That night after her parents had went to bed, Sanam told Esha everything that had happened with her and Arjun since they met again in Canada when she had gone there for a conference. She also told him about Parth and everything with his parents, including the ring and how she really felt about it all. Even if they didn't have a good relationship with their parents, they were very close with each other and knew they could be real with the other. To say, the two had raised each other: Sanam more than Esha as she was older than Esha by 6 years.

Esha asked, "If you feel so bad, why are you still doing this? I haven't had any one-on-one talks with Arjun but from what I see, he's a nice guy."

Sanam nodded in agreement. "He is. He's not a spoiled rich brat or anything. He says he used to be, but since I've known him, I've never once seen a glimpse of that. I didn't know him that well when I asked him this. I used to think it'd be easy. I was just thinking about not wanting to get married to whoever dad picked because we both know, he's conservative and he'd get me married into a family just like that."

Esha knew all about what Sanam felt about that so she calmly tried to explain, "Sanam, I do know how much your independence and career means to you, but do you really want to be responsible for what you're about to do? You're not that person; we both know that."

Sanam sighed in frustration at her conflict. "But mom and dad are not leaving me another choice! And Arjun... if he had an issue, he'd tell me right? But he hasn't and I have no idea what he's thinking. He's so casual about it all, but then he went and said all that to dad. It's hard for me to figure him out."

Esha turned in bed to face her, "Then just ask him, simple. That's what I'd do. It's better to ask then keep wondering in confusion."

Sanam knew how much her sister valued clarity and simplicity. She hated complications in life. She lived her life in black and white. She didn't leave room for gray areas. But there was a problem with that. She wasn't Esha. "You know how much I hate confrontations." Sanam knew there weren't ever simple answers to things.

"Then I guess you just have to go with the flow. As long as you remain straight with Arjun about this being just an arrangement you've both agreed on, I don't see a problem." She added, sleeping on her back and muffling a yawn. "Besides, you'll get busy with your studies like you always do and then you forget about everything else. Whatever guilt you're feeling will go away."

Sanam sighed though she couldn't go to sleep easily. She kept turning and switching sides, the lack of a clear conscious knocking at her core.

~

A few days later...

A lady in her late twenties was barking orders as Sanam and Esha entered Arjun's house. She asked, confused. "Um, who is she?"

"Oh, your choreographer, of course." The lady answered, grinning at her.

"Hmm?" Sanam asked, raising her brows. "Now why would I need a...?"

"Anaya's 18th birthday party? Also, your engagement announcement is going to be made official. It's going to be a huge event for the Mehta's, ofcourse." Her reply had Sanam once again realize the connections his family has. It would be a big deal.

It had been a week since her parents had caved and decided to meet Arjun's parents. The four of them had decided the engagement happen the same day at Anaya's 18th birthday to make it even special. Sanam still felt that they weren't completely accepting of this, but they weren't making her life miserable either by forcing her to meet the other guy. Arjun's words must have really affected them.

Arjun sheepishly accepted, "Um, yeah. I might have forgotten to tell you about this. My friend Duke is pretty excited about attending a full-fledged Indian wedding and all, and after seeing it in bro's wedding, he was pretty adamant. I'd asked others not to tell you until you were free. Akira has been choreographing others for a few days now."

"I see." Sanam muttered silently sending glares to Neha and Rahul. Why did the two of them have to be so in love when they got married? She had nothing against dancing. She loved it, in fact. The only thing was, she had never danced with a partner and never a romantic dance. It's always been in a group and mostly the full-on Bollywood dances.

Akira, the choreographer, had the four of them in the middle of the room while she went to put a CD in her laptop. "I've never done this before." She told Arjun.

He nodded, "It's not hard. Follow me?"

"Okay." Sanam was a bit uncertain though. She remembered previous times when he touched her and how it affected her. Being close to him, she had a feeling, was going to get just twice as worse as previous times. For, before, those were mere moments. Now, it's going to be for minutes.

"Kay, get together," Akira instructed. Neha and Rahul effortlessly stood in front of each other holding each other. Sanam barely even looked at Arjun as he reached for her hand. Knowing the basic stance, she put her other hand on his shoulder. His other hand lightly lingered on her waist.

"I have a feeling I'm going to step on you." She muttered and heard him chuckle. She had heard it before but being right in front of him when he did make it sound different. It sounded more melodic than ever. It made her look up at him and the height difference dawned on her. Standing next to each other, it's not as visible as it is when standing in front of him, as she had to tilt her head up.

"It's fine, sweetheart. And relax, okay? It's just a dance." He tried to calm her down but it didn't really work.

Sanam felt as if this was the first time she was noticing how hazel his eyes really were, this close up. There were even flickers of amber, compelling her from blinking away and instead just keep gazing into them because even though his words don't, a thing she saw in them did calm her nerves. Something was tugging at her strings, telling her she had no reason to be nervous.

Suddenly, a hand came in between their faces and snapped fingers. It caused them both to blink and look at the source, Akira. "Not that I want to interrupt your romance session, but we're on a tight schedule here lovebirds." She commented in a teasing tone, making Sanam lower her eyes and stare at their feet. In response, Arjun simply cleared his throat, while the rest snickered and chuckled at their expense.

"Just a dance. Right." Sanam muttered, mocking his previous statement.

At first, they just swayed side to side. After a few seconds, Akira instructed, "Reel in and back out." From where they stood, arms stretched and holding hands, Arjun tugged it. She turned in and came to stand in front of him, hands in front of her while he hugged her from behind. That position flashed her back to the moment at the beach... his lingering kiss on her shoulder.

His hand slipped out of the one he was holding and held the other one, using it to roll her out on the other side. He then took a step towards her and so did she as they returned to their previous basic stance. "See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" He cooed, trying to make her comfortable.

She smiled back in response trying to be confident when the truth was: he had just stolen her breath away. Where in the world, and when, did he learn to do that so effortlessly? Akira didn't waste a second into moving on to the next step. Most of them easy, until it comes to the point where it's all compiled and Sanam needed to remember what step came at which point, syncing it with the beats and the music. Learning to perform a surgery seemed easier to her in that moment. All the lifts Akira had them doing were really having a toll on her.

Akira stood next to them, her hands on her hips. "What?" Arjun asked.

She shook her head at them, disappointed. "Seriously, you two. You're engaged. Stop looking away and instead look at each other like you were before. That's where half the chemistry is created!" Sanam had to fight to not flinch at her scolding tone. She can be quite scary when she did that. "Now do it right this time."

The two of them nodded, and Sanam lifted her gaze to look at him. He raised his brows to ask if she was ready, and she nodded back in answer. Her hands went around his neck while his rest on the side. They performed the steps, this time, not once breaking eye contact. It made her heart flutter the way he looked at her. It was something she wasn't able to comprehend. It was in a way making it hard for her to breathe, for it dawned on her suddenly.

She was aware her life would change once her parents agreed, but she didn't realize just how much until this moment. She had run from guys her whole life, afraid that she could have feelings and it was going to distract her away from her goals. And then she had gone and gotten Arjun involved, thinking it wouldn't happen. Yet, that was exactly what was happening.

~

Sanam was sitting in the living room on the couch, just watching others continue their group rehearsal. "What are you thinking about?" She looked up when he asked, taking a seat next to her. His arms went behind her on the couch as she turned to face him.

"How come none of this is freaking you out?" She folded her legs underneath her.

"What exactly? The party?"

She shrugged, "Yeah, I guess that. I mean, why are we getting married right now?"

He joked, "Guess your dad still thinks I'll leave you otherwise."

She swatted his shoulder, "Be serious, will you? I'm freaking out here! This was never a part of the plan! It was meant to be just a registered marriage to get my parents off my back. But now, with so many people involved..."

He put his hand on her knee, "Sweetheart, it's just my parents' way of showing affection, and also to let the world know you're going to be a part of the family now. It doesn't change anything between us. We agreed on keeping it simple. Signing the marriage certificate is just a formality." He could see her mind wasn't at ease, so he offered, "Okay. What do you think about sneaking out for the rest of the day? Away from all of this?"

She was hesitant, "Everyone will be upset with us."

He pointed out, "Who cares? Do you remember how we first met? You were dancing through the groom's procession even though you weren't from the grooms' side. Did you think about upsetting others then?"

She chuckled recalling that, "No, but I didn't have much of a choice then. Esha had already run off. I had to follow her, make sure she wouldn't get herself in trouble."

He dismissed that argument and offered another, "We're adults, and both of us honestly need some space from all of this."

She looked at Neha and Rahul and decided within a few seconds. "You know what? Let's go." She was already doing the unthinkable with this scam. Sneaking out was nothing in comparison.

He was confused for a second but then grinned. "That's my girl." He complimented, obviously happy with her decision. "Grab your coat. I'll get the keys." He got up and left for his room.

~

Arjun and Sanam were at an indoor basketball facility. He'd claimed it was one of his usual hang-out spots when he needed to get away from the world. It was proven true when they had entered and the employees at the front desk talked to him as if they had known him for years. He swiped his member card, and they were inside.

He picked up a basketball. "Do you play?"

She laughed, more at herself. "Sports and I don't get along."

"It's not that hard." He pointed out.

She shook her head, "Trust me, I'm better sticking to running for a workout, instead of playing sports."

"We're going to change that today." He informed, and before she could react, he took her hand and pulled her off the bleachers. He placed the basketball in her hands, urging her to throw it at the hoop.

"Arjun..."

"Don't be a Debbie downer." He warned, and turned her around so she was standing facing the hoop. "Just throw. No one here is judging you."

"Fine." She mumbled and planted her feet firmly on the court. She threw the ball, and ofcourse it didn't go in. She knew it wouldn't. The unexpected part was when it hit the ring and bounced right back to hit her on the forehead.

Her palms covered the area. "Ah, crap. Are you okay?" He asked, coming to stand in front of her.

She laughed as she lightly pressed her fingers to it to see if it is bruised, "I told you, we don't get along."

"Let me see." He spoke in a soft voice, pushing her hand aside so he could. His face cringed instantly.

"What? That bad?" She questioned, uncertain whether she wanted to know the answer to that.

"Uh... no? No, it's not... it's not that bad." He fumbled, making her roll her eyes.

"Please don't try to lie when you're so horrible at it." She advised, then asked, "Can I see your phone?"

He pulled it out of his pockets and handed it over. She opened the camera app to see the damage herself. "Eek." Her mouth let out on its own. "That looks horrible."

He instructed, "I'm going to go get ice. Stay here, and don't dare touch a basketball again ever in life no matter how much anyone insists."

She laughed at his exaggeration but winced slightly as she felt the pain of the bruise. "Hurry please." She really needed that ice. It's going to leave a nasty bump otherwise. She went to go sit on the bleachers. She was about to close out of his camera app when a notification badge popped up.

Leann: Don't forget. 12:30 tomorrow.

Well, that couldn't be cryptic enough. She was slightly curious but locked the phone. She looked around to see if she could spot him. The phone vibrated again with a second message from the same person.

Leann: And you should seriously consider about telling her.

Telling her? Who?

"Here..." He heard his voice and looked up to see him approaching her. He pressed it lightly to her forehead, sitting on one knee to match her height.

"Thanks." She took it in her hands and he let go.

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have forced you." He apologized.

She shook her head, "Hey, don't do that. It's not your fault I can't throw." His lips pressed together to force a smile, but she could tell he still felt guilty. "Oh here, your phone." She handed it over using her free hand.

He didn't bother to check if he had messages. He simply took it and stuffed it in his pocket. "Do you want to leave? We can go back home."

"Are you kidding? Heck no. I don't want to go back where I will be forced to dance. We can stay."

"And do what?" He questioned.

She questioned back, "What do you normally do when you're here? Go play a game with those guys." She suggested, already knowing some of the guys playing on another court knew him and were his friends.

"It's okay. We'll go someplace else. I'm not leaving you here to sit by yourself. Besides, we came out to spend time together." He tried to object.

"Arjun, I'll have a nice time watching you play too. Besides, I've got a nasty looking forehead right now. Let's not embarrass me further by going someplace else and forcing others to witness the horror."

He lightened, "Hey, it doesn't look as bad."

"Let me just ice it," She appreciated his attempt to make her feel better but she still nudged him to get up, "Go play."

He did, but asked again, "Sure?"

"Yes!"

"Okay, one game." He informed, emptying his pockets and leaving his wallet, keys, and phone beside her. Then he walked over to the court where others were. They paused the game, shaking hands with Arjun. A couple of them look over at her, and then Arjun does too after they say something. She assumed it was to ask who she was. She couldn't hear what he said. They split teams again and restarted the game.

The screen of Arjun's phone must have lit up more than ten times before she lost count of it. She wondered just how popular was he, and how many friends he had. After the first three times, she had to compulsively hold herself back from looking over to see whose message it was.

Her palms really did twitch to pick up his phone and check though. He hadn't explicitly said how many friends he had or such, but he had made a comment long back that made her a bit hesitant.

As they were in the car, driving back to her apartment, she asked. "So what's your plan for tomorrow?"

"There's a couple of meetings in the morning dad wants me to attend with him, so that. Why?"

She realized she was trying to probe him for answers regarding the message she had happened to read accidentally. "I was thinking we could get lunch or something?"

"Oh."

"Oh?" She questioned his reaction. That's it?

"I mean, I'd love to... but I already promised Parth I'd have lunch with him."

"Okay." Her voice was not as chirpy as it had been the whole day. He just lied to her. She concluded he wouldn't have lied if lunch with this Leann person wasn't as big of a deal. At first, she thought it might be a business lunch, but then there would be no need to lie.

"But hey, how about dinner?" He offered.

She wasn't in the mood anymore. "I don't know. I'll let you know?"

"Okay." He answered with a smile and continued to focus on driving. It doesn't seem as if his mood was affected at all. She wondered if he even felt guilty about lying. She knew he had secrets and he still hadn't tried really opening up to her. She barely managed to smile and say goodnight when they reached her apartment.

It really did bother her.

~

authors note;

Ah, Arjun! Things were going so well for you until you lied... Any guesses on why he lied and who Leann is now? Haha, I know you probably want to know about the nightmares, Jiyah, and his past and I keep bringing up other things but trust me, it'll all fit together eventually! :D Hopefully the mystery keeps you hooked!

Next update is meant to be on Saturday, but depending on response to this chapter and my mood, I may update earlier ;)