Mahek Rathi. Age, 18 yrs old. Height, 4'8". Complexion, fair. Waist length brown hair, partially highlighted maroon. Dark brown eyes and had a mole on her upper left lip.
Loved partying, dancing and visiting exquisite places. Broke up with her boyfriend of 1 year and now in a relationship with Shree Raheja for 4 months almost. Came from a modest family and had a younger sibling who was studying in 5th grade.
Father was a government official and mother worked part-time at a local cosmetics shop. The subject was enrolled in few hobby classes like music, zumba and cooking. Participated in some local beauty pageants and won most of them.
Known as a Heartbreaker among youngsters and popular for her beauty in her area. She was exactly misusing that attribute to catch her preys.
Before she dumped her recent ex-boyfriend, she was with a guy from another locality for 6 months while the one before him lasted for only 14 days. Going by her performance of jumping in and out of relationships, she deserved the title of a 'serial dater'.
According to my stats, till date, she had dated about 15 guys approximately. Few of which were kept a secret because she was dating some of them simultaneously. Her longest relationship, which was before Shree, ended quite abruptly.
She just texted the guy and broke up with him. And when she was approached directly by him to explain the situation, she threatened him that she would file a harrassment case against him if he bothered her again. The poor guy had no choice but to leave.
But he wasn't the only victim. She used the same tactic with her older flames and had hundred percent success so far. Moreover, all of her boyfriends came from wealthy families. They would shower her with expensive gifts and take her on extravagant dates to impress her.
She would play along as per her heart's content and when she got bored, she would dump them. In conclusion, she never had a serious relationship and her parents were oblivious to all of it.
What a girl you were, Mahek Rathi. I must compliment you for your achievements.
"What's that?" Surbhi asked and I closed my investigation diary. I waved off her question but she looked at me in suspicion.
I gave her a cupcake and she instantly got distracted. So gullible. But who was I to comment on that? I was the same too. Food was love.
We were sitting under the Banyan tree which was one of our favourite hanging out spots. It wasn't raining today so we were able to chill out and gossip as much as we wanted. Some lecturers would tell us to study by ourselves and not disturb them. Lucky us. They never noticed when we snucked out of the classroom and bunked.
Divya and Rashi were going through some chapters of Economics while Tanya resolved their doubts. Surbhi was done eating the cupcake and was now video chatting with Aryan. I just loved their pair. No matter how far they were, their love never faded.
"Damn, yaar (buddy). I don't know the answer to this question. Are you sure this chapter is in syllabus?" Tanya asked and scratched her head.
Divya and Rashi nodded and Tanya frowned. Oops. Looked like she forgot to study. I laughed at her and she faked punching me. I teased her that she was so lost in the thoughts of Ved that she forgot to study too.
She lunged on me and began hitting me. Everyone else also joined and it became WrestleMania. I didn't know who was hitting who? Divya had a whole different tactic. She was tickling whoever came in her way and it was a complete chaos.
Soon, we were all out of breath but I couldn't control my laughter. Everyone else was panting and drinking water. Surbhi threw a bottle at me and I caught it in mid-air.
"For how long are you gonna tease me about it?" Tanya complained.
"As long as we are alive," I replied and gulped down half of the bottle.
"FYI, he already rejected me," She put a palm on my mouth to shut me up and continued, "and I don't have any romantic feelings for him anymore."
Everyone gasped but I couldn't because my mouth was still shut by her. She removed her hand when she got everyone's reactions and sat back in her spot.
"Is it because of that guy?" I asked.
"Maybe. I don't know. I am confused. But, I can't deny the fact that I know he genuinely likes me. Like, I can see it in his eyes," Tanya mumbled.
"Tanya, who are you talking about?"
She looked at me in confusion but then her eyes widened in realisation and she slapped me hard on the shoulder.
"Hey! Why are you hitting me? What did I do?" I complained.
"Sandhya you.... you jerk!" Tanya crossed her arms across her chest and pouted.
We all exchanged glances and Surbhi motioned for us to not laugh. But how could you stay still in such a situation? We tried our best and honestly, we didn't want to make fun of her but we just couldn't help it. Divya was the first one to laugh and the rest of us followed.
"I was just bluffing and you actually bought it?" I announced and our laughter doubled up.
I didn't even know who she was talking about. I knew a lot of guys were attracted to her but I wasn't aware that she was thinking about someone in particular who was serious about her.
After we were done making fun of Tanya, we got back to what we were doing earlier. Tanya still couldn't solve the question while Surbhi was now talking to Aryan's mom on the phone.
Divya was almost on the way of eating her pen's cap in worry. Meanwhile, Rashi kept checking her phone and sulked when she didn't get a reply from Faiyaz. Oh, they were so cute. I wanted to meet her boyfriend again.
As for me, I was observing them and the students around me. I stared at Nikhil for few minutes when I spotted him. He was talking to his friends while dribbling his basketball. He looked so happy. Before he could sense me staring at him, I looked away and glanced at my diary. I needed more information on Mahek.
In the last week, I had gathered some intel on her whenever I got time. I knew where she lived so I talked to some of the women from her society.
They were happily willing to share the information since they were jealous of her and didn't suspect me even once. I also gathered some information from other sources but I needed to cross check them first because some of them seemed like rumours.
I took out a packet of Cheetos from my bag and began munching while thinking about life in general. This was so relaxing. Sitting under a tree, eating some junk food and just chilling out. I wished every day would be like this.
But whenever I have wished for something like that, has it ever happened? Nope.
Ved snatched the chips packet from me and said Hi to everyone else. He ate more than half of it and threw the packet back at me. I cursed at him but he was unaffected. Why did he always steal my food?
Why, just why? Was I not even allowed to eat in peace?
I slapped his arm when he tried to pull my hair and glared at him. Ayush joined him and I told him to take his annoying girlfriend away. He gave me an unamused look while Ved hit me on the head with his knuckles.
I got up to punch him but he caught my hand and twisted it a little. That hurt! I winced and he loosened his grip instantly. Jerk.
"You are too slow. Put more strength in your punches and work on your speed. You are still an amateur. Think before you attack." He left my arm and I sat back on the ground.
I opened my mouth to curse but stopped when I saw the look in his eyes. Huh? Was he worried?
Umm..... I don't think so. I must be hallucinating.
Ved averted his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. He stared at me for sometime and then said something to Ayush in a low voice. Ayush nodded his head and Ved left after throwing a glance at me. I stared at his retreating form and saw Nikhil following him after Ved motioned for him to come along.
Ayush also started to leave but I jumped in front of him. He took a step back and scowled at me. He told me to move but I didn't budge. He started walking but I stopped him again and gave him a bright smile.
"Girls, you were struggling with some chapters, right? I have the solution for you," I announced and grabbed Ayush's arm.
"My friend here will help you, right Ayush?" I said and he gave me a baffled expression. He tried to free his hand but I moved closer to him and whispered, so that only he could hear it.
"Don't worry, buddy. I just want you to help my friends. They have the same subject as you and I know you are good at it," I explained.
He narrowed his eyes at me and I knew he was going to refuse. He was right to do so too. Afterall, they were my friends, not his. But I had to try. Maybe he would agree if I persuaded him more.
The girls could have gone and asked their lecturer but according to them, he was a very arrogant teacher and would insult students who came to him to ask their doubts. Why did he get in this profession then?
"Come on, yaar. Please. You hate me, not them, right?" I pleaded.
His expressions softened and he thought about if for few seconds. He adjusted his specs and gave a little nod. I left his arm and he went to the girls to help them. I was so glad that he finally agreed.
I sat back beside Surbhi who was now playing Candy crush on her phone. I mouthed 'Thank you' to Ayush when he glanced at me. He shook his head and turned back to the girls. He explained few chapters to them in short and took his leave.
Tanya, Rashi and Divya thanked me and I gave them a small curtsy. Divya couldn't stop praising him and kept asking more about him. For a minute, I thought she might be interested in him but then I remembered that it was just her curious nature. She had to know everything about everyone.
Talking about being curious, I wondered what was Mahek doing right now.