You know what's difficult than spying? It is spying in the rain. The rain which was adamant on hitting me from every angle and would get heavier everytime I cursed it. To be honest, I loved rains but my love was turning into hatred and I didn't want to lose my target.
For the past two days, I had been keeping a tab on Mahek's daily activities instead of studying for my upcoming exams. I was so hellbent on solving her case that I even ignored the possibility of flunking. I was wasted for good.
I adjusted my umbrella and turned around when Mahek looked in my direction. Luckily, she didn't suspect anything and went back to talking with the guy with her. They were walking hand in hand, through the busy market and Mahek was laughing at everything he said.
Didn't she get tired of fooling around with random guys? She had such a loving boyfriend and here she was, openly cheating on him.
I was recording everything with my phone which I had kept inside a book and only the camera was peaking out.
I kept checking the camera angle while handling the umbrella simultaneously. It was so hard to keep track of her. She was jumping around like a rabbit and was dragging her partner to all the expensive shops. But I was really amazed at the amount of energy she had.
I stopped the recording when Mahek and her 'date' went inside a five-star hotel. I waited for few minutes before I also got in and took a seat, few tables away from the couple.
The hotel was a three-storey building. The ground floor was adorned with tables and chairs for the customers while the second and third floor consisted of rooms to stay. The decorations were kept to minimum and cool colours like blue and lighter shades of purple were used all around the interior.
I stopped admiring the place and ordered a bowl of soup for myself so that I didn't seem suspicious. I observed the couple from where I sat as I waited for my meal to cool down.
This time, I avoided dressing in all black since it attracted more attention, unlike I had thought and I didn't want to look like a terrorist in public places. But for safety measures, I was wearing a mask which hid half of my face while a woolen cap covered my forehead and only my eyes were visible.
No one suspected my attire because the weather was chilly and a lot of people were covered in warm clothes. So, I easily blended in without much trouble.
Mahek was talking to her 'boyfriend' like he was the only person who could make her smile and tried to act all adorable. I had put my phone in a vertical position with the support of a napkin holder on my table and started recording again.
Jahnvi was right. My cellphone wasn't the best piece of technology but its camera quality was great.
Mahek's date lasted for about an hour and the guy left after paying the bill. I thought she would also leave but another guy in an expensive suit entered the hotel and she waved at him. It was her second date of the day.
But, this time they didn't just chit-chat over a cup of coffee. The new guy went to the reception and took a bunch of keys from the short haired receptionist. Mahek joined him and laced her right arm with his left one. They both gave each other a knowing look and then went past me, upstairs, to the suite rooms.
I managed to catch up few fragments of their conversation and just like Jagdeep had said, Mahek was using an alias this time also. Preeti.
I finished my soup and stopped the recording. After I paid my bill, I left the premise and retraced my steps back home. It was pretty late when I announced my presence to mom and dad. I was lying to them because if they got a whiff about what I was upto these days, I would be grounded for life.
I retired to my room and threw my bag on the floor and plopped down on my bed facefront. I was fucking tired. I was not even getting paid for this job. Argh!
I took out my phone from my pocket and checked today's result of spying on Mahek since afternoon. I smiled at my work and jotted down the important details in my diary. I wanted to have a written proof as well, like a journal.
While I was going through all the evidences I had collected so far, a small doubt planted itself in my mind. I shook my head to throw it off but it was stubborn just like me and kept dancing around untill I addressed it.
The problem was, I didn't like Mahek from the start and now that I also knew that she was cheating on Shree, I wanted to prove that to everyone at any cost. But what was the actual reason behind her actions? Not only Shree but all the other boys she had dated in the past. If she wanted money, then she could have just dated one of them since all of them were rich.
Why was she acting like that? Was she just doing it for fun or could there be a serious reason behind it? Was her family under some kind of loan that her parents couldn't pay off? Were they being chased by loan sharks? But the last time I checked, her family was pretty happy. What if it was just a pretence?
Should I go ahead and expose her for her lies? What if she was actually in some kind of financial trouble and was misguided into such things to help her family? There were a lot of people out there who took advantage of young boys and girls and brainwashed them.
I was confused now. In the past two-three weeks, I had collected a lot of data on her and there was no way, she would be able to defend herself. I even had the phone numbers of some of her ex-boyfriends and they would not hold back from speaking about all her antics.
Still, the main question was, did I really want to do this? What if I ended up hurting an innocent girl-which I believed she wasn't-to just prove myself right?
And Shree? He would be so heart broken.
Fuck. What was I supposed to do? The exams were just a few days away and I really needed to study. All this Mahek stuff had taken a lot of my time and I was afraid that I might fail my first semester.
I exhaled deeply and decided to uncover Mahek's truth after the exams were over. I was doubtful that she wouldn't be going anywhere now since she needed to study too and I already had enough material against her to prove my stand.
Moreover, I really needed a rest. I put all of my belongings on my desk and got under the covers after changing into pyjamas. I didn't even realise when I drifted off to sleep and missed the dinner.
The next morning, I got up really late and reached the college mere seconds before the first bell rang. Everything was monotonous, even with Surbhi's continuous chattering and I just dragged myself through the day.
I almost got in a fight with my arch-nemesis when I asked for a pen from Ayush in a class. Ved hit me with the basketball and warned me not to disturb his boyfriend-I mean best friend. I was just asking for a pen and he acted like I was bullying Ayush.
I was in no mood to argue unnecessarily, so I asked another classmate for it and she gladly accepted my request. The world needed more people like her instead of some arrogant bastards.
Other days were also the same and soon, the exams arrived. I got so lost in the books that I almost forgot about Mahek. I didn't bring up the topic because I didn't want to affect everyone's studies.
The exams got over smoothly and I went to an arcade gaming centre with my girl gang to relieve our stress. After that we went to watch a movie and had a sleepover at Rashi's place. It was the first time I had visited her home and was amazed by it.
I teased her about Faiyaz and asked her when she would tell others too. She was really nervous and was still not sure about it. I assured her that I supported her and she could ask for my help whenever needed. She gave me her sweet smile and then we fell asleep talking about our favourite actors.
We had a delicious breakfast the next day and after thanking her family for the hospitality, rest of us left for our respective homes. Once I was home, I spent some time with mom and dad and went to my room.
I opened up my laptop and did some timepass. I played games and scrolled through social networking sites. I was halfway through watching a short film when I received a FB (Facebook) notification.
Sahil Arora has sent you a friend request.
I checked it and accepted the request. Instantly, I received a message and I facepalmed.
Sahil: You forgot, didn't you?
Me: Sorry â¹ï¸
Sahil: I knew it.
Me: Got busy with exams. I am really
sorry ðð
Sahil: You are?
Me: Yes.
Sahil: Ummm... okay. Apology accepted
but you are coming with me
tomorrow.
Me: Tomorrow? ð¤
Sahil: Yup. No more excuses. It is final. I
will pick you up after school
hours.
Me: You are here? ð®ð®
Sahil: Yes. I will call you.
Me: You don't have my number ð¤£ð
Sahil: ð¤¦ð»ââï¸Give a ring on this number:
9812332189.
Me: I called you.
Sahil: Got it.
Me: Do I need to dress up?
Sahil: Nah. Just be casual.
Me: Thanks Sahil ðº
Sahil: Be ready for the date ð
Me: Date? Lol ðð
Sahil: ð
Me: ððð
Sahil: Bye Sandhya. See you tomorrow.
Me: C ya. Bye ð
Damn Sandhya. How could you forget about it?
I quickly got up and rummaged my wardrobe. It wasn't a date but I wanted to dress up nicely. I didn't want to embarrass him because of my poor fashion sense. After ten minutes, I finally found a nice A-line kurti and matching leggings.
I also prepared all the matching jewelleries to wear and informed my parents that I would be coming home late tomorrow as I was going to meet a friend. They didn't question me much about it and gave me the permission.
I wondered how Sahil's restaurant would be. He said it was a startup but I was sure it would be better than Ved's.
Ved. That jerk.
Did he hit his head while he was young or the nurse dropped him as a baby? I wished he behaved nicely towards me and we could actually be friends. And if not friends, atleast acquaintances. For how long was he gonna hate me? Till we died?
Well, since we are talking about Ved, it was possible. I just wish that we don't end up killing each other because I don't know about him, but I want to get married. And have kids and grow old with the person I loved.
But for now, I had to prepare for tomorrow. I texted Mahek and asked her to meet me in the evening. She didn't reply back instantly. So, I gave her some clues about what I wanted to talk about and waited for her reply.
Let's hope she was innocent. Highly doubt able, right?