Prakhar knocked on the car window urgently.Inside, Shrey saw him and his eyes widened in surprise.At the same time, sitting in the driver's seat, Kunwar lowered the window with a faint smile—"What's the matter, bodyguard? You seem to be in quite a hurry these days."
"Shrey, come out..."Prakhar ignored Kunwar completely and firmly spoke to Shrey.
Kunwar's nerves tensed.He absolutely hated being ignored—especially right in front of him.
As soon as Shrey stepped out of the car,Kunwar grabbed Prakhar by the collar and yanked him down forcefully.
"You know the consequences of ignoring me, don't you..."His voice was colder than venom.
But just then, Shrey came closer,and seeing him, Kunwar let go of Prakhar—as if nothing had happened.
"Where did you go?"Prakhar thundered.
Shrey felt insulted—how could he scold him in front of everyone, and that too in front of Kunwar?
"The professor had called me to help with his thesis..."Shrey replied softly and moved toward him but stumbled slightly.
Prakhar immediately caught him, supported him with his arms, and steadied him.
"Then why didn't you tell me…?"His anger was now slowly turning into concern.
"I… I forgot..."Shrey said innocently, pouting.
Prakhar shut his eyes tightly.His heart had nearly stopped—and this boy "forgot."
"Fine, let's go home…"he said, holding Shrey's hand and looking at Kunwar—"Thanks for taking care of Shrey, Kunwar… I'll return the favor soon."
Kunwar replied with a faint smile—"I'll be waiting…" and walked away quickly.
But even as he walked away, he kept turning back—seeing Shrey with Prakhar was setting his blood on fire.It was getting harder to keep that fake smile on his face.
A little ahead, Prakhar stopped a taxiand motioned Shrey to get in.
Shrey pouted and, with frustration on his face, sat inside.Prakhar shook his head and sat beside him—"There's no need to sulk… It was your fault, after all."
"Oh really? And what exactly was my fault?"Shrey snapped immediately.
Prakhar looked at him—his little angry kitten, ready to fight even in a broken state. Even if he knew he'd lose.
Then he softened a bit and asked—"Is your leg hurting a lot?"
Shrey nodded quietly.
"I'll apply a hot compress once we get home…"he said, giving directions to the driver where his car was parked.
"And look at you too, Diamond... You came too? You do care about me, huh?"Shrey looked at the dog, who turned away his face.
"Oye Diamond, if you act all arrogant, I'll tie you up at home…"Shrey teased.
"Like I'll let you tie him up..." — Prakhar scolded quickly, and Shrey looked away out the window.
A little farther, they reached Prakhar's car and all three headed home.
As soon as they got home, Shrey started explaining everything in detail.Meanwhile, Prakhar changed clothes, made soup for Shrey, and sat in front of him, applying a hot compress to his injured leg.
"Ouch... be gentle..." — Shrey winced from the hot towel.
Prakhar gently blew on it and resumed pressing it, listening to Shrey's story—how two monstrous dogs had chased him.He barely managed to control his anger.
After a while, Prakhar spoke softly,"I told you to stay away from Kunwar, didn't I..."
Shrey fell completely silent, then whispered,"One minute... he didn't do anything intentionally… it was all my carelessness."
"So you're admitting it was your fault?"
"My fault...? What fault...? I just bumped into him… It's a coincidence... Not a mistake..."
Prakhar gave him a hard stare—This boy admitting a mistake? That would shake the Earth.
Shrey grinned and laid his head on Prakhar's lap.Prakhar ran his fingers through his hair, gazing down at him.
Pranay came home late, he had been out with friends.As soon as he entered his room and saw Shrey and Prakhar, he said—"Well well, Romeo and Juliet… having a moment?"
"Shut up… he's sleeping..." Prakhar said in a low but firm tone.Pranay quietly took out some clothes from the closet and went into the bathroom.
Prakhar carefully laid Shrey down and went into the kitchen to make dinner.His mind was full of the day's events.He had to find a solution soon—he couldn't watch Shrey suffer like this again.Only he knew how his heart had ached seeing him hurt.
When Pranay came out and saw the bruises on Shrey, he was shocked.He hadn't noticed earlier, but now everything was clear.He walked out and asked Prakhar—"Hey… what happened to Shrey? How did he get hurt?"
"He had gone to his professor's house… for thesis work… got hurt there…"Prakhar replied while working.
"…And don't tell me that 'professor' was your Kunwar…"Pranay said angrily.
When Prakhar nodded, Pranay grabbed him by the collar—"This is all happening because of you. My brother is in this condition because of you… you bastard!"
"Pranay… calm down… I didn't know he would go to Kunwar's place..."
"So… now it's clear to me that Kunwar's crazy about you, right?I saw how he talked to you in the parking lot that day…But I thought since you were there, Shrey would be safe.But I think I was wrong…To you, first comes Kunwar, then my brother..."
"Shut up, Pranay… You think I didn't try to keep Shrey away from Kunwar?But he's not like us—he's a prince… a future king… his power is beyond us..."
"So… my brother isn't some toy your Kunwar can play with, got it?I'm calling our brother right now… and you—get out of this house immediately…I don't want to see you again!"
"Be practical, Pranay… I've lived among them. I understand how they work…And trust me—this is the first and last time Shrey has been used because of me.It won't happen again..."
"And why should I trust you?"
"The same way you trusted me when I told you the truth about Shrey…When I told you my truth on time too…"Prakhar said calmly, and Pranay went quiet.
"Fine… one last chance..."he said, letting go.
Prakhar took a deep breath and got back to work.Pranay helped too, but the conversation between them was minimal.