Hi ya! This chapter is a bit short. But I hope it's enough for an update. Will update a longer one for the next. 😁

Moving on...

"Words in double quotes" - Talking

'Words in single quotes' - Thoughts

(Words in braces) - Telephone conversations

Chapter 23 - Things Brewing in the Dark

"Here?"

Sanskar shut off his bike as Ragini got off. Laksh too parked his bike. "Yes Lucky. We'll stay here until father calls us. Until the campus is safe for us, we'll wait near this café. Father's men are around this part of town. We're safe here."

#Mount College#

Kriti paced back and forth in the exhibition room. Everyone was there with their partner and their projects as the teachers were going to come check their progress for the Fest. However, she was short of both her partner and a project.

"Hey."

Kriti turned around in panic. "What are we gonna do Karan?! We don't have anything to display. We didn't do anything! What wil-"

"Ahem!" Karan pointed towards the large object in his hands hidden by a cloth. "The rules said you can't present anything that is already available in the market. However, there's no rule saying a friend can't help while building your model.

Kriti grinned from ear to ear. "I feel like I could hug the life out of you."

"Please don't."

"Awww...why not? I really want to."

"I can complain to my fiance mind you for harassing me. She's quite a fierce one."

"Hiding behind your girl? Not very manly."

Karan chuckled. "Trust me. She's more badass than me. I won't mind hiding behind her. I would be proud to."

#Auditorium, 2 hours later#

Everyone was gathered at the auditorium for the various cultural programs. They all looked excited about it.

Well, all except for Swara.

Kriti stood beside her, trying to calm her down. "Breathe. Just breathe and it will be fine!"

"Easy for you to say Kriti since your exhibition is over!"

Kriti chuckled. "I guess you do have a point."

The faculty had already finished checking all the science projects in the exhibition section.

Although Kriti was worried that she and Karan would have nothing to present, Karan brought a mini A.I before the judges right on time. He told them it was just a prototype and was undergoing work. It was quite something and indeed impressed the judges. When she asked him who helped him make it, he just relaxed in his chair and said "My better half helped me make it". No doubt, he meant his fiance. 'An expert himself and also has a fiance who is another genius. Should have expected that.'

Kriti was broken out of her thoughts by Swara. "Kriti, what now? The faculty will think we, the cultural club, are lazing off if they find the two best singers missing. We need to give our level best! But Sanskar and Ragini are missing! Not to mention Laksh is missing too!"

"Swara relax. Ragini Di, Sanskar and Laksh will come. I'm sure they will get here on time."

"But what if they don't? What if they aren't here on time? What then?!"

Kriti thought for a moment. "I'm pretty sure you're being paranoid. But if they fail to arrive, then it's all upto you and Saara." Swara looked at her wide eyed. "Oh don't give me that look! I know it sounds like a great, big, unimaginable deal. But you and Saara are the only ones who are almost as good as the other two. If they aren't here, then you two must give your best to prove to the judges that we are capable of bringing victory to our college."

"But th-"

"Dobyou really think I'm wrong?"

Swara,after some hesitation, nodded. "You're right. Something has to be done. But...but I'm not singing together with Saara. We will sing solo on our own. No way am I singing with that hag!"

Kriti chuckled "Fine, fine. Should have expected that."

#Elsewhere#

"It's for 40/."

"Okay." Ragini was about to take out the amount from her purse, when a hand came from behind and paid it for her.

It was Sanskar's.

Ragini smiled and opened her mouth to say 'thanks', but he spoke before her.

"You're welcome." he spoke with a bored look. He behaved as if it was him who was doing a big favor to her and she should be forever grateful to him.

Ragini glared. "I could have paid it myself, you know? You need not act all high because of it. I had enough money with me."

"What the...unbelievable! And here I thought you learnt to be grateful."

"I am grateful to the ones who aren't arrogant, pompous pigs!"

"Did you just call me, Sanskar Maheshwari the rockstar a pig?!"

"Aww...did I hurt your ego?" she teased, taking off the wrapper from the ice-cream.

Sanskar grit his teeth in anger watching her smirk. Unable to find any fitting retort, he smudged some ice-cream on his finger and smeared it on her nose.

"Aaa! Cold, cold, cold!"

Sanskar chuckled. "Who's laughing now, huh?"

Laksh snorted from where he stood nearby. 'Sanskar and his stupid ego. It would have been a bit of progress if he just told Ragini he wanted to buy her the ice-cream. It's seeing  obvious he likes her.'

"Why you..." Ragini took the cold ice-cream wrapper she was about to throw away and shoved it inside Sanskar's shirt.

"The heck?!" Sanskar tried to pull it out and shivered. "Co-cold!"

"Now I'm the one with the last laugh. Hah!" she exclaimed in glee. However, when he didn't respond with a sarcastic remark and continued shivering, she felt worry set in. "You okay?"

"Ye-yeah! Like it would m-make me weak!" he spoke. However, the way he was shaking made it hard for Ragini to believe he was anything but okay.

"It was only a wrapper. Why are you shivering so much?"

"He's like that from childhood." Laksh explained. "Even a little cold is enough to make him catch a fit. Guess he hadn't grown out of it. His immunity is like that."

At once, the ice-cream dropped from her hands as she grabbed Sanskar's hands and rubbed them in hers. "I'm so very sorry! I didn't know. I'm so stupid! I'm so sorry! But it's your fault too! Why did you not tell me this before, you idiot?! It's all your fault!"

"I-it's my fault n-now?!" Sanskar stuttered out in bewilderment. "You're t-the one re-responsible for it th-aachoo!"

"Damn! Let's go get you some coffee. That should help."

"But I don't want a cup of coffee."

"You will!" Ragini stressed. 'What if you catch a cold? I don't want you to get sick.'

"Stop treating me like a child!"

"I will, since you're being one!"

'And this one? Can't she admit that she likes him back? It would maken things so simple.' Laksh sighed to himself at their antics. "Is it me, or people are staring?"

As people stopped in their tracks to stare at them as they went, he slowly edged away some steps from the bickering duo. 'If someone asks me, I don't know them.'

#Auditorium#

While Kriti waited with Swara at the right, on the other side of the auditorium, Saara was in deep thought. She couldn't figure out why Sanskar, Ragini and Laksh didn't show up yet. 'Something is fishy.'

"Hello Saara."

Saara didn't have to turn to know who it was was. Only one person had the power to piss her off with just their voice. "What do you want Mansi?"

"Can't you just think that maybe I just want a harmless chat?"

Saara snorted. "You and harmless or unselfish aren't words that go together."

Mansi looked at her pointedly. "Don't give me that attitude. I don't like talking to you either. But the situation is making me talk to you."

Saara rolled her eyes. "Oh really? Do tell me what such a situation may be. Is the sky falling off or are fishes flying?" Saara asked, turning to her with a sarcastic smile.

Mansi wanted to lash out, but held herself back. "I'm here to strike a deal with you. Something which would benefit us both. I know how badly you want her gone." Mansi stated, signaling towards Swara with her eyes. "And I need her out of the way for my personal reasons. If you help me, I can do that."

"What makes you think I'll help you?"

Mansi smirked. "It will also keep her away from Laksh. So..." Mansi put forward her hand for Saara to shake. "Are you in?"

This proposal caught the attention of Saara. 'Should I really trust her? But if she is really telling the truth and wants to keep away Swara, then maybe it would benefit me if I help. If it keeps Swara away from Laksh, then I'm willing to help.'

Saara smirked and shook Mansi's hand "Enemy of my enemy is my friend."

"I'm glad. She won't trouble us anymore." spoke Mansi, with an evil smile. "I'll catch out later." she waved and went away towards Nikhil.

For some reason, Saara didn't like that smile of hers. She knew what she was getting into, but Mansi's smile made her uncomfortable. It unsettled her. 'She said she would keep Swara away. But that smile looks dangerous. She wouldn't do something drastic, would she? Sure I want Swara to stay away, but that doesn't mean I want to cause her serious harm.' Saara quickly dismissed such thoughts. 'Nah, its just Mansi being her dramatic self. She wouldn't go to extreme lengths to harm Swara. After all, there is no way Swara could have pissed her off that much. She's probably planning to get her in some scam or something.'

"Good luck!" she heard someone say from behind, startling her from her thoughts.

"Oh...its you again." she gave Nikhil an irritated look.

"Yep. It's me again!" he took out a chocolate and handed it to her. "For you. So that you sing more sweetly."

Saara hated such flirts who thought they could impress with chocolates and all. However, despite Saara trying to be angry at him, she found his antics too innocent and cute. She rolled her eyes at him, but took the chocolate with a smirk. "Are you trying to impress me or something?"

"Depends. Is it working?" he asked with a wink.

Before she could answer, she saw his brother approach them. "Oi! We are here to watch Swara and Ragini. What the heck are you doing here? Lets go!"

"Eh? You know them?" Saara asked curiously.

Nikhil nodded. "Yes. They are our cousins, almost sisters you could say. It will be nice if they win. But that doesn't mean I don't want you to win. I want you to win as much as them. In fact-ow!" He exclaimed as Samay held him by the ear. "Samay let go. Bhai! You're embarrassing me in front of a girl. Bhaiiiii!"

Saara watched in amusement as his brother took him away by pulling him by his ear. She bit her lip to prevent herself from laughing.

'So they are the relatives of the Gadodia sisters.' she mused to herself. A thought struck her suddenly. 'If Nikhil finds out that I'm planning something against Swara, would he stop talking to me and hate me?'

She didn't want that to happen. He irritated her to no end, but she actually had come to like his nagging. She shook her head to rid herself of these thoughts. 'Why am I worried about him hating me for it? Its not like he is someone important to me. It doesn't matter if he hates me or not. I don't care.'

But no matter what she tried to tell her heart, she knew she did care about it...deeply.

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To be continued...

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~ 🍁 Mona 🍁