"What the hell are these? You are suspended?" Akhil shouted at Omkar who was standing silently with a blank face.

"Unbelievable!" He looked at him with disbelief.

"Omkar, your father is asking something from long. Answer him" Bhumika asked sternly and continued.

"Why did you do that?"

"Look at him. No ounce of regret on his face for ruining our image like this in front of everyone. Do you even know what your professors and principal told me today?" Akhil's frustrated voice came.

"I knew it, You can't do anything in life. You can't"

Omkar clenched his jaw and without saying anything ran towards his room. Then shut the door leaving him stunned.

"What type of behaviour is this? Has he forgotten the manners too?" He asked his wife who sighed.

"Come down, Akhil. Maybe he don't wanna talk about it now. Let it be. We are getting late for the wedding. We'll talk with him later, okay!"

He hummed in response. Then sitting inside the car left the house with Bhumika.

Omkar who was laying on the bed with his arms under his head heard the sound of car and understood his parents left. They didn't bother to say where they were going and he didn't bother to ask them.

Coming out of the room he went the kitchen and started making a bowl of Maggie for himself.

After 5 minutes, he came back in his room with the maggie and sat on the couch when a message popped up on his mobile screen.

"I'm sorry" It was Niharika's message.

"Hey, it's okay!" He typed back with a smiley but no response came. He felt weird and again typed.

"Are you crying?" He asked but again no response.

"Chasmish!"

Niharika snapped her head towards the phone where the nickname was flashing. A miniscule smile appeared through her lips.

"How are you? What your parents told?" She asked still sobbing as he understood she was still blaming herself.

"Hey shhhh! I'm fine okay. Don't worry, just a few months after that you will watch me regularly" He typed instantly.

"I'm missing you"

"Me too"

The chatted for some more time and then went to sleep.

~✿~

Some days later, Niharika sat at the poolside dipping her feet at the time of their recess with her as usual sad face. She glanced at the football ground which was empty as some tear drops left from her eyes. Some boys were playing football but he wasn't there and the football ground was looking so dull without him. She was badly missing him.

She took a bite from her sandwiches but again his thoughts came into her mind. It was all because of her. If she wouldn't ask him that day to go outside then nothing would happen. His image got ruined only because of her, he was suspended only because of her. It was badly making her sad and feel low.

She got up while wiping her tears. Then wearing her sandals she turned to leave the place when Reva and her gang came in front of her.

"Aww, so sad! She is missing Ommy badly"

She joked with her friends as they also laughed with her.

Niharika didn't say anything and just tried to take a side to go away from there when Vanya spread her right leg in front of her. Niharika stepped into her leg without noticing it and ended up falling into the small pool with a splash making everyone laugh loudly. Her spectacles fell into the water making her vision blurr.

"What did you think, your prince charming saved you that meant you also got saved. Did you forget the day when we asked you to perform the task and you said you won't do it? That day professors came that's why you got saved but not today"

All of them started laughing at her situation making her angry and humiliated. She started getting the flashes from her school making her go mad. Her eyes started pouring heavy water as she clenched her jaw. She was ready to shout at them but the next words she heard made her go numb and still in her place.

"Have you ever shown yourself in the mirror? Just look at you. Neither you have beauty nor you have any talents. There's no match between you and him. Why are you even trying?"

They taunted as the sudden insecurities clouded in her mind.

"Next year is our final year and after that he won't even look at you after getting better option. Do you think he will continue with a girl like you? Come on, give me a break, you're not even average"

Their laughs echoed through the empty pool side.

Niharika was standing in the middle of everyone drenched in water while tears were flowing like a waterfall. The white shirt she was wearing soaked in water making her bra visible in front of the crowd as she tried hiding herself with her arms, hairs were in messed up condition while her eyes and nose became red due to crying.

After sometime the recess was over and everyone started going into the class leaving her there. Her blurry vision searched for her spectacles as she finally grabbed it and got up with difficulty. Then slowly taking her bag from the side of the stairs, she ran from there.

She caught the metro hurriedly while everyone was passing cheap comments and shameless comments throughout the journey from college to her home. Without caring anything she made a run.

~✿~

Rupali opened the door but before she could even look or talk to her, she saw her daughter running towards her room.

"Niha"

But her call didn't go to her ears as she already shut the door of her room.

"Now what happened to this girl?"

~✿~

Niharika splashed water on her face again and again. Then looked at herself through the mirror as those words were ringing in her ears. She closed her ears and sat on the floor while sobbing badly.

Have you ever shown yourself in the mirror? Just look at you. Neither you have beauty nor you have any talents. There's no match between you and him.

It was hurting her a lot. A lot but more than that she was insecured about herself. She had nothing, absolutely nothing and here she was trying to reach the moon. She cursed herself for ruining his life.

After sometime, getting freshed she sat on the bed and with shakey hands she opened the message.

"Hey chashmish, did you reach home or are you still in college?"

She read the message and her heart started beating faster as tears again rolled down from her eyes. With her trembling fingers she deleted the messages and blocked his number forever.

"I'm sorry. Please forgive me but you deserve better. Not a girl like me who has nothing" Saying so, she bursted out in tears.

~✿~

Omkar dialled the number again and again but it didn't reach.

"What just happened? Did she block me?" He was confused with her sudden behaviour.

"Should I call someone else?" He then called two of her friends but none knew about anything as they didn't go to college.

"Okay, I'll talk to her later" He thought and again started concentrating on his studies.

~✿~

Some days later, when Omkar didn't get any response from her side, He went to the college and waited for her at the entrance.

"Bhaiya, she said she won't come. She doesn't want to talk with you" Ritika informed him as he frowned.

"But why?"

"She said, it was just a mere attraction and she doesn't want to continue whatever was there between you two" She added as he got angry.

"Then why she isn't coming infront me and telling all these by herself? Why is she running from me whenever I'm trying to talk with her for the past 15 days? Why she blocked me from everywhere?"

"Don't know bhaiya, but she said she isn't anymore interested in all these. Her only focus is now on her studies. She doesn't wanna talk to you anymore"

Omkar was frustrated hearing everything.

"Fine, if she herself doesn't wanna continue then who am I? All the best for her bright future"

He wished a happy life ahead for her and left from there without conversing further.

~✿~

Six years fast forward, Omkar was coming back to India from the US. His life changed in these years. After graduation, he applied for off campus Jobs and got a call from a reputed company from US who offered him 30LPA. After that he flew there.

Now he was coming back and it was the time of Durga Puja in India. Everywhere there was a crowd and rush. Everyone was coming back to India to celebrate these five days with families, maybe, he concluded. He looked through the window and a smile automatically came through his lips seeing his love, his country. It felt so good that he couldn't describe it in words.

His flight landed on the airport and he inhaled sharply to take the smell of his love. With a happy smile he took his luggages and looked around to see if his parents were there to take him or not but a sigh left his mouth whom he was kidding. They might be busy in their own works. He booked a cab and started his journey towards his home.

••••

How was the chapter?