Page 31 of Reckless Rival

Nami was starting to get weighed down by guilt. End of the day, the person who hurt her new friend was also a student. It outraged her that the guy hurt the girl he liked over a mere scratch. “Whatever happened is behind us.” She looked at Vasavi. “Are you feeling okay to go to class today?”

“Yes.” She giggled and added, “I get to see Varun’s face too. If he is not moping in his room, crying over his car.”

Ramya scrunched her nose. “What’s the big deal? It’s egg… he can get it washed. Maybe some extra clean-up to get rid of the smell.”

Vasavi shook her head. “No. Eggs are dangerous. Literally, in a few hours, the yolk eats into the paint and destroys it permanently. Leaves a mark.”

Ramya’s jaw dropped. “Like how bird poop leaves the icky stain?”

“Exactly.” Vasavi high-fived Ramya.

Nami could not get herself to listen to the excited conversation anymore. Irrespective of how much she rationalized her behavior, she felt bad for her actions and told herself to never act under duress again. It had to be the first and last time. Ever.

In that moment, she remembered the deal she made with her arrogant rival. “I got to go.” Her mind was reeling with ways not to have to deal with him. Of all the thousands of students on the campus, why did it have to be him who caught her?

Her eyes fell on the vintage watch she still had on her wrist. It amazed her when he noticed it on her when they went on a date. And for him to know it was her when he saw it last night and place her just blew her mind.

Why the heck did he even take a video? She paused as the thought passed through her. If only she could get the video deleted, there would be no evidence. She made sure not to be caught in any other security cameras.

A wicked smile formed on her lips. “I need to get hold of his phone.”

With that mission on her mind, she went straight to the cafeteria. She picked up a mocha and a protein shake. She had noticed he was sipping on a protein shake the time he had taken her to the lighthouse.

She never had to appease any guy ever, unlike her reckless rival demanded, and maybe it would only take one attempt to get hold of his phone and delete the video. She looked up his schedule on the boxing site and knew exactly where he would be—at the boxing ring—and she knew exactly where he kept his phone.

Nami had a short window of time to find his phone and delete the video. Even if it was backed up online, it should get deleted once she did a permanent erase. In hopes of overcoming the hurdle and move on with her Simha life, she rushed toward the boxing arena.

“Good morning, Nami. Are you on the schedule for this morning?” The woman at the reception looked confused.

Nami was in a rush to stop and chat. “I forgot something.”

She caught the practice match in her peripheral view as she snuck into the locker room. Knowing exactly where his locker was, she opened it hoping to find his phone. Even if it is locked with a passcode, she just had to take the phone away from him and hoped he had not created a dozen backups.

Pretending to find a spot to place the smoothie she had in her hand, she moved his things around but no phone. Crap! Maybe he had it somewhere else? But where? She shut the locker door and went back to the arena where the match was going on. It was a practice one, but everyone was watching it intently.

She stopped short and stared in awe at the sight before her. Rana was blindfolded while the other boxer drove punches at him, and despite being visually incapacitated, he was holding up the fight. She could not help but gawk at the guy who looked like the Greek gods sculpted him with their bare hands.

The black blindfold made something twist deep inside her with an unknown want. Her heart thudded hard as the raging feelings she had suppressed resurfaced. She turned away as her breath started to come fast, like the very sight of him was affecting her. And he wasn’t even trying.

How the heck was she going to pretend to be interested when she was already going crazy at the very sight of his bare chest?

Lost in thoughts, she was startled when the arena broke into a clamor. She turned around to find Rana pulling off the blindfold to look at his opponent who had fallen to the floor, knocked out.

“That was an amazing shot, Rana.” The coach looked ecstatic.

Nami couldn’t help but join the group in cheering her rival. How was he so annoyingly good at everything he did? From her research, she knew boxing was not only a game of strength but that of strategy and smartness.

And she had to outsmart him to get out of the situation she was in or play along. How much did he hate her to want her to stay and fake being his fangirl than to get her booted out of the campus? Wouldn’t that be the easiest thing to do? And yet, there she was under his mercy for the next few months, potentially.

Realizing she had lost the opportunity to get a hold of his phone, she walked toward him as he stepped off the ring. She smiled at him. “That was a good game.” She held out the protein shake she had picked up for him. “I brought this for you.”

A curious eyebrow went up, and he looked at the drink suspiciously.

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry. It’s only the ingredients from the cafeteria kitchen.”

He chuckled before leaning closer. “I don’t trust you, Varma. Drink a few sips.”

The way he said her last name, she wanted to splash her drink and his smoothie in his face, but she swallowed her anger. She glared at him as she took a few sips of the yummy protein shake. “Happy?”

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