Author Spotlight - Neerunni {Wattpad}

First Kiss & Broken Promises
Author: Neerunni
Genre: Teen Romance

Wattpad Book Blurb:
First Kiss can be earth-shattering and so can ‘broken promises’, especially when both are sealed and delivered by the one who has held your heart in the palms of his hands since the day you turned a teen.

Seventeen year old Divya Narayan is a high-spirited young girl with an adventurous streak in her, who doesn’t think twice before taking a risk. She learns very early in life that broken promises by ones you love equals a broken heart. So she makes two promises – Never to fall in love and never to break a promise.

One fateful night four years ago, Aryan Diaz not only broke Divya's heart but also her trust and their unique bond of friendship. When the charming heart-breaker returns next door to Divya, he holds more than a key to her locked heart; he has answers that can set her free to break the promises she made.

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Excerpt from First Kiss & Broken Promises

Chapter 13

For five long minutes, only the rustle of papers as our principal signed each one with a single flourish of her wrist, filled the room. I had an incredible urge to wipe the sweat off my neck. Her refusal to even acknowledge our presence in the room was draining whatever little strength I had left in my body. 

“Hand me your badge and leave the room, Jai,” she said sternly. 

I looked with my mouth agape from her to Jai. His jaw, which I had admired just a moment ago, was clenched tight, but other than that slight detail, there was calmness about him that I couldn’t identify. I saw him meticulously unpin the badge, step forward to the desk in one sure movement, and place it in front of the principal. 

Barely glancing at the badge or at Jai, she looked right at me. I was shaken to see not a speck of affection that usually resided in the depth of her eyes. She leant back in her chair and formed a steeple with her slender fingers. Those very hands had held me as a baby. She appraised me with those eyes that had soothed me and sometimes chided me whenever I had landed in trouble. But they had never looked at me with judgement. For my parents’ sake, I hoped the lack of food in my stomach was pushing me to misread signals. 

“You may leave the room,” she said, her voice straining as she tried not to shout.

Her eyes never left mine, but we all knew who the statement was addressed to. Jai did move, but only to stand straighter with his legs apart and hands clasped behind his back. I resisted the urge to whip my head around to look at this alien trying to wage war with an authoritarian on her domain. She had a lion’s ferocity running in her blood. Unlike her father, it was not in her nature to let it dictate her behavior towards the students. I shuddered involuntarily, my gaze flicking to the portrait above her head. 

“Pardon me ma’am. I would like to stay here with Div...Divya. It is because of me that we both are here.” Jai’s voice sounded firm, all the flirtatiousness of earlier gone from his tone. 

My mouth hung open as I finally turned to look at Jai. He was freaking mad to even speak when she looked like a hungry lioness on a prowl. 

“Is that right?” I swung my head to face her. “Divya, why do you think you are here?” 

I tensed. I knew it. This was not going to be easy to explain. I might have taken a little too long to reply because I heard her make a sound of impatience before saying, “Was it because of the scuffle with Mr. Solanki?”

“No, ma’am.” I was amazed I found my voice. “It was because of the almost scuffle with Ritwik,” I deadpanned, stupidly. 

My palms itched to connect roughly with my own forehead. It had to wait. The way this was going, I would have to do that more than once. 

“Almost scuffle?” she would have snorted if she weren’t addressing me as the principal on a matter of discipline. “You threatened to punch the poor boy’s nose…again.”

My eyes rounded at her image of Ritwik. He did not look poor in any way. He was a bloody rascal out for revenge. 

“I never punched Ritwik, that was Ritwik’s twin, Hardhik. It was three years ago. And I did not threaten, I just punched him,” I said meekly, but failed miserably in masking the pride in my voice. 

Her steeple was gone, and she had moved forward in her seat. That was not a good sign. I sighed within. 

You should know when to shut up, Div___Algo popped into my head. 

“Not helping at all, Mary Poppin’,” I silently growled at the voice in my head. 

“I had war_” Princi stopped suddenly and looked at Jai, who stood keenly watching the exchange. 

“Mr. Solanki, I dismissed you a while ago. Do you want me to physically throw you out?” 

“Yes ma’am! No ma’am!” Suddenly alert, he first nodded then shook his head. I waited for him to salute too. The fool! 

He is cute. He is standing up for you__Algo opined, out of turn.

“He is getting shot for me, the fool,” I stressed. 

Yes. Cute! Name one guy who would do that for you?

Aryan! The name just popped into my head very much like Algo did a moment ago. I flushed. Warm as the thought was, I did not need anyone fighting my battles.

ANNOUNCEMENT

CBY has been around for one year now, and each week, over the past year, members have been spotlighted for being the best read of the week in accordance with the Book Of The Week (BOTW) activity. On May 12th each year, the author who has received the most Author Spotlight Features receives the Author Spotlight Award.

Now, for the result of CBY's first ever Author Spotlight Award ...

And The Winner Is: