CRASH

CHAPTER THREE (part 2)

Adhira concluded that it was the couple Rudra's parents were talking to. Sasha was their daughter- the elegance in her made it clear that she was from a rich family. Adhira was never elegant- maybe growing up in a middle class family, she was more used to physical work than a girl should be.

"Are Rudra and Sasha good friends?"

Aditya laughed, nearly in amazement. "Good friends? That's the understatement of the year."

Adhira didn't like where Aditya was headed. She looked over to the DJ and from the way he was bobbing his head, he wasn't ending the song soon.

"They were best-friends. You know- at one point, I think Rudra had the biggest crush on her."

Yup, her instincts hadn't been lying. In brief seconds she had seen Rudra with Sasha, she saw the way he was leaning towards her- drinking in every move she was making. Seeing Adhira's sour expression, Aditya quickly came to his senses and realized how he had badly messed things up.

"But I mean Rudra doesn't feel the same way anymore. That was when we were kids. You know- I'm sure it was just infatuation. He's over it."

Adhira spun to the fast paced music, turning around – she smiled bitterly. "I wouldn't be so sure of that." She knew Rudra way too well, better than he knew himself. "First love dies hard."

"How did you know?" Aditya abruptly stopped moving, his eyes wide. "- did he tell you..."

"Never." So her guess was right. "It's called intuition."

∞ ∞ ∞

The celebration came to an abrupt stop. Adhira had been dancing with strangers- the one person she longed to be was with nowhere to be seen. She sighed in relief- an empty stomach and sore feet were not a good combination. On the stage, next to the DJ stood Mr. and Mrs. Shah and the Patels.

The Patels and Shahs both wore excited grins. Mr. Shah stepped to the forefront. He seemed like such a friendly man with his short, chubby stature- Adhira still couldn't comprehend why he hated her the way he did. Maybe if she wasn't dating his son, she thinks they'd get along perfectly fine. Mr. Shah was a forensic scientist- a renowned one too. There were so many things Adhira wanted his advice on- like DNA fingerprinting wasn't as reliable as they made it seem or the various ways to mimic fingerprints.

Sadly, he never gave her more than one word answers.

Adhira stood still- so did her partner who was mere high-school student. He was more than excited to have her company.

Mr. Shah spoke in the microphone which cracked loudly- before giving way to his voice. "Beautiful ladies and to the not so beautiful gents"

This earned him a few chuckles. "Today, we all gather here for the annual Kohnioor diamond's Garba raas celebration." As he proceeded with his announcement, Rudra stepped on the stage. Adhira literally felt breathless. She was seeing him after so long- weeks actually.

He was wearing a statin tunic with steely grey pants. The feeling of seeing the person you love cannot be described by petty words. The happiness- the way your heart soars, the way your eyes are mesmerized cannot be written about.

Adhira forgot about her empty stomach, her pained feet in an instant. A silly smile crept up her lips- she was smiling without even realizing it. It was what love did to people. What a shame that this world describes love as an addiction!

It's not an addiction, no- not at all. It was her lifeline. She never knew she needed this to live, to breathe. She never knew she need him in her life to be happy.

Rudra stood in his usual rigid pose- his arms crossed over his chest, a neutral expression on his lips- a fixated yet lost look in his eyes. He always embodied this aura of mystery and timidness.

The face which always looked refreshed and lived, seemed strangely tired today. It looked like he hadn't shaved properly in weeks. What could be the reason for this? Adhira wanted to do nothing more than to run into his arms and just be there. To breath in his familiar smell, to be enveloped by his familiar arms, to just comfort him.

It was such a nice fantasy that Adhira found herself grinning from ear to ear.

Suddenly, her lovely grin got drained away when Sasha appeared to stand next to him. In her fire like dress, she glowed as though she were an ember ready to burst free from the sun. She was elegant, fierce, and confident- everything Adhira desired to be.

But, but Adhira was a just science nerd.

The words of Mr. Shah were coming into focus and the effect was complete.

"We're proud to announce the engagement of our son Rudra to the stunning Sasha Patel!"

The words didn't settle in. They never did. Adhira was convinced that this was just a nightmare and she was going to wake up any moment.

But the roar of applause convinced her otherwise.

All the worried stares, warnings of her friends and family made sense now. It was never his intention to be hers. The reality was sitting in front of her eyes clear as day from the start. She had been purposely avoiding it, pretending it didn't exist. It was like a blind person had been pretending that the world was drowned in black and other colors had never manifested.

Oh, what a fool she had made herself to be!

Rudra advanced towards Sasha and gave her a tentative smile.

But before his hand could reach for her-Adhira shouted on top of lungs.

"YOU JERK!"

And all heads turned towards her, Rudra for the first time met Adhira's gaze. The crowd had cleared around her. Good Lord, Rudra felt his breaths return- if only he could tell her what she meant to him. She was home, safety- yet the haze in his mind was making everything so unclear. Whether he loved her or not.

Adhira clenched her hands into a tight fist. She wasn't going down without a fight.

Rudra Shah, you better get ready to pay. 

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