Beginning the chapter by thanking all my viewers 😊 , voters 🤗 and commenters 😘

Anyways, Onwards!!!

"Words in double quotes" - Talking

'Words in single quotes' - Thoughts

(Words in braces) - Telephone conversations.

Chapter 10 - The Truth Can Set You Free

#Mount College#

Shabbir took a deep breath and let it out. He put his guitar on his lap and closed his eyes. He opened his mouth to sing out the lyrics and-

"Hi!"

Shabbir looked up at the new arrival with irritation. It was Pragya.

'This girl! Ugh!'

"Why are you always after me, huh!? Can't you let me be in peace?!"

Pragya looked at him confused "I'm your duet partner. I need to practice with you if we want to rock this Fest. Don't you want the same?"

"Fine! Take this paper and start memorizing the lyrics. And don't disturb me while I practice the tunes on the guitar."

Pragya nodded and moved towards him to take the paper. She sat down beside him and silently kept reading the lyrics.

For sometime, the only sounds that could be heard was that of Shabbir's guitar. Shabbir found it quite odd that Pragya decided to listen to him without a complain. 'I hope this isn't the calm before the storm. Is she planning something against me?'

He looked at her with narrowed eyes.

Pragya felt eyes on her and looked up from the paper to see Shabbir looking at her intently. She smiled at him.

Shabbir's eyes became as large as saucers and he abruptly stood up, with guitar in hand. "Alright, speak up. What are you planning!?"

"Planning? I don't know what you are talking about." 😯

"Don't take me for a fool. Till yesterday, you couldn't stand me. But today, you start smiling at me and listening to what I say, like an obedient girl. Why?!"

Prgaya smiled again "You saved my life. And that's why I'm being nice to you."

"Whatever. I would have done the same for any other person. It's not like you were someone special. Besides, it was just to gain popularity." he spoke arrogantly. 😏

"Whatever it may be, it doesn't change the fact that you are a good person and have a big, soft heart." she said with an innocent face.

"Soft heart? Seriously?" 😑

"Yep. Underneath all that arrogance, there lies a big softie who cares for others and believes in doing what is right." 😊

"I am not some person with a big, fat, soft heart, you hear me!? I'm Shabbir! Shabbir Mehra! A cold, calculative, arrogant jerk. Mind it!" he shouted at the top of his voice.

However, Pragya just nodded and went back to reading the lyrics.

Shabbir's eye twitched in irritation. "Don't you have anything to snark back?" 😣

"I do. But I won't. I don't want to fight my saviour. I would listen to everything you say." 😊

Shabbir stomped his foot on the ground in frustration.

Pragya blinked..... and blinked again "Did..... Did you just stomp your foot like little girls do?"

"S-shut up!" Shabbir stuttered out, embarrassed. 😠

"Ahahahahaha..." Pragya burst out laughing, while Shabbir fumed in anger.

"Look! I saved you just so that I don't have to sing with Aliyah again. I don't care about you or anyone, got that?"

"I thought that too. I thought you were just an arrogant and selfish prick. But you proved me wrong. You risked your own life to save me. Not to mention you saved Abhi too."

"I did that just to gain more fame. I don't give a damn about him" Shabbir spoke, trying to sound as convincing as possible.

"Nope. You saved him because you care."

Shabbir looked at her in anger. 'Why is she so persistant!?'

"Look Pragya, I don't give a damn about him or his family. Quit making up stories."

"I saw your eyes Shabbir. I saw how you looked when you realized that Abhi may drown. I saw how you seemed genuinely happy when you were joking with Abhi. So don't try to lie to me." she spoke calmly.

At once she felt her arm being pulled and she came face to face with a pissed off Shabbir.

"I do not care about Abhi or Aliyah! Stop trying to make up stories. They are just people who are replaceable. They live, they don't live, I don't give a damn!"

Pragya felt true fear as she looked into his eyes. There was so much anger in them. However, she refused to back down. "If that is so, then why save Abhi? And let's say you did save him for fame. Then why did you stay to talk with him when you came out of the water? Explain that!"

Shabbir pushed her back until her back hit the wall. He had her trapped with both hands beside her head. He looked directly into her eyes. They were so close that their noses were almost touching.

Pragya held her breath, unsure of how to react. Never has she been so close to a boy. She could feel his breath on her face. She could see every feature of his face clearly. Till now, she thought that both Abhi and Shabbir were exactly same, except for their hairstyles. She remembers Abhi's brown eyes from when he had saved her in the library. However, she could see that Shabbir's eyes weren't brown like Abhi's. They were charcoal black. While Abhi's face had the glow of a life spent in luxury, Shabbir's face seemed rough with years of hard work. But one thing she couldn't deny was that both brothers had their own unique attractiveness.

(Author's note : Both twins are hotties, no? 😍😍😍 )

Shabbir was extremely pissed. Pragya was being so stubborn that it ticked him off beyond limits. He wanted to make it completely clear that he didn't care about his siblings. However, as he looked into her eyes, he couldn't help but admire her features. Her heart shaped face, with her beautiful light brown eyes. He could smell the beautiful smell of strawberries radiating from her hair, probably from some type of shampoo. Her lips looked soft, like her skin. 'Soft? Damn it! I was about to scold her for calling me soft-hearted.'

Shabbir spoke, breaking Pragya out of her musings. "Listen to me, and listen carefully. I. Don't. Care. For. Anyone! But. Myself! Got that?" he spoke, stressing each and every word.

"Shabbir!" Both Pragya and Shabbir looked towards the voice that came from the door, to see Tanu standing there, looking pissed off. Purab and Bulbul were standing right behind Tanu. While Bulbul stared wide-eyed, Purab was smirking.

Suddenly, Pragya and Shabbir realized how close they were and abruptly broke apart.

Pragya was blushing like a tomato. She immediately picked up her bag, grabbed Bulbul's hand and dragged her out of there.

Once they left, Purab turned to Shabbir "Wow. I thought you hated her. I guess opposites do attract." he said with a smirk.

"Shabbir! What were you doing so close to her!?" shouted Tanu.

Shabbir opened his mouth to explain, but then decided against it. Purab won't believe him and would continue teasing him, while Tanu would just keep on accusing him.

"Forget that. Tell me why you both are here. I need to practice, so don't waste my time."

"I came to tell you that I got the technicians for setting up the lighting and other things in the auditorium. They called just now. I got them to agree on a cheap budget."

"Nice Purab. I guess you've become intelligent staying with me."

Purab rolled his eyes "Very funny Shabbir. Anyway, see ya. I need to go find Bulbul." He said wriggling his eyebrows.

Shabbir chuckled and bid him goodbye. He knew how much Purab liked Bulbul. The guy was smitten with her!

"Don't you think you're becoming too friendly with that middle-class girl Shabbir?" Tanu asked with spite.

"If you're here to lecture me on that, then you better leave Tanu. I've got more important things to do."

"Shabbir yo-"

"Tanu! Come fast. They want you for a photo shoot." called her friend from behind.

Tanu wanted to argue with Shabbir, but her modeling career was more important. She left with one last glance at Shabbir. 'This isn't over, Shabbir.'

#With Pragya and Bulbul#

Pragya pulled Bulbul all the way to the courtyard of the college. "Not a word about it to anyone! You won't tell anything to anyone, understood Bulbul?"

"Okay Di. But tell me what was that?" Bulbul asked with a sly smile.

"It was nothing! There was nothing going on between us."

"Then why are you trying to hide it so hard?"

Pragya paused 'She's right. If there is nothing, then why am I blushing so much? Damn! By telling her not to tell anyone, I made her believe there was something going on. Now she won't stop teasing me!'

"Look Bulbul, dearest little sister. There was nothing th-"

"Liar liar, pants on fire." Bulbul sing-songed.

Pragya looked at her irritated "Alright! What do you want in exchange for shutting up about the incident?"

Bulbul thought for a moment and answered "In exchange, you will make excuses for me to Maa, while I practice with Purab."

"Eh?"

"Yep! Me and Purab will give a performance together. For that, I would need to practice with him, even after college time, so that it's perfect. But you know Maa won't let me spend time with a boy. So, you will cover for me."

Pragya looked at her with a smirk "Is someone falling in loveeeee?" 'Maybe I can tease her for it whenever she would bring up the incident with Shabbir.'

"I know what you're thinking Di. And I should tell you its useless. Because I don't care. I like Purab and I won't shy about it."

Pragya looked at her wide-eyed. "I bet even Purab would blush at my statement. But you, you're unbelievable!"

"Yes. My man looks cute when he blushes, doesn't he?" 😍

"Your man? Bulbul...I've got just one word for you- Obnoxious!" 😑

"Who?" came a voice from behind them. They turned to find it was Purab.

"Nothing Purab. Lets go for practice. Bye Di!" saying that, Bulbul went away with Purab.

Pragya shook her head at Bulbul's antics. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Abhi and Karan head out of the auditorium.

'Eh? They don't have any connection with all the performances or the participants. What are they doing here?'

However, what shocked her most was Kriti. She was hiding behind a pillar, spying on them. As they moved forward, she moved from pillar to pillar, hiding and spying. 'Okay. Now I really need to find out what's going on.'

She walked as fast as she could and grabbed Kriti's hand. She dragged her into the nearest classroom.

"Alright. Spill everything."

"Di, you don't know what's cooking between those two. Its huge!"

"Okay, stop being so dramatic and tell me what it is." spoke Pragya.

Kriti told her everything that she heard Karan and Abhi talk about and how they were looking for information on Shabbir.

"I see. But what were you doing spying on them?"

"Di! Are you kidding me? This is such an amazing opportunity to play detective. I always wanted to be a spy! Now I'm getting the opportunity."😍

Pragya sweat-dropped. 😅

"Di, all great detectives have a side-kick. Would you be mine please!?"😃

"Side-kick?" 😑

"I wouldn't mind being one. In fact, I'm a big fan of detective movies." spoke Vivek, as he came near them.

"Vivek, how are you now?"

"I'm fine Pragya." he said with a smile.

"You really want to become my side-kick? Awesome! Lets go spy on Abhi and Karan."

Vivek's eyes widened, while Kriti smiled brightly.

"Abhi and Karan? As in Mr Mehra's son Abhi and General Secretary Karan? Kriti, if we get caught, then do you know what could happen?!"

"Quit being a coward Vivek. Now lets go, Watson! Your female Sherlock needs your help!"

"But I want to be Sherlock. I got the handsome looks for it. Besides, every great detective story has a male as the protagonist and-ow!" he exclaimed as Kriti hit him.

"Racist! This story would have a female as the lead. Now come on Watson." she grabbed his arm and dragged him outside.

"Arre... I'm going. Don't pull so hard. Do you have to be so annoying?"

Pragya watched them go 'Poor Vivek. My heart cries out for you.' 😂

She was about to go after them, when she remembered that in a rush to leave, she forgot to put back the paper that Shabbir gave her.

"Ugh! I have to face Shabbir again!"

"Usually, people seek an opportunity to meet Shabbir. But you seem different." Pragya heard a boy speak. He was standing behind her "Hi. I'm Nikhil. Nikhil Sood. You're Pragya, right?"

"Yes. How did you know?"

"I've saw you perform that day. You're really good."

"Thanks. Do you know Shabbir personally?"

Nikhil nodded. "I'm a good friend of Tanu. Through her, I became friends with Shabbir."

"I see. Could you give this to him please?" she showed him the paper.

"Sorry. Won't be able to do that for you. You see, Shabbir is really secretive about the songs he writes himself. If he finds out that I've seen it before he sang it in public, he might not like it."

"Oh. Then I guess I should go find him."

"Uh...hate to break it to you, but Shabbir left some time ago. But I could drop you at his home if you want to give it to him."

"That would be great. Thank you."

#With Bulbul and Purab#

Bulbul and Purab were practicing. Bulbul was quite impressed by Purab's dance moves. Suddenly, they were interrupted by a voice.

"If you needed an A+ singer for your performance, you should have taken my help Purab. She can't compete with me." spoke Aliyah.

"This is none of your business Aliyah. Besides, you hate Shabbir and I'm his best friend-cum-brother. Why are you offering your help to me?" asked Purab.

"Yes, it is my business, as all performances need to be best for my father's reputation. And I don't want you to mess up." She came near him and touched his shoulder "I'm only speaking for what's best for you. She is a low-class material. I can sing better."

Purab wanted to argue, but he saw Bulbul leave in anger. He gave Aliyah one last glare and left to catch up to Bulbul.

"Bulbul! Bulbul, wait!" He grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

"Leave me Purab. She's right. For a minute, I forgot my position. She is much better than me." Bulbul said, with an angry frown.

Purab smiled and held both her hands in his. "But I don't want the best to sing for me. I only want it to be you" Bulbul looked up to him to see if he was being his usual flirty self. But she saw sincerity in his eyes and smiled. However, her smile disappeared when a thought struck her.

"Purab, we decided our performance after the list was prepared. This means our performance is yet to be entered. What if Aliyah tells her father to put her name with you in the performance? What then?"

"Oh shit! You're right. But don't worry.  If the spot is already filled, the Principal can't change it. I'll go to Shabbir right away and put our names together in it."

#With Pragya and Nikhil#

Nikhil stopped the bike before Shabbir's apartment.

Pragya got off the bike and turned to him "Thanks again. You can leave now. I will be able to go home on my own." ☺️

"Okay Pragya. Nice meeting you. Bye."

Once Nikhil drove off, Pragya moved towards the gate. However, it was only then that she saw that the gate was locked. 'Me and my luck! How do I give him this now?!'

Suddenly, she got an idea. She opened her bag and took out a notebook. She put the paper inside it, with a part of it sticking out so that Shabbir notices it, and pushed it under the gate.

"There! That should do it." She turned around to leave. However, she heard the sound of a bike in the distance. She turned and her eyes widened.

#With Shabbir#

Shabbir had left early from the college with one of his sponsors. They had called him to sign a new deal. After that, he sat in a nearby cafe to practice. However, every time he closed his eyes to concentrate, he saw Pragya's face. He tried to forget her by thinking about other things. Heck, he even narrated the entire '100 bottles of beer' song up till he reached 1! But he just couldn't get her out of his mind. At last, he decided that he needs rest. That was the only way he would be able to concentrate the next day.

Thinking that, Shabbir had left for his home on his bike. Shabbir was almost near his apartment and just had to turn at the corner. However, once he reached the corner, he abruptly stopped the bike in shock. He got off the bike and rubbed his eyes. He closed his eyes, shook his head and looked again. But the scene in front of him didn't change. It was indeed Pragya who was standing outside his apartment.

'What the heck! How...how did she know where I live!? Is this girl stalking me or something!?' He was about to shout out to her, when from the corner of his eyes, he saw two bikes stop near him. Shabbir sneaked a glance at them and noticed that each bike had two persons on them. All the men had hockey sticks with them. He immediately recognized them.

'These are the guys whom me and Purab beat up. I'm sure they're here for revenge. I can hold them off, but....but what about her?' Shabbir looked at Pragya 'She is no one to me. I know that, she knows that. But these thugs don't. They are after me, but they might try to use her as leverage. Damn! I can't let her get hurt because of me. *sigh* Does this girl purposefully seek trouble? Every time she ends up in one trouble or another.'

He moved forward towards her. 'I can't even shout to her to tell her about them. These guys might start attacking .'

Pragya, on the other hand, was looking at him wide eyed. 'He looks beyond angry. I think he believes I'm spying on him. What to do!? What to do?!' She saw Shabbir walk faster. 'Aaaaa! Run Pragya run!' thinking that, she started running the opposite direction.

'What the-? Why is she running! I'm trying to reach her to save her. Stop, damn it!' Shabbir started chasing her.

Seeing this, the four men also started running after Shabbir.

"Hand over Xcaliber, Shabbir!" Pragya heard someone shout. She was trying to run as fast as her feet could carry her. However, Shabbir was faster and finally caught up to her. He grabbed her hand, but kept running along with her. "Why the heck are you running!?"

"Because you looked ready to kill me. I value my life!" Pragya shouted back.

"I wasn't...I didn't....ugh! I wasn't going to do anything like that."

Pragya blinked "Oh. Then I ran unnecessarily I guess. By the way, we're still running. Why are we running?" 😑

"Because some people are after me and they might harm you too. That's why I was hurrying towards you, you stupid girl!" 😤

Suddenly a bike came and stopped in front of them. It was Purab.

"Hey Shabbir. Bulbul and my name ne-" Purab looked behind them to see four people chasing them. "Hey! You four again! Do you want to get beaten up once more?"

The men looked at each other in uncertainty. Sure they could easily take down Shabbir, but they feared to fight Shabbir and Purab together. They still remember Purab's hits from last time. They ran away as fast as they could.

"Thanks Purab. You saved us. They looked really scared of you."

"Thanks Pragya. I guess all the martial arts I learned payed off."

"You're really brave. Unlike someone I know." 😒 She said, looking at Shabbir.

"I'm a singer, not a boxer! Cut me some slack, will ya?"

#Shabbir's Apartment#

Shabbir handed both Pragya and Purab two cokes and grabbed one himself.

"So, who were those guys?" asked Pragya.

"Meh...just some thugs who hate Shabbir's music."

"Eh? But I heard one of them shout to hand over 'Xcaliber'."

Purab looked at her confused and then turned to Shabbir in question "But Shabbir, you told me they hated you for your songs."

Suddenly, the door burst open and a man and woman rushed in. The woman went and hugged Shabbir.

Pragya looked confused while Purab looked shocked. He slowly spoke "Mr and Mrs. Mehra? What's going on Shabbir?"

Mr and Mrs Mehra looked up and looked shocked to find Purab and Pragya there.

Pragya's eyes widened 'But don't they hate Shabbir? What's going on?'

Shabbir sighed. "Everything is out in the open I guess." He got up and took out a tiny box from his desk. He opened the box and took out a chip.

"This chip is named 'Xcaliber'. The reason for everything that's going on."

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To be continued...

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Thanks! ~ 🌹 Mona 🌹