||CHAPTER 48||
《¤》

What I hadn't anticipated was, Vansh Mehra getting up from his seat and striding towards our table.

"Holy moly, macaroni!!" Ishita squealed, squeezing my elbow. "He is coming this way! What's it gonna be? A quick shag between the shelves?"

My trance was broken the moment those words came out of Ishita's mouth. "What did you just say? No- don't repeat it!"

"It's alright Vickey, I understand," she trailed off, looking into her book and clearing her throat.

"Would you mind showing me your favourite book Arvika? The one you were reading that day?"

Vansh was standing beside me, so I turned, facing him. He did have lame excuses. "It's not in the library right now. Someone might have issued it."

Vansh raised an eyebrow at Karan when he snickered at my reply. Due to the lack of excuses, Vansh thought better of it, and grabbed the book in front of me, "Chalo."

I gave the others an apologetic smile before rising up and following the guy about whom Ishita and I had gossiped about the evening before.

He had chosen the row between shelves of R.D. Sharmas and H.C. Vermas. "Khaled Housseini writes books that play with our emotions, not kill them."

He gave me a blank look when he turned around, fingers toying with the cover of a thick white mathematics book. "Good, but you and I both know that's not what I brought you here for."

The small smile that he ended his sentence with made me hyperaware of the way my heart was beating. Before I could come up with a reply that made sense, he turned to me with a very heavy book, and stepped closer.

I couldn't decode his eyes, even though they were very expressive. "Why are you beating around the bush?"

He leaned in, and I didn't move back. I was rooted to my position; I wasn't going to let him affect my senses, even though I was failing miserably. As if challenging my thoughts, I felt his breath on the shell of my ear.

I could literally feel the pump-softness of his lips brushing against my right cheek as he spoke, "You always keep figuring me out wrong. We've got stuff to discuss. I'd be over for dinner."

He didn't move back, just simply strode off, without even sparing a glance my way. I could imagine the smirk adorning his face, as he smugly joined Arnav and Karan at their table.

Unbuttoning my blazer, I removed it, and walked back to my seat, being greeted by raised eyebrows and grins that I'd love to slap off their faces.

"Kya hua? First base, second ya third?" Ishita whispered, very excited.

I bit the inside of my cheek, before looking at her seriously.

"I just realised," I said, "that I could probably write a book about my failed attempts at figuring out Vansh Mehra."

¿¤?

"Aur fir, usne bola-"

"KHUL JAA SIMSIM!!"

I frowned at him irritably, not that my dear cousin Mikhael was paying any attention to me from Daadi's right side.

"Nahi," I snapped, "Woh Ali Baba Chalees Chor me hota hai!"

We were lying on Daadi's bed, with me and Mikhael on either side of her, and Arnav cramped behind me, while Daadi showed off her amazing story telling skills.

"Nahi," Mikhael narrowed his eyebrows at me, "SNOW WHITE NE BOLA!"

I looked back at him with the same intensity, "Daadi-"

"NAANI!"

"Accha, shaant ho jao!" She commanded. "Arnav se seekho, shaant hoke sun raha hai."

My cousin and I repositioned our glares at her. How dare she put him on the ideal throne again?

"ARNAV DIRTY BOY HAI!" Mikhael screamed, suddenly instigating the protective sister in me.

"Aur tumhara bada bhai bhi, Arnav bhaiya bulao!"

We were back to glaring at each other.

"Tu pehele soch le tu kisse fight karna chahti hai," Arnav laughed along with Daadi. "Ideal tho mai hi rahunga, jo bhi ho- Ow!"

No, I didn't inflict any form of violence at him. Before he could have completed his sentence, Mikhael had crossed over our grandmother and my body, landing a punch on Arnav's chest.

"Mikhael!" I tried pulling the hyperactive kid off my twin. He was showing signs of aggressive behaviour recently.

With a lot of difficulty, I was able to hoist him off Arnav. As we sat around him to reproach him, Daadi spoke up, agitating him more. "Mikhael, Arnav bhaiya ko sorry bolo."

He responded by sticking his tongue out. "Nahi bolunga, nahi bolunga, nahi bolunga!"

I rolled my eyes. I was suddenly sympathizing Mikhael, because apologizing to Arnav was indeed, a difficult chore for a four year old. Trust me, I would know.

Arnav was right, I was jittery. I seriously needed to take a stand.

The bell rang, echoing mildly through the house, interrupting Mikhael's half-hearted apology. Assumind Dad would open it since he was in the living room, we resumed our banter.

Until Arnav and I heard it at the same time.

"Namastey uncle."

"Oh, Vansh," our Dad greeted the visitor. "Andar ao."

I glanced at the clock hung on the wall of Daadi's room.

I'd be over for dinner.

I had no idea he was being serious. I met Arnav's questioning gaze. "You invited him for dinner tonight?"

"Uhm..." he scratched his head, "I forgot we were pulling an all-nighter?"

"Tho batao, kaise ho? Sujay aur Samiksha kaise hai?"

"Well, Mom aur Dad filhaal Sydney mein hai. They're good."

Arnav and I jumped out of the bed at the same time, leaving behind our whining cousin with Daadi. "All-nighter exams khatam hone ke baad nahi karte hai, bewakoof!"

"We're doing it for fun okay? Roz roz nahi mauka milta!"

I couldn't even dignify his reply with an eyeroll, as we presented ourself in the living room.

"Oh look, vanar sena hazir."

That was my Dad's lame attempt at joking.

Vansh was the only one to laugh, which I bet was a forced one.

I plopped down beside my father, while Arnav took the single-couch near Vansh.

"So what exactly are you going to do tonight?" Dad asked them.

"All-nighter, Dad."

"Exactly, what are you going to do all night?"

For a moment no one spoke. We weren't sure if our father had said it metaphorically, or well, literally.

"You know what?" I said, standing up, "I'll just go do my homework."

"Uh-yeah, and we," Arnav rose too, "uhm, we'll just go to my room."

He had sensed it, "Aisa kya pooch liya maine?"

"Kuch nahi, Papa," I shook my head. "Mujhe bhi in dono pe kabhi kabhi doubt hota hai."

Vansh choked, really loud. Arnav patted his shoulder. "Vika, you have ten seconds to save your life."

¿¤?

Arnav was late for the early morning run.

While I waited for him, stretching my arms and legs for the run, Daadi came out of her room, Mikhael in tow. "Goodmorning."

"Goodmorning Daadi," I walked to the dining table to hug her. "I think aaj aap uss laughing club me na jaye tho bhi chalega."

Pouring water into a glass, she frowned, "Aisa kyu bhala?"

"Daadi," I stage whispered for my cousin to hear, "Ghar ke andar hi ek joker hai!"

Mikhael didn't share the humour I and Daadi did. "Tum meri favourite didi nahi ho!"

I stuck a tongue out at him, "Too bad, teri aur koi behen bhi nahi hai."

"Naani!" He yelled, clearly annoyed.

I laughed, haunching down to kiss his cheeks.

He didn't like the wet ones either- he definitely was my brother.

"Waise Arnav kaha hai?" I asked my grandmother, standing up.

"So raha hoga, Binoy aaj cheh baje hi nikal gaya na. Poori raat tere bhai aur Vansh ne jaagkar bitayi hai. Manhoos hai, sab ke sab," she shook her head.

Ratan kaka entered the dining area with a plate of sandwiches for Mikhael. "Arvika bitiya, aap bhi abhi khayengi?"

I thought for a while, "Kaka, theen plates ready rakho. Mai abhi do gadho ko lati hoon."

Mikhael, being the inquisitive child he was, forgot all about his anger and breakfast, following me to Arnav's room. Just as we reached the door, he tugged on my pants.

"Didi," he whispered, "Ham unke muhh pe drawing kare? Maine kal T.V. pe dekha tha! Chalo na, bohot maza ayega!"

"Ab ki na Arvika ke bhai jaisi baat," I patted his shoulder. "Par ek problem hai. Mere paas sketchpens ya markers nahi hai."

He motioned me to wait as he ran to Daadi's room, emerging not even a minute later with Arnav's stationery. "Kal bhaiya ne diya tha."

I grinned.

The door was unlocked, and I slowly shut it behind me, as Mikhael ran off to the two figures dozing off on Arnav's bed. Joining him, I slithely pulled the covers off the boys, while Mikhael handed me a thick pink marker.

"Arnav bhaiya," he smiled with contempt, "punishment ke liye ready ho jao!"

He didn't wait for instructions; jumped on the bed, and sat on Arnav's chest. I didn't worry about him waking up, Arnav was a heavy sleeper, but I couldn't help but try hard to bite back my laugh when Mikhael started highlighting his eyebrows with orange, red and blue sketchpens altogether.

Shaking my head, I concentrated on my task in hand. The marker opened with a light pop, but when my eyes landed on Vansh Mehra's face, they couldn't reposition themselves somewhere else.

I won't deny it, offcourse he was a generous gift to the species of the male race, and obviously, my heart skipped a beat when I saw his peaceful form. But I knew what I was here for, and that definitely wasn't for tracing his face into my mind.

Aiming the marker to the upper part of his lips with the target of drawing some pink moustache, I slowly brought the marker close to his face, unblinking.

Until someone decided that it was the perfect time to wake up.

He blinked thrice, before breaking out into a breath-taking morning smile. "You don't even need to wish me a Good morning now."

I was stuck in my position. "Definitely wasn't planning on it."

My words made sense to him the moment his eyes fell on the source of giggling sound- Mikhael was quite happy with his Monalisa.

Then he registered the pink sharpy almost at the tip of his nose.

"It's either you draw now, or wait till I am in my senses to return your air kisses."

That did sound tempting, and I succumbed.

Grinning at him, I drew.

_____

Namoshtaii!

I wanted to publish this on Wednesday, but something came up and I couldn't.

So I've been really meaning to ask you, since you guys already know by now, DJH isn't my attempt at clichè, and I have tried very hard to keep the clichè things far away, what do you think is going to happen in the rest/ end of the story?

The best answer will get a follow back from me (provided you already follow me lmao, i am mean). It would be really interesting to know what you are expecting from this story. DJH is already planned out, and had been so even before I started writing it, so I promise you your expectations won't hamper the update process at all :)

Anyways, how's life? Read, vote, comment and promote!

~emcee.