-• our first day together •-

Shourya exits the room to check outside. I follow him. We stop at the counter. But I don't see Atharva anywhere in sight. Turning around, I ring the bell at the counter. Vishakha looks up my way.

"Did you see Atharva?"

She shrugs, busy billing up a customer. "I don't know. I was in the kitchen. I just came out now because I saw the counter empty."

"Call him," Shourya commands.

I nod and fish out my phone. The call rings for a while but he doesn't answer. I try again. This time he picks up on the third ring. "Atharva, hi,"

"Hey," he replies, slightly out of breath. "I'm sorry, I'm late. Actually, my car broke down, and I'm trying to catch a bus-"

"It's okay. Take your time." I assure him. "We'll talk when you get here."

"I dont think I'll be able to. The next bus will be an hour late. Let's talk tomorrow in the school." He informs me.

"Alright, I don't mind. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah, bye." He hangs up.

I meet Shourya's eyes. "I think we were mistaken. The curtains sometimes flutter because of the winds. Maybe it was that?"

He nods hesitantly. "Okay, but talk to Atharva tomorrow. Explain him why you can't submit the evidence yourself."

"Yeah, I'll tell him that."

"I'll see you tomorrow in the university." He turns to leave.

"Wait," I grab his arm. He looks over his shoulder. "You're leaving just like that?"

"Should I kiss you goodbye?" He closes the distance between us and leans down. I quickly push him away, looking around the cafe alarmed. He chuckles.

"What is wrong with you?" I hiss, praying my cheeks aren't red right now. He grins lopsided. "I'm done with my shift. Just give me five minutes. I'll go get changed."

"Five minutes?" He clicks his tongue. "I'm willing to wait my whole life." He smirks, that plump lower lip caged beneath his incisors.

I push on his chest playfully. He stumbles back with a laugh. "Stop joking around. Wait for me." I whirl around and rush back inside the changing room. Closing the door, I lock it but it opens again. I remember telling boss to change the locks. He still hasn't. He never does things on time.

Putting a chair against the door, I open my locker and get my clothes out. I change as quickly as possible to avoid flashing anyone accidentally. Stuffing my uniform back in the locker, I slam it shut, sling my backpack around my shoulder and leave the room.

Shourya stands at the corner of the counter with two coffee cups. He offers me one when I close in. "You're strangely thoughtful," I smile over the cup and take a sip. My eyes go wide. "How do you know what coffee I like? Creep."

His hand slips down my forearm to reach my fingers. The action is slow, sensual, evoking goosebumps across my skin. Our hands interlace together. I don't pull away. "I notice the details about you. The last time we were at the hospital, you asked me to hold your coffee cup."

I nibble on my lower lip to stop the smile from spreading on my face. This man knows how to slip through the crevices of your heart no matter how many walls you put up. And he does it so effortlessly you don't even realise until he's holding your heart in the palm of his hand.

"Oh," I murmur, nudging him to start walking. We exit the cafe together. The people notice, and I feel myself stumble in a limelight. "This is intimidating."

He holds my hand tighter. "Better get used to it."

"To you or to the people watching us?" I look up at him with a side smile.

"Both." He answers. "But me initially."

I shove him on the arm. He gasps, grinning at me like a fool when the coffee from his cup spills. Then he yanks on my hand and I collide against his chest. He cups my cheek with his free hand. "Don't you think that's a lot of PDA? I'm sure the paparazzi are going to have a field day with it tomorrow."

He hums, staring at my face as if he can't get enough of me.

"Should we go out?" I run the tip of my fingers under the lapel of his blazer.

He frowns. "Where?"

I release a strangled breath. "Forget it," I walk away from him towards my car.

His tubelight glows a little late. But it does. He slams the door close as I open it and whirls me around, backing me against the car. "Are you serious?"

"No, I've a hobby of asking every man out that I meet." I retort sarcastically.

"Tara, don't. I'm serious." His face twists in agony.

"I'm too," I place a gentle hand on his bicep. "Let's go out. Let's give it a try."

"You can't take that back." He pulls away to look at me pointedly. "Like, I'm not hearing it was a mistake and I regret it and stuff like that tomorrow morning."

I laugh. "I'm not a kid. I make decisions after thinking them through."

"You don't." He states.

I splay my hand forward. "My hundred."

He slaps the wallet in my hand. "Take it. Take my entire fortune." A giggle slips forth my lips as he encloses me against the car. "Take my whole life. Take it. Take me." He brushes his nose against the tip of mine. A sigh escapes his mouth. "Kiss you?" He breathes softly.

I gently refuse, my hand resting on his washboard abs in resistance. "Not here," I say softly. "Do you work out?" I raise a brow at him.

He hums, rubbing a thumb over my lip before he stands back, letting me get a generous feel of his defined abdomen. "You wanna see?"

"Some day in the future," I wink and take a sip of my coffee, tilting it towards him as I say, "Thank you for this, by the way. It's late. I gotta go."

"No, it's our first day as a couple." He wraps an arm around my waist.

"Shourya, enough." I say sternly, looking around the parking lot consciously.

"Don't worry about a scandal. I know how to take care of the reporters."

"I'm worried about my brothers' reaction to this. They collectively hate you, remember?" I remove his arm from my waist.

He snorts. "They collectively hate any guy that comes within ten metres radius around you. Protective mutts."

"Shut up. They're adorable." I chastise him.

"Them?" His brows fly upward in shock. "You sure we're talking about the same men?"

"Yes, we are." I nod. "Them over the world any day, Rajawat. So don't you dare say a word against my men."

"I love them. I think they're the best. Their personality, their-"

I sputter out a laugh. "Okay, enough!" I slap his chest. "I don't want to worry about my brothers stealing my boyfriend away. I just got him."

He leans back in, his hands on either of my sides. "And you'll always have him." I blink when he presses a kiss on my cheek. "It's late. I'll see you tomorrow." He pulls away nonchalantly.

"Oh, you don't get to do that," I close the distance between us. He looks down at me in surprise, then his eyes flutter close. I hold back a chuckle and slip his wallet back into his front pocket, patting it gently. His eyes snap open. The tip of his ears turn red. "Bye," I whisper, leaving him to watch me in amazement as I swiftly get into my car. Lowering the window, I lift my head to lock our eyes. "Take care of the rumours."

He nods dumbly.

I smile. "See you tomorrow in the university." I start the car and wave at him before pulling out of the parking lot. I see him wave back in the wing mirror.

I reach home before seven. Dropping my keys in the hands of the valet, I enter the palace and head upstairs to my room.

After I freshen up and change into something comfortable, I sit at the desk to work on the article. A knock on the door interrupts me. I wheel my chair ahead and twist the knob, revealing the person on the other end.

Dad stands at my doorstep.

"Hey," I smile and get up to hug him. He wraps his arms around me in return. "Come inside," I push the door ajar, inviting him into my room. He walks in.

"I'm fine here," he sits on the corner of the desk. "Sit here," and guides me to the chair. I obey. "I need to talk to you."

"I'm all ears." I wait curiously.

"So, a friend of mine saw you outside the cafe," the smile on my face falters. "With Shourya. And you were holding hands."

I blink, speechless. Word travels so fast. It's not even an hour that I decided to go out with Shourya and people are already talking about it? Fuck. If Yuvraaj Bhai finds out, I'm done for. He's going to lock me up in a tower like Rapunzel and Shourya would have to use my hair to climb like the prince did. But my hair aren't even that long. Now that I notice, I'm actually losing my hair a lot recently. I need to talk to my trichologist. The last time I was suffering from dandruff, he prescribed a shampoo that helped me get rid of it in a month.

"Tara?" Dad waves a hand in front of my face.

I blink out of the daze. I did not just went from Rapunzel to dandruff. What's wrong with me?

"Uh, Dad, it's not- it's not what you're thinking -"

"Do you like him?" He asks bluntly.

I swallow. "I- uh, I-"

"Yes or no?"

"Yes," I sigh in defeat. "It's only our first day together. I swear to God, we just started to go out." I pinch my throat.

To my surprise, he smiles. The frown on my face deepens. I drop my hand to my lap and twist the fabric of my pants around my finger nervously.

"I told him to stay away from you." He chuckles. "He's brave, I give him that."

"You knew about his feelings?"

He looks me in the eyes and nods. "Yeah, he was very bold when he confessed. It was when you were hospitalised after the accident."

"Oh,"

"He didn't leave until the doctors said you're absolutely fine."

I smile coyly.

"Look at you blushing, you like him that much?"

I nod in response. "I was very confused about my feelings towards him. But he was always clear. I didn't want to give him a chance. You know the whole Akansha Singh drama that happened?" He hums. "He's very ambitious and power driven, but he has got a good heart."

"Oh, that he does." Dad smiles. "I can vouch for that."

"And he just never gives up! He was there when I said I don't want him around, he was there when I needed someone around, and he's still there." The words fade into a whisper in the end. "When I met him today, I realised he doesn't need to wait for me. He's a prince. He's handsome. He has a lot of girls, even women fawning over him. And yet he makes me feel special. As if no woman in this world can hold a candle to me. And that's nice." I smile broadly. "It feels nice." I meet his eyes. "He treats me just like you do. Like I'm the most special person in his life. He's playful, sarcastic, genuine, affectionate and he can't handle if I'm angry at him."

Dad ruffles my hair. "You're down bad, aren't you?"

"You're not mad at me?"

He shakes his head. "Honestly, your brothers will hate him once they hear about it." I wring my fingers together. "And rightfully so, he belongs to the family that has committed many sins." I finally know what he's talking about. "But the boy's a rare gem. I always wanted to you to fall for a safe kind of love. But if given a chance, reminiscing the pain I've to go through, remembering the heartbreak that'll await me, knowing we don't end up together in this lifetime, I'll still fall for your mother. Because it's love." He smiles down fondly at me. "It's what it does. The unexpected."

"I don't love him yet." I bite my lower lip bashfully.

"Yet?" he raises a brow.

I hide my face in my hands. "Dad, don't, please."

He laughs. "Alright, I'll stop teasing you." He lowers my hands from my face, holds them in his. "I dont know if you've fallen for the right person or not, but I know one thing. If it's meant to be, he'll make it happen. He has got what it takes."

"Are you saying he'll never give up on us?"

"I feel so," Dad replies. "I still remember the first time I held that kid in my arms. He was just a day old. But his cry was a force to reckon." I chuckle. "He also had this habit of fisting my beard." I end up laughing. Dad smiles. "Life was hard on him. It still is. And I owe him a lot of apologies." My brows pull together in confusion. "So if my daughter can bring a genuine smile on his face, I'll be a little at ease." He cups my chin lovingly. "By the way, when are you bringing him over for dinner? I need to make that Dad talk with him."

"Dad, no," I shake my hand. "You know how your boys are."

He winces. "They'll kill him."

"If they could, they will. But they'll scare him off. And we're just starting. I don't even know if what I'm feeling is permanent or not. When I'm sure he's the man I want to spend the rest of my life with, you'll be the first to meet him."

"Promise me you'll bring him to me first," he holds out his hand.

I blush. "I promise. Threaten him good so he doesn't ever dream of hurting me."

"I gotta write my dialogues. See you at dinner." He rushes out of my bedroom. I laugh aloud. He peeks back in from the side and winks. "Love you."

"Love you to the moon and back!" I reply. "Go now, I've got a lot of work to do." I wave him off.

He smiles and pulls the door close. I shake my head in disbelief. This conversation could have gone a hundred wrong ways, but it chose that one right way and I can't help but feel lucky for having this man as my father. He always understands me like no other. Oh, what will I do without him?

Opening my laptop, I get back to work.

The next morning, on our way to the university, I tell Janet about my decision to go out with Shourya.

She jerks so hard in shock the lipstick she is applying ends up smudging over the corner of her lips. "What the hell? Already?"

I nod.

She sighs and looks back in the rear view mirror, clicking her tongue in disappointment before she reaches for the wet wipes in her backpack.

"Wait, you're not going to give me a hard time over this? I thought you'll be mad."

"Nah, I like the guy." She carefully wipes off the lipstick, her entire attention on her lips. "I think he has got what it takes to handle you."

I gasp. "That's exactly what Dad said yesterday. Well, not exactly. But the first half of it."

"Your dad knows?"

I stop tapping my fingers and hum, dominating the wheel carefully to get the car out of the masses.

"And he is okay with it?"

I nod.

"Then that's your signal. You found your soulmate. Because trust me, Dads hate it when their girls get a boyfriend. Like my Dad used to act as if-" she stops.

I look at her sympathetically. "He's still your dad. It's okay to cherish the memories you made together."

She closes the lipstick and leans back in her seat, staring blankly out of the window. I turn up the music to fill the sudden void.

Janet picks her backpack when we reach the university. "Are you okay? We can sit here and listen to Taylor Swift until you feel fine." I suggest.

She chuckles. "It's okay, I'm fine. And your lover boy is waiting anyway." She nods towards the windshield. I follow her gaze and notice Shourya leaning against the bonnet of his car. When our eyes meet, he waves at me. I inhale a deep breath to resist the urge to smile.

We step out of the car and walk up towards him. Shourya presses a kiss on my temple and whispers good morning in my hair. I shyly push him away. I had no idea he is so much into PDA.

"Don't you have clothes to wear, Mr. Prince? You wore this jacket yesterday, didn't you?" Janet scrunches her nose.

"I wore brown yesterday. This is black." He deadpans.

"It's the same design." She snorts.

"Your face, Janet," he begins, and I prepare myself. I just know he's coming up with another insult for her. "Was produced with a permanent design that I've to see every day. At least I can replace this jacket with another from my wardrobe, but what about you? How will you up make up for the sufferings of the people that look at your face and go on their ruined day?"

"It's like you exchanged your manners for that handsome face. You were a born jerk, weren't you?"

"I prefer to focus on the handsome part. Thanks for the compliment. Wish I could return it." He counters.

"You're like those pair of clothes that people only buy on sale."

"And you're the ones they don't buy even with an offer of hundred percent off." He retorts.

She gasps. "Dog."

"Bitch."

"Break up with him!" She looks at me angrily.

Shourya covers my ears with his hands. "Fuck off. We're allergic to bullshit." He kicks at her shin to get her away.

"Fucker!" She hits him with her backpack before rushing away as the bell for her lecture rings.

I swat Shourya's hands away. "You need to get along with her if you want this to work out!"

"Now that's a life altering decision. I need time to think." My jaw drops at his reply. "C'mon, I'll walk you to your class." He wraps his arm around my shoulders and leads me towards my building.

We part ways in front of my class. I walk in and drop my backpack next to the chair Atharva sits in. "Why was he here?"

"We decided to go out starting yesterday." I answer him with a smile.

"Oh," is his reply.

I think it was important to chalk the line between us now that I'm already in relationship with someone else. I know he had hope when I was single. But I can't let him cling to it anymore.

The teacher comes and we get up to greet them.

"Open your books, keep your laptops ready and let's get started."

By the end of the lecture, we've two new assignments to complete. "Atharva, I need to talk to you." I get up from my seat. We walk out together.

"Should we talk on our way to Ms. Deshmukh's office?"

"That's exactly what I wanted to talk about." I stop in front of him. "We can't submit our research progress to the teacher."

"Why?" He asks, his face poker.

"We can't. Shourya-" my phone pings with a message. "One minute," I unlock my phone and open the chat section.

Long Lasting Headache: SOS

Long Lasting Headache: EMERGENCY 🚨

Long Lasting Headache: COME TO THE INFIRMARY IN ARTS BUILDING. NOW!

"I- I have to go. I'll talk to you later." I pat his shoulder and walk past him.

"Tara!"

"I'll call you! Just don't submit the research!" I shout back and descend the stairs hurriedly.

When I reach the infirmary, I see Janet sitting on the bed, a knee pulled up with a bandage around her ankle.

"I sprained it." She juts her lower lip out. "Take me home." She opens her arms towards me.

I walk in with a relieved sigh and hug her. Janet becomes needy when she's injured or sick. Picking her backpack, I help her down the bed. We walk slowly to my car. I drive us home.

When I get back to the university, it's already past lunch break. So I just grab a quick snack at the cafe and hurry to my class. The chair next to me remains empty for the rest of the lecture.

I call Atharva to check up on him. He responds with a text instead.

Atharva: I'm home. I wasn't feeling well.

Me: oh, okay. Take care. We'll talk tomorrow.

I pocket my phone and go on with the rest of my day. Shourya meets me in the parking lot at the end of the day. He kisses me on the cheek and opens the door of my car for me. I wave him bye before driving out.

Upon reaching home, I check up on Janet. I find her sleeping. Ayush frets in worry and complains why I didn't tell him she was hurt. I reassure him it's only a strain.

The next day as I come out of the shower while drying my hair, my phone begins to ring. I roll my eyes reading the name on the screen. We'll be meeting in the university anyway but he's so impatient.

"I never thought Shourya Singh Rajawat had a clingy side -"

"What the fuck, Taranya?"

I drop the towel on the bed. "What?"

"Did I not tell you not to submit that proof to your teacher!?" He growls out.

I frown. "I- I didn't."

"Then what is she doing in my grandfather's office right now!?"

Shit is about to go down.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Don't forget to vote and comment. Makes my day.