Akhil licked his ice cream with relish.
He did not bother about how other people would view him.
To him, as long as he was happy, he didn’t care about other people’s opinions.
Divya watched him lick his ice cream, and an unexpected thought involuntarily crossed her mind.
She blushed, her face turned red all the way down to her neck.
She shook her head, trying to drive the thoughts away.
After Akhil finished his ice cream, he turned to face her and said with a smile.
“Thank you, Divya.”
The smile nearly melted her heart, her heartbeat quickened.
She had faced criminals without fear.
But…
Today, his smile seemed more deadly than any criminal.
This boy… he’s dangerous.
“Wait… I forgot to ask his name.
I’ve been calling him “boy” or “Young man”.
She wanted to know his name, but it felt embarrassing to ask.
She steeled her mind and took a deep breath as if preparing for war.
“Hey, I forgot to ask you earlier.
Could you tell me your name?”
Her voice carried a hint of nervousness and anxiety.
She was afraid that after asking his name, he might look at her warily and say “Sorry, I don’t want to.”
But her worry seemed to be unfounded.
Akhil was oblivious to her inner struggles.
He said while scratching the back of his head.
“Sorry, Divya.
I should have introduced myself earlier.”
“My name is Akhil.
Nice to meet you.”
He continued with a smile.
“I hope we will look out for each other in the future.”
Divya blinked, her expression blank with surprise.
Yet she nodded her head.
Akhil had his own little scheme in mind.
He wanted to build a friendship purely for the sake of future ice cream.
She said she was rich.
If I became her friend, she’ll surely treat me to ice cream.
Hee…
hee…
As for his friend’s warning, he threw it straight into the trash bin.
Whether Akhil would regret ignoring his friend’s advice or not.
Only time would tell.
Divya recovered from her daze and asked him.
“Tell me your address.
I can drop you off.”
Akhil nodded without hesitation.
He was already exhausted.
He thanked her.
“Thanks, Divya.”
Compared to before, they had grown closer and more comfortable with each other.
Inside the car,
Akhil made himself comfortable in her car.
She glanced at him, but said nothing.
She preferred Akhil to be more familiar and comfortable around her.
She liked it.
Akhil looked around the car and asked her.
“How much was this car?”
Divya replied without turning her head.
“Twenty lakh rupees”
Akhil’s expression froze when he heard this.
Akhil stared at her in disbelief.
“What?”
Divya chuckled.
“Twenty lakh rupees”
Akhil shook his head and asked,
“I mean, I heard it clearly, but how?”
Divya replied with a confused expression.
“What do you mean by ‘how’?”
Akhil’s forehead twitched slightly as he asked in disbelief.
“Where did you get so much money to spend Rs.20,00,000 on a car?”
She replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“Because I’m rich.
I already told you, didn’t I?”
Akhil opened his mouth and closed it.
He expected her to be quite wealthy but this was…
“She’s way too rich.
She’s so rich that she can spend Rs.20,00,000 on just a car.”
Akhil probed her further.
“I know I shouldn’t ask this.
But I’m genuinely curious.”
Divya chuckled.
“Go on.”
Akhil’s expression shifted as he asked her.
“You are working as a police officer, aren’t you?”
Divya nodded.
“Yes.”
Akhil narrowed his eyes and asked the question with complete seriousness.
“Then the average salary for a police officer should be around 36,000.
So, you’re not rich but your father is.”
Divya’s face twitched at his question.
She felt the urge to squeeze his cheeks for asking such a cheeky question.
She flicked his forehead as if she was educating a child.
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
“Don’t you know it’s rude to ask such questions?”
Akhil rubbed his forehead with an aggrieved expression.
He pouted and muttered something under his breath.
Soon, they reached his home.
Akhil stepped out of the car and said with a smile,
Also, for the ice cream.”
Just as his voice faded, a voice suddenly called out from behind him.
“Akhil.”
Akhil’s body went stiff.
He turned around and saw his mother walking toward him with a grocery bag.
Divya also froze inside her car.
A few fine beads of sweat formed on her forehead.
Akhil said nervously.
“Mom.”
Rhea walked toward Akhil, her eyes narrowing slightly as she noticed her son acting nervous.
When she saw the person inside the car, she froze as well.
Her anger erupted, and she immediately grabbed his ear.
She scolded him, her face darkening further.
“I sent you to college to study.
Now, here you are, hanging out with girls.”
“If I don’t tell your father about this, my name isn’t Rhea.”
Divya was off duty, so she wasn’t wearing her uniform.
Because of that, Rhea had mistaken her for just another girl he was hanging out with instead of studying at college.
Divya felt a surge of irritation.
She did not like it when other people touched her Akhil so familiarly.
Only she was allowed to touch him like that.
Nobody else.
Yet, the woman standing before her would be her future mother-in-law.
How could she let her future mother-in-law have a bad expression of her?
Not only that, she had to do something to make his mother remove her hand from her Akhil.
She stepped out of the car, and greeted Rhea with a gentle smile.
“Hello, Ma’am.”
Rhea turned toward her and was about to ask who she was.
Divya cut her off before she could say anything.
“Don’t misunderstand.
I’m an IPS officer.”
Rhea’s expression froze when she heard this, and her demeanor immediately became respectful.
“Your son helped me with a case.
I just thought I’d repay him by buying something he likes.”
Rhea nodded her head in understanding, but she still had a faint hint of doubt about Divya’s reason to repay Akhil.
She didn’t let her doubt show on her face and replied respectfully.
“I see.
Thank you, Ma’am.”
Divya could barely contain her anger.
“Why does this mother and son always call me ‘Ma’am’ when they meet me for the first time?”
But it was pretty normal for civilians to call police officers Ma’am or Sir.
With that, she didn’t linger any longer.
She bid farewell to both mother and son before leaving.
Rhea turned her head and let out a heavy sigh.
“Come inside.”
With that, both mother and son entered the house.
Akhil’s expression eased when he saw that his mother did not pursue the matter.
His hand twitched a little when he heard her next words.
“You still have to explain everything to me.
I’m not letting you off that easily.”