Cigarettes & Peonies

23

"We're going for swimming and that's final!!!" monica, maahi's senior, cried out loudly. Karanvir yawned.
"Yeah and someone please drown her in there." Karanvir said blankly. Monica frowned.
"Look I think I've a better alternative for everyone. Let's split ourselves into three parties, all those interested in hiking will form one group, people who want to go for swimming can follow monica while the rest can actually come with us and explore the hilly lanes of Kodaikanal. What say??" vaishali offered shrewdly. Maahi's eyes twinkled. Monica looked disappointed, especially when she was supposed to be the only one with good brain.
"I am in already. I'm going for hiking." luv said excitedly. Vaishali smiled proudly.
"I'll go where Karanvir goes." shriya's sultry tone irked many. Karanvir threw a casual glance at her cakey face.
"Well I'm going to men's washroom right now, wanna tag along." karanvir sneered cruelly and shriya looked flushed with anger. The students laughed at karanvir's crude sense of humour.
"Jokes apart Karanvir, I seriously want to know where you will be heading to." kanak asked firmly. Kanak was a bossy girl in general. With full rimmed spectacles, freckled cheeks, beady eyes and thin lips; she was easily the very person you overlook while walking down the lane. Karanvir disliked her for solid reasons, not only because she was a 'Know-everything' sort of a girl but because she was secretly his stalker. Never had she let anyone find out that she was 'obsessively' pursuing karanvir but Karanvir knew it from long ago that she was behind him. If Karanvir hated one thing than that was girls like her following him like crazy fangirls, perhaps this was the reason why maahi felt so special to him. She was different, very different, on top of being so adorable and cuddly. Now, karanvir gave her some real tough look which unnerved her slightly.
"That's none of your business." he shut her up with that very statement.
"Ok. I don't know about others but me, maahi and half of our class is going to explore the Kodaikanal." vaishali told flatly. Karanvir gasped.
"I...I too think I should probably be exploring the place....I mean, I don't like hiking that much and I don't do swimming so...."
"That means you don't know how to swim." said vaishali cruelly. Karanvir cursed her inwardly as maahi watched him innocently.
"I am a gold medalist in swimming ma'am." he seethed. Vaishali laughed.
"As if I care dork." and with that she took maahi's hand and began walking towards the hotel to get ready for some exploring.

Grey clouds hung low upon the city of Kodaikanal. A coolness was in the air. Maahi and vaishali were inside a shopping mall. They had already explored the hilly streets of the city and were now shopping in the mall.
"Vaishu see, this looks nice!!!" maahi said joyfully, hugging the sleek black dress close to her body and looking into the full size mirror.
"I don't think so, it's too revealing in my opinion." said a manly voice from behind. Maahi stopped short and swung round. There he stood, propped against a mannequin, his thick hairs slightly unkempt and his neat clothes embarassing the clothes wore by the plastic figures. His introduction is not required as all know who this singular human was.
"What are you doing here??" vaishali hissed angrily. Karanvir's eyes were dark as he approached maahi sadistically before gently 'snatching' the 'see-through' dress from her quivering hands. He then threw the dress hatefully upon one of the mannequins. His eyes scared maahi terribly.
"Gone deaf or what dork!!! I'm asking something....what the hell are you doing here??" vaishali yelled as she jumped in between maahi and him. He glared evily at her.
"Somersaulting!!!! Are you mad.... can't you see this is a shopping mall and what else can I do here except for shopping." he fumed. Maahi could feel already that he had walked here in a bad mood and something in her just told not to piss him off.
"Oh shut up!! Don't feed me unnecessary lies dork...... don't think I don't see anything. I see everything. And I even know why the hell you are here." vaishali looked him in the eye and said. Karanvir watched her blankly.
"If you know than I don't see any reason in telling you again and again." he spat rudely. Maahi was shivering in fear. Why was he so creepy?? She wondered.
"Listen jerk, I won't let any of your hideous plans to succeed. You are staying away from her and that's final. She's out of your league...."
"You don't get to decide that. What Karanvir wants..." looks at maahi's scared figure "He gets." he completed, watching maahi's small frame cowering into the aisle of clothes. Maahi could already catch the wiff of nefarity brewing inside his head. Maahi had already told vaishali about yesterday's incident and how horrific karanvir looked to her last night. Vaishali, just to not scare her, asked her to not think about it while in truth she knew that it was a big deal. She knew what Karanvir was upto and as a true friend she won't let him succeed.
"Maahi let's go....we got no time for dorks!!!!" she muttered vehemently. Maahi nodded compliantly and followed her outside the shop. In another five minutes they found themselves standing before the cash counter and guess what, Karanvir was still following them.
"How much??" asked maahi, ignoring karanvir's overly passionate eyes on her. The boy on the counter smiled.
"Mr. Roy has already cleared the bills for you ma'am." he told her courtly. Maahi's mouth fell open. She gaped stupidly at karanvir's smirking figure. Because the line before the counter was huge and she didn't wanted to hold up the line for a creep, she moved aside and walked towards karanvir's big figure. His eyes twinkled as he watched her small frame running up to him.
"You don't need to pay my bills, tell me how much should I pay??" she asked, rummaging for cash inside her handbag. Karanvir's eyes darkened as he grabbed her wrist, forcing her to not look further into her bag. She shuddered.
"I don't appreciate that." he said grimly. Maahi's eyes began tearing up. His grip around her wrist was rough.
"Don't appreciate what and please leave my hand." she whispered fearfully. He came closer. She stiffened.
"When I am here, it's not required of you to pay the bills. I'll do that for you always." he said darkly. Her breath stuck in her throat as she looked into his unforgiving eyes. Vaishali was in the washroom and maahi was mentally cursing her for not being able to control her urge to pee. Tears snaked into the corners of her eyes as his dark eyes looked straight into her soul.
"But why??" she asked in a whisper. He kept looking into her eyes for another minute before releasing her hand. Quickly she rubbed it.
"I am giving you the chance to find it out yourself coz you won't appreciate if I tell you all. Take care." and with that he turned his heels and walked away. Maahi watched his departing figure bewildered.