Hues Of Dusk

Chapter 43. Grounded

"Lakshya bhaiyya?"

Nikhil quickly got off his bike followed by Karthik when he saw his brother get down from the Jeep and stride towards us. His face was red with fury and he made no attempt to hide it.

He stood in front of Nikhil and Nikhil flinched a little. Lakshya didn't even move a single finger and his little brother was scared to the bones. Lakshya observed the state of his brother and shook his head. Karthik was also fidgeting in his spot and glancing here and there to find an escape route.

"We will talk when we get home," Lakshya said in a cold tone and went back to sit in his Jeep. He motioned for me to take the backseat and though I knew that he wouldn't unleash his anger on me, I was still scared.

Nothing is scary than a pissed off elder brother. I did as ordered while Nikhil got on his bike. Karthik found his chance and ran away like Road Runner. Lakshya didn't stop him and I almost laughed at Nikhil's baffled expression. He called his friend but Karthik didn't stop and left Nikhil all by himself.

Nikhil cursed under his breath and started his bike. He went ahead of the Jeep so that Lakshya could follow him and make sure that he didn't run away too. Through the ride, I could feel the tension and imagined what would happen to Nikhil now.

But how did Lakshya got to the den? He didn't know the location. Was he following me? But if he was following me then he could have busted the den and dragged Nikhil outside by himself.

Then, how? Hm? Oh right! He had asked for my number before I left and Nikhil said that he left his phone at home. Lakshya must have tracked my location by my phone.

Yeah, that might be it or otherwise, how would he have known where we were? He must have suspected something by my unusual behaviour and my hurry to get out of their house earlier.

I need to work on my spying skills. Then again, he was an Army Officer. How could I have underestimated him and thought that I had fooled him?

"Sandhya?" Lakshya called.

"Yes, bhaiyya?"

"Don't think I am letting you off so easily. I have already called your parents. So, you better prepare yourself too."

W-What?!

I opened my mouth to protest but decided to keep it shut. What if I angered him more and made things worse for myself? He called up his mom and told her he was bringing us home.

I was officially fucked up. My parents were going to be there and if they got to know about my antics, they will wreak havoc on me. Most importantly, mom. She would be so angry.... No! I didn't want to imagine it.

I tried to run away when we reached Nikhil's home but Nikhil caught me and dragged me along with him.

I knew he didn't want to face the wrath alone. He must be blaming me for all of this. But it wasn't my fault, was it? I didn't know Lakshya would find out and my plan would fail.

Once we got in the house, I felt a chill run down my spine. Our parents were sitting in the living room, waiting for our arrival anxiously. As soon as they heard Lakshya announce our presence, all of them turned their heads toward us.

Mom was glaring at me while dad was clearly disappointed with me. None of them said anything and continued staring. Then, Lakshya came and stood in front of us. I looked beside me and noticed that Nikhil was shivering. He kept his head low and kept mumbling to himself.

"Why don't you tell us where you were, Nikhil?" Lakshya asked and Nikhil took a step back.

Lakshya was towering over him and I felt bad for Nikhil. Lakshya rolled up his sleeves and crossed his arms across his chest.