Page 52 of Reckless Dare

Whereas Pooja began to give her the cold shoulder all the more along with a warning.

“You are going to be finished,” she said. “No one dares to insult a Simha and remain here for long.”

But Ava didn’t care about those warnings. She decided to continue with her student life with her head held high.

Taking a deep breath, she went into the cafeteria where Neeraj was going to join her. Serving herself a big bowl of soup and salad, she took a table next to the window that overlooked the garden with a fountain outside the cafeteria.

She was having her delicious soup when a shadow fell on her table. Thinking it was Neeraj, she looked up with a welcoming smile. But her smile froze.

It was her tormentor.

“Can I join you?” he asked.

His voice was deep and even, giving nothing away. She assumed he was going to give out more threats and warnings, but she wasn’t afraid anymore. Her anger came to her rescue.

“No,” she snapped. “My friend is going to join me.”

Abhiram Simha’s eyes flashed at her statement. But he didn’t say anything. He sat at the table right across hers facing her direction.

She couldn’t ask him to leave from that table, so she pointedly ignored him.

The soup no longer tasted delicious. She could barely swallow as she could feel the burning intensity of the gaze of her tormentor. Her heart raced and she attributed it to anger rather than intense awareness.

Her torture ended when she heard the friendly greeting from a familiar voice.

She looked up from her soup bowl to see Neeraj’s smiling face. “Hi,” she greeted him back.

She had been spending some time with Neeraj over the week. She felt guilty after having suddenly disappeared from his birthday party. When he asked her the next day about where she had gone, she told him something urgent had come up with her family and she had to leave right away.

He didn’t seem happy when she told him that Abhiram Simha was the one to give her the ride from the party.

“Just soup and salad?” Neeraj asked, sitting opposite to her with a large meal of burger, fries and a milkshake.

She smiled. “For now. I was waiting for you.”

Neeraj’s eyes flashed in surprise.

She didn’t know why, but she had never made such a personal remark or said anything to encourage him. But the fact that her tormentor could hear everything she spoke made her want to say something personal. She wanted to let him know she wasn’t alone and that she had someone close who would protect her.

“Oh good. You should grab the burger, too. It’s a special one.”

Ava laughed. “Aren’t they all?” she remarked. “I still can’t get over the food you get here in the cafeteria. Or the ambience.”

Neeraj smiled.

Neeraj was a good friend. Despite knowing what had happened, he didn’t ask her about the showdown she had with her tormentor. She felt extremely grateful about it.

“We should go to the sports bar I told you about,” he said. “Their burgers and fries are out of the world.”

Before she could find an excuse, the sound of loud hoots distracted her. Her eyes fell on the big group heading her way. They were the Simhas along with a few girls, which included Pooja. The group stopped at the table where Abhiram Simha was seated and joined him.

When Ava tried to smile at Pooja, her roommate pointedly ignored her. Pooja put on a wide smile.

“Congratulations on your debate win, Abhi,” Pooja said in a seductive tone.

Ava knew the debate competitions were going on. She hadn’t enrolled in any, but she knew Neeraj had. When her eyes fell on Neeraj, she saw the tightening of his mouth which indicated he wasn’t happy losing to Abhiram Simha.

“Hey Neeraj,” one of the Simha guys yelled, after having spotted him. “Prepare to get your ass kicked again in the rugby game and also the elections.”

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