The unseen pull
The rest of the day went by in a blur. Even though it was just the first day, I already felt exhausted.
As I draw back home with kaashi, she kept rambling about how amazing the college was, how friendly some of the professors were, and, of course about the "Greek God" she had been hyping up since we entered the canteen.
"Divya, you didn't even react properly when I told you about purv. Didn't you see how everyone in the canteen was staring at him?" She said dramatically, her voice filled with excitement.
I let out a small chuckle, keeping my eyes on the road. "I saw him, kaashi," I admitted, gripping the steering wheel a little tighter. "But I don't get why everyone is so obsessed with him."
Kaashi gasped as if I had said the most ridiculous thing ever. "Are you serious? He's literally the son of the college owner, rich, powerful, and insanely good-looking. And you're acting like he's just some random guy?"
I shrugged, but my mind betrayed me. I had noticed him.
More than I wanted to. The way he carried himself with an air of confidence, as if nothing in the world could shake him.
The way his sharp eyes held no emotions, as if he had locked away everything he ever felt.
And then there was charvi-the girl who clung to him as if he belonged to her.
I didn't know why, but seeing her with him made my stomach churn.
I shook my head, pushing the thought away as we reached kaashi's house. She hopped out, still smiling. "We're discussing this later! And tomorrow, you are coming with me to the fresher's meet. No excuses!"
I laughed. "Yeah, yeah. See you tomorrow."
As I drove back home, my mind drifted back to purv. It was weird. I had never been the kind of girl who got easily flustered by a guy. Then why was it that just one glance at him had left such an impact on me?
When I reached home, the house was as silent as ever. My parents weren't back yet-probably busy with their work. Shanta aunty greeted me with a warm smile as she set the dinner table.
"How was your first day, beta?" She asked gently.
"It was good, aunty," I replied, trying to sound cheerful.
I sat at the dining table, eating my food quietly. My parents absence didn't hurt as much as it used to. I had learned to live with it. But that didn't mean the void ever disappeared.
After dinner, I went to my room, changed into my comfortable nightwear, and collapsed onto my bed. But no matter how much I tried, sleep refused to take over.
Why did I keep thinking about him?
I grabbed my phone and absentmindedly scrolled through social media. Then, out of curiosity, I searched his name.
Purv Rathore.
As expected, his profile was private. But his display picture was there-just a simple, effortless black-and-white photo of him leaning against a car. It wasn't even edited, yet it looked like something out of a magazine.
Just as I was about to put my phone down, I got a message from kaashi.
I sighed and opened the group. My eyes skimmed over the messages until one particular text caught my attention.
Empire club. The most luxurious club in the city. I had only ever heard about it. And the name of the sender-Rudra. If I remembered correctly, he was purv's bestfriend.
Purv would be there.
I put my phone aside and closed my eyes, trying to fight the strange feeling growing inside me.
Something told me.... This was only the beginning.