A Secret Society Dark Bully Romance
Niti
The car slows just as we’re about to take a turn. That’s my only chance to escape after the disastrous evening I’ve had. I don’t want to face the guy beside me right now, driving like a madman. At least the curve in the road has forced him to slow down.
My heart thuds against my ribs as I turn to look at him, just for a second. It’s hard to look away once you stare at his handsome yet scary, furious face. He’s staring straight ahead, his eyes fixed on the dark road through the windshield, his jaw tight.
Anger radiates off him. His jaw clenches harder as he punches the steering wheel and mutters under his breath. He’s still on about before, and we have already driven for an hour. He should have cooled down by now, but he’s not.
I swallow the lump in my throat and whip my head away when he turns toward me.
He chuckles, but there’s no amusement in it. The sound sends a shiver down my spine. He turns the steering wheel to the right, and that’s my only chance to escape the tsunami that’s burning in his eyes.
Without thinking or stopping to consider how insane this is, I unlock the door and jump out of the car. This isn’t a scene from any movie. This is real. And I have just realized that I can get seriously injured.
This corrupt, unhinged guy has driven me to do this. And after what? Just a dance with his friend. His friend. That shouldn’t be the reason for my death sentence, but it is.
I don’t want to go home with him. I can’t.
Then he disappeared and returned with bruised knuckles and blood on his t-shirt.
So, like any sane person, I asked him… where the blood came from.
I hear him curse before a scream escapes me. I hit the ground hard, landing on my stomach. I throw my hands out to break my fall and wince as the rough dirt scrapes against my palms. Pain shoots through them, but I barely register it. I scramble to my feet and run the other way, my shoes kicking up dirt as I push into the darkness.
I glance over my shoulder. He isn’t following me, which is strange. Instead, he’s trying to turn the car around on the narrow road. That gives me a head start, and I’m not about to waste it.
I take another right, hoping to put him off my trail, and run like my life depends on it. It bloody does. Because when Chirag Bansal catches up, he’ll be beyond furious.
At the end of the road, I spot a set of iron gates and make a beeline for them. I shove against the metal, but it doesn’t budge. A large padlock holds them shut. I rattle the gates once, then again, my fingers curling around the cold iron as I search for a way through.
I hear the car approaching. Panic claws at my throat. I search for someone. Aren’t security guards supposed to guard the gates? But there’s no one.
Not wanting to face Chirag right now, I grab a rock from a corner and bring it down on the lock. Once. Twice. The sharp clangs echo through the night, but the padlock remains intact. I hit it again, harder this time, until the impact jars my fingers.
Nothing happens.
So I do the only insane thing left. I climb the gates.
My fingers slip against the cold metal as I struggle to find a firm grip on the railings. I grit my teeth and haul myself up, my shoes scraping against the iron bars. Eventually, I reach the top. I swing one leg over, then the other, and lower myself down the opposite side as carefully as I can, my palms burning from the rough metal.
Chirag’s black Mercedes pulls up outside the gates. He gets out, but the large metal gates between us give me a sliver of hope.
“Stop right there, Niti,” he snaps.
I grip the railing and glare at him through the iron bars, forcing myself to stand tall even as my heart pounds against my ribs.
“Well, you’ll have to climb over to get me. Which you won’t, because you make other people do your dirty work now, don’t you?”
I don’t wait for an answer. I turn and sprint away, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing me hesitate.
I run as fast as I can, which isn’t saying much, because the sign at the entrance said Lohagad Fort, and the place is far too dark for my liking. Shadows stretch across the uneven path, and every rustle in the bushes makes me jerk my head around. It’s creepy, and I’m already beginning to question my decision to jump out of the car and sneak in here.
This is all his fault. He makes me do the most ridiculous, life-threatening things… like wanting to be his friend, for starters.
He looked so innocent from afar, all broody and looking like a sin you wanted to commit. Then he opened his mouth, and now he’s the biggest scandal of my life.
The past year has been the most challenging one of my life. And exciting. And tedious, too. My whole life is a conundrum now.
What I want is also what I don’t want. What I resist is the very thing I can’t keep my eyes off. Him. He’s a criminal, and I’m his redemption. At least, that’s what he thinks.
While I was just looking for a cute boyfriend to take me to the movies and buy me pizza, I ended up with a guy whom practically everyone in college stays away from.
We aren’t supposed to be here, so far from Mumbai, if not for one of his friends’ parties on the outskirts, which he didn’t even tell me about. Chirag loves parties, something I can’t say the same about myself. The fun wore off after my third rendezvous with senseless dancing, far-too-loud music, and near darkness, with more booze than I’ve ever seen in my life.
Why can’t they have proper lights at these parties so I can at least read?
Then we fought, and he decided we should leave. I didn’t want to go. I didn’t want to drive alone with him at night either. That guy… he gets on my nerves sometimes.
But I don’t need to run from him. Yet here I am, doing exactly that. And I can’t stop once I start. Because which sane twenty-year-old has blood on his clothes and isn’t even repulsed by it?
I take a turn and freeze for a second, realizing I have no idea where I’m going. My eyes dart between the shadowy trees and the uneven path ahead, but nothing looks familiar. Then I hear the crunch of boots behind me, and I sprint forward with renewed energy. You know, that adrenaline rush that kicks in when you need it most, even when your brain should be telling you that running blindly into the darkness isn’t the most rational decision.
I’m scared of him. Of the company he keeps. I hate his friends. They aren’t good people. As if he is. He’s just like them. He could even be the worst of them if I didn’t hate Yash so vehemently.
Urgh. My chest begins to tighten, and I know I can’t run much longer. My lungs burn, and my legs feel heavier with every step, but I force one foot in front of the other, squeezing out every last bit of energy I have.
Chirag Bansal can give you nightmares if that’s what he wants. And right now, he’s making me run from him, even though I know how easily he can find me. And when he does, I doubt anything good will come of it.
I spot a large rock and duck behind it. My knee scrapes against its sharp edge, and I clamp my lips together to keep from howling in pain. Warm blood trickles down my shin, but I barely notice it. I have bigger problems to worry about.
I try to catch my breath, holding as still as I can while straining my ears for any sound. The crunch of leaves. His footsteps. Anything that tells me he’s getting closer. My fingers dig into the rough ground as I wait, my heart thudding so hard I’m half afraid he’ll hear it.
Approaching him was my worst mistake. But this is where I am now, crouched behind a rock, all alone in a fort that stretches endlessly into the darkness.
A crunch of leaves makes me clamp both my palms over my mouth so I don’t scream.
Just go… just go… I repeat it like a prayer in my head.
Then I hear footsteps, one after another, and then fingers clasp in my hair, dragging me up.
I wince, but that doesn’t stop him.
“Why did you run?” Chirag asks, his voice soft. As if… as if this isn’t a big thing, and his white tee isn’t marred with blood. I stare at it and think maybe it’s just ketchup.
I hope it is.
He stares down at me, his fingers still in my hair, waiting for my answer. But I don’t say anything. He takes a step closer, and I take a step back. We do this dance until he pushes me, and I stumble backward. My back hits the wall, and a wince escapes me as the rough stone scrapes against my arm.
Chirag waits for me to speak, and I don’t know if I can. The lump in my throat just won’t go away. I swallow hard and a desperate tear slips free.
He watches it, yet stays silent.
“I can’t be with you,” I whisper. “I just can’t. You are not who I thought you were.”
He doesn’t react or say a word, but just stares. He gives me absolutely nothing. No flash of fury, not even the slightest hint of pain at the fact that he’s losing me.
He just looks at me with dead eyes. That hollow emptiness creeps me out more than I can handle. I force myself to be brave.
“Anyway, I always just wanted to be your friend. You took over, but it doesn’t work like that. It has to be both ways, and you don’t talk. And I can’t be with a guy who doesn’t talk, who is always a mystery even to me.”
I must have a death wish because I don’t stop.
“You have to respect my wishes. If you feel for me…” I pause, realizing how insane that sounds. I have never seen an emotion from him other than sudden, violent bouts of anger. Ever. “If you have feelings for me, you have to respect mine too.”
I hear more footsteps, and Girish comes into view. I don’t know if I should feel relieved or terrified. He’s here to do his bidding, even if it kills his conscience.
Girish is loyal to him, and only him. He looks worried, though, as if he’s also scared of Chirag. He clears his throat every now and then, trying to get his attention.
But Chirag’s eyes stay on me. He tugs at my hair, and all I can do is wince. I don’t blame myself for trying to run away. That was the best decision, even if it failed.
My fingers close around his wrist, but I don’t try to pull it away. I know what I can do here and what I can’t. I just want him to know he’s hurting me. That has helped in the past; I’m not sure if it still will.
Girish steps in, trying to pull him away from me.
Chirag is standing too close, close enough for me to smell the sharp mint on his breath, barely masking the fresh smoke lingering beneath it. He knows I hate him smoking. Yet he does it anyway. It always feels like he is entirely immune to my needs, completely blind to what I want or like. I can’t be with someone like that.
Chirag turns slightly when Girish tugs at his arm, while I just try not to tremble. Much.
“Leave,” he commands, his voice a low, dangerous rasp.
“You need to calm down. Mate, let’s go,” Girish insists.
“I said leave.”
“I’m not leaving her alone with you.” Girish doesn’t back down, and I internally applaud his insanity. Because that’s exactly what it is. Insane.
Suddenly, a gun is out. A sharp scream cuts through my throat before I can bite it back. Chirag spins fully, slamming the cold tip of the barrel directly against Girish’s forehead.
“Last time. Leave.”
“Mate…”
“Fine. You’re fired. Now get out before I paint this wall with your guts. Because I will.”
Finally, Girish takes a slow step back. I can actually see the red, circular imprint of the gun’s muzzle stamped into his forehead. My throat goes dry, and I swallow loudly.
Chirag turns back to me, flashing his trademark, cruel smirk.
God, I hate him. Sometimes. But other times… I want him so badly it hurts. I can’t control it. It’s completely psychotic, which is why I’m desperately clinging to the sane part of my brain right now, trying to drown out the part that’s crazy for him.
“I don’t return friendship bands once someone gives them to me,” he says, his voice dropping an octave.
“You can keep them.”
His eyes narrow. He hates being interrupted, and I know it. But suddenly, I just don’t care. I tip my chin up defiantly.
Before I can even register the movement, the heavy metal of the gun lands flush against my own forehead. I gasp, freezing instantly. There’s nowhere to run. I’m already plastered against the wall, the brick pressing into my spine hard enough to snap it. And his fingers are still painfully clasped in my hair.
“What are you doing?” My voice cracks.
“Maybe if you have the right incentive, you’ll think differently,” he whispers, leaning in. “Maybe if you understand the consequences, your words will change. Come on, Niti. I’m giving you one chance to take it back.”
Another traitorous tear slips down my cheek. Chirag catches it smoothly on the tip of his thumb.
“Are you scared?”
I nod. There is no point in lying to him.
“Kiss me.”
I don’t move. I can’t. The pressure of the steel against my skull intensifies, hard enough to leave a permanent bruise. When I first found out my boyfriend carried a weapon, I had nightmares for a week. This nightmare is going to last forever.
“What are you doing?” I ask again, the words feeling numb and hollow.
The dark amusement vanishes from his face. A severe chill runs down my spine as the boy I know disappears, replaced by a ruthless stranger I vehemently hate.
“Once you become mine, you don’t get to be un-mine. Understood?”
“So you think forcing me gets you the real me?” I challenge, my voice trembling.
“Maybe not. Maybe I lose you completely,” he muses, his eyes entirely devoid of warmth. “But a person is a blend of mind, body, and heart. If I can’t have your heart and mind, I’ll settle for your body. Now, before I decide to discard your body, too… I suggest you fix this. Kiss me. Now.”
A loud click echoes through the ruins, and my heart stops. He just took off the safety lock. My eyes widen in sheer terror, and his smirk returns, a dark eyebrow raised in victory.
I don’t even have to lean forward; his lips are already brushing against mine. I let my lips crash onto his. Everything slows down around me because that’s exactly how it feels to kiss him. His lips are soft, the complete opposite of the rigid body he otherwise has. He hits the gym for two hours every single day, then he spars with Girish in the ring. All that training happens before the morning even begins.
There’s so much more to him than Vicky ever possessed. I wish he was just a normal college boy I infatuated over. But he’s not. And now… I don’t know how to get him off my back.
I am so scared. A gasp leaves me, and he pushes his tongue inside. He explores my mouth like he always does—slowly, leisurely, and just the way that makes me love him more. More than I want to hate him.
It gets hard to draw breath, but he keeps kissing me, keeping his weight in my space, his fingers firm in my hair to make sure I can’t move an inch. I glide my hand onto his chest and try to push him away, but I can’t budge his frame. Then, my palm moves over his brick-like chest, roaming, marking, and loving every moment of the contact.
Just when I feel dizzy from the lack of oxygen, he pulls away. He gently tugs my hair and plants burning kisses on my neck, slowly moving down my collarbone. A moan escapes me, and then he sinks his teeth into my soft skin. All I can do is moan and cry against his shoulder. I feel completely out of it. My conscious self has left my body, and it’s him… only him… just like he wanted.
“I’m not letting you go,” he whispers into my ear, his hot breath tickling my skin. “I’m never letting you go. You came to the warehouse on your own, Niti. And now you only get to leave me when I am ready to let you go. Which is never happening.”
He presses his gun against my forehead once more, then slowly trails the freezing metal down my face, making me tremble all over. He stops, pressing the muzzle firmly under my chin. I start crying earnestly.
“Are we clear?” he asks slowly, his voice calm, like he’s talking about the weather. I nod. I just nod, tears still streaming down my cheeks.
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