Next morning

Aryan was pacing in the hall of the mansion restively and was glancing every now and then at his wrist watch. Huffing impatiently, he whirled around and glared at the flight of stairs. Someone tapped him on the shoulder, startling him into turning around.

"What happened, Aryan? Why are you so grumpy?" Disha smiled.

"We have to leave for college. Today is our farewell party. And look at the other three. God knows where they are. At this rate we will reach the farewell party for our junior batch." Aryan grumbled.

"Calm down. I am sure they must be on their way downstairs." Disha patted Aryan's cheek affectionately.

Aryan smiled too at the affectionate woman who was so much more benevolent and affectionate than Aliya Khanna could ever dream to be. Disha Chauhan was a lovely woman and he felt a queer sense of kinship with her.

"How do you do that?" Aryan looked at her, smiling.

"Do what?" Disha looked at him quizzically.

"Have such a calming effect on others." Aryan asked, his eyes reflecting his admiration for the woman who had faced too many hardships in life and yet was strong enough to win over them.

Disha laughed softly and ruffled his hair.

"Oops! Sorry. I spoiled your hair." Disha smiled sheepishly.

"Don't be. I love when someone ruffles my hair as it shows the affection they possess for me. My dad often does it." Aryan grinned.

Disha smiled as she marveled at the maturity of this young lad. Then her brows creased into a slight frown as something occurred to her.

"Your mom doesn't do that?" Disha looked at him quizzically.

"Genuine love and affection are not something which Aliya Khanna is aware of." Aryan smiled ruefully.

In those few words, he had expressed a deep, hidden sorrow and Disha was overwhelmed as an intense compassion for him washed over her. She decided to lighten up his gloomy mood.

"Forget about it. I must say, you are looking very handsome in this white suit." Disha smiled.

Aryan looked down at his suit.

Aryan looked up, grinned and thanked Disha who smiled back. Before they could say anything else, they heard footsteps on the stairs and turned around to see Ranbir rushing down the stairs.

Ranbir was looking as handsome as a prince in the suit he had chosen for the farewell party.

His hair touching his forehead was adding more to his charming appearance.

As his eyes met with those of Aryan, Ranbir grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry bro. I am a little late." Ranbir apologized.

"A little? I have been pacing up and down here for nearly half an hour." Aryan turned on Ranbir, fisting his hands and placing them on his hips.

"Understand, Aryan. I had to look good for P... (he noticed Disha)...party...for the party." Ranbir stuttered to a halt.

"Relax, young man. Everyone here knows for what or rather for whom you want to look good." Disha giggled.

Aryan joined in while a slight crimson tinged Ranbir's cheekbones. Aryan, still laughing, flicked a glance towards the stairs and immediately doubled back. 

"You were right to make attempts to look good, you know. Otherwise you would have been no match for my sister." Aryan smirked.

"What?" Ranbir stared at Aryan, perplexed.

Aryan gestured him to turn around and he did and then he couldn't move again as he was rooted to the spot, mesmerized by the vision of extraordinary loveliness who was gracefully descending the stairs. If Ranbir was looking like a prince then Prachi was looking like a princess in the gorgeous gown she was wearing, with diamonds adorning her ears and right wrist.

Her long hair were swept up into a sophisticated chignon, secured at the nape of her neck with diamond encrusted clips.

Aryan looked at the man standing beside him and at the girl who was heading towards them. "Ranbir" Aryan whispered.

"Hmm" Ranbir replied absentmindedly, still lost in his beloved's charm.

"Prachi has ditched you for someone else." Aryan smirked mischievously.

"Hmm...WHAT!" Ranbir turned to him with a jerk as the words penetrated the haze created in his mind by Prachi's exquisite loveliness.

Prachi's steps faltered and she came to an abrupt halt a few feet away from them. She stared at them quizzically with raised brows. On the other hand, Aryan laughed while Ranbir glowered at him.

"Why did you say that?" Ranbir sulked.

"Because it was the only most effective way to bring you out of your lala land." Aryan guffawed.

"Aryan....you...." Ranbir spluttered, furious.

"What's going on guys? Why are you fighting?" Prachi looked from one to the other curiously.

"I was trying to bring Ranbir out of the trance that he went into after seeing my beautiful sister." Aryan grinned, side hugging Prachi.

Prachi smiled shyly and looked at Ranbir while hugging her brother. Ranbir shrugged, grinning.

"Now, what can I do if your sister is as beautiful as a princess? No scratch that, as a fairy princess. Just the wings and the magic wand are missing." Ranbir smiled, his eyes shining with boundless love for her.

Crimson tinged her cheeks and she let her eye lids conceal her expressive eyes from him. However, her lips curved into a beatific smile which successfully revealed her true emotions.

"Ranbir is right. You are looking so beautiful." Disha complimented with an affectionate smile.

"Thank you, Masi." Prachi parted from the side hug and walked over to Disha and hugged her, who hugged her back.

"By the way, where is Sahana?" Aryan looked around with a frown.

"Oh! You are missing her? Do tell me why?" Ranbir raised an eyebrow.

"I...I am not...It's nothing like that...I was just asking because....because we are running late. That's....that's why." Aryan stuttered.

"Oh! Is that so? Then why my usually unflappable friend had suddenly started to stumble over his words? Tell me." Ranbir rubbed his hands gleefully, getting a great way to torment his friend back.

"Ranbir! It's nothing like that. I was just..." Aryan began.

However, he could not continue what he was about to say as the girl in question came hurrying down the stairs.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry. I know I am late." Sahana hastily apologized.

However, no one was in the mood to reprimand her as Prachi and Ranbir were smiling while Aryan was mesmerized seeing her. Sahana was looking adorable in a purple dress with her hair left open.

Ranbir looked at Aryan and then at Sahana and then back again. His lips curved into a devilish smirk. It was time for....REVENGE.

"Aryan" Ranbir smirked.

"Hmm" Aryan was still staring at Sahana.

"Sahana is getting married." Ranbir grinned.

"What!" Aryan shrieked and turned to look at Ranbir with shocked eyes.

The shock in Aryan's eyes turned into glare as Ranbir burst into fits of laughter.

"What happened?" Sahana looked at them curiously.

"Sahana, Aryan was...." Ranbir began but Aryan grabbed his arm.

"No...nothing. Come on guys, let's go. " Aryan dragged Ranbir away.

Prachi and Sahana followed them after bidding farewell to Disha.

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The vastly spacious hall for recreational activities had been emptied of all its belongings. It was decorated with festoons bidding farewell to the outgoing batch. The festoons were in white while the letters were in crimson. Red and white balloons were scattered around on the floor in reckless abundance. On one end of the room, there was a bar but it was devoid of alcohol in any form and only consisted of fruit juices and soft drinks. Overall, those people who were entrusted with the decorations, had managed to bring about a romantic ambience in the room.

Students were milling about in the hall when a handsome couple emerged at its entrance. As soon as their friends saw them, they gathered around Prachi and Ranbir and congratulated them on their engagement. While the guys were envious at Ranbir's good fortune the girls were jealous at Prachi's. They were soon joined by Aryan and Sahana. After thanking their friends, Ranbir and Prachi, along with Aryan and Sahana, made their way to the middle of the hall.

No sooner did they reach the spot when the host began to announce something.

"So guys, don't you think the party is getting a little boring. Hmm....so, what shall we do to make it more interesting? What do you think about dance, folks?" The host suggested.

Excitement ran through the crowd as they screamed their agreement.

"Okay, folks. Let's make it even more interesting. It won't be just dance. Let's make it a competition. It will be paper dance and the couple who will stay put till the end will be the winner. With every passing round, we will fold the paper and it will keep getting smaller. Now, it's up to the couples how they manage to stay on them. One step out of the paper and you are out of the game. So, are you ready?" The host explained.

A collective "yes" resonated in the room.

"Great! Then let's decide which couples will participate." The host grinned.

"Ranbir and Prachi" Tushar, Ranbir's friend, thumped Ranbir on the back.

"What? But..." Prachi began to object while Ranbir laughed.

"No if, no but. Come on, Prachi. Be a sport. You both are newly engaged and soon gonna get married. So, who else can it be if not you?" Meera, a friend of Prachi, insisted.

"Exactly. Come on everyone, Ranbir Prachi. Ranbir Prachi." Mayank, a common friend of both Ranbir and Prachi, cheered.

Soon, the others, including Aryan and Sahana, joined in. Chuckling, Ranbir turned towards Prachi.

" We can't disappoint so many people, right? So, shall we? Ranbir smiled.

"Okay" Prachi smiled shyly.

Aryan and Sahana cheered louder than the rest. Ranbir and Prachi looked at each other and some secret message was exchanged. They turned towards Aryan and Sahana with identical playful smiles.

"But I have one condition." Prachi remarked.

Puzzled, Aryan and Sahana looked at each other and then at Prachi.

"What condition?" Aryan and Sahana asked the same question at the same time and again turned to look at each other, baffled.

"That both of you will participate too. And don't give me any ifs or buts as I am not going to take no for an answer. That is the only condition that can make us participate too." Prachi's tone brooked no argument.

Seeing no way out, Aryan and Sahana accepted the condition and all four of them along with some other couples participated in the paper dance. 

Paper had been placed on the concrete floor and all the four couples stepped on it. The host clicked his fingers and the music began.

Ranbir wounded his arm around Prachi's waist and pulled her closer while her hands went around his neck. They began to sway to the rhythm of the music. Their breath fanning each other, sending a shiver run down both of their spines.

Aryan and Sahana, on the other hand, were a bitawkward as it was the very first time they were holding each other so close.Hesitatingly, he hold her waist while she rested her hands lightly on hisshoulders. They too swayed to the rhythm of the music.

"I didn't get the chance to compliment you at home as there were so many people present. You are extraordinarily beautiful, my princess. You are looking like the manifestation of everything beautiful." Ranbir smiled dreamily.

"It's this gorgeous gown that made me appear beautiful." Prachi laughed softly.

"Nah! It's you who made this gown look gorgeous just by wearing it." Ranbir shook his head gently, smiling.

"You are really bad for my humility, do you know that?" Prachi giggled.

"You don't need to be humble. You are my princess. And haughtiness suits princesses, especially one as beautiful as you." Ranbir grinned playfully.

"Then you should be haughty too, my prince, as you are looking as handsome as Prince Charming of any girl's dream world." Prachi smiled.

"Oh my! Look at me! I am dead!" Ranbir tilted his head slightly back and closed his eyes with a dreamy smile playing on his lips.

Ranbir's eyes opened and a frown creased his forehead as she he felt a soft touch on his lips. Prachi had put a finger over his lips.

"Don't you dare say that. Not even in jest." Prachi reprimanded him lightly.

Yet again, he was dazzled by her boundless love for him. He smiled even as he thanked the Almighty for blessing him with such a loving life partner.

"Don't worry. I am never going to leave you alone. I will always be there to trouble you." Ranbir grinned.

Prachi began to laugh softly and Ranbir, too, joined in. However, soon they broke off as cat calls perforated the blissful ambience surrounding just the two of them.

The music came to a halt too and Prachi and Ranbir looked around to find that one of the other three couples had failed to stay within the bounds of the paper and hence had been disqualified.

Soon, the music again started to flow through the hall creating a surreal ambience somewhere between dream and reality.

The papers were folded into halves, causing the partners to move even closer.

Ranbir pulled Prachi closer to him. They were almost plastered to each other. Their warm breath mingling. They could almost hear each other's heart that only beats for the other. Ranbir touched his forehead to Prachi's and rubbed his nose against her with such tenderness that the endearing gesture melted her into a poodle of warm emotions of love, affection and care.

Aryan and Sahana, on the other hand, were compelled to draw closer to each other and were experiencing strange and unknown emotions due to the growing proximity. At that moment, both of them realized that they were not immune to each other and each realized that the other was not just another friend. Each realized that they feel something for the other, something that was different, something that remained an enigma to them till date. Though both of them had gone through several crushes and infatuations, but they failed to recognize and name the emotion coursing through them right at that moment.

Soon, the music was stopped abruptly again as yet another round of cat calls resonated in the spacious hall. Prachi and Ranbir and Aryan and Sahana, who had become oblivious to their surroundings, became conscious of the people around them and drawing a little away from each other, looked around only to find that another couple had failed to keep within the paper.

Now, only Prachi and Ranbir and Aryan and Sahana remained. The host congratulated them and folded the paper into an even smaller size so that only one could stand on it. 

"How can we dance on that?" Sahana gaped at the small piece of folded paper and then transferred her gaze to the host, who was grinning mischievously.

"Let alone dance, both of us won't be able to stand on it too." Aryan protested.

"I totally agree with both of them." Prachi nodded, bemused.

Ranbir was the only one, though, who smirked smugly instead of freaking out.

"Sorry folks, but you have to manage on this paper. This is the last round and if you do manage to stay on it till the music comes to an end, you will be the winner." The host grinned and winked at them.

Aryan and Sahana looked at each other. A silent message was exchanged. They both understood and agreed to the unsaid words and turned to the host as one.

"We quit." Aryan announced on both of their behalf, while Sahana nodded in affirmation.

"Hmm...so, technically, Prachi and Ranbir won the competition with Aryan and Sahana as the first runner up. Still, I am curious.  Ranbir and Prachi, do you have any idea how to pass this challenge?" The host looked at Ranbir and Prachi curiously.

"I do." Ranbir replied, confidence oozing from the brilliant smile playing on his lips, before Prachi could utter a word.

"What do you mean?" Prachi turned to look at Ranbir, bemused.

"I will show you." Ranbir smirked and stepped on the paper.

A baffled gasp left Prachi's lips as her feet lost contact with the ground beneath. It took her a split second to realize that Ranbir had lifted her up in his arms, in front of everyone present in the hall.  

The hall burst into round of applause while Prachi the deepest shade of crimson tinged Prachi's cheeks.

"Ranbir! What are you doing? Everyone is staring! Put me down. Now." Prachi demanded, embarrassed.

"If I will have my way I am never going to let your soft feet ever have any contact with the harshness of the ground beneath." Ranbir looked deep into her eyes without paying any heed to the spectators around them.

Yet again, Prachi was overwhelmed with his selfless and limitless love for her.

"I will still ask you to put me down on the ground. Do you know why? Because I want to walk with you on the path, no matter how harsh it is." Prachi's lips curved slightly into a small smile, oblivious to the people around them.

"Ranbir, you can put her back on her feet now, you know. Just in case you have forgotten." Sahana giggled.

Sahana's words as well as her laughter brought Prachi and Ranbir out of their reverie. Looking around embarrassedly, they noticed everyone staring at them with huge grins. Hurriedly, he put her down on her feet. Ranbir smiled sheepishly and shrugged while Prachi glowered at him. 

"Uh...I...let me go get something for you." Scared of his beloved's fury, Ranbir hastily made an excuse and scurried away before Prachi could even say anything.

As soon as he disappeared in the throng of people, Prachi could no longer contain the disobedient smile that was struggling to break free.

"Crazy" Prachi shook her head, grinning.

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Aryan was engrossed in chit chat with a couple of friends when absentmindedly he flicked a glance around the hall. He stilled as the scene that his fleeting glance witnessed registered in his mind. He instantly doubled back and looked, or rather glared at the specific corner of the room where a boy and a girl were laughing together.

"What on earth is she doing with that guy?" Aryan growled and excusing himself from the others, trotted off in the particular direction.

As soon as he reached them he called out to the girl.

"Sahana! Come with me." Without waiting for her answer, he clasped her hand and almost dragged her away.

"Aryan! Aryan, what's wrong? Why are you dragging me along like this? Aryan!" Sahana barraged him with questions, baffled at his abrupt behaviour.

Aryan came to an abrupt halt. They had reached a secluded spot, away from the crowded hall.

Good question, Aryan thought to himself. What on earth was he doing and why? Why was he so affected? Why the fact that Sahana was laughing with someone else hit him this hard? Was it because...has he really...but, when? When did it happen?

Sahana wrenched her hand free from his grasp and turned on him.

"What do you think you are doing? What has gotten into you? Why are you behaving like this?" Sahana glowered at him, placing her hands on her hips in combat style.

"Because I can't see you with someone else. Because I am in love with you." Aryan blurted out abruptly.

Sahana was stunned by the revelation to say the least. She gaped at Aryan, flabbergasted. Her lack of response was making Aryan nervous.

"I...I am sorry. I don't even know what you feel for me. If you really like that guy, then I will never interfere between you. I was not thinking clearly. I am sorry." Aryan ran an unsteady hand through his thick hair and turned away.

"Oh God! What shall I do with this guy! Why will I try to make you jealous if I don't love you?" Sahana smacked her forehead with her palm.

Aryan whirled around, bewildered.

"You mean..." Aryan trailed away.

"Yes, Einstein. I mean I love you and I was trying to make you jealous in there, which had, thankfully, worked." Sahana clarified.

"I love you too." Aryan closed the distance and pulled her into a warm embrace.

Aryan's arms wound around her waist securely while Sahana clutched fistfuls of his shirt on his back.

A voice penetrated their preoccupation and made them jump apart, startling them out of their wits.

"Aryan! Sahana!"

Big update as promised. 😁😁 And since
its_khushiiii and @riyasharmapranbirfan wanted cliffhangers, so here goes cliffhanger. 😁 😁
Hope you all like this part.