2

IDHIKA

After the dinner, I walked to my room and locked the door behind me. The weight of — endless studies, thankless households chores made my body completely drained. I collapsed onto my bed. Tired. Outside, the sky had turned into a pretty black shade, streaked with thick clouds. It looked like rain was coming or maybe a storm.

I forced myself and got up from the bed and dragged my books open. Uff!! Finals were a headache. — a complete nuisance for no good reason. I have no desire to study — still I had to. Ah!! god forbid a girl from reading love stories when finals were near.

Thunderstorms were striking beautifully under the dark clouds. Creating a loud, dominating yet peaceful sound. I always liked thunderstorms and rain. My favourite weather. I actually found peace in those, it filled my mind with romantic songs that I imagined with my dream man , obviously fictional. A beautiful slow dance with my dream partner under the sky, when the clouds were downpouring. Just us and just the moment.

But the dream is a dream only. And I am a fucking normal girl, good only at imagining those things in my head that would never happen.

Rain is calm. Beautiful. Fucking fictional. Pain.

Just like love. Just like peace

And just like my dream — painful

After a while, my phone suddenly rang — it's 11pm. Unknown number. Hesitation creeping in for a moment but I thought maybe it would be one of my classmates? Maybe for finals? They were calling me..maybe notes ofcourse.

I picked it up.

“Hello?” I sounded soft

There was a pause then —

A smooth — velvet voice whispered through the speaker like a sin to my ear.

"Miss me? Sweetheart"

My fingers clutched around the phone tightly. It felt like the ground slipped out from under my feet.

My heart stopped.

That voice.

That voice that I hadn't heard for days, weeks ...maybe months.

It made my heart race.

Why now? After acting like a bitch in the middle of the road.

I don't know his name but I clearly remembered his strikingly handsome face with piercing eyes.

I know his voice.

And his stupid cocky smirk.

And he was the only one who called me ‘Sweetheart’.

"Who are you?" I asked , trying to sound plain

"Oh! You don't remember me? You forgot the man who crashed your beloved scooter?" His voice laced with smugness

"Oh you!! What do you want?" Hesitation creeping into my voice

"Meet me tomorrow at the Orland Cafe — your favourite."

My stomach dropped

I almost felt the ground was slipping

How did he know about that?

It sounded like a creepy behaviour

"A..are you s..stalking me?" I stammered

"Not yet sweetheart" There was an amusement in his voice

Not yet? What did he mean?

"What if I don't come? then?" I asked in a curiosity

"Then I will come to your home. " He said in a whisper, low, dangerous voice

I froze.

My breath was heavy.

I couldn't think anymore

My body felt something — that I couldn't explain.

“And the rain isn't the only thing now to make your heart race, sweetheart."

Before I say anything further, he hanged up.

Just then, the rain also started tapping on the window of my room.

Hard. Heavy. Unapologetic. Unforgettable

Leaving me no choice,

My heart was truly racing

Maybe it was not for the rain,

But him.

Maybe it's the storm .

And I stared at the black screen of my phone, getting lost into the sudden flashback.

Flashback –

3 months ago

I was late. My international finance lecture had already started ten minutes ago. I wanted to scream at my brother first. All because of him — I was late. But now I had to deal with the professor Arindam Mondal —cranky, unbearable and dramatic. Known for his 'special treatment' to late comers.

And today I would get the special treatment.

That means—

Obviously 20 page of essay...

Disgusting!!

And the sun and the traffic sounds were almost painful to my eyes and ears. Almost feeling like it was drilling into my skull. The heat was unbearable. People were making noise — loud.

Why did everything should be so loud?

Could these freaking people not to stay quiet or what ?

The signal turned green. And I gripped the handle and sped forward. The road looked almost cleared. It's a relief to see once — Kolkata's traffic is hell.

I had already imagined to give an excuse to the professor! Maybe a fever or maybe an accident

But suddenly —

BOOM

Metal slammed into metal.

The impact hit like a hammer, to my chest.

That resulted my scooter jolt violently.

Before I could process, I was already on the ground

All my books were scattered on the ground.

My scooter just crashed with a black audi.

My kurti had torn at the wrist side.

I smelled of something metallic — blood

I was fucking bleeding.

My vision felt heavy, my head spinning...but beneath that all I felt something was burning hotter than that

something — rage

Then the car door opened.

A man stepped out — in black shirt, rolled sleeves, in sunglasses.

Tall. Muscular. Dangerous. Unforgettable

He took off his sunglasses and his eyes were straight into me.

He smelled like expensive, emotionless and dangerous.

I thought he would ask — how are you? but the audacity of this man. He was checking his car instead of asking me how was I?

ARE. YOU. SERIOUS. MOTHERFUCKER

"Hello? How can you check your car after nearly me giving death experience. I would have died"

"You didn't die."

What? The audacity? Ofc — rich , arrogant, pathetic man.

The public gathered and started to calm me down and helping me to stand up from the ground.

"I didn't see you. Sorry." He sounded unapologetic nuisance

"Aandhe ho kya? Doctor dikhao"

"Kya tumne ek ladki ko nehi dekha? Or kya tumhare ego ne aankhein chura li?"

He stunned.

Not uttering a single word.

His eyes were on me. Maybe in shock? Maybe in anger? Or maybe —

He smirked

And I was more angrier

"You talk too much, sweetheart." His voice was almost challenging but teasing.

Sweetheart? My foot!

"Steering sambhalne se pehle apna attitude ko fix karo. Mr. Oshobho!"

"Don't worry, my team will fix it"

"Oh yes Mr. Rich oshobho. Rude and runs from responsibility."

His smirk deepened

It felt like he was taking me as challenge.

And then he slid into his driver's seat, door clicking shut like nothing had happened.

I was standing there in — rage, pain and weirdly shaken

Not from the crash.

From him

I had an eerie feeling that —

We would meet again

Flashback ends–

Reality hit me hard. I was thinking of the first time, I saw him. The accident. The rage, the smirk.

Oh god!!! What on earth could get me to enjoy trouble?

I took a deep breath to calm down.

I blocked the number immediately without thinking anything.

But my heart was pounding hard like it would blast in the next moment.

“Why does he want to meet me?” I muttered under my breath

I laid in my bed, clutching the phone tightly to my chest, I thought I should tell someone about this. I tried to message Preity but I'm scared to open up about this.

What if he had truly repaired my scooter?

Yes that could be!

But why did he know my favourite cafe?

Was he a stalker? Maybe

At the sudden thought, my heart pounded wildly.

What if he killed me?

What if he was a serial killer with a handsome face who kidnapped girls?

Oh god !

I groaned so loud, clearly my frustrations were bobbling inside me. I couldn't imagine straight.

Then I decided that I won't go there.

I'm not scared of him!

He said he would come into my house right? Let's see then!

Arrogant bastard.

I didn't know his name but he dared to call me sweetheart?

“I'm not a sweetheart! I'm a fireheart that will make him burn completely.” I muttered under my breath

What did he think? That he would order me seriously?

“Even I don't listen to my father! Then who is he? A prime minister? My foot.” I scoffed

I'd rather die than listen to any man. Men were irritating, annoying and my. I didn't hate men but their fragile ego.

Yes I had seen my friends crying over their red flag boyfriends for stupid reasons. Even though they cheated, they still had the audacity to reach out to the girl. Disgusting right?

I won't see him tomorrow, that's it.

Ignoring my nervousness, I tried to sleep but sleep? It came late every night because I got a habit of reading books at night so I got sleep only when it's 1-2 am.

God help!

I took a deep breath and tried to calm my nervousness as I kept thinking about that bastard. Like why me?

As I opened the window of my room, the loud thunder struck brightly, matching my inner struggles.

The heavy rain soaked the streets like he was soaking my thoughts. My fingers touched the drops of the rain as I remembered not to be weak.

And I felt peace in the rain like it was the only thing who kept me in a comfortable mood.

Te rain was beautiful. A little chaotic,

But it healed me anyway.