One Shots #VariaSquad

Truth or Dare - An Intervention

Alia P.O.V.

'Pari yaar, just drop it,' I whine, tired of hearing her harp on about how I've become less of a social person lately.

'I'm just saying, you don't hardly hang out with us anymore,' she states for the fifth time since the conversation began. 'Outside of the big industry events that we can't afford to miss,' she says quickly, correctly guessing what my response would be.

'I have a busy schedule,' I lie, hoping she'll finally change the topic.

'We all have busy schedules Alia. The rest of us still manage,' she points out, dashing my hopes. 'Come on Alia, one night won't make such a big difference in your busy schedule. It might even do you some good.'

'What?'

'You've become... don't be mad but you kinda act a little uptight nowadays. Like you're too grown up or something,' she tells me, giving me a sheepish grin. I stop walking, ignoring the fact that I'm blocking half the corridor of the studio, and turn to look at her in shock.

'I do not!' I exclaim, thoroughly offended.

'You kinda do. You're distant Alia, detached.' I stare at her, unable to figure out what to say to that. I'm not detached... am I? 'I didn't mean to offend you, you know that, I just think you act too mature.'

'Mature? Me? You have met me right?' I try to joke, the attempt falling flat.

Pari opens her mouth to say something and then stops suddenly, looking over my shoulder. 'Look, there's Varun, why don't we ask him what he thinks?' she suggests, pointing behind me.

Fuck, no, I swear silently; Varun is most definitely the last person I want to see right now. But unfortunately, Pari doesn't notice my discomfort and calls him over before I could protest.

'Hey Pari,' he greets with a wide smile, determinedly not looking my way for which I'm glad.

'Hi Dhawan,' she returns, slightly less enthusiastic than him, looking between the two of us with a curious expression on her face.

'What's up?'

'Nothing, I was just hoping you could convince Alia to come hang out at Arjun's with the rest of us tonight,' she tells him, clearly hopeful. At that, he has to acknowledge my presence, turning to look at me somewhat reluctantly.

'Alia, hi,' he says with fake enthusiasm, acting as though he simply hadn't noticed I was there till now.

'Hey,' I return, a smile that is more real than I'd like to admit spreading across my face - a completely involuntary reaction.

An awkward silence settles for a minute until Pari breaks it. 'That's it?' she asks, looking at Varun expectantly.

'Come on Pari, you know how stubborn this one is,' he says, gesturing to me with a short laugh; 'if she's made her mind up not to come, nothing will change it.'

'You could at least try,' she huffs. 'It would do her some good don't you think?'

Varun looks to me quickly, just a short glance in my direction, before he looks back to Pari, something that seems awfully like guilt flickering behind his eyes. 'Not if she doesn't want to be there,' he tells her, 'though she doesn't know what she's missing out on.' His voice is full of false cheer and it's physically painful to stand here, acting like everything's normal and not react to the nuances in his voice that give away how he's feeling - the ones nobody else will pick up on.

'What she's missing out on is a night to act her age. She's become far too mature recently, hasn't she?' Pari questions. It's not a bad tactic, I have to admit; one of Varun's favourite topics to rant about used to be how I was trying to act far older than I am and that I should stop and have fun, but things between us have changed a lot in the past few months and her needling no longer has the desired effect. Instead, he shifts awkwardly from foot to foot, stealing another glance at me as he lets out another short laugh.