"Pakde gaye toh mar jayenge," Swaha hissed.

(We're gonna be dead if we get caught)

Dharna shushed her while Prisha kept watch.

The trio had decided to sneak out of the hostel. It was thirty minutes past ten.

Dharna carefully swung one leg over the boundary wall. Using the nearby tree for support, she slowly began climbing down.

"Pagal hai tu? Gir jayegi," Swaha whispered.

(Are you insane? You're gonna fall)

Dharna shot her a dumb look.

"Don't act like tune pehle kabhi ye nahi kiya," Prisha said.

(Don't act like you haven't done this before)

The color drained from Swaha's face.

"Main nahi kar rahi ye."

(I ain't doing this)

"Yes, you are," Dharna replied.

"Nope."

"Then idhar hi ruk. Hum toh bahar jaa rahe hain."

(Alright then. Stay here, we're going out.

With that, Dharna jumped down, and Prisha followed right after her.

Swaha stared at them.

Then she thought about it.

Let's do this.

"Wait!"

Dharna and Prisha paused. They exchanged a knowing look.

A few minutes later, the three of them had successfully escaped the university campus and were now walking through the streets of Mumbai.

"I can't believe I actually did that," Dharna said excitedly.

"It's so fun. No one knows where you are," Prisha said.

"Unless a serial killer murders all of us," Swaha replied.

Dharna and Prisha mentally facepalmed.

The night felt like something straight out of a movie.

The roads were still alive with people. The city lights glowed against the darkness, the breeze was cool, and simply walking through the streets felt exhilarating.

So this was what a late-night outing in Mumbai felt like.

"Cafe chalte hain," Prisha suggested.

(Let's go to a café)

The other two immediately agreed.

They found a small café, ordered coffee, and spent the next hour gossiping, clicking pictures, and laughing over absolutely everything.

"Main kaunsi wali picture story pe lagau?" Prisha asked, showing her phone to the other two as they walked down the street.

(Which picture should I put on my Instagram story?)

"Pagal hai kya?" Dharna exclaimed. "Abhi story daalegi toh sabko lagega tu hostel se abhi-abhi bahar nikli hai. Kal subah daalna."

(Are you mad? If you put a story right now then people are gonna think you've sneaked out of the hostel right now. Put it tomorrow.)

Swaha nodded in agreement.

"Haww... ye toh maine socha hi nahi," Prisha said with a sheepish grin.

(Ohhh...I hadn't thought of this before)

Swaha glanced at the time on her phone.

"Almost baarah bajne wale hain. Let's head back."

(It's almost midnight. Let's head back)

The other two agreed, and together they turned around, making their way back toward the university hostel.

"Ye pakadna, main thoda halka hoke aata hoon."

("Hold this, I'll be back after I go take a leak.")

A drunk man stumbled toward Prithvi and shoved a bottle of alcohol into his hands.

Prithvi blinked.

He didn't even know the man.

Before he could react, the man had already wandered a few steps away.

Being an introvert with practically zero communication skills, Prithvi had no idea what had just happened. He simply stood there, awkwardly holding the bottle.

After taking a deep breath, he slowly walked up to the man.

"Dekhiye... aapko yahan peshab nahi karna chahiye," he said quietly.

(Excuse me...you shouldn't urinate here)

The man ignored him.

Prithvi sighed and pulled out his phone. Since Dev and Shresth had forced him to sneak out and buy popcorn, he decided to call them.

"Kya be?" Dev answered.

(What is it?)

"Dev... idhar ek uncle ji ne mujhe... mujhe alcohol ki bottle pakda di hai. I don't know what to do."

(Dev... this uncle just handed me a bottle of alcohol. I... I don't know what to do.)

"Daru ki bottle bol na, 'alcohol bottle' kya hota hai?" Dev replied. "Neeche rakh aur wapas aa."

( "A bottle of booze, Prithvi. Who even says 'alcohol bottle'?"

"Just put it down and come back.")

"Par... wouldn't that be rude?"

Silence.

Dev mentally facepalmed.

"Tu chhod. Tujhse nahi hoga. Main aur Shresth aa rahe hain. Kidhar hai tu?"

(Forget it. You're hopeless. Shresth and I are coming. Where are you?)

Prithvi shared his location and disconnected the call.

The uncle still hadn't finished.

While waiting, Prithvi noticed a few children playing with a kitchen knife nearby.

His eyes widened.

He immediately walked over, crouched down, and gently took it from one of them.

"Why are you playing with this?" he asked calmly.

"Aapko koi kaam nahi hai? Apna kaam kariye na," one of the kids replied.

(Mind your own business, man.)

Prithvi was left speechless.

Just then, the child's mother hurried over and lightly smacked the boy on the head.

"Kidhar bhaag jaata hai baar-baar?"

(Where are you running all the time?)

She looked up...

...and froze.

A tall stranger stood in front of her.

One hand held a bottle of alcohol.

The other held a knife.

Without a second thought, she pulled her son behind her.

"N-Nahi... galat mat samajhiye," Prithvi stammered, immediately pointing toward the drunk man. "Ye bottle meri nahi hai. Un bhaisaab ki hai."

("N-No... please don't misunderstand. This isn't my bottle. It belongs to that man over there.")

The woman gave him an uncertain smile.

Prithvi then held out the knife.

"Ye... aapki hai?"

(Is this...yours?)

The woman looked at it carefully before her expression changed.

"Arre! Haan! Ye toh meri hi hai."

(Oh right! This is mine!)

"Ye isko pakad ke khel raha tha... isliye le li," Prithvi explained.

(He was playing with this carelessly...that's why I took it from him)

"Aaj tinde ki sabzi banani thi," the woman sighed before smacking her son's back again. "Main sabzi kaat na saku, isliye utha laya hoga."

("We're making tinde today. He probably grabbed a knife because he figured I wouldn't be able to cut the vegetables.")

The boy pouted.

The woman turned to him.

"Beta, dobara knife uthaya na, toh ye bhaiya tumhe bahut marenge. Dekho kitne lambe hain."

("Hey, kiddo, if you pick up that knife again, this big brother's going to be very upset with you. Look how tall and scary he is.")

Prithvi gave an awkward smile.

"Nahi... main-"

(No- I-)

But before he could finish, the woman folded her hands.

"Thank you, beta."

She took her son and left.

A few moments later, the drunk man finally returned, grabbed his bottle back from Prithvi without saying a word, and staggered away.

Meanwhile...

On their way back to the hostel, Dharna, Swaha, and Prisha spotted a tall man standing under a streetlight.

He was wearing a green denim shirt, black baggy pants, and spectacles.

In one hand...

...he held a bottle of alcohol.

In the other...

...a knife.

Swaha immediately nudged Dharna and silently pointed in his direction.

Prisha followed her gaze.

Her eyes widened.

Dharna's mouth fell open.

"Iski toh... abhi jaake isko peet ke aati hoon," Prisha muttered, already taking a step forward.

("That brat... I'm going over there and knocking some sense into him.")

Swaha immediately grabbed her wrist.

"Ruk ja! Uske haath mein knife hai. Better hai hum kisi ko bula lete hain."

("Wait! He's holding a knife. It's better if we call someone.")

Prisha glared at the stranger but reluctantly stopped.

"I do have pepper spray," Dharna whispered.

Before they could decide what to do, they saw a woman approach the man with a little boy. She folded her hands in front of him while talking.

"Ye kaunsa gunda hai, bhai? Kitna dara ke rakha hai sabko. Bechare log," Dharna muttered, her blood boiling.

("What kind of gangster is this guy? He's got everyone terrified. Poor people.")

Just then, the man turned in their direction.

All three instantly looked away.

"Chal, chal... yahan se nikalte hain," Swaha whispered. "Kal subah aake dekhte hain."

("Come on, let's get out of here. We'll come back and check on him tomorrow morning.")

Without another glance, the three girls hurried back toward their college, completely convinced they had just encountered a dangerous criminal.

As Prisha, Swaha, and Dharna made their way back toward the hostel, Swaha felt something strange settle over her.

Someone was following them.

She slowed just a little and glanced over her shoulder. It was the same man from before. He was walking a few feet behind them, one hand holding his phone and the other tucked casually into his pocket.

Swaha immediately lowered her voice. "Guys... I think he's following us."

Dharna and Prisha turned around too. The moment they spotted him, chills ran down their spines.

"Dekho..." Swaha whispered, trying not to sound as terrified as she felt. "I think hume bhaag jaana chahiye. I'm calling the police."

(See...I think we should run. I'm calling the cops.)

"Nahi." Prisha cracked her knuckles dramatically. "I've always wanted to be a hero. Aaj mere taekwondo skills finally kaam aayenge."

(No way...I've always wanted to be a hero. Today's finally the day my taekwondo skills get to shine.)

"Haina?" Dharna whispered excitedly. "Main bhi kabse pepper spray use karna chahti thi. But okay... pehle confirm karte hain ki woh hume follow kar raha hai ya nahi."

(I know right? I've been dying to use my pepper spray. But fine... let's confirm he's actually following us first.)

Before anyone could decide, the man's voice drifted toward them. "Kab aaoge? I'm already on my way."

(When are you coming? I'm already on my way)

Swaha's face lost all color. "Main itni jaldi marna nahi chahti... mummy... papa... Shivi..." she whimpered, her eyes already watering.

(I-I'm not ready to die yet... Mom... Dad... Shivi...)

Dharna immediately slung an arm around her shoulders. "Tujhe kuch nahi hoga. It's my promise."

(Nothing is gonna happen to you, it's my promise!)

Swaha looked at her with watery eyes.

"Main tera banda hoon, remember, babygirl?"

(I'm your man, remember, babygirl?)

For some reason that made Swaha even more emotional.

Prisha looked between the two. "So... hum attack kar rahe hain?"

(So...we're attacking?)

Dharna nodded with the seriousness of a military commander. She pulled out her pepper spray like she'd been waiting for this moment her whole life. Turning to Swaha, she pointed at her phone. "Tu recording kar. Court mein evidence kaam aayega."

(Record this...we might need evidence in the court)

Swaha stared at her. "Mujhe ghar jaana hai, mummy."

(I wanna go homeeee...)

"Chup kar, warna tujhe Swaha kar dungi."

(Shut up or I'm gonna throw you out)

Without another word, Swaha quietly unlocked her phone. "Recording."

A few feet behind them, Prithvi was completely oblivious to the disaster about to hit him. He was walking while reading through his class notes, absentmindedly adjusting his pace. When he finally looked up, two girls were standing directly in front of him. Both were glaring. Hard.

His soul nearly exited his body.

He instinctively looked behind himself.

Shayad kisi aur ko dekh rahi hongi.

Nobody.

He slowly looked back at them.

THUD.

Prisha's kick landed squarely on his stomach.

"Aah!"

His spectacles flew somewhere into the darkness as he crashed onto the road.

Prithvi blinked in utter confusion. Main...? Ye...? Ho kya raha hai...?

Suddenly his mother's voice echoed in his head. "Kabhi raat ko akele mat jaana. Bahut chudail ghoomti hain. Tu itna sundar hai, nazar lag jayegi."

His chin trembled. "Mummy..."

(Don't go out alone late night, there are many witches out there. You're my pretty boy, they're gonna put evil eye on you)

Before he could process anything-

Pepper spray.

"Aaaahhh!"

His eyes instantly began burning. He clutched them with both hands. "I can't see!"

"Kutte!" Prisha yelled, landing another kick. "Hamara peecha karega?"

(You brat! You're gonna follow us?!)

"Bachhon ko knife dikha raha tha!"

(Showing knife to mere kids?)

Another punch landed.

Prithvi curled into a ball. "S-sorry... mai-"

THUD.

Another hit.

He gave up. "Jai Hanuman gyaan gun sagar..."

He began reciting the Hanuman Chalisa while mentally crying. Bas. Main kabhi room se bahar nahi nikalunga. Popcorn bhi blinkit karunga

(I'm never getting out of my room...I'm gonna use blinkit even for popcorn)

Swaha stood frozen. Still recording.

Just then, hurried footsteps echoed behind them.

"Prithvi!"

"What the hell are you guys doing?"

Prithvi almost cried in relief. "Bhai..."

Prisha turned around. Two boys stood there. One wore a white T-shirt with denim shorts. The other was in a black T-shirt and baggy jeans. Both were ridiculously tall.

Dev sprinted over and immediately dropped beside Prithvi. "Mere bhai ka kya haal kar diya!" He dramatically lifted Prithvi's head into his lap.

(What have you guys done to my brother?)

Prisha looked at Dharna. Dharna looked back at Prisha. Without saying a word, they reached the same conclusion.

Dev got smacked too.

"AREY!"

"Bas karo bhai!" he yelped, dragging Prithvi backwards. "Humne kiya kya hai?"

(What the hell! Stop it guys! What have we even done?)

A few feet away, Shresth simply leaned against a wall with his arms crossed, silently watching the chaos unfold.

Prithvi immediately hid behind Dev. "Bhai..."

"Ye chudail didi hain... Tameez se baat kar... Warna maar dengi... Hanuman Chalisa padh."

(She's a witch...talk with respect or else she's gonna kill you. Read Hanuman Chalisa)

Dev slowly rubbed his forehead. "Tu rehne de."

(Please shut up bro)

The girls glared. "Hum chudail?"

(You're calling us witches?)

Without wasting another second, Dev pulled Prithvi to his feet. Both of them quietly shifted behind Shresth. "Bhai bacha le."

(Bro save us)

Shresth closed his eyes for a brief moment. Took a deep breath. Then opened them. "Why," he asked calmly, his voice low and composed, "were you hitting him?"

"He's drunk!" Dharna shot back immediately. "Aur bachhon ko knife dikha raha tha!"

(He was showing knife to the kids!)

Shresth looked at Prithvi.

Dev followed his gaze. Suddenly it clicked. "Oh. The bottle." He turned back to the girls. "That wasn't his. A drunk uncle handed it to him."

Swaha frowned. "Then the knife?"

Prithvi groaned from behind Dev. "Woh bachha knife leke bhaag gaya tha..."

"Taaki uski mummy tinde ki sabzi na bana sake."

(The kid had stolen it so that his mother couldn't make him apple guard curry)

Dev's eyes lit up. "Wait. That's actually genius... Kal mess ki kitchen se knife chhupa deta hoon."

(I'm gonna hide the knife from kitchen mess tomorrow...)

"Phir gobhi bhi nahi banegi."

(Then they can't make us cauliflowers)

Shresth slowly turned his head and stared at him. Dev gave him a sheepish smile.

Dharna gave Dev a look of pure disgust before turning back to Shresth. "Then why was he following us?"

"We're going back to campus," Shresth replied simply.

"What college?" Prisha asked.

Dev grinned. "Iroft Seattle University."

Silence.

Swaha blinked. "...We too."

Another silence followed.

Prisha slowly looked at Dharna. Dharna placed a hand over her forehead. Swaha's expression clearly read, Main tum dono ko jaanti hi nahi.

"I..." Dharna cleared her throat awkwardly. "I'm really sorry."

Prisha nodded. "...Same."

Then she immediately pointed toward Prithvi. "But iski bhi galti hai. Ye kuch bol kyun nahi raha tha?"

(It's his fault...why wouldn't he say the truth to us?)

Dev burst into laughter. "Isko ladkiyon se baat karni hi nahi aati."

Prithvi sighed. "Koi mujhe paani de... Meri aankhen jal rahi hain."

(He doesn’t know how to talk to girls.

Anyone please give me some water...my eyes are burning)

"H-haan... wait."

Prisha quickly uncapped her water bottle and carefully poured water over his eyes.

After a few moments, Prithvi finally found his broken spectacles, wiped his face with a napkin, and put them back on. The first thing he saw was Prisha. He immediately stepped behind Dev again. His eyes lowered. His cheeks turned red.

Prisha frowned. "Why do you think I'm a witch?"

He did not reply anything.

Dev sighed. "Patni ban ja meri."

Prithvi blinked. "...Kya?"

"Har baat pe meri biwi ki tarah mere peeche aa ke khada ho jaata hai."

(At this point be my wife.

What...?

Why do you keep standing behind me like my wife?)

Everyone except him burst into laughter.

Dharna smiled sheepishly. "Guys... we're genuinely sorry. It was a misunderstanding."

Shresth glanced at Swaha. "Apni dost ko bolna... agli baar recording karte waqt selfie camera ki jagah back camera use kare."

(Inform your friend to record from back camera next time, instead of front camera)

Swaha looked down. "..."

"...OH MY GOD."

The entire recording consisted of her terrified face and half of Shresth's shoulder.

Dev laughed so hard he almost dropped Prithvi again. Then he grinned mischievously. "Waise..."

"Tum log bhi sneak out karke aaye ho na?"

(By the way...you all have also sneaked out, right?)

All three girls froze.

Swaha let out a dramatic sigh. "I told you guys... It's a bad idea."

Dev folded his arms with a smug smile. "Hmm. Socho... Agar ye sab warden ko bata diya toh?"

(Yeah and now think...what if I tell about this to your warden?)

All three girls visibly paled.

Before Dev could enjoy his victory-

THAK!

Shresth smacked the back of his head.

"Bas."

(Enough)

Dev rubbed the back of his head with a pout. "Yaar..."

The three boys finally turned and started walking back toward campus, Prithvi carefully carrying the remains of his broken spectacles. As they disappeared down the road, Dev continued lecturing him.

"Ek kaam kar. Next time koi stranger tujhe kuch pakadaye...mat pakadna."

(Do one thing...Next time any stranger hands you anything, don't take it)

Prithvi looked genuinely confused. "Par rude nahi ho jayega?"

(But wouldn't that be rude?)

Dev looked up at the sky. "Bhagwan..."

"Mujhe hi kyun?"

(Oh God...why me?)

________

Okayyy here goes the first chapter of Soft Launch <3

How was the chapter?

Spread love and be kind

Radhe Radhe

-KriDha

♡