Chapter-25

This afternoon, it was again Suraj who picked up Navya after finishing college around two o'clock. Of course, still with his proud white Ferrari. He grinned happily when Navya got into the car.

"Where are we going today, Navya?" asked Suraj in a soft voice.

"Mmm ..., nothing really, Suraj. Maybe it's better if we just go home," answered  Navya weakly. Her enthusiasm and mood has evaporated somewhere everytime when she think about the problem with Mohit.

Suraj looked at her with a surprised face. "Are you sick, Navya? Or is there any problem?" Suraj asked her.

"No, Suraj" Navya snapped. "I'm just tired. The lecture was really boring." Navya answered.

"Ah, yes... I'm sure you're tired. Sorry, I'm not sensitive. Then, let's just eat, okay. After that, I'll take you home, okay?" Suraj asked her.

"Okay, Suraj" Navya replied.

The cafe they visited was a romantic one with spacious and cool outdoor seating, shaded by green trees. Navya still can't understand how Suraj always knows interesting places in Delhi. They ordered food and soft drinks, then sat down to enjoy the cozy atmosphere of the cafe.

An old song of bollywood movie played melodiously through the cafe's speakers. Navya is not a big fan of old songs, but for some reason the lyrics of the song make her heart ache, as if it describes her feelings for Mohit.

"Mera dil bhi kitna pagal hai,

yeh pyaar toh tumse karta hai.

Par saamne jab tum aate ho,

kuch bhi kehne se darta hai.

Kitna isko samjhata hu,

kitna isko behlata hu,

Nadan hai kuch na samajhta hai,

din raat yeh aahen bharta hai.

Mera dil bhi kitna pagal hai,

yeh pyaar jo tumse karta hai."

"Navya, I want to tell you something." Suraj's voice broke Navya's thoughts. Suraj's face suddenly looked serious.

"About what, Suraj?" Navya asked him.

Suraj looked at Navya intensely. "I remember you once said that you wanted to take this relationship slowly. But we've known each other for almost three months. I just wanted to know, do you have the same feelings as me? Can I expect more than just being your friend?" Suraj asked her hopefully.

Suraj's words made Navya froze. What answer should she give? All this time, she had enjoyed their company, but her feelings for Suraj weren't ever more than a friend. If Suraj knew that she was only using him to get Mohit's attention, the guy would be furious.

"Ugh... Suraj, I... I'm happy to be friends with you. But my heart is still traumatized from being betrayed by my ex. I don't think I'm ready for a new relationship." Navya had to lie. She lowered her head, her heart was beating fast.

They were both silent for a moment. Slowly, Suraj reached out and grabbed both of Navya's hands that were on the table.

"It's okay, Navya. I can wait for you until you're ready." Suraj said to her. That was definitely not the response Navya was expecting from him.

Navya shook her head. "No, Suraj. I don't want you to keep waiting for me. There must be a lot of other girls who have a crush on you. You can get any girl you like. As for me..., I don't know when I'll be able to open my heart again." Navya said in a low voice, trying to explain what she meant.

Suraj fell silent again. His eyes looked sad.

"Aaargh!! Damn it!!" Suddenly, Suraj cursed out loud hard.

Navya jumped up from her seat. "Suraj had the heart to curse himself for me?" Navya thought in her mind.

"Let's go, Navya!" Suraj shouted in panic, then rushed to grab Navya's left hand with his right hand.

"Why--?" Before Navya could finish her question, she was already standing up and being asked to run by Suraj. Suraj continued to run toward the car park, pulling Navya behind him.

"Suraj, what's wrong?!" shouted Navya. Her breath hitched because Suraj ran much faster than her. Suraj's legs are also longer. She had to exert all her might to keep up with Suraj's speed.

"Get in the car, Navya!" Suraj orders. Suraj himself had jumped into the car.

Hastily, Navya opened the car door and fell into the seat. Suraj immediately turned the car on and the car slid at high speed.

At that moment, Navya looked back and saw that there were two bald men dressed in leather jackets ran out of the cafe. They pointed at Suraj's car, then got inside a black car. In an instant, the black car also drove at high speed, chasing Suraj's car!

"Suraj! What the hell is this?" Navya screamed in panic. "Who are they?" Navya asked him.

"They're bad people, Navya! We can't get caught by them!" shouted Suraj no less loudly.

"What do you mean by bad people? Why are they after you?" Navya continued to ask him.

She was horrified at the way Suraj drove the car, swerving hard left and right as if they were on a race track, even though they were in the middle of a busy highway. Even worse, their car also ran a red light.

"Suraj, stop! Don't speed like this!" cried Navya hysterically. "This is not a race!" Navya warned him.

"Put on your seatbelt, Navya! We can't get caught!" Suraj shouted again. His face looked pale.

A second later, Navya heard the siren wailing behind their car. Seriously! It's a police car! Navya's eyes widened to see the police car.

"Suraj! Stop! There's police car behind us!" Navya screamed.

Suraj could not even speak because of this shock. He just stared ahead with bulging eyes and mouth agape.

"Suraj! Stop!" Right at the end of Navya's shout, a large cargo truck suddenly stopped in front of their car. Suraj was too late to swerve or dodge.

"Crackkkkkk...!!"

Navya covered her face with her hands. The brakes screeched loudly, then Navya's body shook as their car hit the back of the cargo truck hard.

(After sometime)

Navya wonders, why is she always involved in car accidents and trouble at the police station. This is the second time she has been trapped at the Delhi Police Station because of a problem that was not caused by her. Suraj's Ferrari crashed into the back of a cargo truck. Fortunately, that luxury car had a protective feature that sophisticated and works well. The front airbag inflated instantly, protecting Navya and Suraj so they weren't hurt.

Currently, Navya is in a room at the Delhi Police station to give information about the accident. Suraj seemed to have been taken to another room to be checked as well. From the police, Navya just found out that the two men who were chasing Suraj were debt collectors from a bank. Suraj turned out to have a very large credit card debt that he was being chased by debt collectors!

"You are lucky, it didn't hurt you, even though the car was really fast," commented the police officer who asked for information from Navya.

"Suraj, where is my friend now, sir?" Navya ventured to ask the police officer.

"Oh, he is in the examination room next door. He must be held responsible for speeding on the road, endangering others, running a red light, running from the police, and hitting another car." The police officer said to Navya.

"What about... the debt collector, sir?" asked Navya again.

"Well, that's not our business. It's a personal matter of your friend and the bank. Even though he said the reason he was speeding was because he was being chased by a debt collector, it still couldn't be justified," replied the officer with a thick moustache, but very friendly.

Navya was stunned to hear the truth. How could she ever have guessed that all the luxuries that had been exhibited by Suraj turned out to be the result of credit card debt! Only Suraj knew how much he owed the bank.