♠KISSED BY A CRIMINAL ♠

Chapter 12

The drama arrived before everyone else

Kavya's POV

The bags from my evening shopping trip were heavy, cutting lines into my palms as I stood at the edge of the busy Connaught Place intersection. I stared at the rushing cars, completely hesitant. I hated crossing these roads aloneI always had. The moment a small crowd of people ahead of me stepped off the curb to cross, I immediately increased my speed to match them, trying to shield myself in their numbers. But I was moving too fast, looking down at my bag, and bump.....

I slammed straight into a broad shoulder. My phone almost slipped from my hand as I gasped, ready to apologize, but the words died in my throat.

Siddharth.....

Four years of absolute silence, and there he was, standing right in front of me in a flawless Armani suit. My heart did a violent, panicked thud, but I forced my face into a completely stern, unbothered mask. When he looked down at me and mockingly said I was still just as clumsy as before, I didn't flinch. I just matched his cold energy with a sharp, sarcastic smirk. "And you’re still just as arrogant, standing in people's way like you own the tarmac. Good to know some things never change, Siddharth."

Without waiting for his reply, I turned on my heel and stepped right into the middle of the road to reach the other side.

I didn't look back, but out of the corner of my eye, I noticed him moving right behind me. He wasn't rushing. He walked calmly, keeping his massive frame between me and the oncoming traffic, casually raising his hand to signal the cars and bikes to slow down. It was exactly what he used to do four years ago. My chest tightened, but I kept my mouth shut, refusing to acknowledge the gesture as we finally stepped onto the safe pavement of the opposite side.

I kept walking, but his long strides easily caught up. "So," Siddharth asked, his voice entirely smooth and detached. "How’s life going, Kavya?"

I stopped, tightly gripping the straps of my shopping bags as I looked at him, my expression completely deadpan. "What I do or don't do with my life is none of your concern anymore. You should focus on your own high flying life. Trust me, you don't want to dig too deep... gussa kabhi bhi bahar aa sakta hai.(Anger can come out at any moment.)"

I didn’t wait to see the expression on his face. I turned away, my chest heaving as I spotted the familiar red DTC bus pulling up to the nearby stand, its brakes screeching against the asphalt. I practically sprinted toward it, shoving my way through the boarding crowd and climbing the metal steps without looking back even once.

The doors hissed shut behind me, and the bus groaned forward, pulling into the stream of traffic.

I collapsed into an empty window seat, my trembling hands tightly gripping my shopping bags as I stared blankly at the neon signs of Connaught Place fading into the distance. My heart was hammering so loudly against my ribs I was certain the passenger sitting next to me could hear it.

Of all the places in Delhi, of all the days in the year, why him? And why now?

I had spent four long years rebuilding my life, convincing myself that he was just a closed chapter, a chapter from the past I left behind in another city. Meeting him like this, so suddenly on a random Tuesday evening, felt like a cruel cosmic joke. The worst part wasn't even the shock, it was the fact that despite the cold, cutting words we threw at each other, the protective way he blocked the traffic for me still felt entirely too familiar.

I leaned my forehead against the vibrating glass of the window, letting out a shaky breath as the bus accelerated down the dark road. I needed to clear my head. I had a long day at St. Stephen's tomorrow, and the last thing I could afford was to let the presence of Siddharth ruin my peace.....Final exams are coming and I need to focus on that ...I have already wasted so much time...

Next day, Wednesday

Isha's POV

8:30 AM

The grand stone corridors of St. Stephen’s College were buzzing with the usual morning chaos, but for the first time in a week, I was walking through them without a heavy security detail pinning my shoulders back. Mishra and two guards were stationed back at the main parking lot, under strict orders from me to stay by the SUV.

I spotted them near our usual concrete bench under the banyan tree Kabir was yawning heavily over a paper cup of canteen coffee, while Kavya was aggressively scrolling through her notes.

"Surprise!" I called out, stepping into their line of sight with a massive grin.

Kavya’s head snapped up. Her jaw literally dropped. "Isha?! Tu college aa gayi?!(You came to college?!)"

Before I could answer, she threw her notepad onto the bench and lunged forward, wrapping her arms tightly around my neck. Kabir almost spilled his coffee, his eyes widening in pure shock before a lazy, relieved smile broke across his face.

"Oh my god, we thought your father locked you up for good this time!"Kavya squealed, pulling back to look at my face, checking my eyes. "Are you completely okay? Your health? Your panic attack?""I am perfectly fine," I laughed, my heart swelling at how fiercely protective they were. "The restrictions are off. The engagement is officially broken. I'm completely free."

"Shut up! Seriously?!" Kabir gasped, punching my shoulder lightly. "Man, whoever crashed Vikram Malhotra’s financial servers deserves a national award. Chal, ab isi khushi mein canteen chalte hain, tera fine banta hai boti!(Come on, on this happy note let's go to the canteen, you owe us a fine!)"

We laughed, chatting and joking like old times as we headed toward our lecture hall. For the first forty five minutes, it felt like the weight of the corporate world had completely vanished. We passed notes, poked fun at Kabir’s messy hair, and enjoyed the rare feeling of just being normalold students.

Then, our economics professor Miss Verma, everyone's absolute favorite walked in, carrying a thin stack of notifications instead of her usual thick ledger.

The room quieted down as she stood at the podium, looking at all of us with a remarkably soft, emotional smile.

"Good morning, class," Miss Verma cleared her throat. "Before we begin today's final module review, I have an official announcement from the Dean's office. Your final graduation examinations are being pulled forward. They will commence in exactly two weeks."

A collective, panicked groan echoed through the lecture hall."Which means," Miss Verma continued, raising her hand to silence the noise, "the college will be closed for regular lectures starting tomorrow. You all have an official preparation leave. This is your very last formal class on this campus."

The room went completely, utterly silent. The reality of the moment hit everyone like a physical wave.

Miss Verma walked out from behind the podium, her eyes glistening slightly as she scanned our faces. "I have been teaching at St. Stephen's for over a decade, but I must say... you have been the best batch till now. The 2024–2026 batch. Your graduation is going to be a complete heartbreak for me. I am going to miss every single one of you."

A chorus of emotional sighs erupted, and Kavya instantly grabbed my hand under the desk, squeezing it tight. We were actually finishing. The college chapter was closing.

1:00 PM – The Campus Exit

After the emotional farewells, the signing of rough notebooks, and a dozen group pictures, the three of us walked slowly toward the exit gates.

Kabir was practically walking in his sleep, rubbing his eyes. "Bro, two weeks? I haven't even touched the third unit of macroeconomics. I'm going to pull an all nighter and sleep for the next fourteen hours straight."

I laughed, but as I turned to look at Kavya, my smile faltered. She had been unusually quiet ever since Miss Verma’s speech. Her usual loud, energetic vibe was completely missing; she looked distracted, her eyes staring blankly at the pavement.

"Kavya?" I nudged her arm gently. "What happened? You’ve been looking so disturbed since morning. Are you stressed about the exams?"

Kavya snapped out of her trance, a quick, almost guilty flush crossing her cheeks. "Huh? No... no, nothing, Isha. Just... didn't sleep well last night. Some random stuff. Don't worry about it."

I narrowed my eyes, sensing she was hiding something, but before I could press further, Kabir hailed an auto. "Alright ladies, see you in the exam hall. Fail mat ho jaana! (Don't fail!)"

"Tu apni chinta kar, Kabir! (You worry about yourself, Kabir!)" Kavya yelled back, finally laughing a little as she climbed into her own auto-rickshaw. "Call me tonight, Isha!"

"I will! Bye!"

I watched them drive away, the smile fading from my face as I turned toward the heavy black SUV parked across the street. Mishra was already standing by the rear door, holding it open for me, his sharp eyes scanning the passing students.

I took two steps toward the car, and then it hit me.... vedant!!

I had promised myself last night that I would thank Vedant today. If I went home now, I wouldn't get another clean chance to slip away without triggering suspicion. I needed to do this now.

I stopped right in front of Mishra, putting on my best, most convincing face of innocent guilt.

"Mishra ji, actually... main abhi ghar nahi jaa rahi, (Mishra ji, actually... I am not going home right now,)" I said, biting my lip slightly for dramatic effect. "Kavya and I had a bit of an argument inside the campus about our exam notes. She left in a bad mood, and I feel really guilty. I’m going to her place in Hudson Lane to clear things up."

Mishra frowned, his professional protective instincts kicking in. "Okay, Miss Isha. Please get in the car. I will drive you straight to her PG."

"Nahi! (No!)" I cut in quickly, a little too fast, before smoothing my voice back down. "Agar aap itni badi security gaadi leke wahan khade rahoge, toh use aur gussa aayega. (If you stand there with such a huge security car, she'll get even more angry.) It looks too formal. Main local bus se chali jaungi, it's just fifteen minutes from here. You guys go home, I’ll take an auto back before dinner. Papa is busy anyway."

Mishra hesitated, looking at the guards, then back at my stubborn expression. Ever since my father had officially lifted the restrictions at the dinner table, Mishra knew his authority was limited.

"Alright, Miss Isha," Mishra sighed, relenting. "But please keep your phone on. If you aren't back by 6:00 PM, I will have to inform Alok saab."

"Thank you, Mishra ji!"

I turned around quickly, my heart thumping against my ribs as I walked briskly toward the nearby bus stop. A sudden, sharp prick of guilt hit my stomach. I just tricked Mishra. The guy who has been protecting me for years. I felt terrible, but the sheer adrenaline of what I was about to do completely washed the guilt away.

Within five minutes, I boarded the crowded, rattling red DTC bus heading toward Old Delhi. I stood near the middle doors, tightly gripping the overhead metal rail as the bus roared and shook through the heavy traffic.

The posh, manicured lawns of my university faded away, replaced by the narrow, chaotic, and historic streets of Daryaganj. With every stop the bus took, my pulse accelerated. I wasn't the fragile Rawal princess anymore. I was a variable moving entirely out of her script, heading straight into the hunter's territory......

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