At 6 pm on Saturday, she was on her bed, her eyes were fixed on a delicate silver baby bracelet ,embellished with an evil eye charm. This was a gift she had purchased for Armaan, her infant step-brother, with the earnings from her dance workshops at a nearby school. However, she had decided not to make the same mistake she had with Sara. This time, she was determined to maintain an emotional distance from Armaan, recognizing it as the only way to shield herself from potential pain later.
She was tired but she had a wholesome day, she had visit the slum in the late morning, to teach dance to the kids but it wasn't just the dance lessons that bought her peace. On her way back, she had dropped off the dresses she had stained in anger , and the dry cleaner had promised her that he would give her one dress by the next day. She didn't like being dictated, but this time ,she knew she went a little overboard.Staining the first dress felt liberating to her but staining the next 3 made her feel bad, she knew how the kids in the slum hardly get to wear new dresses and here she was taking her privilege for granted. Though she never had the feelings that the kids were ill fated,as most of them had a family they can say their own, a support system that she could only dream of.
Her eyes were shutting in fatigue but her eyes landed on the wallk clock.
6:15 was the time,she wanted to look good for the party ,after all she was the date of the host and Dj but somehow she wasn't particularly enthusiastic about it, she felt as if his date Raunak was amazing yet he lacked something , but what was it, she didn't know or may be she knew but didn't want to admit:Raunak lacked the captivating aura of the mysterious man she had encountered on the terrace. Raunak was undeniably cute, yet she suddenly realized that his cuteness paled in comparison to the strong,manly aura of the guy she met . To clear her mind, she went to her closet and started
searching for the perfect dress.
As she stood infront of the mirror, trying on dresses one by one, her mind persistently thought about the man. With a deep breath, she locked eyes with her reflection and began to reassure herself, "You are not smitten or anything, it's just your age... at your age its natural to be drawn to mature guys. But don't forget, Raunak is your date, and his age is same age as Mrs. Saini's..."
And then she finally settled for a knitted abstract printed bodycon dress that hugged her curves well,the dress had black,Grey,red and yellow irregular shaped prints on it's but it's bold black high folded neckline ,added a touch of sophistication to it. The dress was scooped out sensually on the sides of the waist, revealing just enough skin to create an sexy yet tasteful look.
"Perfect" she uttered when she finally saw herself in the mirror after doing her makeup and hair. She added some gold accessories to amp up her overall appearance.
"Laxmi maasi, how do I look?" She screamed from her room and soon Laxmi came running.
"Bohat sundar, kitne baje tak wapas ayengi aap?" She asked next.
"Not sure,aa jaungi by 12" she replied while choosing a hand bag to go with her dress.
"Thik hai main driver ko bol ke rakhi hoon ke aj overtime karna hai." Laxmi said.
"Driver ko maine ghar bhej diya, Mera friend pick karega mujhe." she replied nonchalantly.
"Kaun friend, Samarth baba bhi ja rahe hain?" She was worried about her safety and wellbeing.
"Nahin... Samarth nahin ja raha, I have a friend called Raunak, woh pick karega" she replied.
"Shehnaaz baby,Saini Saab ko acha nahin lagega, aap please 9 baje tak wapas aa jana" she requested.
"Maasi..I will be fine, Saini Saab filahal gussa hai,hall chal nahin puchenge, don't worry." Shehnaaz replied without paying much attention.
"Subhe se 4 baar call kar chuke hain, puchte rehte hain woh." she uttered.
"Laxmi massi, isbaar puche tob bol dena so gai hoon, I don't want him to yell at you because of me.." Shehnaaz replied.
"Ab main jaun, my friend is downstairs," she replied and made her way out of the housing complex. There, she found Raunak waiting for her, standing beside his luxurious car with a large bouquet of flowers in his hand. He sported a trendy look, wearing a t-shirt with a famous designer brand's name all over it and a pair of ripped jeans.
"Flowers for the beautiful girl." he said and she smiled appreciating the thoughtful gesture.
"You look drop-dead gorgeous," Raunak complimented.
"Thank you" she smiled again.
"You look stunning Shehnaaz," he again complimented as he sat on the driver's side. Although she appreciated his compliment, but she wished that he had opened her side of the door. She believed in equality and knew it wasn't a big deal, but chivalry was still a quality she valued.
"How was your day? How's the preparation for your event coming along?" he inquired politely.
"It's going well, the kids are..." she began, but he interrupted with another question.
"Is there any specific song you would like to listen to?" he asked.
"Oh, you can play whatever you like," she replied.
"Alright, this one is my personal favorite," he said as he started playing a song. The chords of the music revealed it to be 'Everything I Do, I Do It for You' by Bryan Adams, one of her all-time favorites.
"Some songs never lose their charm," she remarked.
"This one's for you," he said, smiling. She was truly flattered but her mood soured when she realized that Raunak had covered the song in his own voice. She longed to hear the original version.
"Haan...so where were we,yeah the Diwali event...Kya chal raha hai uska?" He asked again,this was a topic on which she was always ready to speak on. She got excited and started talking about it enthusiastically, only to realize after some time that he wasn't really interested in listening to her,rather his eyes were busy checking her out,not in a very pleasant way,so she just stopped mid sentence and started looking outside the window.
"Hey, you are hot." he uttered without inquiring anything about her event. She offered a cautious smile and replied, "Thank you."
"So, what have you thought?" he inquired.
"About?" she returned the question.
"About us." he clarified, giving her an interested look.
"We have only met a few times; let's see where it goes," she responded. Unlike last time, this time she genuinely meant it, as with each interaction, her interest in him was decreasing.
"Let's spend more time together. Why don't you stay back tonight? I'll be busy DJing during the party, but what about we hang out after the party ends, lets go to my place and watch some movie?" he suggested, his tone carrying a suggestive note that made her uncomfortable and her face made it evident.
"I mean other friends will also join" he added he realized that she wasn't interested in his plans.
"I would have loved to, but my dad is very strict. He doesn't allow me to stay out at night," she lied.
"Ah, I understand. Let's meet tomorrow then, for breakfast. We can spend the whole day together." he proposed, this time, his one hand was on the steering wheel and the other on her thigh. She shot him a death glare,forcing him to quickly withdraw his hand.
"Oh, there was something on your dress," he made an excuse. She decided to give him one last chance, hoping he would learn to respect her boundaries.
"Next time you see something on my dress, just let me know,I will clean it myself" she said flashing a obnoxious smile and soon to change the topic he stated speaking about himself,his liking, his plans and It became clear that he was so full of himself. She felt a growing sense of frustration and the need for someone who would listen to her rather than dominating the conversation.
"Here we reach." he said as they arrived at the fancy pub. "Can I hold your hand if you don't mind" he asked this time,she nodded and thought that may be she is being too judgmental.
They entered the upscale venue with their hands intertwined.The atmosphere was vibrant and refined. Soft lighting added to the intimate ambiance, complementing the upscale décor. It had a chic bar and a dance floor was looked inviting.
As they stepped in , the DJ on the stage grabbed the microphone and announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, here we have Dj Ron!" The crowd cheered for him and all eyes turned towards Raunak,it was his party so he knew almost everyone present there.His confident smile widening as he spoke to the guests. People rushed to greet him, treating him like a celebrity. The room buzzed with admiration for his music.
She suddenly felt a sense of importance, standing by his side. The room was filled with well dressed,pretty faces but everyone looked up to her.
"Make yourself comfortable, I will just be back" Raunak said and then took control of the console. "Ladies and gentlemen, tonight we have someone truly extraordinary with us," he declared with a smile. "None other than the beautiful Shehnaaz!"making her feel like the center of attention.She blushed as the spotlight seemed to find her, and the entire room turned to look at her. Applause filled the room as Raunak's words made her feel like the star of the night. It was a moment of fame for her, and she felt truly special.
"Hi! I think I have met you somewhere" a girl came to her and initiated a conversation, she reciprocated.Among the guests,there were many unfamiliar faces, along with a few familiar ones.The bartender approached her and inquired, "Ma'am, what would you like to have?"
"Any white beer will do." She replied
Raunak started seamlessly mixing tracks that moved people to dance but he was taking breaks to introduce her to various people in the party. He made her important, as if she was a vital part of his social scene.when she was n the car on the way to the party,she doubted whether she would truly enjoy the evening. However, upon arriving, her mood dramatic transformation. She began to feel quite at ease. As more and more people started to arrive, the atmosphere around her gradually became more vibrant.
It was all fun for the first couple of hours but gradually She found herself growing bored amidst all the noise and shallow conversations yet she attempted to salvage her night and stroke up conversations with different individuals at the party. However, despite meeting new people and engaging in small talk,she still felt bored.
Meanwhile, Sidharth was still at home, still unprepared for the party. Although Raj had alredy arrived at his place.
"Sidharth, dude it's 9:30, I was supposed to pick you up at 8,tune bola thoda late aane main 1:30 hours late aya...tu abhi bhi ready nahin hai?" Raj asked getting little miffed.
"Yeah, I'll be ready in a ziffy. Just tell me one thing. What about just going to a bar to chill out, rather than going for a party." He suggested.
"Sidharth yaar chal na please... I need to introduce you someone " he said ignoring his suggestion.
"Please, when you introduce me to others, use just my name," he requested firmly.
"Ofcourse I will use your name... " he rolled his eyes.
"I mean I would prefer not to have my designation brought up. I am not comfortable with unnecessary attention." He requested.
"Dude,aren't you aware that you are already quite well-known, and people recognize you?" His friend countered .
"Not everyone ,only those who follow the business world might recognize me." He replied.
"Sidharth,you are the face of your new business line,thode din main tujhe sab koi pehchane lagenge, what's wrong with you?" He asked next.
"We will see about that later. I'll be back in an hour. Say yes, otherwise, I am not coming," he said with a serious tone, determined to maintain a low profile for as long as possible to avoid unnecessary attention.
"Thik hai,chal toh pehle" Raj said and He quickly changed into a crisp white shirt and rolled up its sleeve casually, Paired it with a well-fitted pair of blue denim jeans.
On the way to the party, Sidharth persistently reminded Raj to keep introductions to a minimum and to make a quick exit after an hour.Raj didn't offer much of a response, as he too was getting frustrated with Sidharth's repeated disclaimers.
"Bhai... thoda face normal rakh,lag raha hai jaise tujhe kidnap karke leke aaya hoon" Raj requested one final time before entering the venue and
finally they walked into the party.
As he entered the party venue, his eyes scanned across the room, scrutinizing the party scene. The music was too loud almost to the point of deafening, and the crowd was dressed in super fancy attires. The atmosphere was chic yet he felt a certain excessiveness in both attire and enthusiasm. Everything around him felt a just too much for his taste, and he instantly felt like an outsider.
"Host se toh milega?" Raj asked.
"Yeah, Ofcourse" He replied and he took him near the Dj table. Raunak quickly came near them and hugged Raj.
"I am glad you came." he said.
"Meet Sidharth," Raj introduced Raunak to Sidharth.
"Ah! Mr. Sidharth Sharma... Rajjat Bhujia and Papad Wale!" He exclaimed with enthusiasm. Although Sidharth took pride in their family's legacy in the food business, yet he felt a certain discomfort being referred to as "bhujia papad wale." Still, he managed a polite smile and extended his hand in greeting.
"Heard a lot about you, please enjoy the party" Raunak said warmly.
"Thank you so buddy, the party is amazing" Sidharth replied.
"Let me call the bartender, he would attention you" he said next.
"Relax, we will help ourselves" Sidharth replied.
"Tu ja apna gaana baja, we will catch up with you later," Raj said, leading Sidharth towards the bar. They pulled up two bar stools, settling in as Sidharth wondered where he might have come across the name 'Raunak' before.
"Kya lega?" Raj asked.
"Any mocktail will do" he replied but still kept thinking about Where he had heard the name.
"Pina colada chalega?" Raj asked interrupting his thoughts.
"Yes... but virgin." he corrected.
"Haan yaar pata hai" he replied "one whiskey sour and one Pinacolada" Raj placed his order.
"Virgin Pinacolada" Sidharth again corrected.
"Yaar, Cocktail main kitna hi alcohol hota hai .. virgin virgin laga rakha hai." Raj got little irritated and asked.
"Doesn't matter....mujhe nahin chaiye" he replied,and continued to rack his brain, suddenly, it clicked. The name 'Raunak' was associated with the girl he had met on the terrace last evening "I think abhi jisko date karne wali hai uska naam bhi Raunak nai or the earlier one..." he got little confused. "No the earlier one was Aarav, the new one is Raunak.... and before Aarav it was Rahul" he remembered and involuntarily one corner of his lips turned upside
"Mushkura kyun raha hai tu?" Raj noticed and asked and he shook his head and got conscious, soon a Girl approached Raj and he hugged her for few seconds.
"I have told you na ,kisine Milana hai, Meet Priya" Raj said,Sidharth sighed inwardly, thinking, "I had insisted on not meeting people, now I'll have to engage in small talk." He wasn't particularly shy, but he hated engaging in meaningless conversations.
"Hi! Priya,I am Sidharth." Sidharth stood up and extended his hand for a hand shake.
"Hi! Sidharth,Raj keep saying about you, finally we met" Priya replied.
"Sidharth, we met few months back and we are getting engaged soon." He said next.
"Oh! That's an amazing news, congratulations to both of you." Sidharth congratulated them genuinely.
"I Wanted you to meet Priya that's why I insisted you to come here." Raj said next.
"Come I will introduce you both to my friends " Priya insisted.
"Priya,you carry on we will join you after a drink" Raj said as he knew Sidharth wouldn't like to meet many people.
"I am truly happy for you." Sidharth said when Priya left to dance on the dance floor.
"Thank you, we will plan for some destination marriage, aana hai tujhe." Raj said,Sidharth nodded and they got engaged in some random talks.
"Waise kaisi lagi Priya?" Raj asked while sipping his drink."what should be the proper answer to it, what am I supposed to say... is it even a proper question!" He wondered, when Raj spoke again.
"Isn't she beautiful?" Raj said next looking at her when she was busy dancing with her friends,Sidharth was still clueless what to answer .
"Her entire group is there on the dance floor, just take a look, who knows, you might find someone interesting," Raj nudged Sidharth. He found this advice a bit cringe worthy, but he reluctantly glanced over at the dance floor.
He observed that the girls were no doubt pretty and dressed to impress, yet, to him, they all seemed somewhat similar. He wasn't exactly looking for someone pretty, instead, he was wondering how people decided whom to date when they all something look and feel similar, and what qualities they looked for in potential partners.
He was busy mind storming when his gaze fell upon a familiar face in the crowd and after that he didn't feel like looking anywhere else, a face that had the rare ability to captivate his attention. It was the same 19-year-8- month old girl he had met the previous night,The girl whose presence had left a lasting impact on him, the girl who gave him a different prospective thought her bizzar analogy but she was also the girl he had resolved to keep his distance from. Deep down, he had this feeling that she had the potential to disrupt his life in a way he was unable to imagine.
She was standing near the bar, engrossed in conversation with some other girl."Are you listening, Shehnaaz" the girl Shehnaaz was talking to asked her when she felt that Shehnaaz wasn't paying attention.
"Yeah..yeah.." she replied, though She had relished the initial attention immensely and enjoyed being the center of attraction but somehow, as time passed, she began to experience a sense of disconnection. She wandered through the party, trying to enjoy, but she was all spent now. She couldn't ignore the feeling that this is not what she wanted.
This restlessness wasn't new to her
as she often had a tendency to get bored of things, people, and her surroundings,but this time it seemed to have occurred too early.
"Raunak is an awesome guy no." the other girl said, Shehnaaz nodded.
"Are you guys dating?" she asked.
"We are friends" Shehnaaz replied, numerous other people had already asked her this question and it had started to annoy her.
"You should consider him... he is really good, you two will make a great ..." The girl's statement stopped abruptly and she looked almost lost.
Shehnaaz got confused.
"What happened?" Shehnaaz asked.
"Who on earth is he?" she muttered, her attention locked on a guy seated on a barstool, engrossed in his phone. Shehnaaz followed the girl's gaze, and her eyes widened in astonishment. He had an undeniable charisma, making it impossible for her to tear her eyes away. His classic white shirt accentuated his chiseled physique as the fabric clung to his broad shoulders and chest.His hair was not carefully styled, it was falling on his sharp angular face,which made him look effortlessly handsome.He truly stood out as the epitome of masculine charm amidst the bustling crowd full of boys.
"Oh!... Tajmahel" she murmured."Jitna imagine ki thi, usse jyada hot lag raha hai without a blazer... uff," she thought to herself, her heart skipping a beat as she watched him. " gadhi,tera date udar gaana Baja raha hai... stop being a bitch" she yelled at her self
"He needs to be with someone so that I'll stop getting so attracted," she came with a plan, she decided to play matchmaker and introduce him to one of her friends, hoping it would divert her attention.
"What... " the girl asked.
"Nothing,I know him,tu interested hai, introduce karwaun, single hai abhi.... shaydad." Shehnaaz asked the girl she was talking to.
"Ofcourse, us se pehle main touch up karke aayi... tu yahin rehana" the girl said and went away to do touch up of her make up. She made a conscious decision to divert her attention away from him. She began to aimlessly wander around the venue, avoiding eye contact with anyone. As people attempted to strike up conversations with her, she found herself disinterested , a growing sense of boredom engulfed him. The effects of the alcohol gradually began to make its presence felt, affecting her senses and contributing to the overall sense of detachment she was experiencing.
"This song is dedicated to the special lady among us tonight."Raunak again announced and played a soft,romantic song for her,the spotlight once again found her, but this time, she hated the unnecessary attention.
At that moment, Sidharth could join the dots. He recognized that Raunak was the DJ she had mentioned the previous night. A faint smile played on his lips as he saw the extravagant gestures people use to convey their adoration. He thought that how he was incapable of doing all these and perhaps this was why Sameera had always complained about his lack of attention,but somehow he felt good for the 19 years, 8 month old girl.
He quickly turned his gaze toward Shehnaaz, he expected to see her radiating with joy, but surprisingly her face looked dim.
The song got over, everyone clapped for her bur her mood continued to sour with each passing moment. She became increasingly irritated with herself, her choices, and the life she was leading.
As the alcohol took a stronger hold on her senses, her father's words, "You are a bad influence," started echoing in her mind.All the things she had buried deep in her subconscious was now brought to the forefront and in order to clear her mind, she ordered another drink. She approached the bartender and asked for another beer.
"What's the legal drinking age here in Delhi?"Sidharth inquired, observing her drinking her 2nd bottle of beer.
"You are not supposed to use 'legal' and 'Delhi' in the same sentence..." his friend said with a touch of sarcasm.
Sidharth continued to glance at her direction from time to time, and she suddenly turned her gaze towards him this time,while gulping beer from the bottle and they had a uncomfortable eye contact.She quickly waved at him, but he behaved little aloof and gave her a half smile, which soured her mood even more.
"Kaun hai be... tujhe dekh ke wave ki." his friend asked quickly.
No one ?" Sidharth resolved not to think about her, as there was no real connection between them. But, he couldn't stop from scanning the crowd every five minutes, trying to locate her and decipher her demeanor, which seemed increasingly troubled each time he looked
Shehnaaz felt irritated with herself once more. She cursed her decision to wave at him when her initial plan was to ignore him. His cold response had added to her frustration.
"Shehnaaz..I am ready let's go" the girl came back after taking her sweet time to redo her makeup.
"Where?" Shehnaaz asked in an irritated tone.
"Tu introduce karwaegi na, us bande se" the girl said with a grin.
"How can you act so cheap.. kisike bhi piche pad jaate ho... huh.... desperate much!" Shehnaaz almost yelled at the girl leaving her baffled and move away to another corner.
"Her boyfriend should atleast ask her why she looks troubled" he though as he again caught a glimpse of her.
"Tu idhad udhar kyun dekh raha hai itna" Raj asked him as he was continuously looking around.
"Arey! Nothing" he said.
"Sidharth sorry to say but tu bohat boring company hai" Raj said as he too was little high, Sidharth smiled but his eyes were following her.She was now standing at a far corner and her face was hardly visiblem
"Thank God you realized that, aur kabhi party karne mat bulana" he said jokingly but inwardly he was worried for her.
"Main ja raha hoon dance floor, meri Priya baby ke paas tu chalega" Raj asked.
"Yeah," he too rose from his seat, but his sole motto was to ensure she was okay. As he approached the dance floor, he spotted her in a corner, facing the wall,unaware of the inner turmoil she was facing.
She was feeling like crying out loud, she was homesick and was yearning for her mother's comforting embrace. Despite having a grand house, it still wasn't home.
She was moderately high yet she realized that she couldn't afford to cry in this place. She had an image to maintain,image of a carefree, cheerful girl. She inhaled deeply and decided to slip out through the glass door of the pub, and began to climb the stairs, the destination unknown to him.
He watched her go, a conflict raged within him. "Not my circus, not my monkeys," he repeated to himself, attempting to distance himself from the situation,he didn't even know her name and he truly had nothing to do with her. However, his heart continued to stir with restlessness, unable to fully keep calm.
For a moment, he thought of informing her DJ boyfriend about the situation. Glancing toward the DJ table, he realized that he wasn't there. Besides, he pondered what he could have said, after all,he didn't even know her name.
"Raj, upar kya hai" he asked Raj who was dancing with Priya.
"Terrace hai, isolated sa" Raj replied.
"Safe...safe hai?" He asked next.
"Nahin pata" he replied and went back to dance." This is neither my problem, nor my responsibility," he repeated in a last attempt to convince himself to stay out of the situation but something inside him prompted him to atleast go and check if she was fine.
He swiftly climbed the stairs and landed at a unkempt tarrace,it was dusty and had no light.His eyes scanned the uneven terrain,finally, his eyes landed on a petite figure at the far end of the terrace, standing near the railing that overlooked the busy city below. The soft lights from a distant streetlamp barely illuminated her silhouette.
"Are you fine?" he asked.
"I have a pepper spray and knife with me, paas aane ka sochna bhi mat haath main beer bottle bhi hai, Sar pe phod dungi" she didn't turn around to answer, her face was stained with tears and she didn't want anyone to see her in that vulnerable state.
"Relax,I think it's not safe to be here alone" he said again as the tarrace was isolated and looked extremely unsafe.
"None of your concern," she uttered, her voice trembling and her shoulders quivering with emotion. As he heard her words, it became apparent that she was crying. In that moment, the image he had formed of her drastically shifted. He had known her as a confident young woman, but within just 24 hours, he was witnessing a completely different facet of her.
She was correct; it wasn't his business, but leaving a crying, inebriated girl alone didn't seem like a wise choice either, he stood still.
"Can you please go away" she asked again.
"Hey you can tell me whats wrong... we are still strangers,I also won't judge you and mujhe bhi ghanta farak nahin padega tumhare life main kya ho raha hai but tumhara burden kam hoga." He used her own words on her, making her flinch. She quickly turned around, her tear-stained face got
visible in the soft light.
She couldn't believe that it was him.He appeared captivating in the subdued lighting, and her heart raced as she recognized him."You... why do you always show up in tarrace terrace?" she exclaimed, attempting to mask her excitement. "Are you stalking me?" She asked next.
"In your dreams," he faked indifference. "I came here to smoke, it was too crowded downstairs anyway," he stated, lighting a cigarette.
"Why here?you could have smoke anywhere else?" she said, taking a step back toward the low railing.
"Come here" he approached her.
"Listen, honge aap handsome, but don't try to get near me. I really do have pepper spray," she warned, leaning back.
"Girl, I genuinely have no interest," he assured her, she wasn't really happy to listen to this. "Listen, you might fall," he suddenly grew concerned and cautioned her.
"Why do you care....I waved at you, but you acted so pricey... why should I listen to you now?" she said, her tears hadn't not entirely dried up.
"I...I.... actually " he was looking for an excuse when she spoke again.
"I was just about to introduce you to a really hot chic, but you missed your chance," she said, the influence of alcohol was evident in her voice and she continued to wipe away the tears streaming down her cheeks. He wanted to ask her what was wrong with her but he know it won't help.
"Shit...my bad" he decided to get engaged in conversation with her.
"Waise your new boyfriend is cool,good choice." he said talking a puff of smoke.
"Boyfriend toh ab tak bana nahin hai... potential boyfriend," she replied, taking a swig from her beer bottle and sitting on the floor, resting her back against the railing.
"Wait, aren't you on a date with him?" he inquired, relieved that she wasn't leaning dangerously on the railing anymore.
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean we are officially dating," she clarified and explains to him that it's not necessary to be in a formal romantic relationship with someone to go on a date and she loved the way he was paying attention to her each and every word.
"But again how can you go on a date without dating someone?" he pressed a question.
"see, going on a date doesn't necessarily mean you have to be in a relationship with someone. It's about spending quality time, getting to know each other better." She explained, her voice sounded hoarse due to the effect of alcohol.
"So, if it's not dating, isn't it just hanging out?" He furrowed his eyebrows.
"No, it's more than just casual hanging out"she shook her head and said.
"Is it like a hookup then?" He asked taking taking another puff.
"No silly.....Ufff... your idea of dating is so old-fashioned... so last generation. " she teased.
"Well... I do belong to that generation," he admitted, and she took another sip.
"And... and I understand I have no rights to stop you, but aren't you already quite drunk?" he said, still standing while she remained comfortably seated on the roof.
"If you are aware, why even suggest... I am not drunk, just a bit tipsy, and I know how to handle myself," she said. He was concerned for her well-being, but was he going to tolerate her unruly behavior, no.
"Well... you are right. Do not get up. I am going to call your potential boyfriend. I really have nothing to do with you," he stated, taking a drag of his cigarette. As he turned away, his handsome face disappeared from her view, and she hated it.
"Listen, I am drunk" she said, he turned around.
"So?" He asked arrogantly.
"Anything can happen with me right now. I could fall off this roof, and I am sure the CCTV downstairs has recorded that you came after me," she warned to stop him.
"Faltu ka fas jaoge" she said next.
"Are you serious?" he turned to her and inquired.
"I came here for a few moments of peace, but you didn't let me have that. Now, stay here until I am done" she replied.
"Done, what?" he asked as he approached her.
"Done with crying... you interrupted me," she stated. He was dumbfounded, this girl was truly one of a kind.
"Call you DJ Raunak and cry" he advised.
"I don't cry in front of others... I am not that weak. But you have forcefully witnessed me in tears, and now I am not that drunk ,I am just lightheaded and I am bit scared to be here alone, jab aayi thi tab jyada high thi... so, you will have to stay here with me," she declared. She was in a somewhat muddled state, coherent enough to express this, yet inebriated enough to realize how absurd it sounded.
"What the hell?" He said next.
"You disturbed me" she said.
"Just cry quickly" he declared grumpily as he knew there was no point arguing with her.
"You can sit down too, keeping a distance of one meter," she suggested.
"Why do you think I want to come closer to you... I don't want to... honestly, I don't want to," he responded, growing slightly irritated.
"Why do you think demeaning me like this is cool? It's not. Honestly, it's not," she retorted fiercely.
"When did I demean you?" he asked innocently.
"You've said 'I'm not interested' like 5000 times!" she exclaimed.
"You've also said 'Don't come close, stay away, pather mar dungu..., like a million times!" He replied
"Pather nahin bottle," she corrected.
"Okay, fine, bottle!" he said in exasperation.
"Ufff...kindly finish your crying session"he said, sitting down as well. For the next five minutes, no one spoke anything.
She couldn't quite understand why the urge to cry had seemingly disappeared. He took out his phone and started scrolling through it, while she found herself continually gazing at his robust form. The white shirt he wore appeared captivating in the dim light, and his chiseled features looked irresistibly handsome. Suddenly his phone rang, it was his mom.
"Hi! Mom, are you back?" he answered the call. As soon as she heard the word 'mom,' She felt a tightness in her chest and an overwhelming urge to cry out loud, but she resisted the urge, biting her lips to suppress any sounds and shedding some silent tear. There was a just some scuffle, and he suddenly realized that she was indeed crying. He quickly ended the call.
"Hey! Listen," he became alert when he realized she was genuinely crying.
"I am okay, just give me 5 minutes.?" she requested. He found himself in a dilemma, he wanting to comfort her, yet did not want to overstep his boundaries.
"Just remember that I am here. Take your time,"Slowly, he moved to the other side of the terrace, deliberately looked outside. His heart ached for her ,he felt a strong urge to console her but he understood that sometimes, all a person needed was space to vent out.
She cried her heart our,apparently her first time infront of someone, not even her Laxmi Masi had ever seen her crying neither her beastie Samarth.Her pain had always been an intensely personal thing, something she rarely shared with anyone, but this day was an exception, and so was this person.
She had always been apprehensive that people would pity her if they saw her crying or revealing her pain. However, he displayed none of these. He allowed her to be herself, and she found his presence oddly comforting. He was there for her without suffocating her.
As she took a deep breath and wiped away her tears, she looked up towards the other end. Suddenly he too turned back and glanced at her, and in his eyes, she perceived a special kind of 'magic.' It was as though he could discern a unique beauty in her 'madness'.
❤️
What do you feel guys ,who will fall in love first?
I hope you have enjoyed reading this chapter. Love you all🥰