Hues Of Dusk

Chapter 87. Ready for takeoff

(🚨 Long chapter ahead 🚨)

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I can give myself the award for being the biggest idiot ever alive. I want to go back in the past and beat up my younger self for being a brat and bullying Ved when all he needed was someone to just ask him if he was okay or not.

How could I be so careless to not even notice his sad mood and blame him for acting arrogant when he was just suffering from the biggest loss of his life? I always say he bullied me, but I also didn't do anything to him which can be counted as saintly.

How could you be such a jerk, Sandhya? I am so disappointed...

"How long would it take for you to get done, Kid?" Rajeev asked.

"Just a few minutes," I replied and continued mopping the floor with a spoilt mood.

"You can leave early if you are not feeling good," he suggested.

I shook my head and told him I was okay. He nodded and ordered his cousin to help me in completing the task and left the gym to take care of some stuff. Dhruv agreed, but as soon as his brother left, he rolled his eyes at me and began gossiping with his two friends.

I knew he wasn't going to help me, so I didn't bother with him; I checked the time and decided to get over with my work to return back home and torture myself more with self-guilt. I couldn't concentrate even in lectures and avoided Natural Heater whenever he came in my direction.

He kept asking me why I was looking like a zombie and what was with the rotten expression I was sporting all day. I wanted to apologise to him for being a bitch in our childhood, but I didn't have the courage.

I guess I was a coward indeed. Once a coward, always a coward.

"Can you guys move to the other spot? I have to clean here," I asked Dhruv and his gang.

They ignored me and kept munching on the snacks and littering all over the place. Dhruv was boasting about participating in the U-19 boxing championship coming up within a few weeks. I asked the guys once more, but their reactions were the same. I took deep breaths and told Dhruv to at least pick up the trash he and his friends had created - he still didn't listen.

"Dhruv, I am not interested in getting in an argument. Can you please do it yourself or move aside for me?" I questioned.

"Are you ordering me?" he grunted. "I won't move, so you can just fuck off."

"Listen here, you punk. If you don't want to get in trouble, you better do what I say or I will-"

"Or what? You gonna complain to Rajeev bhaiyya just like you always do?" he taunted, and his friends began snickering.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Just move - last warning. Don't try my patience."

"I know where you get your confidence from. Sorry to pop your bubble, but I am Rajeev's brother, not you. It's time you know your place and stop acting like you own this gym." Dhruv smirked. "You know guys, my brother is always taking her side; I wonder what kind of 'favour' she is doing to him."

"What the hell did you just say?!" I threw the wet mop on the floor and stepped towards him.

"Are you deaf?" he mocked and burst out laughing.

"I fucking dare you to say that again," I seethed.

Dhruv gave me an arrogant grin and glanced at his friends in a taunting gesture. "I said I wonder what kind of favour-"