I didn't like the way Shailesh was looking at Tejas.

"Everyone is asking for you," Tejas told me.

"Okay. I will be back soon. You go ahead," I said.

Tejas didn't move. He again asked me who Shailesh was, and my anxiety shot up when Shailesh shot me a warning glare.

"He is a... relative," I lied to Tejas.

"A relative?" Tejas questioned. "Why are you meeting like this then?"

Shailesh smirked, and I knew he was enjoying this situation. I quickly thought of more excuses and kept my expressions blank.

"He doesn't live here," I lied. "He was just in the area to meet his friend, but since my family also lives here, he decided to catch up. He was just leaving."

"That's all?" Tejas asked.

I nodded and looked at Shailesh. "You are in a hurry, right?" I asked him as a part of my act.

Shailesh played along. He nodded to what I had asked, but Tejas still looked unconvinced.

"I will be back within five minutes. We are talking about some personal family issues, so can you please...?" I tried to persuade Tejas to leave.

He looked reluctant, but when I repeated that I and Shailesh were discussing something personal, he told me to come back soon and left.

As soon as Tejas was out of my sight, I breathed in relief.

"You Devarkar sisters amaze me," Shailesh commented.

"What?" I asked in confusion.

"You managed to catch a big fish, Bhoomi - just like your sister had caught me. I shouldn't be surprised, but I am," he taunted.

Is he talking about Tejas?

"He is not my friend," I told Shailesh.

He rolled his eyes. "No need to act in front of me. By the way, he was Tejas Jaiswal, right? The only son of Jyoti Jaiswal?"

"No, he wasn't," I lied.

"Oh, come on, are you trying to keep him for only yourself? That's not fair. I don't know how you managed to trap him, but whatever profit you are making from him, make sure to share it with me, okay?"

I felt disgusted. "Please don't talk like that. I don't have anything do to with him."

Why is this asshole so interested in Tejas?

"Lies, lies, lies~" Shailesh sang. "For your kind information, I have eyes on everything and everyone, my dear Bhoomi. I know my wife is having an affair with her lover right now, but I am not jealous. You know why? Because I am hundred percent sure that Ritvik will soon realise his mistake, and your so-called pure and innocent sister will be abandoned again. I will be in the first row to watch that show."

I gulped down the curses that were on the tip of my tongue.

"You aren't saying anything. So boring," he irked. "We always talk about our family, so let's discuss something else - something interesting like Tejas Jaiswal, or maybe Akshay's girlfriend, Suhana?"

Is he serious right now? Is he stalking me or what?

"I don't know what you are talking about. As for your money, I will transfer my savings to you tomorrow morning at the earliest. I promise," I said.

"Don't try to spoil the mood," he complained. "Where was I? Oh, right. Suhana... Such a sweet name, just like the girl who owns it. You know, I also wanted to have a girlfriend just like her, but who did I get? Your faulty sister. My bad luck. But there is Suhana's friend named Mahreen, right? She is also my type. Maybe this time at least, I can have a girl of my own social status."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I knew Shailesh was aware of Akki and my other friends, but I never expected him to have details about Tejas and his friends.

This is not good. The more Shailesh knows about my personal life, the more trouble he will bring for me and everyone I care for. He is taking advantage of my vulnerabilities.

"Please don't involve them in our matter," I told Shailesh. "I remember our deal, so why are you doing this?"

"Bhoomi, why are you so stupid?" Shailesh grumbled. "I am trying to show you a way that can profit both of us, so why are you not getting the hint? If you are not friends with Tejas Jaiswal, then become his friend. You know kidnapping such rich kids is nothing new, right? On top of that, he is the only son of an uber-rich family. I am sure if he gets in any kind of problem, his parents will shell out their whole wealth for his safety. Should we try it? I mean, your debt will be cleared in a snap, and I will also make some handsome commision as a bonus."

What kind of nonsense is this motherfucker saying? He wants to kidnap Tejas? How dare he even think about it? Tejas shouldn't have come here. Shailesh saw him, and now, he thinks that I am trapping Tejas. For his greed, Shailesh can stoop to any level. I need to make him leave asap.

"Shailesh, please leave," I said.

He sighed in disappointment. "You and your family get on my nerves. Your kind irritates me the most because you idiots always run away from profit. Whatever. I tried to help you, but since you want to do hard labour, go ahead. I won't be going easy on you, remember that. And, to remind you again, don't try to be oversmart. The more people you involve, the more options I will have to use against you. Take it as my last advice. See you soon."

He winked and left while whistling to himself. I was frozen in my spot as Shailesh's threats repeated themselves in my ears.

Will he really kidnap Tejas? I can't trust him at all. He is a psychopath. What should I do? How does he know about Tejas and his mother? He even mentioned Suhana and Mahreen. Is he spying on me and my family? He even knows that Ritvik Bhaiyya and Dhara Di are meeting each other now. He won't harm them, right? Wait, my parents and Srishti are alone at home. Did he meet me after going to my house?

My hands shook as I called my mother. She didn't pick up the call, so I called my father. Fortunately, he received my call, and I asked him where he was.

He told me he and the rest were watching TV, and I heaved a deep breath as I confirmed that they were safe. Still, it was not impossible that Shailesh could go to my house after I returned to Rehman's party.

I cut the call and was trying to calm my nerves down when I jumped in shock as I felt someone touch my shoulder.

"Wow, Shorty, that was a hell of a reaction," Hriaan said.

"Why are you here?" I scolded him and glanced in the direction Shailesh had gone.

"I should be asking you that," Hriaan retorted. "TJ said you will be back soon, but I think the party is too boring for you, isn't it? Anyways, if you wanted to escape, why would you come to this alley? And where's your relative?"

I pushed Hriaan out of there, my eyes continuously searching if Shailesh was spying or not.

"My relative is gone already," I told Hriaan.

"Why are you behaving like you saw a ghost? Is everything okay?" he asked worriedly.

Shailesh didn't mention it, but I am sure he knows about Hriaan and KD also. That asshole!

"Everything's fine, Hriaan. Stop imagining things," I said.

Hriaan stared at me curiously, but I ignored him. After we went inside Vibhan's dance station, I instantly went to my sister and told her that I was going home. She asked me if something happened, but before I could tell her the truth, Ritvik Bhaiyya arrived with some cold drinks.

Seeing my expression, my sister understood my concern and allowed me to go home. She lied to Ritvik Bhaiyya about my early departure from the party, and I didn't take her with me because at the moment, she was safer here than she would have been at our home.

Ritvik Bhaiyya told me that he would bring Dhara Di later, and I started leaving after thanking him. On my way out, Tejas stopped me.

"Hamster, where are you going now?" he asked in a complaining voice.

Am I in my right senses or is he really sounding very cute right now? What's with that expression?

"To my home," I replied plainly.

"You are leaving?!" Rehman yelled when he spotted me.

"Dad called, so I gotta go," I lied.

Rehman nodded and hugged me. "Thank you for not ruining my birthday this year. I love you."

"Happy birthday once again, idiot. Now let me go. You are heavy."

Rehman grinned and then hugged Tejas. "Big bro, I love you too. Thank you for coming to my party."

As Rehman was distracting Tejas, I took my chance to escape, but Tejas caught my wrist.

"I will drop you home," he told me.

"Thank you, but my house is not far. This is my area, so I can go by myself," I said.

"She is right, bro," Rehman said. "Even ghosts in our chawl are afraid of her. There's nothing to worry about."

I would have punched Rehman, but I didn't because first, it was his birthday, and second, he was helping me in convincing Tejas.

"Can I please go now? My dad doesn't like to wait," I lied.

Sorry, Dad. I have to use your name to get out of this situation.

Unfortunately, Tejas didn't listen. He consoled Rehman he would return soon and told me to guide him towards my home.

"Why are you coming along?" I complained. "You are again helping me when I don't need it."

As we walked towards my house, I kept looking out for any signs of Shailesh or his men.

Why is Tejas not listening? He is being super stubborn tonight. What's wrong with him? He should have stayed with his friends. How will I protect him if something happens?

"Left turn or right turn?" Tejas asked me.

"Right turn," I answered.

"Why are you going to the left then?" He pulled me back.

"Well, I think... I accidentally went that way..." I shrugged my shoulders.

Tejas flicked me on the chin. "You totally don't look okay, Hamster. Why are you continuously glancing here and there? What's the matter?"

"Nothing. I am just thinking about exams. I haven't prepared much, and I don't want to fail... I mean, I have studied. Still I know I won't be able to-"

"I will help you in your studies, so don't stress about it. Don't get distracted like this when walking on the streets at night. It is not safe."

Wow. He is so worried for me. I am really touched, but I can't enjoy this moment right now. I need to send him back at the earliest.

"We have reached my house," I told him and pointed at my street. "Thank you for dropping me till here. I will always be grateful. Please safely return to Vibhan's studio. Goodnight!"

I dashed towards my home. I was amazed at my own speed. I banged the door open and dived inside. My parents and niece stared at me with wide-eyes after I made my entry like a superstar.

"Why are you here so early?" Dad asked me.

I just smiled at him and signalled Mom to handle the rest of the situation. Just like I had arrived, I went back outside. I closed the door behind me and checked if Tejas had left or not. I squinted my eyes and saw his silhouette in the distance.

I started following him. There was no way I was going to let him return alone when I knew what kind of danger was lurking around.

I slowly tailed him from the distance and hid whenever Tejas suddenly stopped and looked over his shoulder. I doubted if he was suspicious about someone following him. Luckily, he didn't catch me, and I thanked Ganapati Bappa when I saw Tejas enter my crew's studio.

He is safe now, but I can't risk him getting in trouble again because of me.

On my way back, I checked all of the streets and alleys. I found no signs of Shailesh and his men. When I returned home, Dad didn't ask me anything, and I thanked Mom for lying on my behalf.

Ritvik Bhaiyya had already sent the cake and snacks to our place, so all of us ate together. I went to wash dishes in the kitchen, and Mom joined me.

"What happened, Bhoomi?" she asked seriously.

After checking that Dad was engrossed in watching TV, I told my mother about my meeting with Shailesh.

"What's his problem? Is his brain rotten? Why is he threatening you like this? I will talk to him," Mom said in fury.

"Maa, don't get hyper. He is like this only; don't expect him to act nice just because we gave him five lakhs. We are in no position to fight him," I reminded.

"Did he say anything else?"

"I think he is spying on us. Unfortunately, when I was talking to him, Tejas arrived there, and that Shailesh knows all about him and his family. He threatened to kidnap him, Maa. I was really scared. Tejas is not even my friend, but Shailesh is willing to harm anyone we know. I am worried."

"Tejas... You mean your celebrity crush, Tejas Jaiswal? He is Hriaan and Suhana's friend, right?" Mom queried.

I nodded. "Hriaan and his friends are also in danger now because of me. How should I solve this? When Tejas saw Shailesh, he wasn't willing to leave me alone with that asshole. I lied that Shailesh was a relative. And now also, Tejas came to drop me home. What if Shailesh had seen him?"

Mom stared at me, her eyes roaming all over my face.

"You like Tejas, right?" she asked.

"What?" I stepped back from her in fear of getting beaten up.

"Bhoomi, I know you like him. There's no need to lie to me."

"Maa, it is actually weird to hear you talk like that, and I am just Tejas's fan, nothing else."

I quickly placed a plate in front of my face when she raised her right hand. I thought she was going to slap me, but she ordered me to remove the plate or she would actually thrash me.

I slowly removed the plate, and closed my eyes shut when Mom moved her hand towards my face. I opened my eyes in confusion when she wiped my cheeks.

"If you are just his fan, then why are you crying like this?" Mom asked sadly.

I am crying?

Mom pulled me in a hug. "I am not going to scold you, Bhoomi. I know how much you like Tejas. Earlier, I was worried when I always saw you dancing to his videos and talk about him only, but now I understand that it is not wrong if you have feelings for your dance idol. I also know that my Bhoomi is not irresponsible. I am sorry that you have to suppress your feelings like this."

"Don't apologize, Maa. Thank you for understanding."

She broke the hug, and I understood what she was going to say next.

"Shailesh is not someone we should take lightly, beta," Mom adviced. "I know you care about your friends, especially Tejas. At present, we can't put anyone in danger and need to think everything thoroughly. Not everyone's life is full of roses, and we need to make some sacrifices and tough decisions even if they hurt. For our own happiness, we can't risk anyone else's life."

Mom's eyes reddened as tears pooled up in her eyes. I very well understood what she was implying.

"We will protect our loved ones, Maa," I said with determination. "I won't be selfish."

Mom patted my head as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I am proud of you. I promise we will get out of this mess soon, and then you can continue gushing over your dance idol all you want. I won't complain at all."

"I hope so too."

I tightly hugged my mother, repeating her advice in my mind.

After our emotional session in the kitchen, we returned to watching TV, and Dad looked at both of us suspiciously. He asked if Mom scolded me regarding my studies, and I agreed with his point. He told me that he would also cry if I failed in my exams.

I laughed, and thanks to him, my tension was a bit relieved. My sister also returned after some time, and Ritvik Bhaiyya played with Srishti before he handed Mom some more food parcels. He left after chatting with Dad, and since I had to go to my job the next morning, I slept earlier than others.

The next morning, I was back to following my schedule. After finishing both of my part-time jobs, I went to Sarthak's dance studio for my team rehearsals.

Okay, Bhoomi, you know what you got to do.

As expected, I spotted Tejas going to his practice room alongwith Danny. I didn't try to avoid him. I kept walking towards my practice room and acknowledged both guys.

"Hi, Danny. Hi, Tejas," I greeted them.

"Hi, Bhoomi," Danny greeted back. "You are in a very good mood today. Is there any good news?"

"No," I replied. "I am just happy because girls are already celebrating boys' defeat."

Danny raised his eyebrows. "Love the overconfidence. See, TJ, I think we need to remind them who's the boss."

Tejas didn't reply to Danny. I was having trouble handling his laser-like gaze, so I kept glancing here and there. I could no longer bear it, so I teased Danny that the girls would win with zero efforts and ran off before the boys could catch me.

I still need to practice being normal in front of Tejas. It looked like he was going to burn me with his stare.

I drank lots of water because my body was too much heated up. I remembered my idea of physical exhaustion, so I concentrated only on my team practice and received a lot of compliments from my team.

My shift at my event management company was a bit late, so I decided to stay back to polish the parts I was lacking in. My team left by 6:30 pm, and after taking a snack break, I continued practicing.

My mentor also left after some time and reminded me to leave early. Now that the whole practice room was mine, I watched all of my team's rehearsal videos and noted down the parts where I needed to improve.

I played the music, and slowly, I started getting into the zone where there was just me and the beats. All of my worries, tension, thoughts, and concerns faded one by one, and I kept going on and on. It was exhilarating!

I was enjoying myself, but suddenly, the music stopped. My trance was broken, and I felt like murdering the person who had disturbed me.

Thankfully, I stopped myself in time because the person who had dared to mess my practice was none other than Tejas.

I need to behave normally.

"Why did you interrupt my music?" I asked him.

"Because you were practicing non-stop. Don't forget your are a human, not a robot," he replied. "You should take breaks in-between, or you will end up blacking out."

Again he is caring for me. I can't let him continue like this. He needs to stay away from me. He will leave if I fight with him. Yes, that's my solution. I gotta irritate him.

"I can take care of myself, so you can leave as it is getting late," I told him like I was not interested in talking to him.

"Show me your right shoulder and left ankle. I need to check if you can continue practicing," he said with authority.

"Excuse me? You are neither my doctor, nor my team leader, so why are you ordering me around? I refuse to be your test patient."

Tejas narrowed his eyes. "If you continue neglecting your injuries like this, you will not be able to do your multiple jobs," he taunted.

"That's for me to decide. Stop bothering about me already," I said in frustration.

Do I really need to get in a physical fight with him to make him understand that I want him to go? He is just ignoring what I am saying. What if Shailesh is spying on me and sees me arguing with Tejas like this?

"Tejas, please go," I said.

"No," he replied firmly.

He moved towards me, so I ran to another corner.

"Why are you running away from me?" he asked, a frown forming on his face.

"Because you are not leaving," I said.

He fisted his hands. "You also know that I can catch you easily, right?"

I very well knew that. Still, I kept my distance from him and took a glance out of the window.

I don't see anyone suspicious.

"Hamster, what's with you today? You are not being your usual self. What's the matter?" Tejas asked.

"I just want to practice, but you are not letting me do even that," I complained. "Stop wasting your time here, and just go."

"You think I am wasting my time with you?" Tejas asked, his voice laced with accusation and anger.

"What else are you doing then? You don't like repeating things twice, but you keep making me repeat the same stuff again and again. I already told you I don't need any kind of help from you, so why don't you understand? You want me to do as you say, but what are you doing right now? I am telling you to leave, and still you are not listening. Why?"

"That's because I care for you!" he announced.

I opened my mouth to say the next argument that I had planned in my mind, but my voice got stuck in my throat. I stared at Tejas as if he had dropped a bomb on me.

Dear brain, don't short-circuit. Help me!

"You don't need to care for me," I told him, trying my best to not sabotage my plan.

Tejas moved like Flash, and I was stuck in the corner.

"What did you say?" he asked me.

I forced myself to look at him without succumbing under his stare. His dark brown eyes were shining like marbles, and I scolded myself to stop admiring him.

"I said you don't need to care for me," I repeated.

"And what if I refuse to do as you say?" he challenged.

Why is he testing my resolve? Even after I scolded him, why is he still here and looking at me like a lost puppy? Why am I in this situation? This is terrible!

"Why are you doing this...?" I mumbled to myself.

"Because I like you, Hamster," Tejas said.

I widened my eyes as my heart skipped a mountain-sized beat.

"Wh-what...?" I stuttered.

Tejas took a deep breath and looked at me with the softest expression I had ever seen in my whole life.

"I like you, Bhoomi. I care for you because I really like you," he confessed.

Oh, so Tejas likes me... Well, I am not dreaming because he himself said that, right? I always imagined this, but I could never come up with what I was supposed to do later.