Bhargavi wanted to call Prabir as he marched away from her towards the door, but she felt a heavy lump in her throat hurting her. She was unable to say anything at all.

Prabir felt his phone vibrating and took it out to receive the call from Vishwesh.

"Hey! Where are you? Your house is locked." He enquired cheerfully.

"At Bhargu's place," he replied casually as he walked back and sat at the edge of Bhargavi's bed near the door.

"Where is he? Hey! Let's meet Bhargavi at least since we are here, she's his neighbor right," Prabir could clearly hear Keya's voice and disconnected the call instantly.

Within two more minutes, nearly thirty people walked in Bhargavi's house. They politely greeted Ms. Nalini and she showed them the way to Bhargavi's room.

Keya beamed, " Hey! How are you Prabir ?" as if she didn't notice Bhargavi's presence and perched herself beside him.

Prabir got up and walked up to the wall near the door and leaned his back against it. Then he ushered some of his friends - the girls to take a seat beside Bhargavi, as a kind gesture while the boys stood chattering gleefully, because the room was not big enough to accommodate a place to sit for all of them.

Sachin's eyes fell upon Bhawani standing in a corner, still in her school uniform - a white shirt and striped red and maroon skirt but facing the wall. He gently turned her around and shrieked, " What happened to you?" observing the bruised marks on her face.

"Bhawu...please go back to your room and take rest," Prabir urged. She wanted to flee, but her wrist was grasped by Sachin. Prabir glared at him and he let her go.

KitKat was scared to find so many people in the room, and lurched towards Prabir, from under the bed, where she was sleeping peacefully. She started to climb up his trousers, he picked her up with his left hand and whispered, " You're scared Kitkat? It's okay! " He pecked her head affectionately with a warm smile on his face and Keya tried to snatch her from his hands.

"Please don't Keya, she'll scratch," he abruptly started to say and KitKat already scratched her cheeks with her tiny claws and ran away. Keya yelled "Ouch! " as everyone giggled.

"Prabir, can you please open the drawer in my study table...You will find a first-aid box, in it there's an antiseptic cream," Bhargavi mumbled softly.

Prabir followed her instructions and threw the antiseptic cream in Bhargavi's direction, she held a catch, then he gestured Keya to walk up to Bhargavi.

Bhargavi applied the antiseptic cream on Keya's face with a smile plastered on her face, " I am sorry Keya, KitKat is not at all friendly but don't worry these are very minor scratches."

Keya blurted, " Minor scratches? It hurts like hell! Why are you petting a wild cat?"

"She's not wild Keya, she is just a little kitten and was scared to see so many faces at a time and... I never asked you to snatch Kitkat from Prabir. You tried to mess with her and got your face scarred," Bhargavi retorted angrily.

Prabir regarded Bhargavi curiously, and then he was jolted out of his thoughts when someone asked,
"Prabir why did you have to fight with the goons? Did you take some money from loan sharks?"

"Prabir, you should have asked me for help, instead of borrowing money from the loan sharks,"said another concerned voice.

Vishwesh gazed at the floor feeling guilty.

Prabir said mournfully, " I have already returned their money, but they keep coming back, asking me to pay double the amount as an interest because I delayed the payment by a day.

I came here at Bhargavi's place to request aunty to make something for lunch today for Paru and me as well, as Baba left without making the lunch and I don't feel well.

Guys...I am not feeling well today, and have a very bad headache, would you mind coming back later to see me?he inquired earnestly.

"Yeah! Sure...We'll come back later," Rakesh assured him and they started to leave.

Keya did not want to leave yet, but she did not want to stay back alone when everyone else left. Furthermore, she was worried about her face now, wondering if the scratches could leave marks on her face.

Bhargavi stared all this while at Prabir's face, but couldn't decipher what was going on in his mind. He had simply put up a facade that he was not feeling well, but his eyes...revealed pain, frustration, and sadness. He did not want his classmates to have any idea about the real reason of the fight or his broken arm. He did not want anyone to find out that Bhawani was kidnapped. All of this was reasonable but why did he avoid Keya and did not even answer her when she inquired about his well-being?

******
A message popped up on Sachin's phone when he was in the crowd pacing down the stairs, it was sent by Prabir.

After leaving all these howling apes on their way home as soon as possible, I need five of you to come back here, without being noticed by anyone.

When all left, Bhargavi called out "Prabir" and gestured him to sit beside her as she sat in the middle of the bed swinging her legs. He approached her gloomily and languidly placed himself on her left. His eyes were fixed on the floor.

Ms. Nalini came out of the kitchen to see all of them leaving, and pressed on towards Bhargavi's room to inquire Bhargavi and Prabir, why were they leaving so early? She stood at the entrance stupefied on hearing Bhargavi's words..

" Prabu...please don't be so hard on yourself, " she said convincingly.

" I am not being hard on myself Bhargu...Can you even imagine what could have happened to Bhawani had I been there just a few minutes late? How different the scenario could have been?" he retorted frustrated and upset with himself.

"Prabu...Many things were interlinked and anything could have gone wrong anywhere.

What if we never found out that she was kidnapped ...in time?
What if Mayank was a bit more intelligent and had left his phone behind? Could we even have traced her? Could you have saved her?"

She stretched the palm of her left hand and placed it on his,urging
"Prabu don't blame yourself for the things beyond your control.

Bhawani is safe, you brought her back home."

Prabir nodded gently, looking into her eyes and Bhargavi softly pecked his cheek not noticing her mother, as Prabir was guarding her vision.

"Bhargu ...I was so scared..that I...I...won't be able to make it on time...I had promised her that I won't let Mayank harm her in anyway...

When I reached there...Bhargu ..her hands were tied at her back ...legs were tied and she was fed a dirty cloth...to...to muffle her voice...when I removed that cloth from her mouth..s..she started to vomit...her face looked bruised with bluish black marks...s.she was weeping inconsolably...I didn't know how to comfort her," his voice broke down and tears trembled down his cheeks.

Ms. Nalini's face was wet with tears, she couldn't bear to listen to this anymore. She just turned around to see Vishwesh come up to her with his apologies, " Aunty I am really sorry, I never meant to bring so many people here, I am really sorry for the inconveniences."

She wiped her face with the pallu of her saree, and said in a hoarse voice,
" It's okay...Go in."

Sachin entered the room and was stunned to see Prabir. His head was placed on Bhargavi's bosom, her left hand was placed behind his head and he was turned into a snivelling little kid.

"Prabir." Rakesh said softly as they all entered the room one after the other.

Prabir raised his head, his eyes were red and puffy. Bhargavi stiffened up a little, then Prabir said sardonically,
"Bhawani received calls from an unknown number when she was in school... She was informed that her Maa was seriously injured and admitted to the hospital, she was abducted by Mayank Sinha outside the school gate."

"What? " Rakesh interrupted.

"Sachin please call Bhawani from her room,"Prabir urged Sachin.

Sachin knocked on Bhawani's door and she slowly opened it. He said softly, "Please come with me."

Prabir briefed everything that had happened,to his friends and then turned to Vishwesh, " Why did you tell everyone that I was injured fighting with goons?"

" I only told...Shekhar because he inquired why you did not come to college today. That devil Keya...she can never stop eavesdropping, she heard my words and then hollered around the class ...that after classes all of us should come to see you...as you are gravely injured after having a fight with the goons....in an attempt to show that she's the closest person to you on this planet," Vishwesh explained.

" Even my KitKat doesn't like her," Prabir chuckled and winked at Bhargavi.

A/N: So here ends chap 23.

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