I'd deliberately asked Shehnaaz for punishment and now her face was scrunched into a look of disbelief and confusion. It was adorable. I leaned over my elbow to take a good look at her, hearing Mahira snickering behind me.
I didn't know how else I could grab her attention and I'd dug up a brand new excuse to get her to talk. If I'd known that in the sea of confusion of my own feelings for Shehnaz, I'd lose her in the process, I would have never turned my back on her. Now I felt as if she was slowly becoming indifferent towards me.
"Zyada woh mat kar Sidharth," She warned after a moment and my smile grew.
"Kya nahi karna?"
"Yeh sab drame na tumhare, Rashmi tak rakh yeh sab, mere saath aise sarcastically baat mat kar jab tujhe interest hi nahi hai."
I was taken aback, "Toh tujhe hai?"
I watched warily as she wet her lips, her eyes wandering over the lawn. That moment it felt as if I would know exactly where I stood with her. I for one knew that Paras had lost most of his significance in her life. It wouldn't take much for her to alienate herself from me as well.
"Aisa kuch nahi hai mujhe," she mumbled and the warmth in my gaze faded. I masked my expression into a hard mask. "Sahi hai, acchi baat hai."
The woman who'd confessed that she valued me more than winning the BB trophy a week back was pushing away from me. I chuckled sarcastically.
I had misunderstood my tenderness for her as a paternal feeling but no guardian in their right mind would get jealous over her talking to any other guy right? Whom was i kidding? I was giving more of myself away then I'd ever wanted to.
A moment later, the buzzer disrupted my peace and I made my way to my minting machine. This time, I wasn't in the mood to lay back and watch others play. I was the first to get on the ladder. Kunal and Shefali.
Obvious choices.
Of course, I wasn't stupid enough to think that votes were the deciding factor. It was the cash in the locker that did it. Shefali definitely collected more than Kunal. It was glaringly obvious. I'm sure it was even a cause of agitation to Asim and Rashmi who exchanged glances as Shefali stripped her jacket off her shoulders and deposited a huge bundle of money in the locker. Asim whispered something to Rashami and Shehnaz and I noticed it. Panic.
I was triumphant.
I moved to the living room before the last round, perching on a stool next to Mahira, watching her cook.
The next buzz went off all too fast as if BB also wanted this task to be done with. Luckily, I was right next to the ladder but I didn't get over it, watching Shehnaz push past the others.
"Mujhe chadna hai abhi!" Mahira sulked.
"Sana pehle aaya toh...," Asim justified and I realised that Shehnaz was listening to Asim and playing the task. It was an irritating piece of news to digest.
"Pehle aaya toh?" Paras bellowed.
I watched them argue and Shehnaz using the distraction was trying to sneak up the wall as quietly as possible. I tugged at her hoodie to make her stop.
She glanced back at us in irritation and narrowed her eyes at me. Not one word from her mouth. She just pursed her lips tightly as if suppressing the urge to say something.
"Yaha baat ho rahi hai na baby?" I pointed out just to spite her, earning a withering look. The next moment she moved and I thought she was lowering herself but she shrugged her jacket off her shoulder, leaving it in my hold and pranced up quickly like a monkey.
This girl.
Asim laughed while Paras and Mahira demanded she come down but she was already unloading Asim's bag onto the lawn and the connections were sprinting around trying to catch them. Shehbaz pressed all his notes into his lap and made his way to the darts and picked one up and it directly hit my board.
I thought he had bad aim but he smiled up at us. I watched Sana watching from the window with no expression while he explained what a big fan he was of me. I couldn't believe it. He was either foolish or damn innocent to not vote for his sister but Akash had done the same as well. He also claimed that I was a better captain than Shehnaz because I could rein everyone in which his sister couldn't and people took advantage of her.
That I couldn't disagree with.
The other person whose notes were leaning towards a majority was Devo who had no choice but to choose Shehnaz because her best friend was in her team.
"Sorry," Shehbaz mumbled in his heavy accent as the task ended and Shehnaz enveloped him a bear hug, muttering something in his ear. Then she lifted his hand to her lips and pecked it.
I remembered the times she'd made that tender gesture with me and my stomach coiled.
I didn't know what Shehnaaz thought of me but I didn't think that I could push her away anymore. I probably thought contrarily a week before but not anymore.
I wanted her.
Of course, I could make no move at her because I was past her age span but I didn't mind even pretending to consider her a friend. As long as she stayed with me.
I borrowed my hands into my pockets, watching the brother-sister duo walk away. I slacked down on the wooden bench observing the hues of orange and pink in the sky, sighing deeply. The place only carried a stench of cigars and tobacco but it didn't seem to faze me.
I tossed my wavy hair back and combed my fingers through it, watching a lone figure near the minting table.
I observed silently so as not to alarm them. Rashami was passing a stack of notes to someone who ducked from the window making it seem as if Rashami was just cleaning the table. She casually tossed another stack and it landed squarely on the other side. It infuriated me but I smirked, typical of Rashami. I quietly made my way towards her to catch her in the act when Shehnaz dashed in between.
"Tujhe pata kya hua--"
She trailed off, lifting her chin to meet my gaze and then at Rashami.
Rashami looked flustered and she avoided me, smiling at Shehnaaz.
"Kya hua?"
I scoffed and moved past her to peer through the window, noticing Kunal squinting up at me.
"Wah, accha team hai tera, aisi logo ki saath hi reh," I muttered to Shehnaaz before pushing past Rashami.
"AISI MATLAB?!" Rashami hollered after me, "Mey sirf--waha rakhne ke liye bola tha.Kya bol rahe ho?Ki mey chor hoon?"
"Yeh ab aap ne khud bola sweetheart."
"Tu pehle apne hadh me reh theek hai? Tum kaun ho yeh sab jasoosi karne ke liye?"
I stopped in my tracks and huffed irritatedly, planting my hands on my hips. She had the bloody guts to scream after stealing during a task.
Rashami's voice travelled until the lounge and Paras and Mahira noticed us arguing from the reflection and walked out with cups of half-eated yogurt can in their hands. They had already changed into their nightwear.
"Kya ho raha hai?" Mahira questioned, siding with me.
"Notes pass kar rahe the, yeh dono," I informed and her eyes widened in understanding.
Paras just laughed as if it was some joke, "Yahi kar sakte hai yeh log, mujhe bilkul shocking nahi laga yeh."
Going by Asim's moment of pensive silence, it was clear that this was what he had been whispering during the task.
"Did you see them, locker mey notes daalte hue?" Asim asked me finally with suppressed rage in his voice.
I rolled my eyes, "Pehle, mey tere se baat hi nahi kar raha tha, theek hai?"
"Haa, accha kyu? Sirf ladkiyon se muh pe baat karega?" He taunted, coming right at my face.
I closed my eyes.
If I see him up close one more time, I'd land a punch on his nose for good.
"Bolna?"
I massaged my forehead, counting to ten to calm the fuck down.
"Tujhe yeh darr tha pehle se hi ki tum task har jaoge, issilye yeh sab. I know you bro, I know you!" His finger poked at my chest and I took a step back. I could see he was provoking me and I didn't need this argument.
"Chalo bas," Paras said, pulling his shoulder under his arms in an effort to pull him away from me but Asim was never one to leave without a proper argument.
"Ab tum akele ho gaye ho, issiliye fatt gayi!"
"Haa, fatt gayi, darr lag raha hai mujhe tere se..." I chuckle sardonically.
"Sana bhi ab tere se baat nahi karna chahti, usko mey bol diya ki tum pehle se hi aise ho--"
I turned away, hoping to walk away from this conversation and not hear her name from his mouth anymore but he was tagging close behind.
"Tune Sana ke saath game khel gaya, ab woh tere pas kabhi nah--"
He wasn't prepared and I was going to launch myself at him, Vikas and Paras were trying to pull me back.
Asim's eyes lit up as if this was the savage violence he wanted as he also tried to get a hold of me as Mahira and Arti tried to pull him back. We scuffled wordlessly, making BB's voice boom over the telecom for us to stay away. It was just a split moment when I almost grabbed his collar when I noticed another face in my peripheral vision, standing right in between us.
Nobody would dare except Shehnaaz.
She was facing me with a stern expression on her face, her hands held up in defence. I tensed and relaxed infinitesimally, breathing hard from the onslaught of an almost adrenaline rush. I thought she was going to say something but she turned back to him instead.
"Kya ho rahe hai tujhe? Chal andar!"
I felt as if a bucket of cold water had splashed on me watching her hold his arm and mutter something to him while he stared at me grudgingly for a moment and then kicked a pebble on the ground.
It wasn't hard to notice the calming effect her touch had on him and I loathed it.
I tugged at her arm roughly, "Tujhe pata bhi hai kya hua?"
"Haa, tune abhi bola mere saamne.Mey BB ko bhul dungi mujhe disqualify kare.Khush?"
I had no words to reciprocate and she trudged off leaving me confounded.
My butterfly had fluttered away.
Just left out Vikas in this coz he created too much confusion in the episode. Mastermind needs some rest lol