Lakshman checked his wristwatch for the nth time, then his eyes went towards the entrance of the Music Academy. He took a week off to think about this wave of confusion that erupted in his heart and mind. His mind kicked him hard, making him realize that whatever happened between him and Sitara, the fault was on his side. He decided to shake his hand for a friendship with Sitara, and that's why he chose to meet her at the Music Academy. He has been waiting for an hour or so at the guest parking lot, as his patience level started to wear off. After a few minutes, he saw Sitara entering the Academy in her scooty and parking it in the student lot. Taking a deep breath and murmuring a few self-boasting words, Lakshman started to walk towards her. Before he could call her out, a voice from behind called her out, which made Sitara turn and dash against him. Her flowery scent filled his nostrils, and slowly, he felt his mind getting intoxicated. The close proximity they shared just for a few seconds left an impact on him.
"Lakshman, what are you doing here?" Sitara asked, making a safe distance between them. Rishila came and stood beside Sitara in confusion as no guy has the guts to stand in front of her friends for more than 2 minutes other than him. Lakshman looked familiar to her, and after stressing her mind a little, she realized it's the same guy who misbehaved with Sitara.
"Oye, hero, what are you doing here with Sitara?" Lakshman scrutinized his eyes at the new girl who tried to hide Sitara behind her.
"I came here to apologize, Sitara. I am really sorry for whatever happened between us. I know that I over crossed the line, so yeah."
"It's Ok, Lakshman. I think our problem got solved a week ago, then why are you here?" Sitara asked without any second thought. Lakshman hesitated as he thought he would build a conversation for a few minutes and then will ask her out. But here, he was put in a situation where he can say nothing but the truth.
"Actually, I would like to be your friend, Sitara, and want to take you out as a friend." Rishila mentally face-palmed herself while the students who were eavesdropping on their conversation laughed mentally, as they knew Sitara is going to turn the thing down. But, what they heard afterward gave them a heart attack.
"Ok. I accept your friendship, but about the outing, I am still not comfortable with you. If you are done, I would like you to leave the place." Sitara held Rishila's hand and walked away while Lakshman smiled in happiness and victory.
It was recess time, and Rishila kept on staring at Sitara, not even blinking for a second, which made Sitara uncomfortable under her gaze.
"Will you stop doing that?" Sitara asked, stuffing her mouth with the burger.
"Who are you? What did you do to my friend? As for as I know, my friend cringes when a guy approaches her, but today I saw her accepting a guy's friendship, and he is not some random guy, but the guy who got kicked in his ass by you. What is happening here?" Rishila dramatically spoke, which made Sitara roll her eyes.
"Nothing like that, Rishu. It's just last time when I met him with Revathi, he was kind of taunting me, and at the meetup, I saw him looking at me with a different type of emotion in his eyes. From whatever details I got about Revathi and his matrimony, Lakshman's family gave him a month to get to know Revathi; her likes and dislikes, etc.,
If I am not wrong, I think he is kind of crushing on me so that he can keep his options open and--,"
"And according to your psychology journal, the more you push him away, the more he will try to reach you. That's why you accepted his friendship without a second thought and put a boundary on the outing thing so that he won't find it suspicious," Rishila exclaimed as her brain lightened up with realization.
"Exactly," both of them laughed and high-fived each other but unknown to them, Revathi, who was sitting a table away, heard about their little secret and smirked.
"Well, well, my dear Sitara. I knew the minute Lakshman started to postpone our outings that something is wrong with him. And today, when I saw in the morning that Lakshman was waiting for you for an hour and you, accepting his friendship in a wink, that's suspicious. Now, I got a solid material by which I can play my game.
The game of your destruction, Sitara.
Hereafter, whatever is going to happen in your life, it's all because of me. I will push you to a state where no one will be able to trust you, even if you spoke the truth." Revathi smirked and sipped her coffee as she thought about her picture-perfect plan of destroying Sitara.
Away from the city, Smith drove his car over to a small house that looked old yet maintained. Parking his car outside, he knocked on the door with a secret tap, and a few seconds later, the door opened, revealing a young girl dressed in a black shirt paired with denim.
"Where is Boss, Elena?" Smith asked, entering the house and sat on the couch placed in the living area.
"He went out for a personal job. Just give the message and leave," The girl said in an authoritative tone.
"Well, tell Boss that Ashutosh is doing a consignment exchange with the Italian Mafia—"
"Well, the consignment got canceled as MI6 informed Mr. Gilbert about Ashutosh's illegal activities, Smith. If you have any useful information, then spit it out," Smith's Boss spoke as he dashed opened the entrance and made his way towards Smith, making Smith stand up in terror.
"Sorry, Boss. I thought—"
"Smith, how many times I have told you just do what I say and don't enter my den without any concrete info?" lashed Smith's Boss. As he sat down, Elena came to him with a glass of Bourbon and handed it over to him. As he was about to sip it, Smith's words made his hand stop in the midway.
"Boss, Sitara accepted to be Lakshman's friend" Smith whispered these words as he knows nothing is going according to his Boss's plan. He saw his Boss's grip on the glass turning hard, and within a second, the glass shattered into pieces, piercing his Boss's hand. One look, his Boss threw at Elena. She took a vase from the side table and smashed it against his Boss's head. Smith looked at the scene in shock. When he joined the force, he heard a lot about his current Boss's achievements. And that he will go to any extent to finish off a mission, but when for the first time, he is experiencing it, he could feel the shiver down his spine.
"Elena, it's the time." that's all his Boss spoke, and Elena literally chased him away, giving him the order to follow the same protocols he had been issued with.
"This man is MADNESS," that's all Smith could think about as he drove away to his flat.