Author's POV

"Priya seems to be like the prime suspect now." Ayushi focused on her thoughts while licking the lollipop in her mouth.

"Before that, Why are we having lollipops like kids? It is embarrassing," Pranav said, covering his face as if that would help.

Ayushi looked at him a whole minute before saying,"You have a weird pride. Lollipops are good and anyway, this is the free stuff. You should all the more enjoy it." 

After hearing her, Pranav just laughed out, nodding,"Well, it's actually good." He broke into a smile which weirded out Ayushi but she could only mumble as he licked on the lollipop."Why is my heart beating so fast?" 

She patted her chest just to get rid of weird thoughts. When she looked to her right, she was mesmerised to see Pranav, clad in his workplace suit with a black bag in his hand. It was like she was seeing him in a new light; Fascinated and wondering if he had been this handsome all this time.

"Are you listening?" He waved his hands before Ayushi who snapped out of her thoughts.

"What?" 

"I was saying that if that co-worker of yours is talking to Priya. It's suspicious. #1 She is a celebrity and normally she wouldn't randomly meet reporters in a restaurant, would she? #2 Her character is similar to villains so it's obvious that she may pay him to bring disgrace to Maya's name." 

Ayushi listened to him and all this made sense. Prakash also belongs to the Broadcasting team 2 which is all the more suspicious due to the floating rumours.

She unconsciously turned around to see her ex and her girl having an argument. She quickly hid behind the lamppost nearby, signalling Pranav to join her.

Pranav, at first was confused, but later when he saw them together he too hid behind the lamppost. 

Ayushi looked at Pranav and thought it was the right time to show her skills too. She pulled out Pranav and whispered in his ears,"Play begins." 

She pulled him with her and before Pranav could even blink his eyes, he was right in front of her ex."Hey, you both are still here? Let's eat somewhere together. Today is our official first day of date. Let's celebrate." She shouted with zeal, turning to Pranav, smiling like a love sick.

"Ah… Should we? Then we should. Guys join us." He joined her in her act. He felt a weird connection with her like fate. He had always been telling himself that it was just because Ayushi was acquainted with her little sister. That is why he must care, he should help her. 

He realized lately that he didn't feel the same anymore. Should he say that he is now willing to do anything for her?

★★★

"Why are the items so costly here? Why?" Pranav muttered to himself, scanning through the menu to find a cheaper dish for himself. 

He looked down in his wallet to see the five thousand rupees sticking out of it. His face turned pale and he seriously needed to get out of the uncomfortable atmosphere of the room with Ayushi and her ex trying to throw daggers at each other with their glares. 

"Excuse me," he said, running out of the room. He wasn't able to think straight. He just went to the washroom and pulled out his pockets to see if some more money was there. 

While he was trying his best to get his hands on some more money, Ayushi decided to take a look at the menu. Her eyes stuck out of her sockets at the mere sight of the cost of the items. 

"What is this?" She murmured, hiding her nervous face behind the menu card.

"Is it too much for you? Sorry, we are used to coming here. Nevermind, we will pay for it. You were a special one, you see," her ex, Dhruv smirked with arrogance.

Ayushi could feel her pride hurt but she knew her pockets didn't have more than six thousand and she left her debit and credit cards home so no way will she be able to pay it. 

Giving up on her pride, she was about to say something but what left out of her mouth was,"Sorry but I will pay for it. I have enough to pay for it, okay?" 

Damn it, she thought in her mind. She wanted to live with her pride and saying something that would harm her pride can be injurious to her health.

"Sorry guys, am I late?" Pranav said and was about to sit back on his chair when Ayushi held his hand and pulled him into a corner.

"Let's get out fast." 

"What?" Pranav looked seriously shocked.

"My grandmother is sick and it is urgent," Ayushi said in a hurry.

She then pulled her phone out and came back to her seat. Shocked, Pranav could only look at her when Ayushi cried out on her phone, "What? Grandma is sick! Ah… okay… I am coming." 

She hung up her call and looked at Dhruv, saying,"What do I do? I need to go. I will treat you and your girlfriend next time for sure. I need to go urgently. Pranav, let's leave." 

Holding Pranav's hand, Ayushi started running and there was no looking back even if she could hear their screaming voices behind her.

Once out of the restaurant, she let go of Pranav's hand as adrenaline rushed into her cheeks. Pranav looked clustered but he calmed himself down.

"What was that?" He asked to which Ayushi remained quiet before answering,"You should have told me that the restaurant was this expensive, how were you planning to afford that? I don't even have that much money. I need to survive this month with my limited allowances. Moreover, why should I pay this much to feed that rich jerk?" 

She turned from nervous to angry pretty quick, much to Pranav's surprise. 

"W…why are you getting angry?" He stuttered as he saw Ayushu fuming with anger,"I had already managed something out." He pulled out a coupon card written, 60% off on items up to Rs 5000.

They blankly stared at each other before Pranav said,''Should we go back now? Let's show them." 

"No, Stop," she said, looking at the coupon code. "How about we order it online at home? Let's have it together. It will be such a waste to give it to them." 

They both gave a devilish smile, shrieking,"Let's gooo!" Laughing and squealing like excited kids, they both ran to take the bus home.

★★★

Maya 

Never had I imagined, even in my wildest dreams, that one day I would meet Ajay after 14 years; that I would be cast alongside him; that we would be having a real conversation; that we would be friends and finally confess love someday. 

We were not meant for each other in the papers then how did we clash? Accidental meet? Coincidence? Or was it really all written for us from the very beginning? I am still unaware. Still when I confessed. 

But then souls don't meet by accident. It happens behind the curtains, behind the screen. It wears the facade of an accident but then it has always been scripted in our souls, craved in our hearts. 

The old fantasy classic line,"And they lived happily ever after" sounds sweeter now than ever. 

We walked down hand in hand, without speaking anything more. The lights lit up once again shining over our faces. 

"Wow! You are here! Now it would be fun. Take a seat," Ramesh sir's excited voice reached to all the crew and cast team who had by now, made themselves comfortable around the fire.

"Let's play Antakshari?" Raghav sir asked and all shouted in unison. " Make groups of two." 

"Ma'am, can we make a group?" Dia asked.

"Why not?" I smiled at her. When I was about to join Dia, the hand that had been on mine for a long time pulled me in the opposite direction.

I turned to see his pleading look."Stay with me please," he whispered. I couldn't help but find him cute. 

"Ahem... I need to leave." Dia smiled at us wickedly before rushing away. 

"Take a seat, you love birds," Rajiv sir whispered to us, walking away with a smirk into the crowded circle. 

I looked down, feeling my cheeks turning pink. Get a hold on yourself, Maya. 

I was blushing like anything when a sudden thought crossed my head. My face turned pale the next second. 

"What about the rumours?" I asked with a doubtful voice expecting his face to lose its glow but the smile grew more as he came near me. 

"I told you that I will get a hold of it." I raised my eyebrows but he just shrugged and gave a carefree look.

"What?" I was clearly amused at his carefree attitude. He slowly fished out his phone. Tapping the buttons, he pressed his phone against my ears. 

"Hello madam," Amar, his manager, said in his most cheerful way. "Don't worry anymore. We made sure to remove that picture from all the places." It took me a second but when I realized, I just couldn't suppress my feelings.

"Thanks a lot. Thank you. But how did you do it? Wasn't it difficult?" 

"It was but for our sir, it was possible. Something bigger than the rumours came out. Anyway, any problem, I am just a call away. Be safe, madam and enjoy!" He chirped, hanging up the call.

"What did you do? Be honest." 

"I… What?" He laughed but when he saw my determined eyes he gave up and told me to look at the news. 

When I read it, I could stop laughing.

"What's this?" I laughed like a fool at the picture of young Ajay in a pink skirt, playing with a girl toy. Ajay Sharma's childhood photos leaked!

"Stop laughing. You know how my grandma wanted a girl so she dressed me up like that. Anyway, it's embarrassing," he pouted, showing his disappointment. However, I wasn't able to stop laughing.

"Shit. It is indeed big news." I laughed out as Ajay sighed.

"Whatever, it's good that you are laughing." His eyes were drowning me into it and I was simply letting it.

Feeling butterflies in my stomach, I walked a little ahead of him but soon his warm hands wrapped around mine giving the smile that I adored so very much.

★★★

The Antakshari was over by 9 o'clock and there we were sitting in the restaurant, bargaining on our dinner. 

"Pizza, pretty please." I sat, pleading to my boring homo sapien to get me a pizza but he is dead stubborn to make me eat that leafy stuff that is anything but tasty.

"No, Maya. You need to control yourself." He said, gulping down that bitter gourd juice in a go. How the hell did he drink that creative mess?! 

"Did you just drink that mess?" I was feeling pukey just by the look of it. 

He chuckled at my disgusted look."Miss, you need to drink it too." 

My eyes went wide at that."No way!"  

"Then eat these." He passed the plate of boiled vegetables with sprinkles of salt. In front of that horrible juice, this looked better. 

I sighed, giving up the idea of getting good food when I heard a very familiar voice behind me. "Maya?" 

Knowing the voice extremely well, I felt the sudden urge of running to that person and guess what? I did it for real.

"Akash!" I shouted and dashed towards him at the speed of the light only to get blocked by the huge bouncers, making me stop abruptly in my place. 

He looked huge, well-built and scary as he stood high above us. 

"Please, he is my friend," I reasoned out to him as Akash nodded in agreement. He looked at someone and I followed his gaze to find Ramesh sir who immediately turned to me as I gave him a pleading look.

He eyed the scary bouncer to let him in.

I pulled Akash inside as he still looked scarily at the bouncer, afraid that he would pounce upon him in no time.

"Chill," I assured him, to which he just let out the breath we had been holding.

"Maya, it's been a long time," Akash said, hugging me and I was about to hug him back when I saw Ajay glaring at us. 

I pulled out of the hug and gave him an awkward smile when my eyes went wide as a special aroma reached my nose. " Is it Pizza?" I screamed, getting all the attention of the room but did I care? NOPE.

"Are you a dog?" Akash asked, amused at my ability. 

I grimaced and said,"Like you don't know." 

He laughed,"You are unbelievable." 

Soon after, I turned to see Ajay clearing his throat, putting his hands inside his pocket and keeping a heart-throbbing smile as he stood next to me.

Surely, he is handsome. I was nearly paralysed by the proximity as he kept his demeanour.

"Hey, Akash. Nice to meet you." 

Oh, he is cool. I dreamily stare at Ajay when a voice startles me.

Just be normal, you Maya! 

Like I am not trying, I replied back to the voice.

"Maya? Are you here?" Akash asked, shouting near my ears just enough to bring back my senses.

"I am not deaf." 

"Sure, you are not," Ajay said, mockingly as he put on his signature smirk. I rolled my eyes.

"Hey, but why are you here all of a sudden?" I asked Akash, changing the topic to my convenience.

"Oh, here it is,"— handed me a card and continued," Both of you are invited to the reunion party!"

~•~

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