18- "I was simply messing with your lipstick." 💄

VANSH

The surprise trip to New York was quite eventful to say the least. Tiring too. Since we only had a day and night to spare, we had to make the most out of it. Previously there was a tug of war going on whether we should head back or stay, which could be simplified as Natasha versus me, with Irfan stuck in the middle. When I pleaded her to stop complaining, she finally agreed but with one condition.

Irfan and I had to entertain her.

We both knew what 'entertainment' meant in her 'dick-ionary' so obviously we denied. It was a disturbing morning with all three of us arguing about God knows what anymore until a music show airing Hindi songs caught her attention. She challenged Irfan and me to dance on whatever Hindi song it aired next. Not as friends but as a couple. She promised she wouldn't utter a single word of protest if we did that.

Then what? We did our thing. Even Irfan realized that he had to go along with this chick's outrageous request, if he wanted a peace of mind. To make matters worse, the next song was an old item number- Ghajra re. Now imagine how it would look, with me shaking my non existent assets in Aishwarya Rai's style and Irfan role- playing as Abhishek and Amitabh Bachchan, hitting on me. We then held each other waists (as per madame request) and danced along, with the sound of Natasha's laughter reverberating throughout the room. She was about to take a video of us, saying she wanted to make Dostana two, but we stopped her. The whole thing was so comical that even we couldn't help but laugh along. It was like enacting strangely memorable.

Thereafter we visited the Metropolitan museum of art, viewed the city from the Empire state building, and ended our evening with Statue of Liberty.

Two days had passed after my return from New York, when I received a call from Ahana. Her voice sounded strained while she talked. I asked her if that Pi- fuck brat (that's how I call him in my mind) wrecked something again. It had been more than two weeks since then. While she clearly denied it, there was an uncertainty in her voice. Like she was hiding something.

"I have to tell you something. Just promise that you'll be patient enough to listen to my story then you can have your say." She told me and my heart started beating faster at the anticipation. I gave her my word, although from the way she worded out, I could already tell I wasn't going to like it. I drank a glass of water and braced myself to listen.

The only thing that my hot headed mind could pick up from her and Pi- fuck's ridiculous date was what they did at the end. She kissed him. She bloody kissed the guy who proposed himself in front of her parents. The nerve of that guy! The nerve of this girl! I didn't care about the nature of the kiss. A kiss was a kiss, less sexual or not. And you thought that her date was shocking enough.

I wasn't one of those over obsessive punks who would get jealous of every man that passed your way. I wouldn't have minded if she went on a date and kissed another guy. Fine, I might have minded a little, but it was understandable because that's kind of a rule we laid out for each other. But Pi- fuck? Why him of all people? Was he trying to sweep her off her feet?

"I can understand your anger, Vansh. I'm terribly sorry," she apologized guiltily while still on line, "but be assured that it was one- time date. Anything like that is likely to ever happen again. Still, it's cute how you're jealous for me."

"Ahana," I interrupted, abruptly. "I'm not in a mood of jokes right now."

"Oh, okay, I'm sorry again." She paused while I contemplated over to keep the conversation going or not. After a pause, she spoke again. Cautiously. "If- if you want, you can kiss someone too."

"What?!" She was making even less sense now.

"Remember the time when I fulfilled my bucket list where I kissed a girl. I told you the same thing back then. Damn, I feel like I outnumbered you. Sure, the thought of you doing it will sting but come on, none of us would get this chance ever again. Besides a kiss is no big deal. Is there any woman you would perhaps, fancy kissing?"

At that, my mind faithfully painted a blur image of a certain grey eyed woman. The times I got close to her face. I shook my head, wiping that image away and laughed. "Not at all. Unless it's you or Jacqueline Fernandes."

"God, you're still stuck on that stupid star." She giggled. "But if it's me then I'll make sure to fulfill your wish when you return."

"Okay," I mumbled half- heartedly while rotating the empty glass kept on the table. I would have added that I wouldn't be satisfied with just her kiss but I wasn't up for flirting either. Too much was running on my mind right now. Too much to form a coherent sentence without losing my temper. I couldn't take it anymore. "I have to make breakfast so... later."

I heard a sigh from the other end, "You are still upset, aren't you?"

My hand stilled along the grip of the glass, "I just want to be by myself right now. I'll be fine after a while. Sorry and congratulations for getting into the fashion intern once again. Bye."

For a second, it seemed like Ahana wanted to say something but I had already disconnected the call. I didn't care. Neither did I care about the message that popped up in my inbox just now. I didn't even know what exactly was bothering me anymore. Yes, it had to do with what she told me today but it had more to do with our on and off relationship. Sometimes it felt like we were getting closer while at other times, we seemed to be going nowhere. As if we were stuck in a limbo. Even someone as positive as me was brought to a corner, feeling dejected and hopeless. You'd feel like you were pushed till the edge of the cliff. You weren't falling but you feared you will, which drove you to run as far as possible. A daunting task indeed.

What if we were only driven by fear and nothing else? The thought alone was scary as fuck. I let it slide for now. My day almost got ruined thanks to Ahana.

You are the one to say. You got kissed too, if you remember. But I didn't respond her back. What about the almost one in the washroom? But I stopped it in time. Coward, you still haven't told Ahana, yet. "I'll tell her later. I will," I promised myself.

~

Time passed as another day emerged after a night and gradually, it was the middle of November. Around two months since I visited New York. We were almost halfway done through our project. We had to wrap up the major segments so that we could start with the secondary part soon. It was hectic.

And freezing.

Autumn leaves had withered away from the trees lined on the streets. The vehicles made a swoosh sound as their tyres hit against the wet roads, as a result of a recent rain. Steam rose out of everyone's breaths while their faces were hidden behind hoodies and scarves. Even after living four and a half years in Toronto, I still had a hard time getting used to the cold. The companion next to me agreed with me as well. I zipped my jacket, feeling the cold air reach my neck while Natasha had her hands dug on the pockets of her cream jacket.

"Five months? Five months to the project already! Time sure is a road runner bitch," she stated as we then talked about how many months it had been since we were first assigned the project. We were heading towards the subway. Usually I would travel alone after office but sometimes, we would accompany together since we traveled by train. This happened to be one of those days.

We were on our way to the underground lift when the smell of hot cocoa wafted my nostrils. It was coming from a small cafe to my left. We stole a glance at the cafe, then at each other with an expressionless expression on our faces.

Two minutes later, we were giving our respective orders to the counter. We said we wanted to have coffee but we both knew our ulterior motive was to bask ourselves in the heat of the fireplace inside.

"I thought we were only going to have coffee. See, you wasted half an hour." Natasha complained afterwards. "You and Irfan, you both are bukkad. The only difference is the appetite."

"Oh, and who was the one, who said, 'please, oh, please, just one pancake', right when I was about to finish?" I reminded, while wriggling my brows at her.

"It would be a sin to ignore that lavish chocolate filling kept on the showcase," she licked her lips. "And buy your fucking own next time."

"O, look, the train's almost here," I informed, my eyes catching a glimpse of the train's engine from afar. I walked a few steps ahead only to notice her absence. She was standing on the same place as before. "What happened?"

She placed a hand on her side, her lips twitching up, "Oh, never mind me. I was just seeing how you look from behind."

My nose crinkled in amusement. I arched my head behind to see if she had perhaps placed something funny behind me. Nothing. The sound of the train's engine became louder. I approached her, as casually as I would. When the chance was right, I draped one arm around her neck and dragged her forward.

Her hands shot up to grip my elbow but no avail. "I was l-ying, oak. Just lost in th-oughts," she reasoned, her voice coming out muffled as she struggled with the help of her hands and head. I loosened my grip. "Ugh, what the fuck, Baweja? Leave me."

I grinned even harder. "Sometimes I feel like squeezing and clogging you... Like this." I proved by tightening my grip for a second before letting her go. She let out a gush of breath then hit me on the shoulder. Soon we got swarmed away by the crowd as we headed inside the train.

"Kinky."

"Shut up."

After a few stations, her stop arrived and she got off the train. I expected her to go her way but she didn't. Instead, she gave a flying kiss, her gaze straying a little away from me.

I was quite used to her odd ways now, so I wasn't surprised. I caught her flying kiss within my closed fist and threw it under my shoe, pretending to crush it.

"I was throwing a kiss at the handsome guy behind you, not you, asshole!"

"Oh, don't kid. We both know who's the most handsome guy here."

She rolled her eyes. "It's every man, excluding you," she shot back, showing off her tongue, before breaking into a small smile. We raised our hands to each other, waving a silent goodbye. I walked back to sit, with a smile on my own.

~

Soon it was the day before the big meeting. The team members were gearing up for the final submission of their files and presentation. Richie, our boss was supposed to review our work today before passing them to the topmost department. I was just transferring files to the pen drive when Irfan approached me, his face as if struck by lightening.

"What's up, bro? A nervous breakdown."

He sat on a swivel chair next to me and shook his head. "I think I met Natasha's twin just now."

I let out a laugh, "Are you serious? She doesn't have a twin," I implied the obvious.

He hissed, "I know, yaar. It's impossible for her twin to suddenly appear out of thin air. But the one I saw can't be the one we know. I'm sure of it."

My brows creased in puzzlement, "Why, what happened to the current one?"

Just then, I heard a sound of Angie squealing nearby. I followed the source of sound to see her with two more women surrounding themselves in a circle. I heard Natasha's voice too, although, I wasn't able to see her clearly. What was the commotion all about? Was it her birthday today? Least bothered about the activity going on, I diverted my attention back to the computer.

"Good morning, boys." Natasha greeted, a few seconds later.

"Yeah, good mor... ning," I ate my own words as I finally turned my head to the woman next to us with my mouth open. Speechless.

It almost seemed like I was seeing her for the first time. Couldn't blame Irfan for thinking she was a twin sister of herself. I blatantly checked her out, from head to toe and wondered if employees were allowed to wear something fancy like this. If they were allowed to wear a saree.

The whole dress was grey in color with a light embroidery of silver, bordered by a thin line of black. Her hair that was normally straight were curly this time. It was easy to tell from the way her hair was gathered to a loose bun, with a few locks hanging loose. Her eyes were covered in kohl, her cheeks had a faint blush, while her ears were adorned with a pair of a single line shaped earrings. It wasn't just about the saree, no- it was the color that suited her, as if it signified her. It was the way the saree hugged her, exposing her curves and skin in all the right places.

"Actually it's my friend's wedding today," Natasha told us when Irfan asked her. "Her wedding will be around five in the evening. I couldn't afford to go home and waste one hour of changing right after office. I couldn't afford to miss today's meeting either so here I am, in all my glory."

"Ah, thank God, for a moment I thought you were Natasha's twin sister. I was almost about to ask her for a coffee you know... Wait, you have a friend besides us and Kyle?" Irfan mocked to receive a slap on his shoulder. "Jokes aside, you look great. You could give those local models a run for their money."

"Thanks a bunch yaar," I heard her say as I got my hand clicking the mouse once again. "Vansh?"

"Hm," I shrugged, avoiding to look at her directly. I knew she was expecting me to compliment her but honestly, I didn't have words to match her brilliance right now. I resorted to playing the hard way. "Good for you. Now get working already. Today is important for us."

I could already imagine Irfan and Natasha sharing an odd look at my unnecessary answer. Soon she walked back to her seat but I didn't miss the chance to glimpse at her back.

Damn! Today was going to be a stressful day.

It wasn't everyday when you saw a woman all dressed up for a wedding in an office. It was evident from the way, men turned to catch a glimpse of her. Even Richie, who was known to be a loyal dog to his wife, had his eyes on her. Not me though. I was trying to unlook, to wipe the image of the current 'her'. It didn't last for long. Not with her glamorous presence screaming in the room. The bright sun reflecting through the windows, shone behind her as she spoke during the meeting. With her grey eyes looking more blue than ever, her grey saree carrying her body with poise, her earrings throwing a shade of light under the sunlight- she looked no more than a live sized diamond itself.

Surely there's nothing wrong with just looking, right? Even Ahana must have ogled her eyes at men she thought were pretty. It's not like I'll be seeing Natasha in this dress afterwards. Then today, just for today, I'll stare at her to my liking.

And I did. My eyes would involuntarily search for her, in her absence, and would remain at her whenever she was within my sight. But I wouldn't let her know. Atleast I tried to. It was distracting. So distracting that even when I was called by Richie to review over my reports, all I was thinking about was when I could see her again. It was official- I had gone nuts.

It was late noon. Few colleagues were already gone for lunch. I stood up from my seat when I heard the clinking sound of the bangles behind me. "Hey," Natasha spoke, with her hand on my shoulder, making me flinch. "Where's Irfan?"

I turned to her, convincing myself that I wouldn't stare at her foolishly. "He went ahead of me since he finished his work early. Said he'll wait for us." I answered and placed the files in my drawer. "Okay, I'm free as well. Let's go."

We headed towards the canteen with Natasha walking a little ahead of me. Like a secret admirer, I peered at her back and the saree that covered her perfectly shaped hips. Her back was mostly exposed with just a thin strap circling her middle back and a grey thread circling the nape of her neck. The long thread fell along the slight hollow line of her back. Her skin- it seemed so soft and tempting that I wanted to run my fingers on it. Remove those straps and then...

I closed my eyes shut, hoping to put a full stop to my dirty thoughts.

Okay, dude, you're going too far. God, what was wrong with me? "Vansh?" She just showed up in a nice looking dress for heaven's sake. No need to go bonkers over that. Good, now think about Ahana and her naked body; think about Jacqueline Fernandes and her sexy avatar; think about-

"Vansh!" Natasha called loudly and I snapped back to reality. "Which world were you swallowed in right now?" she asked mockingly.

I blinked ignoring her question, "What is it?"

"I was saying how I had to get up at six to get ready today. It paid off well though. Atleast my teammates were impressed." She then cast a hideous side glance towards me. "But there's still one person who's damn too proud to utter a single word."

"So you wanna know what I think about your get- up?"

She blew air to move a strand of hair away from her face, "Now I know how fabulous I'm looking but what to do? Gotta love compliments."

Way to be cocky about it. "Come here," I said, motioning a finger towards myself. We stopped walking.

She eyed me suspiciously, "I hope it's nothing lewd."

I groaned annoyingly, "Just do as I say." She shifted towards me until our shoulders were touching. I shifted her even closer by draping an arm around her shoulders, startling her. Ignoring the fresh scent of her shampoo, mixed with her own feminine one, I whispered in her ear. "Now remain this way until I count till three, after which you'll look behind. Be quick, understood? One... two... three..."

Atleast four people were spotted looking at her along the hallway as she turned her way behind. The embarrassment of being noticed caught up with them as they quickly averted their eyes. "Just look around you and you'll get your answer." I winked.

She didn't seem impressed, "But I'm yet to hear a word from you."

"Maybe I'm one of them," I admitted quietly, avoiding her gaze. When she still insisted, I answered, "Fine, you look beautiful. Happy?"

A soft laughter escaped her lips, making me gaze back at her. "That was funny. You sure have a fuck up way of doing things, but I must say... it was cute," she said, smiling brightly and my heart skipped a beat. There it was again. That Ahana- like smile. The kind that reflected in her eyes as they crinkled. I didn't know which was more weird- Her smile that reminded me of Ahana or the innocence that both of them held behind it. Or maybe I was just being paranoid.

Since we were done with the meetings and the reviewing, Natasha took a half day leave. In a way, she saved my thoughts from degrading themselves further. I was hella grateful.

Guess it was too early to make that statement.

It hadn't even been five minutes after Natasha left, when she called me saying she forgot the gift bag on her desk, that contained gift for the bride. Madam was too lazy to check in and go upstairs so she called me near the parking lot to deliver her bag.

Admit it, you're glad to catch a glimpse of her in that saree, one more time.

I was starting to loathe myself now.

"It's heavy," I said, weighing the bag in my hands. The gift was flat and big. I gave it to her. "A photo frame, I assume."

She looked at me as if I was stupid. "It's a wall painting, dumbass. A normal photo frame can't be this big. I heard she loves it so I thought it's only appropriate for the occasion." She blew air against the strand of hair that kept coming to her face. "Ugh, these extra hairs keep messing up with me. Tie this up for me, will ya?"

"Me?"

"You think I'm talking to a living wall? Besides I'm holding this bag with my hand. I can't see either. Hurry up!" she demanded.

I immediately raised my shaky hands towards the clip. What she wanted me do exactly? I had no idea about these things.

She then told me to remove the clip and push it back while leaving a few strands of hair free. I did as I was told. I even tucked a few more strands behind her ear. My fingertips happened to brush against her ear. I let it remain. She let me remain. I ordered my body to move away but it paid no heed. Instead my fingers traced the length of her ear reaching till her earrings. 'Move, move, move away!' I screamed in my head.

Just when I was on my way to withdraw my hand, she caught it with her other free hand. My breath caught up.

"Here, let me help you," she said slowly, a prominent smirk playing on her lips. She held the middle of my palm and let my fingers trail all the way to her forehead.

I felt it. I felt her temple, the sleek curve of her nose, the skin in between, all the way to her plump lips. I suddenly felt like I was breathing by a mile. Slowly, without warning she parted her lips to kiss my finger bringing chills down my spine. It warmed my finger instantly. My mind was trailing off to an uncharted territory. I thought that was it but then she lifted her dark gaze to meet mine, paralyzing me on the spot.

Something happened right then, something I haven't felt for months. Atleast not face to face.

Lust.

A hot sensation shot through my body, all the way to the organ between my legs. Before my mind could protest, my body moved forward, decreasing the distance between us. Natasha had long withdrawn her hand away from my finger but I still hadn't left my hand from her face. I almost leaned my head when her lips curved upwards, "Time is of the essence, Baweja. Perhaps, some other time."

It took everything within my self control to replace my finger and taste those bloody pair of lips with my own. Damn you, Ahana, for giving me the permit to kiss someone. Now I can't stop thinking about it. I brushed my fingers against her lips aggressively before withdrawing them for good. "Don't worry, I was simply messing with your lipstick."

Her lips twitched even wider, "That's no lipstick. Just a light touch of gloss." She ran a finger along my jaw, pausing briefly on my lips, before dropping her hand, "Have a cold day, dickhead."

This bitch. I remained on the same spot for a moment even after she walked away. Just then, I received a call. I picked it up with a questioning frown, while watching her halt on her tracks. "Now look who's watching me from behind."

I felt my lips curve up as well, "Don't delude yourself, Patil. I was just lost in my thoughts."

She chuckled, "That's what I told you earlier but you never believed me,."

She craned her head behind, catching a glimpse of me. Both of us wore a mishevious smile. I took that as my cue to disconnect the call and head to the office.

I was on my way to the lift when something weird popped up my mind. I slowed down and dropped my gaze to my hand- Particularly the finger Natasha kissed. I scanned my empty surroundings. Swiftly, I lifted my forefinger to my lips and kissed it, imagining something else. A second later, I sped up towards the lift.

My traitorous mind replayed the events of today until an image of a certain stalker man flashed, draining all my excitement away. It was something in particular that I remembered. Something from our conversation back when he visited me.

Rithik was doubting over Natasha's words about me. Back when she lied that she had a crush on me, in order to get him out of her hook. I was certain it was a lie, (as she told me herself) and told him he was overthinking.

"You don't know her, dude. That's obvious since I've known her longer. I don't know if you are one of her so called 'target'. If you're not then good... Eh, who am I kidding to? There are always other fish in the sea," He said it to himself and sulked at the thought. After a moment, however, he continued, "But if you are, then you are a goner. She won't be upfront about it but she won't be shy either. Instead, she would unveil herself when you least know it. No, before you know it, you would be dancing around her fingers. That's how she rolls. I know it cos' I've been a victim myself. I don't regret it though. But it amazes me. It amazes me that even after all the things happened between us, I can't tell one thing about what she's thinking. That's what makes her my woman." He claimed as if he was proud of her. I waved a dismissive hand, convincing him she had no such intention and that we were just friends.

Then, what about now?

When did this shift happen? Could something change like that within two months of time? The lift to my office floor was right before me but all I imagined was a huge red flag. A sign indicating I was treading into dangerous waters and that, it wasn't late to turn back. I leaned against the wall inside the lift, with Rithik's words playing in my head. Was it possible? Did Natasha really left her bag on purpose? No, that's ridiculous. Perhaps I was thinking too much.

~

"A question for you." Irfan questioned me one day, during lunch. Natasha was with Angie and her female collegues so it was just the two of us today. When I told him to shoot, he continued, "What's more strong- love or lust?"

What kind of bizzare question was that? "Love, obviously. Why ask?"

"Wrong." His lips twitched up slightly as he caught on my confused face. "I said strong, not powerful. When you compare on the basis of depth and the magnitude of feelings, obviously love prevails. So when I say lust is more strong, it means that it's easy to give into lust but difficult to give into love, because your heart is at stake. Love is something to be remembered for a while as it stays. While lust is like a walk of shame that you'd like to forget. Get it? I took them from a movie I watched recently."

I snorted, "What's up with you these days? Just the previous week when you stayed at my apartment, you talked about ordinary and extraordinary love, then another day you asked me to differentiate between crush, like and love. Go, have those girly talks with other girls if you want to but leave me out of it."

I heard an audible sigh, "I thought you'd pick the hint by now. Either you're dense or acting dense." When I refused to answer, he continued, "Look, I don't know what dish is being cooked between you and Natasha but something is definitely cooking up."

I chuckled, "You just bring food in between. It just shows how-"

"Don't change the topic."

I took a sharp breath, "There's nothing going on. You are with both of us. You would have known if something was really going on. How could you throw that statement aimlessly?" I accused him, slightly annoyed now.

"Well, you are teasing her a lot recently."

"Remember how I mixed too much of spices in your food one time and then salt in another. Irfan, I tease everyone I know. Especially my friends. Then why would Natasha be an exception?"

He ran a hand through his hair, "I don't know, man. It's just that sometimes it's looks like you two are flirting with each other, rather than the friendly chatter. It makes me feel like a third wheeler."

Flirting? Third wheeler? Okay, now he was exaggerating it. "There's nothing going on. Nothing will go on."

He sighed again, "I can understand how embarrassing it can be to admit something like that in your situation. I just warned you, that's all." He explained with finality. I mentally rejoiced. Seems like it was the end of discussion now. Thinking that, I got to eating my leftover lunch. "Besides, who would wanna get involved with a shameless woman like her?"

What?!!

My fingers that held the spoon stopped midway. It took me a few seconds to actually digest that it was Irfan who said it and not someone else. "Wha- why would you say that?" I drew out words very slowly, without looking at him.

"Come on, don't you find it odd how she can easily flirt and even sleep with someone she's not in love with? I know about the hookup scenario, alright. I know, but I still find it obnoxious. Maybe because I've never heard of a woman who only does hookups. Who is capable of hooking up with one man and flirting with another, the next day. I'm saying what I know. It's disgraceful, it's unlady like. I do consider her my friend and I appreciate her passion for work. I know she wants to have fun but I just find this trait of her disgusting. She even makes me feel ashamed sometimes."

I balled my fist under the table. "Oh, alright." We remained silent for a few minutes as we devoured the food on our plates though I didn't feel as hungry as before. His confession hung in the air, ready to be roasted back but I didn't know how. He had hinted about this earlier but I was never the one to pay attention. It was shocking because he had known her a little longer than me, yet he thought this way. He just lost some points from me today. I didn't know how he could consider being her friend if he found her disgusting.

But then I remembered the times he looked out for her. When he rode us through the mountains, just to cheer her up; when he forced her to eat during those days and whenever he helped her out in her work. You wouldn't do all that genuinely, without caring for the other person. Theirs was indeed a twisted friendship.

"You eat so much, dude. You eat non- veg ever so often, even I eat non- veg. Natasha is a vegan-" I spoke and my lips curled upwards. "She must find us disgusting."

It was only for a fleeting second but I witnessed the shock in his eyes before his brows furrowed, "But that's a different thing, no? That's just... food..." His voice got smaller as he trailed off.

"Ah, I'm stuffed," I said, loudly while stretching my arms. Irfan was about to speak when he noticed what I noticed a second earlier as Natasha approached us. He closed his mouth.

"You done killing those poor veggies for today," she spoke, looking over our almost empty plates and sat besides us. "Or meat. I'm smelling meat. What did you two have?"

"Sandwich and cassava. An extra plate from him." I answered instead of him.

"So I'm assuming you meat suckers finished it up, huh? Well, I'm heading to the office now. You all coming?"

We waited for Irfan for a minute as he finished up with his fill before heading upstairs together. Natasha interrupted at the right time. I wanted him to see what he saw in her eyes as he devoured his non veg food right in front of her. Let's see if you find the same amount of disgust; if you find her regretting being your friend. Look and feel ashamed of yourself, you judgemental asshole. I could never adhere to Natasha's ways but I never found her shameless or disgusting. Infact, I found her quite normal. She just had a different preference. I felt a sudden empaty towards her. Maybe that was why she found difficult to open up to people. Maybe that's why she preferred to guard herself.

Someday, when it would just be me and Irfan, with an ample amount of time, I'll knock his head straight. I'll lecture him nice and good. He just needed to push some of his thoughts in the right direction. After all, he was our friend too.

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A u t h o r' s N o t e

Haha, do you feel like throwing tomatoes on me yet? Thoughts about the chapter and the growing masala between Vansh and Natasha? ;) About the last scene?

Do vote 🌟 and comment 💬 if you liked the chapter. Plz don't be silent. You can share your thoughts bindaas.

The next chapter is going to make and break your heart so (But let's focus on make) LOOK FORWARD TO THE NEXT CHAPTER!! YOU ARE GONNA LOVE IT. ❤ ❤