Page 126 of Reckless Dare

Her father paused and looked at her. “Abhiram also told me about how he had troubled you because of his anger towards me and apologized for his behavior. He even said he was going to seek your apology again.”

Ava was stunned.

Her father smiled. “For a twenty year old to own up to their mistakes is so quite rare. I guess it’s because he is a Simha. They are taught to be humble despite their money and power.”

Ava felt shaken.

Her father continued to smile happily. “Raghav was on a business trip the past week and he finally called me and we talked… just like we did back in the day. It was as though we weren’t estranged over the last fifteen years, we simply picked up where we left off.”

Tears welled her eyes seeing the happy smile on her father’s face after getting his best friend back. “I’m so happy for you papa.”

Ava couldn’t control the overwhelming emotions that swept through her as pieces started to fall into place.

Abhi made the dare in anger. His hatred was justified as he thought her father was responsible for his aunt’s death. The aunt who was more like a mother to him.

“Papa, I… I need to go. I’ll call you back.”

She ended the call, and with trembling fingers, she unblocked Abhi’s phone number and called him. The call didn’t go through.

She tried multiple times but it still wasn’t unable to be reached.. It usually happened when he was on the lower level of the gym where there was no signal.

Unable to wait, and with a burning need to see him, and to tell him that she loved him, she decided to go to him. She stepped out of the housing unit and rushed toward the gym.

Fifteen minutes later, when she reached the gym, she did not find him. She could find any of his cousins or friends either.

She went to the section of the gym where the Vipers usually hung out and to her surprise the entire section was empty. Were they all away for a game?

As she was going around in the gym, frantically looking for him, her phone started to ring. Excited, she picked it up right away. It wasn’t Abhi.

“Oh my God, Ava. Where are you!”

“I’m in the gym, Pooja. What’s wrong?” She wondered if Pooja or someone else fell sick.

“Ava… Abhi… he is leaving?” Pooja sounded out of breath.

“Leaving? Where is he leaving?”

She hoped Pooja was talking about Abhi leaving for a bike race.

She quickly made plans to find someone to take her to those races, so she could go to Abhi and talk to him.

“Abhi is leaving Simha University, Ava! He just quit as the student council president too.”

Shock ripped through her. “W-What?” She couldn’t believe it. And then, another bolt of shock hit her when she recalled their last conversation.

His jaw clenched and he looked beyond frustrated. “Tell me how can I get you to forgive me? I’ll do anything you ask.”

Her eyes flared. “Anything?”

“Yes.”

“Then leave me alone!” she spat. “I asked you many times before to leave me alone. But you didn’t listen and tormented me even further. Now, I am asking you again. I hope you listen this time!”

There was silence.

“Well?” she demanded. “Are you going to leave me alone?”

He watched her face intensely. She thought he wouldn’t answer her, but he did. “Yes, I will leave you alone. You’ll never see me again.”

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