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“But—”
The woman did not let her speak. “You are taking away another exchange student’s opportunity to attend Simha.”
Her stomach made a sudden twist, and she was at a loss of words for a moment. “Ma’am, I’m not asking you to take away another student’s opportunity. I’m asking for one.”
A small smile formed on her face as she looked away. “I appreciate your motivation, Ms. Varma. The admissions at Simha are for well-rounded students, which you are but also the ones who have an alumni recommendation.”
Nami fell silent. The woman was right, and as the reality struck, she felt the pain in her heart for more than one reason. But she swallowed the lump forming and stood up, having no further argument left in her. “Thank you, Ma’am.” She wanted to leave before she cried her lungs out in front of her.
She took a few steps when the dean asked, “How come you don’t have a recommendation letter from your family? Your father is an alumnus.”
Nami turned slowly and looked at Neelima Raj. “We wouldn’t be having this conversation if I had the required note for my admission.”
“Ms. Varma, it is important to fight for what you think is right.”
She could not stand there anymore. She mumbled a thanks under her breath and rushed outside. Tears welled in her eyes, but she batted them away. She knew why she could not get the recommendation because of what her family had to go through because of the Simha family.
And the guy she was madly in love with is a Simha. How the heck did she get into this? What was she thinking about falling in love with her family’s rival’s son? She should have never come to Simha!
*****
Rana was ecstatic to be back at Simha. Even as he teased his older cousin, Abhi, about how impatient he was to see his girl, Rana had the same feeling. Revving up the engine of his bike, he followed his cousin closely to the campus.
He could not wait to tell her everything his parents told him and work with her to resolve the issues between the two families. But first, he had to apologize for putting her through hell. How could he pacify her for all the pain he caused? Could he kiss them away? Appease her with his touch?
He was pumped with excitement as he climbed up to her balcony. She had to be in her room or at the library working on her project. He peeked through the patio doors and saw her room was empty. He waited a few moments to see if she was in the shower but nothing. He pulled up his phone and looked up her location, and it showed that she was at her housing unit.
Confirmed that she was close, he called her, keeping his eyes in her space. He was a bit taken aback that her phone lit up in the middle of the room as it lay on the floor. A pang of fear gripped him when he saw her phone on the floor. She was the last person to throw things around haphazardly.
He was about to knock on the glass door when he saw movement. He saw her push off the wall she had been leaning against while seated on the floor. He watched her crawl to her phone and let out a sob before answering the call.
What is going on?
“Rana.” She tried to keep her voice steady, but he could see how upset she was.
“Baby, open up.” He knocked on the door, trying to catch her attention.
She slowly turned to look in his direction. “I… I don’t know if we should do this anymore.”
“Look at me,” he demanded as she kept her eyes away from him like she could not face him.
She slowly stepped toward the patio doors and raised her eyes to his. The look in her eyes caused a tightness to form in his chest. Unable to handle the emotions that ran through him in response to the sadness in her eyes, he had an overwhelming need to do what it took to put the smile back on her face.
He pulled her into his chest, and she wept. It was new to him—her tears. He had seen her lash out in anger, but she never let her weakness surface. Even when he was a number one asshole, she didn’t falter. “Namrata,” he rubbed his palm on her back. “What happened?”
She let out a muffled cry before he pulled back to cup her face in his hands. He waited for her to calm down her sniffles. “I… I met with Neela Ma’am, and she told me there is no way I could extend my admission at Simha.”
“What? Your project was approved, right?” He looked down at her, wiping away the moisture on her cheeks.
“I know… but…” She broke into sniffles, and he waited for her to gather herself. “I still need an alumni recommendation that I will not get from my dad.”
He ran his thumb over her lips. “If a recommendation is all you need, I can get you one.”
Her eyes widened. “What are you talking about and… even if you did, I wouldn’t want to go behind my dad’s back.”
Rana nodded, respecting her wishes. “We will figure it out, and if we are able to implement the plan I have been thinking about, you might get a recommendation from your dad for Simha.”
She shook her head, confused. “I don’t understand.”
