"I knew I would find you here," Chetna's voice startled Siddharth as he stood on the same balcony, smoking.

"Yeah," he agreed weakly.

"Hey," Chetna said softly, "are you okay?" 

"Me? Yes. I'm perfect." 

He exhaled a plume of smoke and extinguished his cigarette in the dustbin nearby. 

"So if you want to talk about it, I am listening but companionable silence is on the table as well," she said. 

Siddharth smiled slightly. She was quoting his line back at him. 

"Or maybe you want something stronger? I could procure drinks as well," she said and leaned against the railing next to him. 

"And how would you go about doing that?" he asked, amused at her offer. 

"Hey do not underestimate me," she protested. 

"Alright," he smiled at her. 

"Alright?" she asked but then she sprang up and echoed another, more confident "Alright!" 

"Rooftop, 12. Don't be late," she said before taking off. 

***

Siddharth did not expect Chetna to get alcohol at this hour especially in a place that didn't serve. But he wasn't ready to face his mother and her company was the better alternative than driving to his friends' hotel. 

To his surprise. Chetna seemed to have succeeded in her little mission. She was setting up a table at the farthest end of the roof and there seemed to be a bottle of dark liquor in there. 

"Impressive," he said as he approached her. 

"Yeah, well, I told you, you underestimate me." 

She placed two glasses on the table and looked up at him with a triumphant smile. 

Siddharth settled down in the chair opposite her and sighed. It had been a very long day. When he had left his hotel room this morning he hadn't known what he was getting into. 

Chetna gave him a sympathetic look and asked,

"Long day, huh?" 

"You could say that," he answered and pulled up the glasses to pour out some whiskey. He added some coke and slid the glass to Chetna and then made himself the same drink. 

"It'll get better once you have some magic juice in your system," she laughed and then clinked her glass against his. 

"That's debatable, considering the same magic juice is responsible for half my problems."

"Really? You were drunk?" she asked.

"Well, not drunk. And it isn't like I said stuff I wasn't already thinking." Siddharth defended weakly. 

"It's okay. I don't think most people even noticed your... uh... speech."

Siddharth looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"Really? You think so?" he challenged. 

When she stayed quiet for a few seconds he sighed again. 

"I mean you didn't really even say anything too obvious. I mean I knew what you were talking about because you told me the whole story. The only other people who weren't confused by your whole speech were your relatives." Chetna offered helpfully. 

In a way she was right. Most people would have been confused but anyone with half a brain could have figured it out from context. 

"Let's talk about something else, anything else," he said. 

"Okay, well, how was the meeting?" she asked. 

"It was great. We finalised everything. All set for the concert. That was actually why we were celebrating. Hence the drinks. I think the others are still out there in some Jaipur bar."

"Why aren't you with them?" Chetna asked and then scrambled to add, "Not that I'm not glad you decided to come back... I love that we can do this, I mean this is preferable to any other way to spend the evening... Though I'm sure you would want to be out there with your friends. Don't leave though. I mean after I went through so much trouble to get you this!" 

She paused and winced slightly at her word vomit. Siddharth spoke up quickly to spare her some discomfort. 

"No, it's not that big a deal. I've had drinks with them a million times. Didn't want to miss your performance. How come you didn't tell me about it?" 

"Because I wanted out. Didn't manage that. Chaarvi practically started crying and I'm already the villain, trying to ruin her sister's wedding. You know, the harassing ladke vaale, the missing necklace and so many little things. So I had to say yes. Guess I was hoping fewer people saw it." 

"I am gonna have to ask Veer for a video because that performance was gold." Siddharth chuckled. 

"Yeah, laugh at me. Please." 

Siddharth felt a little bad so he quietened. 

"Can't wait for this wedding to be over," Siddharth said after a while. 

"Me neither," Chetna said softly. 

"Let's just drown our sorrows for now." 

"That is the best idea anyone's had today," Chetna said as she poured out another drink for both of them. 

***

Siddharth was lying on the floor next to the table when he started feeling the effects of the booze wearing off. The world was a little less hazy and the chill from the floor was seeping into his body. 

Yet he did not want to move a muscle. Everything was perfect in this instant. The pressure he felt having to make it through this week just dissipated in the chilly air of Jaipur. 

Chetna had been quiet for a while too. He looked up curiously to check if she had dozed off. 

He found her staring into the distance. 

"What are you thinking?" he asked her. 

It had been so long since they had spoken that Chetna seemed a little startled at his address. 

"I was thinking of how perfect everything is right now. I don't want to endure four more days of this madness. Should we disappear?" she said still not focusing her gaze. 

Siddharth knew she was being whimsical and running away was just a fantasy, but at that moment he was tempted to grasp her hand and walk out of the hotel. 

It was so simple. They were adults, they had means, they certainly had motivation but invisible strings bound them to their spot and no one moved. 

"Very close to what I was thinking," he said simply. 

There was another pause and Siddharth liked to think that Chetna was also fantasizing about leaving this place with him. It wasn't far from the truth. 

"Aren't you cold down there?" Chetna asked finally tearing her eyes away from the horizon and looking at him. 

"It's really not that bad. Kind of soothing." 

"Really?" she asked and before he could answer she stood up and made her way to where he lay. 

Siddharth looked on as she sat down and then lay flat next to him. He felt the warmth from her nearness and tried not to fidget. 

"Mm, you were right," she said as she settled down. 

Chetna turned on her side after a few seconds and Siddharth knew she was looking at him. He didn't want to meet her gaze because he didn't trust himself. He continued staring at the sky. With some surprise, he realized that morning light was leaking in through the corners. 

Had they been up here this long?

"I can't wait for your concert. I've actually never been to one, you know?" she said. 

Siddharth managed a weak "Really?" 

Her proximity was intoxicating. He could smell the fruity scent of her shampoo and her breath tickled his ear. 

"Yes. But I'm mostly excited to see you sing. I didn't get a chance to tell you but you sing beautifully. That short song was proof enough." 

Siddharth finally turned his head in her direction and felt his heart would flutter out of his chest. This sensation was entirely different from all that he had previously associated with infatuation, love and all that. 

Their eyes met and the same spark, that illuminated her normally brown irises to a honey, shone in hers. She seemed a little surprised by the intensity of his gaze and tried to laugh it off. 

"What?" she asked with a grin, trying to calm her own hammering heart. 

Siddharth leaned in a few millimetres to test the waters and Chetna's eyes fluttered close. And then there was no going back. Like magnets, they were drawn together and the few centimetres of distance no longer existed. 

Their lips met, hesitantly at first, then grew bolder at the first contact. They moved closer together and he cupped her cheek. 

He didn't think it was possible for the night to get any more perfect but this was so much better than he had imagined. 

Siddharth deepened the kiss and could have sworn he felt their hearts beating in tandem under the first light of morning. 

A/N

I feel like I say this every time but sorry for the long wait. 

I was having so much trouble with this chapter. Hated it every time I tried to type it out. Hope this attempt was worth the wait. 

Vote, comment etc.

Thank you for reading.