Nia. She's dropping me, I'll be there in a few minutes" she said breathlessly when his hand started caressing her jaw.
"Okay" and she hung up the call. "I…I need to go," she said, trying to pry his hand away which was impossible. "First say, you forgave me," he asked, gazing at her wide eyes.
'He was one stubborn man,' she thought in her mind. If she doesn't end it here he will again find ways to corner her. But his voice and his words felt sincere and his touch.
His touch didn't feel strange at all or else she would have run miles away from him. She didn't know why her heart wanted to give him the satisfaction and she did. "I forgive you," she whispered.
Bingo!
He smirked inwardly at her naivety. How easy it was to manipulate her. She fell right into his trap.