Chereads / Young soldier / Chapter 87 - Chapter 87: Picnic

Chapter 87 - Chapter 87: Picnic

The next day, when Rihana, Neha, and the other two girls woke up, Neha's mom brought them the photo album from the previous day, which had arrived that morning. Neha's friend Mahak said, "Let me see it. We didn't get to see the groom's friends yesterday, and none of them tried to talk to us."

Their other friend Sonalika said, "What did you think? That they would all approach you?"

Neha was looking at the album when Rihana, staring at a photo, exclaimed, "OMG, that's Abhimanyu!"

Neha said, "Abhimanyu?" Then, examining the photo closely, she added, "Oh yes, I saw him at the party yesterday, but I didn't recognize him at the time."

Rihana said, "Forget that, he was standing on the stage with us, and even then we didn't recognize him."

Sonalika asked, "Who is this Abhimanyu?"

Rihana replied, "He was a guy in our friend circle."

Neha said, "What friend circle? We only met him a couple of times. He was Nitya's fiancé."

Sonalika said, "He's really handsome."

Rihana added, "By the way, Priya was saying that Abhimanyu hasn't streamed in two years, and now he's here in Bihar."

Neha responded, "Did you forget? He's from Bihar, and his uncle is the CM here."

Sonalika said, "So, he's also your husband's uncle, right?"

Mahak said, "That means he's Deeljit's cousin. Maybe he's still at the palace. Let's go see. We didn't get a chance to say hello yesterday, but today we should meet all the groom's friends."

Neha said, "You guys will do anything, won't you?"

Sonalika said, "Come on, if we don't find them, there's a pool and a gaming zone there. We'll have fun anyway. We're here to enjoy our vacation."

Mahak added, "Yes, let's go. Banjara Palace is the most famous for holidays, and you know, Aliya once had a concert there."

Neha said, "Alright, let's go."

Sonalika said, "Speaking of Aliya, I heard she's making her film debut with Kapoor Entertainment. Why didn't you approach her?"

Neha replied, "I did, but Kapoor approached her first with a better offer. Although she agreed to work with my company for some ads, that's over now. But Dad doesn't want to give her more offers, saying she's not a lead heroine."

Sonalika said, "True, she's not a lead actress, but her payment is higher than most because her fans can make any movie a box office hit."

Neha said, "I know, but Dad doesn't understand. He thinks I'm a kid and keeps ignoring me."

Rihana said, "Okay, can you both stop arguing now?"

Sonalika said, "Fine, I'm going to get ready."

Mahak said, "Me too," and both went to their rooms.

Neha said, "Why did you hide this? What if Abhimanyu accidentally says something about Sahil?"

Rihana said, "Why are you worried? He won't bring up such a sensitive issue."

Neha replied, "You forgot how he used to attack Sahil and Sundar and the other guys' weak points like a wolf."

Rihana said, "Yes, but they used to provoke him first. If you talk to him nicely, maybe he won't say anything."

Neha angrily said, "Maybe?"

Rihana said, "Alright, I'll make sure Abhimanyu doesn't mention anything about this. But why didn't you tell me why you broke up with Sahil in the end?"

Neha said, "It's a serious matter."

Rihana asked, "You won't tell me?"

Neha said, "Sahil wanted to get intimate with me, but I kept avoiding it. One time, during a party, he put something in my drink and tried to force himself on me. But that night, a small cat saved me. Its fur looked like it was on fire, and it resembled a lion, just smaller. It roared and scratched Sahil's wrist, leaving marks, and he ran away. I was scared of that cat or whatever it was, but it smiled at me and left. When I regained consciousness, I left too."

Rihana asked, "Could it have been a magical animal?"

Neha said, "Maybe, but it never appeared again, and I broke up with Sahil and blocked him everywhere. But he still stalks me. Look at this."

Neha showed her phone, which had pictures of her hotel and Banjara Palace with arrows marked on the window.

Rihana said, "This is serious."

Neha said, "I haven't told anyone else about this, but something bad could happen."

Rihana asked, "What does he want from you?"

Neha showed a message from the same number that had sent the photos. It said, "Just come to me for one night, or I'll send our photos to your fiancé. You have two days to think."

Rihana asked, "What are you thinking now?"

Neha said, "I don't know. If I tell anyone, the news could spread. I'm thinking of telling Dad; maybe the guards can help catch him."

Rihana said, "I think you should talk to your fiancé about this."

Neha replied, "What are you saying? If I do that, he'll break off the engagement."

Rihana said, "Or he might trust you."

Neha replied, "But the chances of that are very slim. This engagement is happening for business purposes, and I agreed to it to get rid of Sahil. There's no love between us, so there's a 99% chance he'll break off the engagement."

Rihana said, "Look, if you tell him now, he might handle it, or he might break the engagement. But if you build a relationship on a lie, it will definitely fall apart."

Neha said, "So what should I do? If I tell the truth and he breaks off the engagement, Dad will be very upset with me."

Rihana suggested, "Why don't we talk to Abhimanyu about this? Maybe he can help us find a solution."

Neha said, "Maybe for the first time, Abhimanyu will be of some use to me."

Rihana then went to the bathroom to get ready, and Neha also left.

On the other side, Abhimanyu was lying on the sofa, Deeljeet was lying on the floor, and so were Saagar and Deepak. Arun was half-lying on the floor, and Vaibhaw was on another sofa. Each of them had at least four bottles around them, but Abhimanyu had an entire crate, which he had finished. Abhimanyu was actually increasing his energy by drinking alcohol because it contains a lot of energy if you know how to manipulate it.

Abhimanyu, having controlled his energy, was sleeping due to exhaustion.

Just then, a girl opened the door to the room but immediately closed it, holding her nose. She said, "Is this really the groom's room? It smells terrible in here."

Neha said, "You drank yesterday, and now you're complaining about the smell?"

Mahak replied, "I only had a little out of shock, and it was branded wine. But it looks like these guys drank an entire shop's worth of alcohol. There are empty bottles everywhere."

Rihana asked, "How many people are in there?"

Mahak said, "I don't know."

Sonalika said, "Let me see."

Sonalika opened the door and peeked inside. She saw everyone, including Abhimanyu, with about 50 bottles around him, most likely emptied by him.

Sonalika started counting the bottles around the others, and there were a total of 64 bottles, 50 of which seemed to have been drunk by Abhimanyu alone.

Sonalika then poked her head out and told Rihana, "These guys had a full party. There are bottles everywhere. And guess who drank the most?"

Neha said, "If it's Deeljeet, I'm telling you, I'll break off the engagement myself."

Sonalika said, "He only drank four bottles."

Rihana said, "Then it can only be Abhimanyu."

Sonalika said, "Do you know how many bottles he drank?"

Rihana said, "Just tell us quietly, or we're opening the door."

Sonalika said, "50 bottles."

Rihana said, "What nonsense! A person can die after drinking just 20 bottles of beer, and you're saying he drank 50?"

Sonalika said, "He's lying down. Maybe he's dead."

Rihana, hearing this, immediately opened the door and went inside. She saw everyone lying drunk.

Rihana walked over to Abhimanyu and checked his pulse.

As soon as Rihana touched him, Abhimanyu grabbed her, spun her in the air, and laid her on the sofa, gently holding her neck. Then, seeing who it was, he let go and said, "Rihana, what are you doing here?"

Rihana said, "Forget me, what's going on with you? How did you do that just now, and how did you drink so many bottles and still stay conscious?"

Abhimanyu, changing the topic, said, "By the way, you're looking quite beautiful and fit."

Rihana said, "So you're saying my chest size has increased?"

Abhimanyu said, "I don't talk so openly."

Rihana said, "You're not even open with me, meaning you don't consider me a friend?"

Abhimanyu said, "I wanted to be more than friends, but you never gave me a chance."

Rihana said, "I'm giving you a chance now. Do whatever you want."

Abhimanyu said, "Anything?"

Rihana, in a seductive voice, said, "Yes, my love."

Abhimanyu said, "Alright, can you order nine cups of coffee?" He picked up the phone from the table and dialed a number.

Rihana said, "Hi, I'm calling from the groom's room. Can we get nine cups of coffee here? Thank you," and then hung up.

Abhimanyu said, "Shall we start our program now?"

Abhimanyu then called out, "You can all come inside now."

All the girls came inside.

Abhimanyu then woke up all the boys, saying, "Get up, see who's here."

Saagar said, "Whoever it is, tell them Saagar is on leave today."

Deeljeet said, "Abhimanyu, don't you have a hangover?"

Abhimanyu said, "My capacity is higher than yours. But let me tell you, your bride has come to meet you."

Deeljeet suddenly opened his eyes and said, "Bride?" Then he said, "Oh, Neha Ji, please, let's talk in the garden."

All the girls went to the garden.

Sonalika, sitting in the garden, said, "I told you we'd find them here. See?"

Neha said, "I don't think Abhimanyu drank all those drinks. He didn't seem affected at all."

Rihana said, "You're right, but even if we consider the rest, each guy would have drunk 16 bottles. That's still a lot."

After a while, Abhimanyu and his friends arrived in the garden, and so did the coffee they had ordered.

Deeljeet said, "Hello Neha ji, how are you?"

Neha replied, "Fine. My friends wanted to meet you, so I brought them here."

Saagar said, "Alright, let's give Deeljeet some time to meet them."

Sonalika added, "We also wanted to meet your friends. We couldn't properly talk at the party yesterday."

Deeljeet said, "Alright, let me introduce everyone. This is Deepak."

Deepak said, "Hello."

Deeljeet continued, "This is Saagar."

Saagar also said, "Hello."

Deeljeet said, "This is Vaibhav."

Vaibhav greeted, "Hello."

Deeljeet introduced, "This is Arun."

Arun said, "Hello."

Finally, Deeljeet said, "And this is Abhimanyu."

Abhimanyu said, "How are you, darlings?"

Deeljeet explained, "He always talks like this."

Neha said, "We know Abhimanyu."

Deeljeet asked quietly, "How?"

Rihana replied, "He was part of our friend circle."

Deeljeet asked Abhimanyu, "You didn't tell me?"

Abhimanyu didn't say anything.

Rihana added, "Abhimanyu and Neha don't get along."

Abhimanyu said, "I was away for a while and met them then."

Rihana said, "Okay, Abhimanyu, I need to talk to you. Can you come with me?"

Rihana took Abhimanyu aside and said, "We need your help."

Abhimanyu asked, "What kind of help?"

Rihana said, "Do you remember Sahil?"

Abhimanyu replied, "Yes, I remember."

Rihana explained, "He's been stalking Neha lately."

Abhimanyu asked, "What can I do about it? He's her ex-boyfriend."

Rihana said, "Look at this message."

Abhimanyu read the message Sahil had sent to Neha.

Rihana asked, "Can you do something about this?"

Abhimanyu asked, "Why should I help Neha?"

Rihana said, "I know you and Neha don't get along, but think about your friend."

Abhimanyu said, "I think Neha should talk to Deeljeet about this."

Rihana said, "I suggested that, but Neha is afraid that Deeljeet will break off the engagement."

Abhimanyu said, "If he wanted to break it off, he would have done it by now. But if she doesn't tell him, he'll definitely break it off later."

Rihana asked, "What do you mean?"

Abhimanyu said, "Do you think Deeljeet will marry Neha without knowing her past? Not possible."

Rihana looked at Neha, who was talking happily with Deeljeet.

Abhimanyu said, "I think you should tell him soon before it's too late." Saying this, he started to leave.

Rihana said, "Can you help us out one more time?"

Abhimanyu smiled and said, "Alright." Then he walked over to the group and said, "Guys, Neha wants to talk to Deeljeet alone. Let's give them some privacy."

Saagar said, "Alright, let's leave the couple alone."

Everyone started to leave.

Neha looked at Abhimanyu and then at Rihana. Rihana came close to her ear and whispered, "Let's see what happens. Talk to him." Then she left.

Now only Deeljeet and Neha were left sitting there.

Deeljeet said, "So, Neha ji, what did you want to talk about?"

Neha said, "Actually, I wanted to tell you something... um, in the past, I had a boyfriend." She paused to see Deeljeet's reaction, but he remained calm.

Neha continued, "He wanted to sleep with me, but I was scared, so I never agreed. One day, he tried to force himself on me after drugging me, but I managed to escape and broke up with him. However, he kept following me."

Neha glanced at Deeljeet again, who still looked calm.

Neha added, "He's come here and is blackmailing me, threatening to tell you about my past and falsely prove that we slept together."

Deeljeet asked, "How will he prove it?"

Neha said, "I don't know, he might have some photos of us together."

Deeljeet said, "I don't think that's enough. You know Abhimanyu from before, right? Does he know about this?"

Neha replied, "He only knows that I had a boyfriend, nothing else."

Deeljeet said, "Alright, let's ask him." He called out, "Abhimanyu!"

Abhimanyu came over.

Deeljeet said, "Neha, tell him your story."

Neha found it strange but still explained everything to Abhimanyu.

Abhimanyu asked, "How did you escape from Sahil that night?"

Neha said, "A small tiger or lion came. Actually, it was a small cat, but it looked like a lion with its fur on fire."

Abhimanyu remembered seeing a similar tiger in a dark place before.

He drew a sketch of the creature on a piece of paper and asked, "Did it look like this?"

Neha said, "Yes, exactly like that, just smaller."

Abhimanyu thought to himself, "So, it was in Mumbai at that time."

Neha asked, "Have you seen it before?"

Abhimanyu said, "I just know it's a magical tiger."

Neha said, "I thought the same."

Deeljeet said, "Abhimanyu, you're getting off-topic."

Abhimanyu asked, "What do you want to do?"

Deeljeet said, "I had already caught him, but I wanted to hear the truth from Neha. Neha, you knew all this before?"

Neha asked, "You knew about this?"

Deeljeet said, "Yes, consider this a test to see what you would decide. From now on, if there's a problem, I should be the first to know."

Abhimanyu asked, "What did you do with him?"

Deeljeet said, "For now, I've just kidnapped him, but it seems he needs to be punished." Saying this, he made a call, instructing to deal with Sahil.

Neha, swallowing hard, said, "His family is very powerful in Mumbai. If they find out, they might seek revenge."

Deeljeet smiled and said, "Anything for my future wife."

Neha blushed upon hearing this.

Abhimanyu said, "Oh, you can get shy too?"

Neha, teasingly, said, "Mind your manners; from now on, I'm your sister-in-law."

Abhimanyu was about to say something when he received a call

Abhimanyu was getting a call from home, so he stepped aside to answer it.

Neha said, "Let's go on a trip. Show us around Bihar, and later we'll show you Mumbai."

Deeljeet agreed, "Alright, you bring your friends and I'll bring mine. I'll start preparing for the trip."

He stepped aside and started making calls to some people.

Everyone then got into three cars and set off for their trip. They were going camping near a mountain and a river. After a four-hour journey, they reached their destination.

Abhimanyu and the other guys began setting up the tents.

Meanwhile, in the ocean, there was a sudden commotion, and an island emerged with an ancient tomb on it, located in the Indian Ocean.

On the other side, Abhimanyu, who had just finished setting up a tent, suddenly felt something and everything went dark. He saw Nina, Vikrant, Jin Gyong, and an unknown guy. Then a voice in their minds said, "It's time for the coronation at the Holy Castle." And then everything vanished.

Abhimanyu came back to his senses, realizing he had been setting up the tent and perhaps only a second had passed.

He thought to himself, "The Holy Castle, that ancient castle where the five guardians take on their responsibilities to protect the Earth from demons. But as far as I remember, they weren't mystical animals."

Saily asked, "What are you mumbling about?"

Abhimanyu replied, "I just had a vision of all the mystical creatures gathering."

He decided to ignore it and finished setting up the tent.

Deeljeet then announced, "Alright, let's officially start our camping. We have food, a guitar, and all we need now are some dry sticks to set the mood. Who's going to gather the sticks?"

Rihana said, "I'll go with Abhimanyu."

Abhimanyu said, "I can go alone."

Rihana insisted, "No, I'll come with you."

Abhimanyu and Rihana went into the forest to collect dry sticks.

Deeljeet said, "How many sticks will they be able to bring? You all should go with them."

Saagar teased, "Just say you want to spend some alone time with your future wife."

With that, everyone went into the forest to gather sticks.

As Abhimanyu was picking up sticks, Rihana, picking one up near him, asked, "So, are you still engaged to Nitya?"

Abhimanyu asked, "Why do you want to know? Don't you have a boyfriend?"

Rihana replied, "No, I'm single right now."

Abhimanyu said, "Are you joking?"

Rihana explained, "Look, in school, everyone wants to act grown-up, so they get into these boyfriend-girlfriend relationships. But later you realize being single is cooler."

Abhimanyu said, "Well, at least you realized it."

Rihana added, "I mean, being single gives you more options and no one can accuse you of cheating."

She moved closer to Abhimanyu and said seductively, "We're in the jungle, alone. Do you have any plans?"

Abhimanyu stepped back, adjusting his stance, and looked into her eyes.

Just then, Saagar and the others arrived. Saagar commented, "Wow, what a scene."

Sonalika, Saagar, Mahak, Deepak, Vaibhav, and Arun were all there.

Abhimanyu asked, "Are you guys here to gather sticks too?"

Suddenly, they heard a roar.

Sonalika said, "That sounds like a tiger's roar."

Abhimanyu saw his eyes glow, and he could see far away. He saw a tiger rushing towards them.

Abhimanyu shouted, "Quickly, head back to the tent!"

Everyone started running back to the tent. Rihana held Abhimanyu's hand, so he ran with her towards the tent. The tiger got close and leaped at Abhimanyu.

Abhimanyu let go of Rihana's hand, grabbed the tiger, and threw it against a tree.

Abhimanyu saw the tiger was badly injured.

He then started running in the opposite direction, and the tiger followed him back into the jungle.

Rihana screamed, "Abhimanyu!"

Abhimanyu stopped at a distance, leaning against a tree in a defensive stance.

When the tiger got close, Abhimanyu suddenly released his aura, which scared the tiger. It was too frightened to move.

Abhimanyu's hair turned white, and his eyes became golden.

He called the tiger closer.

The tiger, without any movement, approached Abhimanyu.

Abhimanyu saw it had been shot.

He placed his hand on the tiger's head, and the tiger's body began to glow. The bullet came out, and its wounds healed completely.

Abhimanyu returned to normal, and the tiger also became normal, happily licking Abhimanyu.

Abhimanyu said, "You silly cat, checking my taste before eating me? My treatment isn't free; you'll have to pay a fee."

The tiger started circling Abhimanyu happily, then gestured for him to get on its back.

Abhimanyu said, "If you want to pay me with a ride, you're underestimating my fee. Alright, one ride, and you'll have to guard us tonight. Deal?"

The tiger nodded.

Abhimanyu smiled and got on the tiger's back.

Abhimanyu said, "Take me back to the tent slowly, I don't like speed."

The tiger calmly started heading towards the tent.

On the other side, Rihana said, "Hurry up, everyone, that tiger will kill Abhimanyu."

Saagar said, "As far as I know Abhimanyu, that tiger is too weak for him."

Deeljeet said, "Weak? For him, it might be a cat."

Neha said, "What nonsense are you talking about? It's a real tiger!"

Deepak said, "If it's a tiger, Abhimanyu is a super-tiger."

Rihana said, "You're all just scared and making excuses to avoid facing the tiger. Fine, I'm going in alone."

Saagar said, "Wait a bit, you'll see he'll be back soon."

Rihana ignored him and started heading into the jungle.

Seeing this, the others followed her into the jungle. They saw Abhimanyu riding the tiger.

Rihana and the other girls were shocked.