" 'N'..... your turn!!!" the girls cried inside the bus.
"Can we stop playing this shitty game??? I'm so done with this!!!" Luv said irritated. Maahi sat quietly in the middle row. If maahi knew one thing excellently then it would be reading books, she wasn't very great when it came to singing songs. Karanvir sat leaning against the window, eyes fixed on her uneasy figure.
"Hell no!!! You are saying this on purpose because you have ran out of songs!!!" vaishali shouted on top of her lungs. Luv looked sullen.
"C'mon vaishali stop it....no one is interested in playing 'Antakshari' for goodness sakes." Karanvir told her coolly, looking at maahi's disengaged frame. Vaishali fumed.
"I'm interested and nobody asked for your opinion dork!!!" she hissed vehemently at him. Karanvir smirked as he gulped down some red bull.
"Too bad, no one shall play if I say no. Try it out if you wish." said Karanvir uninterested. Vaishali's cheeks looked flushed with anger.
"You....."
"Vaishu please......relax." maahi began pacifying her friend. Karanvir's eyes twinkled.
"Yes vaishu relax!!" manish (one of the college jerk) cackled. Maahi lowered down her eyes, ashamed. Karanvir's fists balled and in a swift second he had turned back and punched the jerk right on his nose. The boy squealed in pain, clutching his red nose. Maahi gasped on finding manish crying in pain and Karanvir smirking evily.
"What the hell Karanvir!!!" manish yelled at him but then instantly regretted after looking into karanvir's unforgiving eyes. The bus had abruptly fallen into silence and where few minutes before were laughter and jests there now ruled terror and quietness. Maahi clasped vaishali's hand tightly out of his fear.
"Did you say something knucklehead??" karanvir intoned vindictively. Manish gulped and quickly shook his head.
"Do you guys have to spoil the fun everytime?? Karanvir you are seriously impossible.....I mean, what's your problem man!!!" vaishali stood up and shouted bossily at him. Karanvir turned towards her angrily. He surely would've murdered her had he not seen maahi's scared figure cowering into the window. A sigh escaped his lips as he realised he had actually put a full stop on the fun they were having. There was no way out there he wanted to ruin her trip.
"Sorry." he said grumpily and sat facing the window. Everybody had their eyes popped out of their sockets. Karanvir Roy has said sorry. It may not look like a big thing but to them it was something really hard to digest. Vaishali was stunned and although she might've had few speculations going on in her head still she refrained from saying anything. He apologized, that's it.
"Should we play dumb charades??" akhil offered just to ease the situation. Boys and girls shouted in joy and once again the bus was jam packed with noise and liveliness.

The bus drew up in front of a hotel. The driver killed the engine and one by one the students started climbing down the bus. Maahi was behind vaishali and behind her was some girl. Karanvir quickly hauled the girl behind and himself took her place. Maahi's toes curled on feeling him behind her. She could smell his strong masculine cologne and feel the distinct warmth of his body on her back. She gulped and quietly climbed down the bus while he stalked her from behind. Once they were on the ground she ran to her friend vaishali who was clicking pictures.
"Vaishu my bags are heavy, let's go in already." maahi complained while vaishali was busy in taking pictures of herself.
"Can I help you with your bags??" maahi heard a husky voice from behind her. She swung round and gasped. Before her stood the creepy Karanvir, offering her his sweetest smile.
"No...." she said softly. The wind blew in their direction and her silky, brown hairs flew gently behind her back. Karanvir's dark eyes admired her. Her cute innocent face, her small eyes watching him in fear and those little pink lips quivering as she talked to him; he was totally mesmerized by her. He pouted.
"I can help you I promise. These bags are a bit too heavy for your little figure and I just don't want to see you getting a muscle pull or something while carrying these up. So please let me help." said Karanvir earnestly. Maahi still shook her head.
"No thank you. I'll manage." one of her bags fell thudding on the ground as soon as she said that. She looked up innocently at his big figure as he bite down a chuckle. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at her little frame struggling with the bags.
"I know you don't like me but I promise I can do this little thing for you. It's just a little token of friendship..... What say??" his voice sank into a whisper. The freezing cold winds howled across the entire Kodaikanal. Maahi threw the bags and wrapped her arms around herself.
"We're not friends." she said flatly. A look of hurt flashed across his handsome face.
"But we can try to be friends, can't we??" he said hopefully. She frowned.
"There's no reason to befriend you. You are my brothers senior and I have nothing to do with you. I don't see any reason to be friends with you."
"Not everything has to have a reason. Sometimes things just happen without no reason." he cut in and she was shocked. For a minute they both kept looking into each other's eyes saying nothing. Later she quickly withdrew her eyes and looked around.
"It's cold out here." she whispered, looking at the imposing hills rising all around them. Suddenly, something soft hugged the skin of her shoulders and she experienced a sudden warmth seeping into her cold body. She gasped and looked beside her.
"Shhh!! You say nothing unless you wish to piss me off." he declared before picking up her luggage and striding towards the hotel. She gasped and ran behind him, his warm jacket bouncing over her shoulders.
"You don't need to do this....I've my brothers....they will help me." she said, catching up with him. He rolled his eyes.
"Brothers.... Those two who are busy in shooting Instagram reels??" he jeered insolently, gesturing towards her brothers who were busy in their phones. She looked down sadly. He looked at her and sighed.
"Your brothers love you but they are careless which is why your father is too harsh on them" he said trying to cheer her up. She walked beside him nervously.
"My father doesn't like you as well." she said flatly, looking down at her feet. Karanvir stopped short.
"That's a nice insult." he muttered to himself before entering inside the foyer of the hotel.

Maahi got her room and with karanvir's uninvited help she got to share it with her friend vaishali and one more girl from her class. They were currently sitting inside their room, relaxing a bit before they go down for dinner. They had arrived late to the hotel and therefore today they will do nothing but eat and sleep, tomorrow they shall go for some outing.
"Karanvir carried your bags inside the hotel. Why did he do that??" asked the girl from her class. She had some evil glint in her eyes.
"I don't know. Perhaps he was just helping me." answered maahi nervously, stacking up her clothes inside the closet. The girl smirked cruelly.
"Sounds true to me but what's his jacket doing on your shoulders??" asked the girl insolently. Maahi gasped on realising that she had actually not taken off his jacket, it was warm you know.
"I was feeling cold that's why he gave it to me." she told her truthfully. Her eyes held fire.
"Really. He is never so sweet to me or to any other girl. What's so special about you??" she spat rudely. Maahi could see the jealousy coating her tongue and eyes. She really didn't wanted to argue with her, especially when vaishali wasn't around. Quickly she grabbed her phone and stormed outside to escape the jealous girl. She really couldn't understand why every girl she meets is head over heels in love with him. What's so special about him?? Yes he is handsome but handsome boys are so gross (she thinks). She took off his jacket and made her way towards his room that was fortunately in the same corridor. She really didn't understand why Karanvir opted for a basic room when he was given the choice of having a VIP room all to himself, upstairs. Stupid boy, she thought. Quickly she rapped at the door of his room. She heard him say come in from inside. Drawing in a breath she moved inside the room. Inside was Karanvir, lying on his bed and around him, on the couches, were his gullible friends. Karanvir sat up instantly upon seeing her.
"Your jacket." she said quickly before placing the jacket on his bed. He gesticulated his friends to leave and they left forthwith, leaving the two alone. Maahi turned to leave.
"Maahi." he called her. She spun and looked at him.
"Hm." she asked nervously. He cleared his throat and came towards her.
"You... You didn't need to return this. I mean it looks good on you." he faltered, smiling sheepishly. Maahi looked at him innocently.
"This is 10 times my size." she told him and he stopped short. He licked his lips and said.
"Um-Um....so what's your plan for tonight??" he asked gingerly.
"Sleeping after dinner." she replied truthfully. He placed his hand on his cheek.
"Ok. Do you wish to go out?? I mean I can take you out.... there's a nice coffee shop close by and....."
"Thank you very much but I am better without it. I'll go tomorrow with my teachers and classmates." she told him. He sighed.
"Maahi I can show some really beautiful places which these foolish college teachers can never show you. Please trust me for once." he whispered desperately. Maahi looked at him puzzled.
"No thank you. I am here with my teachers and I'll go with them. That's final." she said flatly.
"Typical good girl." he mumbled under his breath while biting on his laughter.
"Ok. So little one, what might I do for you?? Should I fetch you something to eat??" he asked sweetly. She looked at him as if he had grown horns. Why was he always acting so sweet in front of her when in truth he was nothing but opposite of what he shows. She huffed.
"Nothing. I am going to my room. And yes, please don't pick my bags or offer me your jackets again, few people have issues with it." she said hotly. Karanvir looked at her grimly.
"Did someone say something to you??" he asked dangerously. She gulped.
"No....no one said...."
"Name." he asked seriously, his voice low and threatning. She looked down in fear.
"My-My roomate." she replied honestly. He balled his fists as his eyes turned darker.
"Listen maahi, if ever anyone says any shit to you, tell me right away and about this girl...... I'll see what issues does she have." he seethed. Maahi was shivering in fear but she did her best to not show him. Following that he stooped over so his lips were touching her nose.
"I won't allow people to trouble this little flower." he whispered huskily, his hot breath fanning her face. She gasped and spun before running outside the room. He chuckled as her little figure disappeared behind the door.
"Why is she so cute!!!!" he whispered, leaning against the almirah.

In the night, all were having dinner in the dining hall. Maahi was eating dinner with her friend vaishali in one corner.
"Hi." someone said from beside her. She looked and gasped.
"Dork, don't you have any thing else to do??" sneered vaishali. Karanvir ignored her.
"Maahi, are you liking the food because I am not. The food here tastes so bad." he tried to start a conversation with her. Maahi moved closer to vaishali.
"It's ok. My father says we should never insult food, no matter how badly it is cooked." she told him softly. His eyes twinkled.
"Good girls are so complicated sometimes...." he paused and watched her nervous figure.
"But they are always so beautiful and adorable." he completed and she looked at him in shock. Vaishali gnashed her teeth.
"She's out of your league dork." vaishali snapped at him. Karanvir watched her blankly.
"Vaishali why do you love me so much....look I am not your type you know so stop obsessing over me." he teased her. She fumed.
"Go to hell." said she and stood up. After vaishali left, karanvir moved closer to maahi while the latter shuddered.
"Don't mind her, she's just a pain in the ass." he said casually. Maahi glared at him.
"That's a bad word and she's my friend." she said angrily. He gaped at her before grinning like crazy.
"I'm sorry..... I'm a bad boy you know and you know what, good girls can change bad boys." he said softly, looking passionately at her. She paid no heed.
"Well I don't know about you but I actually like Akhil a lot.....I mean he's cute and friendly. I like boys like him." she told him casually, sipping on her soup.
"Then I'm gonna beat him to death." said he abruptly. Maahi gasped and looked at him in horror.
"Why so??"
"Because you like him."
"That's stupid...."
"It's not...." he looked her in the eyes and a chill ran down her spine "Especially when I can't stand you liking anyone else" Maahi gulped in horror as she caught something strange in his eyes, something called madness. Suddenly he grabbed her hand, gently though, and began massaging the back of her hand with his thumb. He then looked into her scared eyes and began.
"Never have I felt this way maahi. You're the one who makes me feel like that maahi.....you make me feel different. I turn into someone else when I am around you..... I'm your bad boy...." his eyes turned darker as his thumb began pressing into her soft skin "Don't look for another one. I won't allow that." his voice was dark and threatning. Maahi watched him in horror as his mad eyes looked straight into her troubled soul.
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