I looked at all the stuff again and let out a whine. God. Why do I have so many clothes?

"Ahaa, princess I am telling you to get help. You won't be able to do this all alone." Dad said from the door. I pouted at him and then looked around the mess in the room. What about the help princess needs and not for her clothes?

"No Paa. I'll do it myself. I just need to find something to wear tonight and then I'll do it after the dinner." I murmured scanning the clothes on the bed for a nice dress.

"Dinner? You have a date or something, Ahaa?" He asked. His forehead creasing in confusion. I sighed and shook my head.

"Falak wanted us to spend some time alone. We haven't had a single proper conversation yet." I walked to him and put my head on his chest. He put one of his hands on the back of my head and the other on my back. We girls can feel the love and care rolling off our father with their hugs only.

"I am happy you're here." He whispered softly. I felt my body go stiff.

"I am happy to be here, Dad. And I am here to stay now." I tightened my hold on him.

"Agar ye sab ho gaya hai toh thoda kaam kar le?" Said the deep voice of someone I know oh so dearly.

"Sahil. Stop ordering around my baby." My father turned us in a way that now we were side hugging and looking directly at his face.

"You want her to work or not?" He said nodding his head at me. I narrowed my eyes.

"Working? *scoffs* You call that work? Paa, he— Joey made me fold all the extra clothes in the trial and work area. He made me arrange all the outfit design in specific folders. He made me alphabetically arrange all the client details. And let's not forget the amount of coffee I made for him in one day. That man breaths on coffee. And the worst of all... he made me write down the conversation he was having with a client and then made me read it and then said it's not worth keeping, delete it!" I was sure I was looking like a bright red tomato by the time I was done with my rant on Joey. He smirked... not like openly in front of my father but, I was sure. I know this man enough to know all about his crazy smiles and eye movements.

"But didn't you said she'll work with Joey as his stylish assistant? You wanted her to learn the styling work. This is something the interns should do and making her get coffee? What is wrong with Joey?" Dad asked him, I could feel my dad getting angry with each word. Sahil looked at me then back to Paa. I instantly regretted ranting in front of my father.

I fluffed up, didn't I?

"She's working there as an intern Uncle... it means she'll have to do whatever a normal intern is made to do. Do you want her to come off as only your daughter? You know how hard Joey gets. He just wants her to learn all the work from scratch. And what else do you think a stylist assistant does? Wrap up his mess!" He rolled his eyes at the end. I glared. How dare he roll his buttons at my father? Or me!

"But... still... make sure she isn't getting... coffee for someone. Do you want her to burn herself up? You know she can—" My father stopped speaking, he turned to look at me with sad eyes.

"The... I don't deal with that anxiety anymore, Dad. I can hold... things without my hands... shivering now." I murmured softly, my eyes closed for a second and then opened again.

The initial days of college... those memories still haunt me.

"I'll go get ready. I have to leave." I muttered and quickly walked back in the room and then the washroom.

Flashback

"Oh no no no!!!" I watched my bag; phone and the coffee fall down all together. My ears burned in embarrassment. First day... and I start like this.

"Suh—" The words died down in my throat. Suh isn't here. And she's not going to be. It's me... all alone... in between these strangers. People walked past me. Some looked and some didn't even glance my way.

I bent down and picked up my phone and bag which were both now drenched in brown liquid. Tears threatened to fall down my face, but I controlled myself. I pulled out some tissues from the bag and wiped the phone. My hands shivering all the while.

I shrieked jumping on my feet and moving back just as a Bike full in speed stopped beside me. I looked up at the driver.

"Killian. What is wrong with you?" Before I could shout the girl sitting behind the man did.

"I am so sorry, sweetie. My boyfriend here is high on the fucking air!" She hopped down on the bike and lightly slapped the man's chest before walking to me.

"Here. Lemme help!" She settled down on her knees and started cleaning up my things with the tissues. I bent down too and gathered my things.

We put some tissues on the spilled coffee and the girl handed the coffee cup to her boyfriend, who walked some steps and threw it in the dustbin. She then helped me up on my feets.

"Thank—" She cut me off waving her hand in dismissal.

"You new here...?" She trailed off.

"Ahaana and yeah." I smiled or as much as I could muster with my heart still beating loudly in my chest.

"Hey Ahaana. I am Ellie and this is my stoopid boyfriend Killian." She nodded at the man.

"Sorry for scaring the fuck outta you, Darling." The man winked. He winked.

"Thankyou for the help. Bye!" I nodded at my stuff in hand, without waiting for their answer I started walking.

"Hey Ahaana!" The gi— Ellie called out, I stopped and turned around to look at her.

"I couldn't help but notice your schedule. You heading to the sixth floor for your first class?" She said and I nodded in positive.

She didn't say anything else, she just turned around and slapped a sloppy kiss on her boyfriends' lips and walked towards me.

"I believe we have the same schedule. Let's keep each other some company?" Ellie smiled widely at me. I felt relief rush in my veins.

Thank God!

"Sure!" I smiled back and we both walked towards the class.

Ellie and Killian became my best friends. Killian was studying business and training with his father to take over their company. But there wasn't a single day I wouldn't see him drop Ellie and then pick up. Together they helped me settle down. I was not comfortable around Killian first because of his dangerous vibes, but we started enjoying each other's company soon.

I still had my share of embarrassing moments and those always left me in self doubt and zero confidence, but I was glad to have them two with me. Obviously, they weren't what Suhana or Falak was to me but I was relieved to not feel like a lone alien between others.

~~~

When I came out of the bathroom, Sahil was still leaned against my bedroom door frame, ofcourse.. there was no place to sit on the bed or any chairs in the room. I had first thought of getting the room renovated but then thought why I should waste my time, energy, money when I want to get married so desperately.

Oh. Marriage... with the Satan. The life I wanna live. Aaaah!

"What do you want?" I asked sitting somewhere on the edge of bed and slipping on my shoes.

"I don't wanna be here. So don't make it sound I am willingly here, secondly, Joey sent this for you. He needs it by morning. Thirdly, Advik can't pick you up so he wants me to drop you since Daddy's princess can't drive..." He took a step towards me. I walked closer too. We were chest to chest in no time.

"—which... we both know is a fu— lie. Daddy's little Princess knows how to drive since she was 16. I taught her before I taught Advik." He murmured the last part for our ears only. My eyes snapped back at the open door and then him.

"What do you want?" I repeated my earlier question, glaring at the Devil.

"I want you to stop with BS and tell everyone that you know driving and stop stealing MY driver." He narrowed eyes. I scoffed.

"In your f-l-u-f-f-i-n-g dreams! Hood is mine." I turned around making my hair strands slap his chest, again and picked up my handbag.

"I had Hood for four years; no itsy-bitsy girl is going to steal him from me." He pulled on the same strands I went to slap him with. I hissed. My head tilt backwards. Our eyes connected in the same position, him looking down at me and my head all the way back.

"I am all for this kinky as fuck stuff, but I'd appreciate if you keep me out of this. I don't wanna be anyone's." Sahil turned around sideways glancing at the door, but he didn't leave my hairs. I now looked at his jawline.

The fluffer still had his hands wrapped around my hairs!

"Wait. Outside." He muttered the two words roughly over my forehead. I don't know what Hood's reaction was, but I heard the footsteps fading away.

"Dard ho raha hai." I whispered softly. It was actually hurting me; the position was uncomfortable, and his hold wasn't easy either.

"Toh sehna seekh. It's just the start." He loosened the hold and slowly pulled the handout of my hairs. But not before combing his fingers down the hair length. His hand stopped at my lower back in a way that his fingers hovered on my hipbone. He bent his fingers making them dig in and jerked me back to himself.

"Run after dinner. I'll wait outside the back door. 12'o clock." He murmured in my ears and the next second I felt nothing. I glanced back, watching him walk out of the door. I quickly followed him, working on my breathing on the way.

"Fucking know how to stay away when two people are talking!" I heard him shout. I halted at the front door and peeked out to see him glaring at Hood, but the man was smirking back at him.

Go best friend! I internally hooted for Hood.

"Especially her and me. I hate when people interrupt me when I am ta—"

"Having heart to heart... couple romantic conversations with her?" Hood cut him off, he had a hand wrapped around his neck a second later.

Urghh!

I walked out and cleared throat making them aware of my presence. Sahil didn't turn around. He just removed his hand from Hood's neck, Hood winked at me. I chuckled shaking my head at the man.

He loooves pissing him off!

"Bye Princess. Gotta drop the beautiful lady." Hood said and ran towards the elevator, I chuckled. He turned towards me. I waited for him to say something but when he didn't, I walked to the elevator too... his stare burned my back.

I didn't have to turn around to know that he had his hands pushed into his pocket as he watched me walk away. I entered the lift and Hood smiled at me. I smiled back and turned around... facing him, our eyes stayed connected till the elevator door was closed breaking each other's view.

"Bhai was going to pick me up na?" I questioned Hood, tilting myself just enough to look at his face.

"He— He had to be somewhere else, so he asked me to." He shrugged. I nodded smiling.

"Never saw so many emotions on his face in 10 minutes more than now. Since you are back, I am finding a new side of him daily." Hood muttered; I smiled knowing what he wanted to say.

"I may have the access to all his moods." I chuckled.

"More like you have a power over him, that he doesn't want you to have." He replied back.

"Trust me... he wants me to have all of him and more." I smiled back meeting his eyes, he let out a loud exhale and smiled. The elevator dinged and we walked to the car.

•

•

Hood dropped me off and left saying Falak will drop me back. I was surprised to know that Falak had booked us for family area and not the common one. I headed inside to find the room vacant. I settled down and pulled my phone out to check if there was any message from her being late. Finding nothing, I started skimming through the menu. When I was seconds away from sending her a snarky message, the door opened. My eyes widened when I saw my brother walking in and not his girlfriend.

He didn't say anything, he just came and sat down... immediate next to me. I looked at the door again to see if Falak was coming too but the door was closed by someone outside. I gulped down the lump in my throat.

"Uhh.. Falak is late... right?" I asked after minutes of dead silence. He didn't say anything, just shook his head in negative as he flipped the pages of Menu.

"Kyu main kha raha hun tujhe?" He said after he was done looking at the menu, the interior, the table clothe and the water glasses.

"It was supposed to Falak and my time." I narrowed my eyes.

"Shut up!" He glared. The audacity!

"You know what... I am gonna go, this is one of your pranks. I know it!" I look around the room.

"Sahil. Come out!" I speak out loud. Bhai lets out a loud exhale.

"Ahaana. This is no prank. Sahil is not here. And we are having this dinner together. Get over your tantrum and get ready to order." My brother spoke to me as if I was a kid and just as he finished speaking, the door knocked, and a waiter walked in.

I placed my order sulking all the while. Not being able to eat Indian food for more than five years has me ordering authentic Indian everywhere I went these days. And I didn't eat food now, I inhaled it. My mother was happy yet surprised at this newfound food love of mine. I think she now also believes that I spent the past years starving myself. Which may or may not be the truth, somedays I was running late to college or work, somedays I was busy with my dance practices and somedays... I just didn't have the courage to pick myself up after crying my heart out for everything that had happened.

"Back to earth!" My brother snapped his fingers in front of my face. I looked at him going through his phone.

He wants me to give him all the attention while he scrolls through his phone? What a fluffer!

"What do you want?" I think I have been repeating this same question a lot today.

"Nothing."

"Why are you here? Or why am I here? Or why Falak isn't here?" I almost whined by the end of the sentence, he oh-so-slowly put his phone away and turned his all the attention to me.

I waited for him to speak up.

"Ahaana. I am here because I planned this evening. I am here because I can't stand the differences between us. I am here because I want my whiny tantrum throwing sister back... I hate this woman that you've become who is so mature and strong... who doesn't need me... her brother now." I was startled. I didn't expect him to come to me. I was supposed to make everything alright, make efforts, as I had effed up and not him.

I grew up with my brother and friends more then with my parents. They used to leave Advik and Sahil to babysit Suhana and I. We four spend a lot of time together, I was habitual of my brother. When I couldn't sleep at night, I'd go to my brother, and he would put everything that he was doing and turn all his attention to me. From lying to my parents for me to stealing junk food from kitchen. From planning the best birthday parties for me to teaching me bicycle and basketball. From holding my hands in the lift because I used to be scared to holding me at nights when I'd cry in pain and self-loathing. We did it all. We made fun of our parents. We watched horror movies together and we also went to Falak's house at 2 in the morning because they had a huge fight. I was with him at every effed up shit he did and vice versa. He made my hair and in return I made his. He'd HATE that! He picked up the pieces of something I broke. He stood up in front of me when he would think Maa or Papa is going to scold me. He signed on the test-papers I failed. And after doing this all, we fought like tom and jerry which always ended up with both of us hearing from our parents and then some sort of punishment and then we would again fight about how it is the other ones fault we are being punished.

We did it all.

Then... I left. I left without thinking about what I would do without him or what he would do without me. I fought my way between strangers, wishing and crying to be in my brothers' arms because I couldn't do it. I wanted to give up. I didn't know how to survive. And I heard, my brothers' eyes stopped shining the day I left. He lived... but he didn't. It was as if he had lost someone... lost me... to death.

I jerked out of my head at something dropping. I looked towards my brother to see him looking at me in confusion. Has he been calling my name while I was on my reliving my past embarrassing moments? Before I could say something, I spotted the waiter serving us. I clapped my mouth shut. I looked down in my lap to hide my tears.

The moment the door closed, I let out a hiccup looking at my brother. He had tears in his own eyes. I opened my arms, like a little kid wanting to be picked up. He slid his chair closer to mine and wrapped his arms around my neck. I cried hiding in his neck, and he did the same on my shoulder.

"I-I am... sorry... Bhai. I am s-so so.... sorry." I murmured between my tears. He rubbed my back. Patted my head and then tugged me under his chin making me keep my head on his chest. Seconds later, I was in his lap. I held tightly on him, crying, muttering Sorry's. He tried to soothe me even when he was crying himself.

"Kaha se aai itni himmat? Mujhe bhi dekar jaati phir... tere bina rah paane ki." He murmured making me cry more. I sniffed and separated myself from him. He looked at me with his tear-filled red eyes. I made a sad pout and slid down on my knees. I joined my hands like they do in the church. He chuckled removing tears from his eyes.

"Forgive me, my lord." I said, my voice heavier with the crying and all. He chuckled cupping my cheek with one hand.

"I missed you, little one." My brother leaned down touching our foreheads together.

"I missed you, Bhaiyu." I whispered back, my tears starting to flow down again. He kissed my forehead and then pulled me up to sit back on his lap. I kissed his cheeks; he made a face.

"Ho gya?" Said someone from the door. We both turned around to see Sahil and Falak standing there. Falak looked like she wanted to throw a missile at the man beside her.

"Advikkkkk, he is sooo baddd!" Falak whined loudly. My brother chuckled in my hairs. I bit down on my lips to stop myself from laughing.

He teases Falak more then he teases any of us. He's Falak's personal Bully. The one she didn't ask for but still got with the package that comes along Advik.

"You just couldn't help yourself, hai na?" Advik glared at his best friend. The best friend smirked and shrugged.

"I wanted to eat with you." Sahil pouted. He pouted. I must have looked horrified because Falak started giggling. I rolled my eyes.

"You wanted to make sure we don't make up!" Advik nodded between himself and me. Sahil scoffed as if it was the most ridiculous thing he ever heard.

"Now I can't spend some quality time with my best friend? Dost Dost na raha... pyaar... wo toh kabhi tha hi nahi mera." He started to sing but then cut off looking at me. I let out a tired sigh. He is so needy sometimes!

"What are we having?" He started serving before he even finished saying. I shook my head at the boy trapped in man's body. I moved to my chair and Falak settled beside me.

"So, I am thinking..." My brother spoke up after centuries of silence. Oh ThankGod!

"Let's take a trip?" Advik looked at me. I bobbed my head in agreement. We both turned to Falak.

"Nop—"

"I dare you, Falak. I fluffing dare you to deny." I narrowed my eyes at my brother ki hone wali dulhaniya.

"But we just went!" She cribbed looking at Advik and then me. They went on a work trip 2 months ago. I have all the deets!

"Where are we going?" Sahil interrupted.

"Not we Sahil. We. As in Falak, Ahaana and me." My brother gave him a look which said what I don't know. I don't care.

Sahil made an overdramatic shocked face. He dropped the spoon from his fingers which came down making a clinking sound on the plate and his other hand on his chest, his lips in a big 'O' shape.

"Huh! I'll go with my sister and her fiancé." He glared at Advik and pulled out his phone.

"You really are a princess, aren't you?" My brother looked at his best friend in disbelief.

And ladies and gentlemen, that's how we (the entire clan) are now going for a 12-day trip to Leh Ladakh and Gulmarg.

I looked at him. He had his eyes on his phone but as if feeling my gaze, he looked up at me. I gulped down the lump in my throat. His eyes make me breathless. 12 days with him? Yeah. I can do that.

I wanna do that!

Because I swear, the next trip I am taking with him... is going to be our honeymoon.