"Mom!" I exclaim and run over to her dropping my bag. She hugs me with a chuckle.

"You were gone for a week Ray, not a year" she says in my ear but doesn't let go. I roll my eyes picking up the bag off the floor only to throw it on the couch.

"I am gonna go wash up. You guys can carry on with the all time boring introductions" Eira glares at me.

"Jerk" I smirk at her face.

"Bitch" she retorts as I grab an apple before going over to the stairs.

"Esmeray" I turn around to see Mom's no shit expression.

"Yeah" I drag the word tentatively checking if theres anything wrong with the outfit I am wearing. Nope, perfectly fine.

"The bag Ray" Eira points out exasperated. I groan and walk down under the scrutinizing gaze of mom and the amused eyes of Trevor and Joshua. I don't wait even a second after picking up the bag and literally run upstairs to my beloved room. Our beloved room.

Mom was a very successful publicist but she never flaunted the money. She never let us spend money like we wanted to. She would give us a certain amount for two months, that's actually how we learnt to save money so efficiently. Our home was well built but modest, nothing too huge or posh. It was stocked with everything modern but still really modest. We did have extra rooms but Eira and I were too close to even think of two different rooms living in the same house. So, instead of cramming into one single room; mom merged two rooms as one. And that's how we got a king sized bedroom instead of a bed. Our room mostly consisted of our collection of photo frames, a huge part covering a bookshelf, and walls full of posters and landscapes painted by Eira. She loves painting and art overall, excluding portraits. She has some uncanny dislike to any portrait which isn't related to Zayn or Gigi. I throw the bag in a corner and put up my shower playlist. I love long showers and loud music. As I let the water seep in my hair closing my eyes, I try not to think of how horrible my day was going to be with being reunited with unnecessary friends at the birthday party.

"So, we have three weeks and a lot of places to go. We need hardcore planning"

"Yeah sure, let me just grab my rocket launcher and we can take it from there"

"Ha ha very funny" I give Jo a mock smile turning it to a glare. We were currently sitting at the coffee table in a circle. I stretch out my legs resting my back against the sofa with my damp hair hanging around my face in a very annoying way.

"It was. Don't need compliments" he winks at me with a grin. He is hot.

"Ok, lame butts, stop." Eira orders passing the coffee to Jo and Trevor.

"You two are very close to discovering a migraine caused due to lame jokes"

"I am gonna drive" I remind Trevor narrowing my eyes.

"Jo is not my friend"

"Nor mine" Eira adds raising her hand as she sits down.

"Real mature" Jo retorts adding to my growing smirk.

"For you? Yeah we know" Eira retorts causing me and Trevor to chuckle.

"And this is the reason why you two are never able to plan holidays or events" Mom sits on the sofa with her legs resting on the arm rest. I don't even have to look at Eiraa to know our expression very much match. She hands me a printed sheet with all the places we could visit listed in a very formal way. I feel Mia's breath on my shoulder as she looks over my shoulder.

"When the hell did she write all that?!"

"Don't know, don't care" I whisper back scanning the list thinking what to do.

"Don't care! Our mother could be an alien or a vampire or a fey for all we know" I look at her with a 'really?' expression. She just gives me a one shoulder shrug indicating its possible. I shake my head pushing her back lightly.

"Annoying coffee smell"

"Annoying hair smell" she retorts sulkily.

"Amusing" Trevor remarks making all of us looking at him weirdly. He looks at us like a lost puppy.

"uh..great coffee Mrs.Kapoor" Jo butts in.

"Oh, thanks dear. You can call me Meenakshi" she replies seeming flustered.

"Beautiful name. Suits you" He gives her a charming smile. I blink twice looking at moms expression. She turns light pink and mutters a thank you. The audacity of that guy!!! He just flirted with my mother and succeeded in doing that!!

I have got to have him

 My conscience needs to be screwed.

"I spent 15 minutes making that!" Eira exclaims looking at them incredulously. "Unbelievable" she throws her hands exasperated.

"Okay, so we both have jet lags" I point back and forth to myself and Joshua.

"No kidding" he frowns

"That puts all of the trekking and climbing out of question then" Eira checks out the hill stations and fort.

"Lets just do something lowkey today. Besides its already..." I look at the wall clock "5:00 pm. Theres not much we could be seeing at night anyway" I shrug.

"CO2" Trevor suggests looking like Gru with a light bulb.

Me and Eira start to smile but turn to look at mom with our puppy cat eyes. Yeah hers are puppy mine are kitty.

"Oh come on I am not that bad! When have I ever stopped you two from the time you turned 17?" she raises her eyebrows.

"Huh"

"Now that I think about it...not once" Mia mumbles.

"Its ok. You will get that soaked in" she smiles patting our heads.

"Have fun boys" she winks walking away to the stairs, probably going to her room.

"We promise!" Joshua grins giving her a thumbs up.

"Oh and Myra has her birthday tonight. Eira is once again the forgetful caterer" Mom smirks. So that's why she agreed so easily even with guys she just met. She knew we couldnt just skip this birthday...which we forgot.
Me and Eira groan with pained expression.

"Ugggh. Of course! Stupid Myra and her party" Eira spits out facepalming herself.

"Stupid you and your party planning promise" I retort. She opens her mouth to reply but Joshua cuts it off.

"We can go to this party instead of a club. I wont mind" he shrugs.

"Its not a girls PJ party and there is no way I am letting your perverted mind anywhere near my friends." I deadpan seriously.

"He will be on his leash" Trevor assures me with eager eyes. What is he so excited for?
I open my mouth to ask him just as Eira pinches my arm to silence me.

"Ow!" I whisper rubbing my arm while she smiles like a perfect angel.

"Great then! You guys can come with us. We will be leaving in an hour."

"What about us?" Joshua asks just as I get up with mugs in my hand and walk in the kitchen not bothering to hear anything else.

"I am not going out with two guys dressed like clowns for a birthday party. I have a reputation. Also, I dont care how you reach there" I shout out while rinsing of the soap water from the mugs. The conversation zones out over the voice of water. I love water, any kind but the filthy gutter one of course. That reminds me I need to call my punching bag. Jay Rathod aka my punching bag and Eira's nerd bud. He happens to be my only constant relation aside from Eira and mom in india. We literally grew up together, all three of us. He has been there for me whenever I needed a guy buddy, a prank buddy or even a beat the shit out of the guy buddy. The poor guy has taken beatings from Eiraa and me like I take raisins from a jar. Hungrily. But of course he dosen't know anything about the work my family does, work ethics and all. Though I doubt he would give up our friendship and endless dance routines just because my dad and my brothers are kind of hell hounds...well I never thought of it that way. Maybe its better he dosen't know.

"Please tell me you guys came up with a plan." I plop down on the couch with my feet dangling off the edge in a weird way.

"Yupp. You are going to pick us at 8:00 from our hotel" I shrug scrolling down my Instagram notifications. My thumb stops at a shirtless pic of a very familiar face.

"Uggh" I cringe at the face in the picture. Don't get me wrong, he is hot, the guy has got the looks and a body but still...its very disturbing for someone who's rolled over his body while getting kicked and kicking.

"Whats wrong?"

" Shirtless Jay. That's whats wrong" I groan locking my phone and turning over to lay on my stomach.

"Who is Jay?"

"Best friend slash punching bag"

"Just a best friend and punching bag? Nothing more?" I look up from the cushion under my face with a confused expression and raise my eyebrow at Jo.

"What do you mean?" I ask a bit harshly before Eira could say anything.

He just shrugs with an equally hard face. "Just asking"

"Well, you better learn to practice the tone you ask questions in"

"My tone is none of your business" I see his jaw clench. I let go of the fabric fisted in my hands and get up moving closer to him. His dark eyes never leave my face but he notices my closeness.

"And my personal life is none of yours" I spit out in a whisper getting angrier by the second. Eira says I am a very temperamental person, that I get angry easily. But its just that I hate when someone invades my personal space. And I am very protective of my personal space.

He smiles, a predatory smile but the hardness dosent leave his eyes. Something tells me he isn't used to being dominated or stood up too. Well its quite obvious even with the way his walk radiates confidence, the devious glint in his eyes and the way his presence just alters thing with his bad boy persona.

"We will see about that"

"Keep hoping" I smile back and turn around hitting his face with my ponytail. I yell a bye to Trevor and yank open the closet door.I message Jay about being back in the city and tell him to be my chauffer for the party.

"He wants to play; I will give him a game" I take out the dress sure to give my brothers a heart attack and lay it out with the earrings. I dont care if its a birthday or whatever. I am going to turn this party into a Rave.