'Aisa toh nahi tha ki isse zyada khoobsurat ladki maine dekhi nahi thi, par pata nahi kyun uske chehre se meri nazar hatt ti nahi thi'
~Veer zara

"Yes, dad?" I asked once I took my phone from Aradhya's hand. She had her eyes fixed on me with her lip between her teeth, a worried expression taking over her face and I frowned.

"Veer, do you even check your phone? Open your WhatsApp right away, I've sent you a link." My father had a 'no nonsense' tone which made me do exactly as he asked without a word and what I saw had my blood boiling in my veins.

'Rumoured to be the successor of Malik corporations, Ranveer Malik was seen chilling with his family and friends in Goa today. Amidst the speculations of him being the next CEO after his father Mr Raj Malik, the eligible handsome bachelor could be seen enjoying some much deserved quality time but here's something more interesting. Our cameras caught new faces of three young women in his circle and that has raised a lot of questions in our mind. Was one of them his potential love interest? Girlfriend? Like gen z loved to refer as 'fling'? Ranveer Malik has never been seen with a woman ever before outside of his family so this new angle has us hooked and we are eager to see if the bachelor no more remains a bachelor and who'd actually be the lucky girl? Is she one of these three women or we are simply reading too much between the lines? We'll keep you posted once we dig in more and get confirmations on that. Till then let's just hope not a lot of hearts get broken.'

There were a few pictures attached of all of us leaving the cafe we had our brunch in and I clenched my jaw, trying to take deep breaths and not let my anger get the best of me.

Like in hell they'll get to dig in information on Aradhya. I'll ruin them before they even think of doing anything like that. To think that it was one of the leading news portal of our country, it only angered me more. Instead of trying to cover something beneficial and actually worthwhile, they have now resorted to stalking and down class quick bites to garner attention.

"Veer!" Reyansh bhai called me out, now standing beside me and by the look on his face, I could tell that the news got to him as well.

"I know, I'm on call with dad!" I let him know before he could voice his thoughts out knowing very well that Aradhya was listening to everything attentively.

"I've had a call with the editor in chief, Veer, and I've requested—" Dad responded from the other end but I cut him off.

"Requested? Dad, they've been stalking us around. We should ideally put a charge on them for doing that." I tried to keep my voice low as I replied to dad, coming a little away. My anger only simmering up.

"Veer, I understand but we have to deal with this smartly and—" he tried knocking sense into me but I wasn't having any of it right now.

"Have you read the full article? They're talking about digging in more, dad. That means they'll try digging into Aradhya and I can't let that happen." I looked heavenwards as I replied, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"Calm down there, will you? I care for her just as much as you so tone down a little bit. You're talking to your father." He gritted from the other side and I closed my eyes, regret now weighing upon me.

"I'm sorry!" The apology was quickly followed and he hummed.

"Anger wouldn't take us anywhere so let me handle the matter smoothly. Before the day ends, the article will be removed and I'll make sure of that. You just take care of Aradhya. It isn't anything big but she'll be affected more or less I'm sure. Okay?" His words made me look behind where she now stood with my brother side hugging her. She looked up at me feeling my eyes and I passed her a small smile before tearing our gaze.

"Yes! Let me know when it's done and if there's anything I can help with then please call me!" With that I ended the call and closed my eyes, stuffing my hands in my pockets and breathing deeply.

Family is something I hold very close to my heart and I've always been highly protective and possessive about them like any good man would be but to think that I felt this surge of immense protectiveness for a person whom I'd hardly known for a month, it was crazy. The relationship we shared probably had a lot to do with that but somewhere from the corner of my heart I heard a voice saying it went beyond that. The fierce emotion of shielding her from every harm, small or big, the fact that I didn't fear killing or getting killed for her made me shudder for a second.

How far deep was I gone for this woman? Probably too far already to ever come out sane.

"What's happening?" Her soft, scared voice pulled me out of her thoughts as she now stood in front of me, both of her hands on my chest and she angled her face up to look me in the eye. The dreadful expression in her brown orbs feeling like a punch in my gut.

"Is everyone okay back home?" She whispered almost on the verge of tearing up and I at once pulled her in my arms, holding her close and she held me back tighter. She just had to think the worse, hadn't she?

"Nothing's happened to anyone, Adu. Relax, please. Everyone's fine and safe!" She tilted her head a bit back after I kissed her head, to look at my face.

"But there's something wrong, right? I can feel it. You look angry and even Raj uncle sounded a bit off on the phone, it's scaring me." Heaving a deep sigh, I tried composing myself because I'll be damned if I let my anger scare her more than she already is.

"Let's first go back to our place? We'll talk there, hmm?" Cupping her face, I requested and she contemplated for a moment before murmuring a low 'okay' . I dropped Reyansh bhai a message to take everyone back and with my hand around Aradhya's waist, I guided her to our car, opening the passenger door for her to get in. Once she was settled comfortably, I took my seat behind the wheel and strapped both of us with the seat belts.

"Is it something too bad? Tell me or else I'll go mad!" She looked ready to cry as she said that and I held both of her hands in mine.

"Shhh, it's nothing to worry about, cupcake! Please stop overthinking and once we reach our place, I'll tell you everything."

"Why can't you tell me now? I want to know what's happening?" She tried shaking her hands from me. Eyes pooling up and nose turning red but I tightened my hold.

"Can you trust me a bit on this and try calming yourself till we reach? I promise I'll tell you then!" She only looked away as I used my rather stern tone and I sighed. Keeping her right hand in mine, we waited for everyone else to join us and once they came, it was written all over their faces that they knew what had gone wrong but kept quite. For which I was really grateful.

"Aru?" Aarav stood by her side of the window, opening her door and cupping her face.

"Are you okay?" She threw her arms around her brother, shaking her head in no and taking huge breaths. She was trying to control her tears. Aarav looked up at me and I only nodded in negative, somehow understanding what he wanted to ask.

"It's okay. Calm down. Ghar jake baat karenge!" He tried breaking apart but she only tightened her hold, not leaving him.

"I'll sit with you!" With that, she went down the car and sat with him on the back seat, with Rachit. Tarun and Sahiba on the last seat, being silent all the while. From the rear view mirror, I had my eyes on her till she settled, side hugging Aarav and closing her eyes. Myru came out of nowhere and sat on the now empty passenger seat. With remaining people in the other car, I started the engine and we reached our air bnb in the next 20 mins. The whole journey being dead silent.

"Veer?" Meera bhabhi pulled me aside as we gathered in the living room and I looked at her to continue.

"Go, take her upstairs and talk aaram se. Gussa nahi karna hai aur zor se nahi baat karni hai. Am I clear?" She raised her forefinger and I frowned.

Konse gaon ka jahil dikhayi deta hu mein inhe? Mein gussa aur unchi aawaz uss ladki ke samne? Huh. Like that's ever happening in this life.

"Okay!" Obediently agreeing to her words, I nodded and going to my fiancé, I held her wrist, taking her upstairs and instead of my room, I pulled her in the room she was occupying and made her sit on the bed, closing the door afterwards.

"Here. Have some water!" I forwarded her the glass of water I filled but she shook her head,

"Nahi, I'm—" she noticed my glare and without another word, took the glass from my hand and had a few sips, giving it back to me. Taking a few gulps of water myself, I kept the glass away and knelt in front of her. My hands going around her hips, both of her legs enclosed between my knees and nose brushing with hers.

"Before I tell you, promise me you wouldn't panic and most importantly you wouldn't cry." I let her know that and she flared her cute nose, trying to glare at me.

"Jitna toh apne suspense bana diya hai na, I swear to god if it's not worth my overthinking than I'm so going to be angry with you!" I chuckled getting a glimpse of my Aradhya as that dread that has somehow gripped her, started leaving her body.

"Here!" With a sigh, I removed my phone and opened the article, handing it to her and she gulped before taking it from me. Her expression varying as she read on and once she was done, she was shocked to say the least. Her eyes wide and lips parted. Trying to process it in.

"Was someone—tapping—our every move?" She finally whispered after a long silence, keeping the phone away and holding my hands in her. Her skin had turned cold and I rubbed the back of her palm to provide some warmth.

"Unfortunately, yes!" She took in a shuddered breath at my answer and I moved more closer, dropping kisses on her cheek and jaw.

"But you don't have to worry about it. The article will be removed by today from everywhere. Dad will make sure of it." With my voice being soft and words calculative, I let her know and she looked at me silently for a few seconds.

"For how long are we planning to hide it?" Her unsure question left a bitter taste in my mouth because I wasn't here hiding her or our relationship or the fact that we were about to get married.

"We aren't hiding anything, Adu. Listen to me carefully. We'll just announce it when you are ready for the world to know. When you are ready to face the attention that comes with being attached to me, unfortunately!" Was she regretting her decision to do this in the first place? God, the way I felt myself getting insecure when it was her on the other side, it could kill me someday.

"Ranveer, no. There's nothing unfortunate with things that comes with you. They are as much mine to embrace as you are. Do you get me?" She cupped my face and we looked in each other's eyes. Her eyes reflecting the honesty of her words and I nodded silently, feeling a rush of relief washing over me as I kissed her forehead.

"It's just that I've never been in the limelight so I don't know how to handle it and I'm kind of panicking because of that. And the—article—it mentions that—they'll dig in—more to know who—are you involved with—"

"Shush!" I placed a finger on her lips, stopping her rant which was taking a terrified route again and I didn't like that. I didn't like her being scared of anything in this world.

"You know who that amazing woman is that I'm going to marry and that's all that I care about. As far as them coming after you is concerned then be rest assured, baby, they can't do that as long as I'm alive and standing with you. Do you trust me on that?" Holding her chin, I asked and she nodded without a second thought. Her hands fisting the collar of my shirt and eyes filling up now for a totally different reason.

My lips stretched into a smile at her nod and heart did a somersault inside my rib cage.

"And I'd never break your trust, ever. So please stop worrying and give me that dimpled smile of yours, please?" The colour on her cheeks came rushing back at my words as she hid her face in my chest making me smile. I let her be that way for a while, dropping kisses on her head and caressing her arms but then broke apart, cupping her face and raised my eyebrows.

She finally had some mercy on me and blessed me with her breathtaking smile. Groaning I gave a deep peck on her smooth lips before breaking apart with a suck and that itself was enough to leave her breathless while I smirked. Oh, to know what effect you had on your woman. It was a different high.

"Ranveer?" She called me out and I hummed, urging her to continue.

"Woh gadi mein, I left from my seat to be with Aarav bhai because I couldn't sit alone that time neither could I have been able to hug you since you were going to drive so I went to him. There was no other reason, okay?" I snuggled my face in her neck hearing her as I felt my chest lightening upon that.

"Thank god you clarified that because I was already thinking the worst things in my head!" She wrapped her hands around my shoulder with her fingers going in my hair and I held her tight in my arms as well, sighing in her comforting scent. Her scent feeling like home.

"I'm sorry! I didn't intent on making you feel that way!" She whispered, dropping a feather like kiss at the back of my ear and I hummed, that touch going all the way to my toes. No one said anything after that as we held each other, feeling each other's heartbeat and pattern of breathing.

"Uth ke upar baithiye. Get up!" She broke apart much to my dismay as I frowned and started pulling my hand but wasn't able to move even an inch of me. Giving up, she shot me an 'are you serious?' look and I only smirked before getting up on my own and sitting beside her on the bed.

She gestured with her hand for me to move back and I did, my back taking the support of the headrest before she pulled up her legs and made herself comfortable in my arms. Her hands tucked under her chin and legs folded to her chest. Feeling the need to have her even closer, I pushed my legs more wider for her to fit in and wrapped my arms around her curled up frame. Tightly holding her to me.

"Are you okay?" Seeing her silent for so long which wasn't exactly her nature, I asked, bumping my head with hers. She took a long sigh before looking up at me and blinking her eyes with a smile.

"Would this go on all our lives? Them following us around wherever we went and publishing it for the world to see and judge and form any opinion that they want?" Her question made me blank for a second before I kissed the back of her hand, nodding in no.

"We've always been away from the media gaze, cupcake. The limelight not being something any of us enjoyed and to an extent we always succeeded in keeping them at a distance because they never got the 'sensational news' from us that they kept looking for. But there are times like these when they go to any extent for headlines and TRPs like today. They wouldn't care what we'll be doing few months down the line because then they'll have another scrape goat ready. But you don't have to worry about anything. They so much as think of touching you and I'll burn them down." Keeping my voice in check so that the girl in my arms didn't get scared, I muttered looking ahead with clenched jaws.

Just the image of them coming after her like leeches made me want to murder someone. I've been possessive all my life but Aradhya unlocked a whole different level of possessiveness in me wherever she was concerned.

"Calm down. Nothing's going to happen to me. I can handle a few paparazzis here and there. Let me have my main character feels till it lasts!" She rubbed my jaw making me look down at her and tried bringing down the tension surrounding me with her words. And it worked with the way I felt myself smiling seeing her smile.

Over my dead body would I ever let anything happen to this precious smile of hers.

"Besides I didn't knew I was marrying a borderline celebrity here!" A chuckled left past my lips at her unique choice of words and she giggled as well, her eyes looking over me softly that made me pull her closer. She hid her face in my neck, breathing peacefully there and I gulped closing my eyes, feeling her warm breath hit my skin.

~~~

"Let's play 21!" Myru jumped on her place with an excited voice. Tarun and Sahiba groaning but Sahil flicked her forehead making her whine.

"Reyansh bhaiiiii!" She made a crying face looking at our elder brother who only glared hard at Sahil before rubbing the spot and the girl smiled cheekily, showing Sahil her tongue. I was the brother who pulled her leg like anything so naturally she was spoiled rotten by Reyansh bhai.

"Tu kabhi creative nahi ho sakti kya? Jab dekho tab 21 ka jhanda leke khadi ho jati hai!" Sahil narrowed his eyes at her and she glared right back at him. Preet pulled her in her arms with her own glare which was for my best friend.

"Indoor games ke naam pe kya horse riding kare hum yaha pe? She made a good choice, we should play 21!" Sahil had a befitting reply ready from the way he now burned a hole in Preet with his stares but Kaira pulled him beside her probably sensing the upcoming ww3.

"Shant, gadadhari Bheem, shant! Let's settle on 21. Been long having played that!" She exclaimed and everyone nodded, Sahil a little begrudgingly as Preet smirked, throwing her hair back.

Finally there was someone who could make my best friend taste his own medicine. I was all in for the drama.

It was late in the evening and everyone of us were settled in the living room with mattresses spread down, in a circle. After coming down from the room, Aradhya was taken away from me and the girls kept her with them. Asking if she was good and then talking about everything that they could. It was probably to keep her mind diverted and I was grateful for that because I didn't want her overthinking brain to go in an ugly spiral. In between that I got dad's call that the article was taken down and the matter was closed. I informed the same to everyone and they were all thankful about that. Aradhya looked a lot relaxed and was now coming back to normal like she was before this stupid fiasco happened.

The only reason I let the people responsible for this blunder go easily is because my dad was handling the matter and indirectly he had asked to stay away so I did. Lord help me if they do something like this again, they'll be dealing with me.

"Okay so everyone knows how to play 21 but let me just revise it for y'all so that there's no room for confusion." Myru let us know with an air of attitude and we only laughed while she continued.

"So it's really simple. One of us starts with saying the number 1 and the person who'd be the last to say 21 will have to choose between truth or dare, whatever they like. One person can only say upto three numbers together and not more than that. Is it clear?" We nodded our heads in sync and she sat back down.

"Truth and dare khelne ka tarika thoda cazual hai!" My nose scrunched up in disgust upon Sahil's pathetic accent but apparently it was something really funny with the way the girls where laughing holding their stomach. Aradhya high fived with the chooza from where she sat but seeing Myru's huffed face, she sobered up back to glaring at Sahil.

"Disclaimer to keep everything pg13. And I hope I don't have to elaborate as to why!" Sahiba smiled a little too sweetly and we knew what she meant. We had our siblings here. We were in no mood to put up a show and see them being traumatised for life.

"Ye vegetarian truth and dare mujhe nahi khelni!" Sahil declared, going to stand up but Tarun pulled him back making him land on his butt rather harshly.

"Vegetarian nahi vegan truth and dare. Stick it up your ass and shut it. Let's start, guys!" Tarun gestured and everyone laughed at Sahil's comical expression. Finally we started the game and we decided to go clockwise with Rachit being the first one to start.

Rachit: One

Myra: Two

Aarav: Three, four

Aradhya: five, six, seven

Meera bhabhi: eight, nine

Reyansh bhai: ten, eleven

Sahiba: twelve

Preet: Thirteen, fourteen

Oh. This was getting interesting.

Kaira: fifteen *she passed a look to Sahil* sixteen, seventeen.

I looked at both the buffoons I call my best friends and I knew I was their first target.

Sahil: eighteen, nineteen.

He smirked in my direction and I glared hard in return. He better sleeps with his eyes open tonight because I was so going to kill him.

Tarun: Twenty!

He patted by back loudly, smiling like a donkey and I rolled my eyes at their drama.

Me: 21

"Abhi maza aayega na, bhidu!" Sahil jumped coming in front of me and rubbing both of his hands as if a devil. A soft chuckle reaching my ears and knowing who it belonged to, I tilted my head to look at her and she stopped smiling with her finger on her lips.

I wanted to pull her close and kiss the fuck out of her cute face.

"Kiss Aru for five minutes!" Kaira exclaimed and I whipped my head in her direction with the speed of light. Did she hear my inner thoughts or what? But I could do that.

Mein toh ek pair pe khada hu woh karne ke liye.

"WHAT?" - Aarav

"No way!" - Reyansh Bhai

"Pleaseeeee, my poor eyes!" - Myru

The three of our siblings shouted together and my fiancé went red, hiding her face in her palms. Preet smacked the back of Kaira's head.

"I meant on the cheeks, guys, relax!" Rubbing the spot her best friend hit, Kaira murmured with gritted teeth and we shook our heads.

"There's no fun in that and he has not even decided what he wants. So, Ranveer, mere sher, mere chiteh, truth or dare?" Sahil dismissed her and turned to me with an over enthusiastic smile.

"Dare!" I chose with an eye roll and they hooted. Aradhya's gaze fixed on me.

"Ohhhh! Gutsy. Okay, I'll give him a dare!" Sahiba padded on her knees and came to where I sat .

"You have to keep it pg13!" Rachit reminded her from beside me and she only gave him a glare before turning back to me. She thought for a few minutes on her dare before the bulb in her head lit up and she widened her eyes.

"Send Suhani aunty a text saying it's not working out with Aru and you want to cancel the wedding." I almost flinched at her words. My stomach churning in the worst ways possible just imagining that even though it wasn't going to happen ever.

"Are you mad? I'm not doing anything like that!" My answer was firm as I denied with clenched jaw. Sahiba pouted like a duck looking beside me to her fiancé.

"Chal na, Veer. Don't be a spoilsport. Do it. It's nothing big." Tarun tried persuading me but I didn't budge.

"Yaar ye tou galat hai. Pg13 rakhne ke baad bhi ye itna simple sa dare nahi kar raha. Why are we even playing this game then?" Sahil cribbed like a five year kid that he actually was and everyone nodded.

"Kar de naaaa! Aunty ka reply aayega toh bata dena it was a dare. Big deal!" Sahiba held my hand giving me her puppy eyes and I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. It might look stupid but it was a big deal for me. How would I explain that to them? Aradhya's stare made me look at her and she smiled a little, blinking her eyes.

"First and the last time. Our relationship isn't up to be played around with." As if I was only waiting for some kind of approval from my fiancé, I agreed and everyone hooted.

I dropped a message to my mom exactly writing what Sahiba said and with utter disagreement, sent it to her then kept my phone aside. It pinged with a message and I looked for it to be from Aradhya. I casted her a glance and she gestured to my phone.

Adhya: Smile now, grumpy man. You look more approachable that way🙄

Biting my lower lip to stop the smile that wanted to appear on my face, I typed back a reply and sent it to her.

Me: The only one I want to be approachable for is you, Adu!

She rolled her eyes as she read that but the creeping blush on her cheeks couldn't be missed.

Adhya: Flirt. 😒

I chuckled and sent back my two word reply which made her shake her head with a blooming smile.

Me: Haq hai❤️

She didn't reply and I smirked looking nowhere else but her, keeping the phone back and we continued with the game. Since I was the one who said the last number, I started the next round and this time Kaira was the one who got the last number. Karma was a really nice thing.

"So Kira khira, truth or dare?" She narrowed her eyes at me as I smirked.

"Truth!" She chose with a huff and everyone cheered, hyping her up. Oh, I actually hoped she'd choose that.

"Do you have a crush on anyone currently? *she widened her eyes* and if yes then is that person present here in this room?" She looked as if she's seen a ghost at my question and I rolled my tongue in my cheek. I've seen her glancing at Rachit quite a few times. I think all of us have at this point so I was only helping her in a way. Trying to play the Cupid as they said.

The answer was clear as day because there are only three single men in here. Aarav bhai who is more or less like her brother. Sahil who has been her chaddi buddy since they've met so it only leaves Rachit in question.

"Come on, what are you waiting for? Christmas?" Preet asked, wriggling her eyebrows suggestively. She's taking her revenge with Kaira for siding with Sahil most of the time.

"Okay. Yes, it's Rachit. Happy? Go dance around in the whole house now!" She finally admitted and everyone hooted, clapping around. Giving me a last deadly glare, she sat back at her place and I only shrugged with a small smile. Rachit beside me looking here and there and not saying anything. Poor guy was embarrassed for his whole life.

Adhya: You're bad😭

I looked up in her direction at her message and she passed me a disappointed look.

Me: I can be the worst, Cupcake!

Smacking her head seeing my reply, she kept her phone back and I chuckled to myself. We resumed the game and the next scrape goat was Meera bhabhi.

"She'll take truth. Kuch toofani karne ki zarurat nahi hai." Reyansh bhai gave her a look and she rolled her eyes.

"I'll take truth guys. Can't afford his blood pressure going up." He kissed her temple in return making us shout and that made bhabhi to blush like anything.

"I'll ask, I'll ask!" Aradhya raised her hand up and everyone nodded for her to go ahead.

"What's one of the worst and best thing about Reyansh bhai according to you?" Meera bhabhi made a thinking face on that and bhai had all his attention fixed on his wife.

"The worst thing would be his habit of getting angry but I can't really blame him on that because that's just in their blood!" She pointed at us sibling and others chuckled at our expense.

"The best thing would be his ability to never stop caring for me no matter how big of a fight we have. I mean there have been instances where we get into an ugly fights and I just don't feel like looking at his face but he makes sure I'm taken care of even then. He believes it's always us against the problem and not us against each other!" Reyansh bhai wrapped one arm around bhabhi's frame, pulling her closer and kissed her head.

Aradhya looked at me and I passed her a smile. I'll make sure it's us against the problem and not us against each other in our relationship as well. Simply because did anything matter more than her? The answer was straight up no.

We resumed our game and finally this time it was Aradhya who ended up saying the last number.

"She should dance. She dances like a penguin!" Aarav laughed and she punched his chest with a mean glare.

"No one asked you for suggestions and I'm choosing truth!" Smiling a little too sweetly at him, she decided.

"Darpok toh tu hamesha se thi, aaj prove bhi kar diya!" Aarav flicked her nose and she groaned like a little cub.

"I'm not interested in proving my bahaduri today. Kisi aur din aana!" We laughed at that before she turned ahead flicking her hair back at his face.

"Acha, I'll ask you a question!" Myru came ahead and Aradhya nodded.

"What's a deal breaker for you in a relationship. Be it platonic or romantic! You can't say cheating because that goes without saying!" I raised my eyebrows because it was a genius question. At times like these Myra proves that she has some of my brains as well.

"Lying!" Aradhya replied without a second thought.

"That's it? No elaboration?" Myra questioned and got a shrug in return.

"Isn't it self explanatory? You lie and you lose not only my trust but also me!" The boys hooted at her reply whereas Reyansh bhai chuckled.

"Tell 'em, gurl!" Kaira

"Meri behen!" Preet

"I need that on a t-shirt!" Sahiba

The three of them said together, standing up and bowing dramatically in front of her which made her laugh, hiding her face. Feeling my heated gaze settled only on her, she removed her hands looking at me with raised eyebrows and I shook my head slightly, my bottom lip between my teeth.

"I choose dare guys. Let's make this interesting now!" Sahil threw his hands up when the number ended on him.

"Video call Aisha and tell that you love her and you are ready to marry her!" As soon as he registered my words, all the colours drained from his face. Tarun laughed hysterically looking at his face and gave me a high five.

"He looks constipated hearing your words!" Tarun wiped his tears away as he tried controlling his laughter and I was having a hard time myself.

Aisha was a girl from our college who was obsessed and I mean OBSESSED with Sahil to a point that she spread rumours that he was going to marry her after we graduated. That was a nightmare for Sahil because he'd rather die than get tied up to a girl for his whole life.

Tarun narrated this to everyone and they were rolling on the floor. Preet the most.

"Bhai, tu meri jaidaad lele par ye mat karwa please!" He was almost begging before me but did I budge? No.

"Mere paas bhagwan ka diya hua sab kuch hai. Tu phone laga fatafat!" With a bored tone, I gestured him to get done with it and he threw daggers at me.

"Kutte, you know she's a psycho. I've gotten rid of her very hardly. Please don't do this!"

"You wanted to make this interesting, right? So go on, do it." Tarun urged him to hurry up and got a curse in return.

"Kuch aur dedo? Ye hi Kyu?" He tried pathetically.

"Fine. Talk nice things about Preet for five minutes!" I challenged with a mean smirk.

It was 'Aage kuan piche khayi' for him.

"I'll call Aisha!" A loud gasp left past Preet's lips at his answer as he removed his phone, going through his contacts. My best friend would've been ten feet under the ground with the way Preet was glaring at him.

Tarun and I smiled in victory but before Sahil actually calls Aisha, he threw the phone away and ran, kneeling in front of Aradhya, holding her feet. She shrieked not expecting that.

"Aru, please save me. Just give him one look and I know he'd back off. You're my only hope, Aru, please!" If anyone saw this 28 years old billionaire begging for his life, they wouldn't believe their eyes.

"Get up, you bastard!" I moved to him and tried pulling him up with his collar but he didn't budge.

"Mera brahmastra hai ye, mere tinke ka sahara. Mein tab tak nahi uthunga jab tak ye tujhe mana nahi leti tera dare wapas lene se." He kept lying on the floor near her feet and I smacked my head.

What kind of donkey did I have in the name of friend?

"Sahil, have you gone mad? Get up!" Aradhya tried pulling him up by his arms but he shook his head.

"You don't know the power you have over this guy, Aru. Your one look could bring him on his knees as well." Her cheeks flared up to the darkest shade of red at his words and I was somewhere enjoying that.

The bastard was wasn't wrong though!

"Okay. Okay. Stop your theatrics and get up. He wouldn't make you do the dare!" She gave her words so now I wouldn't. Yeah, it was that simple.

"You promise?" He looked up for confirmation.

"Yes. Now please get up!" She sighed and he finally stood up with a pathetic smile and cleaning imaginary dirt from his cloths while I rolled my eyes. But the next second a pillow came flying right on his face, hitting exactly on his nose and he groaned, hunching in pain. All of us laughing at the surprise attack which Preet did.

Serves his overdramatic ass right.

Aradhya giggled loudly, her hands hiding away that beautiful smile of hers from my eyes. Her face was completely red with the happiness she felt. She moved close to Sahil in an attempt to see his nose but only pulled it more, laughing loudly and making others laugh even more. My lips stretching into a smile I had no control over. Her happiness was contagious that you could only give in. I was glad that her mood wasn't sullen anymore and I prayed to the almighty to always keep her this way. Blooming and flourishing at her best.

•••

Sooooooo? No one could actually guess what might've happened. Hehe!

But I hope the chapter was worth it?

Do tell me your favourite scene and don't forget to leave your precious votes.

Till then bye and take care 🫶🏼