Shiva brought out the boxes of takeaway and set them up on the centre table, while all their friends sat around; Shashank, Gaurav, Mahi, Richa and Sakshi.

"Raavi, tu ye baju waale Mrs. Fernandes ke flat mein kyu shift nahi hoti? I mean, at least tujhe apni space toh milegi." Mahi said, reaching for the chips.

"I had thought about it." Raavi brought out the plates and put them on the table, "par na, it's too expensive for me to afford alone. And everyone else has a house or hostel, toh maine idea drop kar diya. Waise bhi, mujhe yaha accha lagta. These boys are nice people." Raavi smiled at her 3 roommates.

"Lekin tum log mujhe bata dete you are all coming over toh mai khud kuch bana leti na!"

"Relax, darling." Sakshi said, serving herself some of the fried rice. "I know you enjoy cooking, par iska ye matlab nahi ki tu kitchen mein padi rahe."

"Shiva, ye le," Raavi handed him a box of rice, "I kept it aside for you."

Shiva took one look at the rice and kept the box aside. "Nahi, it's okay. Mujhe nahi chahiye."

"What do you mean nahi chahiye? It's your favourite!" She exclaimed, and Shiva clicked his tongue.

"It's fine, Raavi. Nahi chahiye, ek baar bola na."

"Arre, mai kabse dekh rahi hu, whenever we order bahar se, you don't get any, isliye maine alag se order kiya tere liye!" Raavi pushed the box towards him, and he pushed it away again.

"Jaan buchke nahi khaata tha mai. Because," Shiva scooted closer to her, pointing at the rice "if I eat this, I can't do this."

Saying so, he pecked her lips once, and served himself some starters instead. "It has spring onions na."

Raavi stared between Shiva and the rice he just pushed away, before leaping into his arms, her legs around his waist, pulling him into a soul-crushing hug.

Shiva stumbled from her sudden reaction, and wrapped his arms around her, telling everyone in the room that she was a chipkali, this was her basic nature.

What he didn't know was that his gesture moved her. It was the smallest thing, really. He didn't have to give up his favourite food, he could just eat it and ignore her for a day. But the fact that he gave it up because he wanted to be able to kiss her anytime he felt like, almost brought her to tears.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Shiva rubbed her back slowly, and she murmured nothing, her arms going tighter around his neck.

"Look at me." He held her face in his hands, his thumbs slightly caressing her cheeks. "Kya hua?"

"I want to go to that prom with you." Raavi said out loud, and everyone whipped their heads around. "Kal pucha tha na mujhe? I want to go. With you."

"Okay." He smiled, kissing the inside of her wrist, "Par emotional kyu ho rahi thi?"

"Rehne de, it's nothing." She squeezed his hand and disentangled herself from his hold, everyone's burning gaze and teasing smiles on her.

"Theme kya hai Prom Night ka?"

"00s Bollywood."

"Interesting." Raavi scooped up some of her pasta, a smile creeping up her face.

Prom Night would be fun.

.....

"Chal na yaar, Shashank. Late ho jaayenge!" Shiva called out, grabbing his jacket.

"Hero banke jaane ke liye janaab itne utaavle?" Shashank teased him.

Shiva emerged in a black sleeveless vest and black leather pants, paired with his leather jacket, hair gelled back, absolutely nailing the Hrithik Roshan look from Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, his biceps being the complimenting factor to his entire look.

"Shut up. Woh toh meri chipkali ne kaha, 'Take inspiration from Hrithik Roshan' toh maine socha okay, ye bhi kar lenge. Kuch khurafati chal raha hoga uske dimaag mein, bata raha hoon. Kyunki usne kuch aur kaha hi nahi mujhse." Shiva huffed and grabbed his keys.

"Mai toh 2000s ka Shahrukh banke ghumunga party mein. Mazaa aayega." Shashank rolled his sleeves up, and grabbed his shoes. "Waise, Raavi hai kidhar?"

"Gayi hai Richa ke ghar tayyar hone. Waha se saath mein aayenge. Apna sasta Majnu toh gaya hai apni Laila ke paas, woh toh der se aayega." He chuckled, tossing Shashank's bike keys to him.

When they reached the venue, they both looked at each other and smirked.

"Chal. Let's party." Shashank said, giving Shiva a high-five and entering the hall.

.....

Shiva stood under the twinkling lights, the chandelier in the centre , the sea blue, pastel green and lavender drapery complimenting the dim room.

Kaha reh gayi ye chipkali, itna time kaun lagata hai. 50 logon ko hi hello bol chuka hoon, lekin majaal hai ki-

Whatever else he was thinking flew straight out of the window, when he saw her walk in through the main door.

Raavi walked in, in a red sequined halter neck top held together by two strings, the rest of the top held together by 2 hooks, which rested on her back, the cut on her top teasing him, as if she did this purposely to annoy the hell out of him

The matching red cowboy pants hung right on her waist, the mid-calf slit running down her legs to reveal her mismatched.... sandal and heel?

The moment he saw the heels, he realised something was off, but couldn't place it. Mainly because he was absolutely distracted and ogling her as if there was no tomorrow.

The outfit accentuated all her curves, which he was sure weren't there before, and her damn waist. He could not take his eyes off of her. And he'd be damned if anyone else tried to look at her the way he was.

Her hair flowed down her shoulders and back, the red purse in her hands complimenting her look, not more than the smile she had on her face when she entered with her friends, admiring the room and the decor.

She looked gorgeous.

Teri hi girlfriend hai. Sacch ka diluted version nahi chahiye. Seedha seedha maan le, gadhede.

She looked hot. Smoking hot.

"Tu pohonch bhi gaya? Looking smart!" Raavi exclaimed, her hands roaming across the vest he wore, admiring him.

Stop lying, Raavi. You know he looks way more than smart.

He looked hot. Damn hot, and definitely not what Raavi imagined him to pick out when she said Hrithik Roshan. Was it starting to get hot in the room? A room that definitely had central air conditioning and felt cold until a few seconds back?

He looked... ooh la la. That's the only sound that played in her head as she checked him out. The vest fit him snug, snug enough for her to see the abs that were starting to form, his biceps an already distracting factor for her.

Why won't he just wear the jacket so I can take my eyes off him. WHY?!

"Tu..." Shiva gulped, and stood taller, seeing that she was openly checking him out, giving her more to stare at, his signature smirk making way. "Tujhse kuch kehna hai."

"Bol."

"Keh du?" He stepped closer, his nose almost touching hers.

"Bol de."

"Tune..." He leaned forward, his hands coming to rest on her bare waist.

"Maine..." She whispered, her hand on his shoulder, jumping under his nimble touches on her waist.

"Dono..."

"Mhmmm."

"Dono..."

"Dono?"

"Galat joote pehne hai." Shiva raised his head, and chuckled.

Raavi smirked, letting herself remain enveloped in his arms as she reached in to her purse.

"Maine jaan buchke kiya hai." She winked, as she removed the matching heel and dumped the sandal into her purse, standing taller, but not as tall as Shiva.

"What?" Shiva pouted, wondering how she made that checkmate move.

"Shiva! Hrithik Roshan banke aaya, lekin teri heroine kaisi dikhti hai woh bhi yaad nahi!" Raavi said, twirling around, hoping he'd get the hint.

When he looked at her with a weird expression, she clicked her tongue. "I'm Kareena Kapoor from K3G, you stupid gadheda. Same gaane ke outfits pehne hai hum dono ne!"

"Acchaaaa!" Shiva nodded in realisation.

Aah. Yes. Isliye itna familiar tha. Okay, enough talking and thinking.

Glad about the dim lighting, he whisked her away to a green room in the far end of the room, and clicked it shut, caging her between the door and him.

"Kuch zyaada hi hot lag rahi ho." He whispered, sending tingles down her spine.

"Then I think you should do something about it, no?" Raavi whispered back, locking her arms around his neck.

"Shut up and kiss me already, Raavi."

And she did just that. Raising herself on her toes, she flipped them over, so that he was trapped between her and the door, kissing him like he was the water to her parched soul.

Shiva smiled into the kiss, pulling her against him tightly, as she delved in for a deeper kiss, letting her take control.

She trailed kissed along the side and under his jaw, and stopped right near the crook where he hissed.

Bingo.

Raavi pressed a harder kiss, and he practically growled, his palms on her waist holding her roughly, mentally reminding himself not to leave any marks. His hands went around her waist, to her back and trailed lower, ghosting her bottom.

"Tell me if this is okay?" Shiva whispered, burying his head into her neck, kissing her softly under her ear.

Raavi was out of breath, her heart racing in excitement, and all she could do was whimper and nod.

"Muh se bol, I need to hear words." He said, his hands resting on her lower back.

"Yes. Please." Raavi croaked, his hands coming to rest on her bottom, and even she didn't know what sound she made in the back of her throat.

Until her kiss-induced brain realised-

"No wait." She broke the kiss, and Shiva raised his hands up, waiting for her to clarify. "Meri pant crease ho jaayegi."

"What?" Shiva asked in confusion, as she fixed her hair and dress.

"No, I mean I definitely want you to do it." She said, winking. "But I think tu bhul gaya hum prom attend karne aaye hai. Meri dress crease ho jaayegi."

She reached up and kissed him on the cheek, pushing him slightly to side and unlocking the door.

"See you on the dance floor, Shiva." Raavi sing-songed, winking at her very flustered bhoothnath.

"Hein?!" He let out a very battered breath, as she walked away. "NO, COME BACK HERE, CHIPKALI!"

Badla le rahi hai, chipkali ki bacchi. Not fair. He mentally groaned, his palms on his face. Shiva, beta, tu toh gaya.

.....

"Alright, alright, everyone on the dance floor!" The host of the evening called for everyone's attention, after an evening of interesting and fun activities.

"Welcome to the party, once again, and we are about to play a fun little game. How about a dance off?"

The crowed cheered on as he explained, "The game is a classic boys vs girls dance off. But, as the theme suggests, the songs all be from the 2000s, and one person has to do the hook step of the song, while everyone follows. Whoever does it best, gets the point. Bonus points if you are wearing a costume from the song. Alright?!"

Raavi whooped and made a peace sign with her fingers, pointing it from her eyes to him, and Shiva raised his non-existent collar in response.

The room parted, the lovely girls towards one end booing the boys at the other, as host got everyone ready for the first song.

The moment those drum notes played, all the guys gathered, pushing their Salman Khan-esque bandana wearing bakra forward.

Jeene ke hai chaar din, ohoooo

Baaki hai bekaar din, ohooo

Jeene ke hai chaar din, ohoooo

Baaki hai bekaar din, ohooo

All the boys got their handkerchiefs, jackets and anything they had, and stepped over it, holding it between their legs.

Jaaye jaaye, jaaye jaaye,

Ek baar jo jaaye,

Jawaani phir na aaye.

Hey, hey, jawaani phir na aaye.

In unison, they did the infamous towel step from when they were possibly babies, so effortlessly, and it looked hilarious, causing the whole room to erupt in applause, the boys very clear winning that round.

"Okay, ladies, time to buckle up, because they did that amazingly, no offense to you all. Hit it!"

The tinkering notes of the second note got the girls excited, sending forward their best dancer, in her Ariana Grande high pony, for the song, as they all followed her, the song reminding them of when they were kids watching the video on 9XM

Chori chori kiya re dil yeh dil liya re

Chori chori kiya re dil yeh dil liya re

Jaadu se jaadu kiya re kiya re

All the girls followed her, as she waved and danced, exactly like Aishwarya from the video, leaving the boys wondering what on earth was the step.

Jaagi soyi rahoon khoi khoi rahoon

Uski yaadon mein uske khwabon mein

Jhoome jiya re

The girls gathered around, all looking at each other to do a hook step they've been doing for a very long time.

Crazy kiya re

Crazy kiya re

Crazy kiya re

Ho crazy crazy kiya re

Together, they pulled off the step, in perfect coordination, as everyone else in the room was left to wonder why the step looked so similar to that one hook step of Kajra Re. Shimmying with their hands from their head to waist, the crowd cheered, the host announcing that the girls team won by a margin.

"Alright then, let's have one more song for the evening before we hit the DJ!"

The moment the song played, Raavi and Shiva didn't even think twice before stepping up, because it was like they stepped out from the music video.

Dekha Tumko Jab Se, Bas Dekha Tumko Yaara

Yea, Dekha Tumko Jab Se, Bas Dekha Tumko Yaara

Tumse Koi Achha Hai Na Tumse Koi Pyaara

Yun Nazre Na Phero Tum, Mere Ho Mere Tum

Shiva carried his step and swayed to the music, perfectly catching every beat and matching it with the steps of the song. After all, they didn't let their childhood go to waste either now.

He looked at Raavi as he sang the last line, before perfectly delving into character and hitting that famous step, the famous push and pull of their childhoods.

Keh Do Na, Keh Do Na, You Are My Soniya

Hey, Keh Do Na, Keh Do Na, You Are My Soniya

It was like he was singing this just for her, and Raavi buckled up. Sure, Kareena didn't have a hook step here, but that didn't mean she didn't have to do one.

Dekha Tumko Jab Se, Bas Dekha Tumko Yaara

Tumse Koi Achha Hai Na Tumse Koi Pyaara

Raavi shimmied her way to Shiva, lightly pushing him and walking around him, while singing, and he haughtily looked away.

Yun Nazre Na Phero Tum, Mere Ho Mere Tum

Keh Diya, Keh Diya, You Are My Soniya

And if Shiva was doing the step perfectly, Raavi was no less. She danced right in front of him, the push and pull step coming to her so naturally, raising her eyebrows to challenge him more, as he pulled her by her hand and completed the partner dance to the music in the background.

He twirled her around in his arms, and held her as she let herself fall into a finale step, as everyone hooted.

"Woah woah woah! Now how perfect was that?" The host said, and everyone cheered on, as Raavi and Shiva separated, teasing each other some more.

"But I have to give it to the lovely lady in red, who absolutely nailed it! Congratulations!"

Everyone won in good spirit, as the DJ played his set in the background and Raavi pulled Shiva to dance, grooving close to each other, laughing and enjoying their night with their friends, who were now dancing with them.

Shiva stepped away to the side after quite a while of dancing, and when Raavi called him back, he politely refused, taking a sip of his.... whatever he was drinking at this point, it wasn't alcohol at least.

Raavi danced around and grooved the music, feeling rather awry. As if something was going to happen. But she pushed that thought away and continued dancing, with some new friends she made during the dance off.

She took lot of care of dancing in her outfit, because she couldn't dance like a madman in this, it wasn't exactly in her comfort zone, but she felt rather confident and hot in it, so she rolled with it and the music, tying her hair up in a pony tail.

Suddenly she felt something snap, and her hand immediately went to her back, one holding the top from the front.

Shit.

Raavi closed her eyes in annoyance and alarm, immediately looking around to see if Mahi, Richa or Sakshi were around to help her, but she couldn't see them and hadn't seen them in quite a while. She didn't want to gather any attention, and this was a bearable issue.

The only thing holding that top together was her halterneck-

Snap.

Raavi lost it, swearing under her breath, tears pooling her eyes, as she reached up for her ponytail, but not being able to untie the damn hair without two hands, she walked away towards the only other person she could see from her group.

Shiva saw Raavi walking towards him very weirdly. Why were her hands over herself like that?

The moment she stepped closer, she walked right past him to stand behind him, hiding herself behind his large form, back facing his.

"Aye, chipkali." Shiva turned around to talk to her, and he swore he heard her sniffle. "Kya hua-"

He noticed how her back looked much more bare than it was, and stepped closer to cover her. "Kya hua?"

"Dress. Meri dress-" Raavi croaked, and pointed towards her back, and Shiva realised she had a malfunction. "Richa ya Mahi ko dekha?"

"Nahi. Maine toh nahi dekha." Shiva said, as he reached for her ponytail, and opened it so that her hair covered her back. "Chal."

He grabbed her purse, his hand on her lower back as he walked her to the green room, which some idiot had occupied and by the sounds of it, were heavily making out right about now.

Shiva swore under his breath, and pulled her to a corner where no one would notice them, and faced her back towards him, standing right behind her so that no one could see.

"Tere bag mein se pins nikaal raha hu." He said, and Raavi crinkled her nose.

"I don't have any pins."

"Hai. Mahi kuch daal ke gayi tere bag mein." Shiva looked in her purse and found a bunch of silver pins. Taking 2-3 pins, he put the rest in her purse and handed it to her, siding her hair so that it was all over her shoulder and front now.

"Top chod." Shiva said, tapping the hand on her lower back, and Raavi nodded vigorously.

"Gir jaayega, Shiva-" She sniffled, and Shiva clicked his tongue.

"Chod na, chipkali. I'm here. Mai kuch hone dunga kya?" He said softly, and Raavi complied.

Shiva took the ends of the top and inspected it; it was a matter of broken hooks. So he pinned it together securely. using the two pins he held.

"Ye theek hai?" He asked, keeping his hands on her shoulder, and she bent her head and nodded.

Shiva moved to inspect the upper half of her top, and realised it hadn't been ruined, the string got caught on one of the hooks and came undone on its own.

He tied it up and turned her around, fixing her hair and tapping her hand. "See? It's okay! Chipkali?"

Raavi looked up and nodded, before hugging him tight. "Thank you."

"Chal, thank you ki bacchi. Chup." Shiva chuckled, kissing the top of her head and rubbing her back. "You need a jacket? Mera sleeveless jacket bohot hi zyaada useless hai."

"Nahi." She giggled, breaking the hug, keeping her arms looped around his torso. "But I do need a waffle. Can we go eat waffles?"

"Okay." He held her hand, his thumb running over her knuckles, smiling. "Waffles, it is."

As they both walked away, happily ditching the party, a pair of angry eyes never left Raavi's form.

A pair of eyes that she hadn't seen in a long, long time.