Chapter 6

With the first ray of shine, she wakes up. Lifting her arms to stretch them and yawning, turning to the edge of the bed, she descends to the bed. Swiftly, ready after doing her morning routine and taking shower. Locking the door of the room, hanging her backpack, she went toward the warden's office to inform her about the new job and stated all the events that happened. Warden's mouth was tightly shut, and with flared nostrils and narrowed eyes, she glared at Tara.  In no movement, Tara understands the annoyance of the warden as with puckered eyebrows, her face flushed with anger.

“Miss. Sharma…. You know this very well, What will happen if you do not come inside the hostel before 10:00 pm..!!!...”, the warden appalled Tara in a hard tone and with squinted eyes.

Tara first bends her head and says in a glum tone, “I know about it, Warden Miss…”, then she lifts her face, and with a slight beam, she mutters, “But… I tried to come as soon as possible…!...”.

Warden's face becomes bitter as she gets resentment of Tara's response, with a cold expression, She hissed, “Miss. Sharma…If you will not enter the hostel before 10:00 pm then at first… there is only a warning… second time…it will be reached to the Hostel community… and… third but last…you will be expelled from this hostel…I hope you are aware of this rule…!!!...”.

Tara doesn't utter a word, she bites her lower lip in nervousness as her shoulder hunches and gazes down, she just nodded her head. Tara is on familiar terms with that she had to leave the hostel if she breaks any rule in any circumstance, that is why she will not just try but complete her responsibilities, whether related to her study or the job.

With self-belief and a sign of nerve to face all the difficulties in life, Tara went outside the hostel with full assurance. Luckily, she had two days of free time, because of the weekends. She was a bit relaxed about these but somewhere inside her, there was a fear, a horror from those oceanic blue orbs. Whenever that oceanic blue iris stares at her, a chill down her spine, she feels a wicked experience that made her numb. She just wants to run and hide from him but only his glance locked her kneel and compelled her to root to the spot.

“Why, I feel so fragile in front of him..???... I don’t like it. When he looks at me, it makes me nervous …!..”, She murmurs herself, while crossing the path but her thoughts are crammed by the oceanic blue orbs. Tara’s heart is thudding aggressively, as she has to go and confront that person whose just presence scared the hell out of her.

“Stop it, Tara…!.. There is nothing to fear about anything….He wasn’t terrifying you..!... it’s you who scaring to him without reason…!...”, her subconscious response to her fright, and with puckered brows and quivery smile, she murmurs, “Yes!!!...there is no need to fear …and anyway Why would he wants to scare me… or hurt me..!”.

Tara cheers up and convinces herself that there is no need to be afraid of Ryan as to whether he will harm her..!!. But inside her in a corner, her instinct seeks to alert her to remain away from him, as maybe he will be proved to be her destruction..!.

Following her chain of thoughts, she walking on the lane side, when suddenly a strident horn from behind reached her ears and vibrate her eardrums, Tara squinched for a second, her mouth open in impulsive shock as she had a Phonophobia, she was about to fall but hold herself frequently, she gets enraged and turns behind to glare at the person.

But her rage converts into a mystification when the person on the bike removes the helmet cover from his face, “Shan..!!!.. It’s you…”, she snarled with widening eyes and her palm on her chest as her heart was pounding harshly because of the impact of shrill noise.

Shan smiled wittily, “Yes..!.. it’s me Tara…”, but when he observed her distressed state, he became alert and said in an apprehensive tone, “But …What is happening to you???.. Why are you looking swiftly frightened..!!! … Are you alright, Tara..!..”, he placed his hand on her shoulder in a concerned way.

Tara took a deep breath, and nodded her head, “Actually..! I had Phonophobia…”, she informed Shan in a low tone. A stunned spread on Shan’s face, “What..!!!.. I am sorry Tara…  I shouldn’t have made this prank on you…I am really sorry, for this..!..”, he apologized as his jaw dropped and lips curved down.

“It’s OK….Shan…you don’t do it intentionally…”, Tara whispered and tried to console Shan as he seemed very upset about his action.

Shan slightly smiled as still felt guilty and asked, “Tara!... Where are you going..???.. I will drop you there..”.

“No! ...Shan, it’s OK… I will go by myself… you don’t need to be worried… as the Bus station is just a few steps away, I will manage…”, Tara explained softly to Shan.

“But, Tara!... if you want to reach the Rockstar mansion by bus…then you definitely be late…I drop you …!..”, Shan enlightens her, making her stunned as she doesn’t accept that Shan was also aware of the deal.

Tara’s gazing at him with wide eyes and a puzzled face as she wants to know from where Shan has this information.

Shan chuckled at her confused look, “Hey!... Tara…I think you forget about Mr. Phil… He tells me about the whole scenario … that How you save Lousy!  And landed in huge trouble…!...”.

Tara looked down, her face flushed as awkwardness spread on her face by listening to Shan's words.

“Hey!, Tara…don’t be embarrassed about anything… You did, What was right in the situation… So please don’t be late and come with me…I will drop you on time… So, Please don’t think much more…”, Shan insisted Tara as a friend. And this time and in the new palace, he is the one whom she trusts as he is the only friend of her now.

Tara sits on the bike with Shan, when a bike is run on the road at a fast speed, she closed her eyes and her one hand clutched Shan's shoulder firmly and the other on his waist site unintentionally.

In twenty minutes, Tara reaches the destination. She moves down from the bike and expresses gratitude with a bright smile.

“There is no need to thank, Tara…as we are a friend..and Good Luck..”, Shan merriments her and leaves the palace.

Tara brightly smiles at him and turns to enter the Ryan mansion.

After showing her Identity card and the appointment letter signed by Ryan to the security, they allowed her to enter it. As soon as she entered, she met with Jim first. She greets him but Jim looks at her with a cold expression.

“Finally, you arrived…”, Jim whispered.

“Yes! Sir… What do I have to do..??? I mean… What is my work..???..”, Tara asked softly.

Jim showed her a direction to which she glanced at that side, “Yo go there first… meet Rockstar…then I will tell you about your work…”, he informed her to meet Ryan, but when she heard his name, an unknown fear arise in her heart, she fisted her palm.

“What are you waiting for!!!... just go there… if you don’t want any more trouble in your life…”, Jim said roughly but inside he knows by looking at her face that she was frightened to meet Ryan. As Jim himself senses that Ryan’s intimidating aura dominates anyone and here she is just a  simple young girl, how she faces his wrath..!

Tara slowly takes steps in fright toward the directed room by Jim. The distances are not so long but she intentionally takes time as she doesn’t want to encounter him. With each step, the fear covered her senses but she chanted in her mind, “You can do it, Tara!... there is no need to worry..!...”. This reciting gives her some audacity and with that, she covers the distance.

When she reached in front of the room, she observed the door was closed. She gulped and slowly- slowly lifted her hand to knock on it as her legs and muscles tightened due to apprehension that made her weak. With a trembling hand, she knocked on the door but received no response. She knocks the second time but again no response, she feels a little relaxed thinking that maybe he was not inside, but she knocked the third time and a deep voice growled from inside, “Get in..”.

Tara flinched by hearing his profound voice, she felt maybe her legs were paralyzed,  she doesn’t want to go inside…!  She doesn’t want to face him…!  She doesn’t want to be stared at by those oceanic blue orbs…!

“Relax, Tara!... You can do it…”, she again started chanting subconsciously and opened the door slowly and with shaky steps entered the room.

When she came into the room, she looked around but didn't find anyone. Suddenly a voice in a cold tone said, “Who is he…???…”.

Tara's eyes widened in trepidation, her mouth open slightly, she turned little by little behind to gaze in the voice's direction and she saw him.

Ryan sat on the couch like a lion, holding a cigarette in his mouth and lightening it with a lighter, gently sucking the air, and filling his mouth with smoke, and lifting his intense oceanic blue orbs to glance at her.

Tara’s face pales ashen, her peptide frame shaking uncontrollably looking at his oceanic orbs that held a pledge..! A swear to destroy her…!

Fisting her palm tightly she tried to suppress her fear, with a tremulous voice, she whispered, “WWho!!!…Sir..???...”.

Ryan blows the smoke away in the air, his severe look fixed on her face, he peeks at her luscious pink lips that shake in horror and he is aware that it was his fear. Without breaking the stare at her,  he stands up and moves toward her with voracious eyes.

A bead of sweat formed on her forehead, her black doe eyes enlarged, and his luscious lips parted to take a breath in and out. And his forwarding steps make her heart thud violently, she feels any time it comes out.

Ryan stands in her personal space, she looks like a small fragile doll in front of his tall muscular body, he takes another mouthful of cigarette smoke and turns his face left, his pointed cheekbone and sharpen jawline steal a look by her black doe iris. He blows the smoke and in a swift movement, shoves his nose in her hair.

Tara cringed, her doe becoming enlarged when he gasped her fragrance with closed eyes as he inhales a  floral scent perfumed, his lips raised in a smirk and his cheek feeling the silkiness of her long black hair. He leaned to her ear, open his eyes widely, suddenly his oceanic blue orbs filled with gale, his nostril flared and in his profound voice with gnashing the teeth, he whimpered near her earlobe, “The one with whom you came here…!...  with whom you sit on the bike so closed…!... Babita (Babygirl)!..”.

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