Love Together

Chapter 24

As Radhi drew nearer, she caught fragments of Aayansh's conversation. At the mere mention of his name, he swiftly stowed away his phone and turned to face her, his expression shifting to one of surprise and warmth.

With a welcoming smile, Aayansh greeted her, "Hey, what brings you out here? Shouldn't you be enjoying the party inside?"

"And what about you? Why are you here anyway? You were relentlessly urging me to come to Goa with you, and now that you're here, you're just buried in your office work. I had already objected to your coming earlier. If you were just going to be glued to your phone, you could have stayed back and continued your work there. Why come halfway and leave your tasks incomplete?" Just as Radhi starts to scold him, Aayansh interrupts, placing his hand over her mouth to stop her from speaking.

He says, "Bas kro meri maa, chlta hu mai tumhare saath aur mai koi kaam aadhura chor nahi aaya hu na hi ab mai kisi ka phone uthaunga. Ab khush?"

(Enough, my mom; I'm leaving with you. I haven't left any work unfinished, nor will I be busy on the phone again.Is that okay?)

Radhi listens intently to Aayansh's entire statement, feeling his hand still covering her mouth despite his words. She clenches her teeth, causing Aayansh to wince in pain and retract his hand from her mouth.

"Ye kya tha? Kyu kata mujhse? kutta ho kya?" Aayansh asked, inspecting his hand.

(What's this? Why did you bite me? (Are you a dog?)

"Kutta nahi kutti hota hai female ke liye! Aur bta the way mai insaan hu, tum hi hoge kutte," Radhi retorts.

(It's not 'dog,' it's 'bitch' for a female, and by the way, I'm a human; you might be the dog.)

"Why did you treat me like a dog, then?" Aayansh asks, frustrated, as he removes his hand from Radhi's mouth.

Aayansh, observing Radhi's anger, responds, "I understood.".

Confused by Aayansh's reaction, Radhi asks, "Huh? Where did you go off-topic, and what did you understand?"

Aayansh, now questioning her, asks, "Who is it? Who ruined your mood and made you shout at me?"

Radhi contemplates silently, wondering how Aayansh discovered that her mood was sour.

Radhi, registering his question, responds with a hint of surprise and curiosity, "Who told you... I mean, where did you hear that my mood was off?"

"I know you well enough to understand what's going on in your mind," Aayansh asserts confidently.

"Oh, come on, liar! You must have just guessed. It's obvious that you guessed because of my sudden decision to leave the party," Radhi responds, with a skepticism accusation.

"You probably don't even know yourself as well as I know you," Aayansh says, drawing closer, and then he gently holds her waist, pulling her towards him.

"Yeah, these are just words. In reality, no one can know me better than myself," Radhi says confidently, gently tipping Aayansh's nose.

"If you don't believe me, then try it," Aayansh says, drawing her closer and dissolving the distance that had existed between them. As the air fills with a sense of anticipation, he locks eyes with her and says.

"If you know me so well, then tell me what's going on in my mind," Radhi challenges, maintaining eye contact with him.

"Are you sure you want to know?" Aayansh inquires about Radhi.

"Sure, go ahead. It's the only means for me to grasp what you perceive is transpiring within my thoughts," Radhi replies, her tone conveying a blend of interest and anticipation.