Rishi's POV
I am not going home until I make Radhika talk to me again.
If I knew what I'd done wrong, I would've fixed it already.
I would've apologized.
I would've begged.
I would've done anything.
But how do you fix a mistake you don't even know you've made?
It has only been a day and I feel like I haven't talked to her since months, is that normal?
Absolutely not.
And hence, I have to talk to her or else I will lose my mind.
Someone shook my shoulder, bringing me out of my thoughts.
"How long do you plan to stand there?", Naman asked, wrapping his arm around my shoulder.
I sighed, "Are you really not going to tell me what I did?"
He shook his head, "Radhika would kill me."
I removed his arm from my shoulder, "And I call you my best friend."
Siddharth smacked my head from the other side, "It's not our problem that you are an idiot."
I rubbed my head where he smacked me, "I am not an idiot."
"Oh, you totally are.", Naman smirked, "An idiot for your honey."
I frowned, "What are you even talking about?"
Naman rolled his eyes, "Don't act dumb now! You know exactly what I am talking about."
"Listen, Radhika is just my-", Siddharth interrupted me, "Don't you dare say best friend."
"I was going to say favorite friend.", I muttered.
Siddharth shook his head in disappointment while Naman pointed a finger at me, "See, an idiot."
"Call me whatever you want.", I started walking ahead.
Naman immediately blocked my path, "Me and Aditi? We also used to say we are best friends. Look at us now."
I stared at him, "Radhika and I are not Aditi and you, Naman. We haven't known each other for years like you guys do, and we are just... I don't know, not you? Don't compare."
"Forget it, Naman. Talking to him is like Bhais ke aage been bajana.", Siddharth said.
My jaw dropped, "Did you just call me a bhais?"
Naman pressed his lips together, failing miserably to hide his laughter.
Siddharth gave me a blank look, "That's what you took from the entire conversation?"
"You literally just compared me to a buffalo!", I crossed my arms.
Siddharth threw his hands up in resignation, "That's enough. Let's go, Naman."
Saying this, both of them started walking away, leaving me alone.
"I am offended!", I called out.
I heard Siddharth say, "Stay offended then.", to which Naman laughed.
I scowled as I watched their retreating figure, "I am not an idiot, and I am certainly not a bhais.", I mumbled to myself, before I stepped into college myself.
I walked past the huge banner that read,
Day 2: Into The Unknown
Unknown.
Yeah. That pretty much summed up my life right now.
I spot Siddharth and Naman, now standing with Ruhi, Aditi and... Honey.
The three of them were wearing matching olive green colored cargo pants, paired with different tops.
Honey wore a white spaghetti-strap top with a flowy hem.
I didn't know what that style was called.
I just knew...
She looked beautiful.
Our eyes met at that exact moment.
She held my gaze for the tiniest second, and just when I opened my mouth to say something, she looked away.
Of course.
"What are we going to do today?", Aditi asked.
"Only we both have nothing to do today, Adi. They are all going to leave us.", Naman said.
Ruhi rolled her eyes, "You only didn't want to participate. And anyway, it's college fest, roam around, have fun... maybe go on a date.", she wiggled her eye brows.
Aditi glared at her, while Naman tried to control himself from smiling.
Just then, Prakash came up to us, "Rishi and Radhika, don't you guys have guest duty today? What are you doing here?"
Radhika frowned, "The guests aren't even here yet."
"They are going to arrive in like, half an hour. Hurry up and see if everything is prepared or not.", he commanded.
Does that mean I will get to spend more time with honey?
Yes!
Before I knew it, Radhika was already walking towards the green room. I immediately followed her, walking a step behind her.
She increased her speed after sensing me behind her. I matched her pace, staying a step back but never slowing down.
I heard her huff before she paused abruptly, making my chest hit her back.
I immediately stepped back as she turned around, her arms crossed.
I put my hands behind my back and stood there, looking at her like an obedient kid.
She pointed a finger at me, "Don't think that this is a chance for you to talk to me. We will only speak when needed, understood?"
"Yes, ma'am.", I did a salute.
She narrowed her eyes, but didn't say anything and resumed walking.
We walked in silence for a few seconds before I cleared my throat, "I need to talk to you."
She didn't even look at me, "What do you want to talk about?"
I shrugged, "We can talk about anything. I just need to talk to you."
She stopped in her tracks again, and I saw her clenching her fists.
If only I could see her expressions right now.
She unclenched her fists again and went ahead.
My shoulders fell in defeat as I followed behind.
We finally reached backstage and she silently entered the women's green room, without glancing at me even once.
I sighed, before entering the men's green room.
No one was inside as expected.
I spent the next ten minutes setting up the room for the guest.
There is not much to do. I just had to make sure there are tissues and water bottles in the room, keep the few placards for the guest so that they know what they have to do, and make sure the room smells nice.
The task definitely did not need ten minutes to finish, but you can't focus on work when your mind is busy thinking about the person next door.
I walked out of the room after I was done, and my legs somehow took me in front of the room next door.
Before I could stop myself, I knocked on the door.
Shit! Why would I do that?
What will I say to her?
I have to think of an excuse.
Oh God, what do I do?
Why hasn't she opened the door yet?
Is she not inside?
I knocked again, and waited for a few seconds, but still there was no reply, so I opened the door and peaked in.
The room was empty.
I frowned, "Where did she go?"
"Are you looking for something?", a voice came from behind.
I jumped at the sudden voice, and turned around, only to find a woman looking at me with crossed arms.
Oh, I know who she is.
She narrowed her eyes as she walked closer, "What were you doing in the women's green room?"
"Ma'am, I was just..."
"Just what?", she leaned in.
She is so intimidating, man!
"What happened? Cat caught your tongue?"
"I wasn't doing anything wrong, I promise!"
Her lips curled up at my scared response, "Do you know who I am?"
I straightened up, "Of course I do, ma'am!"
She raised an eyebrow, "You do?"
I nodded, "Yes, ma'am. You're Nirriti Agnihotri, one of the country's most respected woman. I have heard a lot about your work towards feminism and other social issues. You're an inspiration for an entire generation."
"Now that's a bit too flattery-"
I interrupted her, "But it's true, ma'am."
She rolled her eyes, though a smile had formed on her face, which made me relax, "Alright, whatever. But I still-"
"Rishi!", Radhika's voice was filled with urgency as she walked towards us.
I blinked.
Did she just call me?
Does she want to talk to me?
I grinned as I turned to her, "Yes, honey?"
Her eyes widened at the nickname.
She shot me a warning look before glancing at Nirriti ma'am, who was now looking at us with raised eye brows and an amused face.
Radhika cleared her throat, plastering a smile, though she was clearly gritting her teeth while she said, "Rishi, don't you have to escort the guest?"
The guest.
Right.
"Yeah, sorry. I should probably... Yeah, bye."
Why are these two women so intimidating?
I started walking away, but paused in front of Radhika and looked at her hopefully, "So, honey... are we talking agai-"
"No.", she replied curtly.
I nodded, "Right."
I left the area before any of them could say anything else.
I walked towards the main gate, only to find Prakash accompanying the guest as they walked in with a few other staff members.
I rushed towards them, and threw an apologetic smile towards Prakash.
Prakash shook his head in disappointment before turning towards the guest, "He is Rishi, he will assist you for the day."
He looked at me, and then at the watch, and then back at me, "So, you are the one who made me wait?"
Why is everyone scolding me today?
I smiled apologetically, "I am really sorry, sir. I assure you no such thing will happen again."
He gave a single nod, "It better not."
Then he started walking.
I quickly fell into step beside him.
Great.
Another intimidating personality.
You're so gone today, Rishi.
We reached backstage and my eyes immediately scanned the whole area, but Honey was no where to be found.
Seems like they went inside the green room.
I turned to look at the guest, only to find him looking for someone himself.
"Are you looking for someone, sir?", I asked.
He looked like I had just caught him doing something illegal, "What? No."
I nodded, before opening the door to the green room for him.
"Come sit.", he suddenly ordered.
Wow.
That was unexpected.
I complied and sat on the chair while he settled on the couch and turned to me, "There is one more guest, right?"
"Yes, sir."
He nodded, thinking about something, before he asked, "Who is it?"
Just as I was about to reply, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
The door opened and walked in our college's principal.
Both of us immediately stood up out of respect.
The principal stopped in front of him and held out his hand, "Mr. Devansh Yaduvanshi, it is an honor to have you at our institute."
Devansh sir smiled gratefully, "The pleasure is all mine, sir."
The principal continued, "The students will get to learn a lot from a young CEO like you."
"Thank you for inviting me here."
The principal cleared his throat, "You should meet my daughter. She is a successful lawyer herself. You both will surely get along."
I noticed Devansh sir's smile wavering as he sensed where this was going, but he quickly masked it and just nodded.
"I hope you have a good time.", the principal then glanced at me, and said sternly, "Make sure he is well assisted."
"Yes, of course, sir.", I immediately replied.
He hummed in approval, eyeing me skeptically, "He is not causing any trouble, is he?"
Devansh sir chuckled, "Not at all. He has been a great assistant until now."
"Good. Keep it that way."
I nodded, "Yes, sir."
The principal finally left the room.
I sighed in relief, which made Devansh sir laugh.
I scratched my head sheepishly, "Well, that was the first time I had talked to him."
I checked the time, and my eyes widened, "You should go through the placards, sir. You have to be on stage in less than thirty minutes."
"Can we do this outside?", he asked.
"Sure. We can walk around the backstage. But I would recommend not going anywhere else.", I replied.
He waved it off, "Yeah, backstage is fine."
I opened the door for him and he walked out of the room, his focus completely on the placards in his hand.
Just as he stepped out, he bumped into someone and the placards went flying in his hand and the person fell straight into his arms.
That was straight out of a movie.
The person he bumped into was none other than Nirriti ma'am.
Instead of pulling away immediately, both of them just stood there like a statue, staring at each other.
I exchanged a look with Radhika, who was standing on the other side, looking as surprised as me.
These two have some serious chemistry.
After what felt like eternity, they finally pulled away.
Radhika and I immediately stepped forward, "Are you alright?"
They completely ignored us as Devansh sir seemed to glare Nirriti ma'am.
Do they know each other?
"I knew that was your car. What are you doing here?", Devansh sir narrowed his eyes.
Nirriti ma'am shrugged, "I was invited."
"But-"
She interrupted him, "We are in public, Dev."
My eyebrows shot up.
Dev.
They definitely know each other.
Devansh sir sighed, "Let's talk inside."
Nirriti ma'am nodded and they went inside the green room, locking the door behind them.
Radhika looked just as surprised and confused as me.
She walked towards the green room and stuck her ear on the door.
"Are you seriously eavesdropping?", I asked in amusement.
She threw me a glare, "Shh!"
I stepped closer, lowering my voice, "This is wrong, honey."
She side eyed me, "I don't need to learn right or wrong from you."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
She ignored my question, "Shh! I am trying to listen."
"Honey...", I insisted.
"What?"
"Don't."
"When did you become such a good boy, huh?"
I sighed, "Its just... Eavesdropping never ends well."
Her eyes paused at my face, before she looked away and I noticed her jaw tick.
"We should give them some privacy.", I continued.
"As if I was going to cause any harm.", she said, reluctantly stepping back.
She glared at me, "What is up with you being the moral police, huh? It does not suit you."
"I was just..."
She held up her palm, "Don't."
I shut up instantly.
I proceeded to picking up the fallen placards while Radhika stood there with her arms crossed and her foot impatiently tapping on the floor.
As soon as I stood up, she took two determined steps towards me and pointed a finger dangerously close to my eyes.
The sudden action made the placards slip from my hand, resulting in them falling again.
"Don't you dare make me talk to you again!", she threatened.
"But I-"
"Don't."
I swallowed my words.
A good ten minutes passed before the door finally opened.
They shared a glance as they stepped out.
Nirriti ma'am ran her hand through her hair, while Devansh sir slipped his hands in his pocket and cleared his throat, "What are you doing, Rishi? You still haven't picked up the placards?"
I looked down.
Oh yeah.
I immediately picked them up and handed it to him.
Radhika looked between them, "Is everything alright?"
Nirriti ma'am gave us a smile, "Of course."
Just then, a committee member came to us, "Is everything set? The guests will be called on stage in fifteen minutes."
Devansh sir replied, "Yes, everything is fine."
After he left, Devansh sir turned to me, "You know what? Green room was better. Let's go back in."
Nirriti ma'am turned to Radhika, "We should get in too. I need to do some touch up."
I nodded and we both stepped back into the room.
As soon as I saw the room, I was stunned.
The water bottles were lying on the floor, the chair was turned upside down and tissues were lying everywhere.
I turned towards him.
He just shrugged, "Let's say... there was an earthquake here."
"Of course."
Of course not.
Earthquakes don't include tissue papers stained with lipstick lying on the floor.
But I valued my education more than my curiosity.
I smiled at him innocently.
He smiled back.
He definitely knows that I know what exactly happened here.
The sound of my ringtone broke the silence.
I looked at the caller ID and my heart skipped a beat.
I immediately excused myself and walked out of the room.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Rishi? I am speaking from Silverline productions."
"Yes, sir."
"I'm calling regarding your audition."
My grip around the phone tightened.
"We've completed the final round of discussions."
My heart was pounding so loudly I was afraid he could hear it.
"I'm sorry, Rishi... but we've decided to move forward with another candidate."
Oh.
Oh no.
No way.
"But you said they liked my audition", I argued.
"It was a close call. Your audition was genuinely impressive, but we were looking for someone with a little more experience."
I didn't know what to say.
He continued, "Don't be discouraged. You have potential. I am sure we will cross paths again."
"Thank you, sir."
"You're welcome."
I heard my phone beep, signaling the end of the call.
I really thought I was going to get this role.
Yesterday, they had called me saying I was shortlisted, and I was so happy after hearing that.
I had even planned to surprise everyone on the day I come on the television.
That's why I did not mention this to my friends.
I had to talk to Sakshi to get the casting director's number, but that went in vain too.
I sighed.
The scene they had given me for the audition still played in my head.
An emotional reunion of two lovers.
"Rishi!"
I looked up.
Devansh sir held out a placard, "Come in. I need help with this one."
I forced a smile, "Yes sir."
Author's POV
The campus buzzed with energy as students waited for the games to start.
Amongst the crowd, argued the 'power couple' of the college.
Yes, that's what the host of the game had called them while pairing them up for the castle escape.
"I am going to be the princess charming and I will save my prince in peril!", Ruhi announced.
Siddharth refused, "Nope. I am not sitting on that chair all tied up."
"You don't have an option.", Ruhi stated.
Siddharth smirked, "Oh, I do have an option. I have the option to not play the game at all."
Ruhi suddenly pouted, "Can't you do this much for your girlfriend, Jaan?"
Siddharth looked around with a frown, "Rohan is not around."
Ruhi smiled, "Did you forget what happened yesterday? The whole college thinks we are dating."
"I did not forget that. But you still don't have to do all this."
She blinked innocently, "Please, Jaan."
Siddharth pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing, "Alright, stop it. I will sit on the chair."
She beamed at him, "You're the best, Jaan!"
Siddharth felt the urge to disappear.
Somewhere on the other side, Aditi and Naman walked around the campus, with waffles in their hands.
"These are so tasty!", Aditi exclaimed.
Naman looked down at the waffle in his hand, the extremely sweet smell doing something to his senses.
Aditi noticed his weird expression, "Are you sick?"
Naman glanced at her, "No...Not yet at least."
"Why? You don't like waffles?", she asked.
"Actually, I have never had them.", he admitted.
"Then what are you waiting for?"
"It's just... they seem to be too sweet."
"You're too sweet too, but that makes you nice, na?", Aditi said casually.
Naman stared at her, a shy smile forming on his lips, "Adi, yaar!"
Aditi chuckled, "You're redder than my red velvet waffle!"
Naman turned his face away, hiding from her, "Shut up."
"Okay, come on, now. Try the waffle. It will be good, I swear!", she insisted.
Naman finally took a bite.
The sweetness hit him like a truck.
"Well?", Aditi asked eagerly.
He swallowed with great difficulty and gave her a thumbs-up, "It's... really good."
Aditi clapped her hands. "I knew you'd love it!"
Naman smiled to himself.
He didn't.
But he loved seeing her this happy.
Maybe he was too sweet.
Just then, they heard the host call everyone to the games area.
"Seems like the games are finally going to begin! Let's find a good spot in the audience.", she grinned.
Naman smiled back, "Sure, let's go."
Aditi rushed to find a good spot while Naman followed her, still smiling as he quietly chewed his waffle.
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