Incase you skipped Introduction
You cannot read this book as
'STAND ALONE'

Read LAB first! Thank you!

***

Unedited.

~Playlist for this chapter~
Sucker - Jonas Brothers.

~For all my Hindi Listeners~
Offo - 2 States.

***

Chapter 1 : Hate at First Sight.

~Yash's POV~

I checked my phone for the third time in the last few minutes, waiting for the small tick to turn blue. I couldn't remember the last time I sat glued to my phone, pathetically waiting for someone's reply.

I wasn't a pathetic Romeo. I knew the concept of space and privacy.

I just wasn't in the habit of being ignored. And that sucked big time.

I met Shruti via mutual friends in Delhi. She didn't flip her hair or bat her eyelash to capture my attention. She simply flicked her eyes at me before plucking in her ear-phones, zoning me out with the world. She was different than the bunches I had dated before. She played hard to get and I loved it. She was a refreshing change in my life. I didn't do relationships but she made me want to try it out.

Unfortunately, two months into our bliss honeymoon phase, my parents dropped the news of me shifting to my nana's for further education. I couldn't understand why, Delhi had some of the top-notch colleges of India, and yet I complied with their wishes.

(Nana - maternal grandfather.)

Shruti and I decided to try out the long-distance relationship.

Unfortunately, I skipped the manual of how the long-distance worked.

It had been a week since I had settled in Mumbai and had barely exchanged a steady text or two with her. Phone calls didn't last for more than ten minutes and we eventually ran out of topics. Her constant background commotions would highlight her busy social life.

I wondered how long this will last before either one of us called quits.

"Here you go..." Arnab, my cousin, unceremonially dropped on the chair on my right before placing two large cups of milkshake on the table. I took a tentative sip out of mine before sighing.

"You dragged me out of this house and forced me through an hour drive to this cafe for these milkshakes? Arna makes better than these."

And Arna was just a ten-year-old cousin of mine.

"This cafe is a hot spot for blind double dates."

Of course, my asshole of a cousin wouldn't have brought me to simply taste some fruits blended with milk and ice.

"I have a girlfriend." I hissed as he took large, messy, noisy gulps out of his cup, some of his milkshake running down his mouth and onto his T-shirt. I grimaced.

"Look, your 'girlfriend' doesn't care for you. She hasn't replied back to your yesterday's text, has she? And let me tell you she was online-"

"-How would you know that?-"

"-I saw her Instagram story last night. She went out clubbing with some of your fri-What? Why are you glaring at me like that? She is smokin hot but not my type. I was just innocent stalking-"

I drone out his voice as I quickly scroll through her Instagram story and true to Arnab's words, find a series of photos of her partying and having the time of her life with my college's football team.

Disappointment bloomed in my chest and I pushed away from the phone in dejection.

"You look like someone just peed in your milkshake and forced it down your throat." He grinned and I glared harder at my cup, wishing to empty its content on someone's head, probably my cousin's.

"Look, don't get me wrong, I am happy that you are trying to be monogamous and all but relationship are like fat girls. They just don't work out."

Fat-shaming imbecile.

The word 'fat' was a soft spot for me.

Growing up I was quite chubby and my family took pleasure in gushing over me, teasing me. Puberty hit and the word 'fat' replaced chubby with few extra adjectives added to it. None of them too pleasing. I was pushed around by my cousins and was often laughed at. I started avoiding family gatherings altogether. Instead of submerging myself into self-doubt, I channelled my anger into working on myself.

By the end of my tenth grade's summer vacation, I was fighting in tournaments for jiu-jitsu and taekwondo on weekends if I wasn't busy scaling some random mountains. During my next family gathering, nobody dared to touch me. The best part about it all? I could see the begrudging respect in their eyes.

Nothing like shutting up the haters with silence.

But there were times like these that transported me back to my insecure sixteen years old self.

"Remember that time when I broke your two ribs and two fingers? Yeah, keep on thinking about it before you fat shame anybody else." I cracked my knuckles. That shut him up good.

"So...these girls...I mean, your date, who is she? Where did you meet her?" I asked as I gazed around the cafe filled with bustling teenagers. Most of them were couples who couldn't keep their hormo-love in control. The cafe had a cosy, romantic ambience, located at the heart of Juhu beach, with a magnificent view of the blue sea and glistening sand. The price of the food didn't burst the students in tears.

Perfect location for misers like my cousin.

"Twitter. Here-" I glanced at his phone's screen that lightened up with a girl's photo. "-Her name is Tanvi."

"She looks cute but not your usual type."

"She is not."

I let out a chuckle at that. "Then why waste your money on this date?"

"I'm interested in her friend, Agni, who is accompanying her on this double date."

"You are interested in my date?" I choked on my milkshake.

"Your date? Don't you have a girlfriend?" He leaned back on his chair and smirked at me.

Kaha phass gaya yaar.

(An expression in Hindi of 'what the fuck did I get myself into')

"Count me out of this shit."

He stopped me mid-way as I made a move to get up.

"Look, it's a 'win-win situation' for us. You will have an amazing view, a date, plus a chance to make Shruti jealous. You are sulking here like a Devdas, checking your phone every five minutes while she is out there enjoying with her next potential boyfriend. It's payback time. As for me, I'll finally seduce the girl I've been stalking for months. C'mon, help your brother out, please."

I mulled over his words.

True. I had nothing to lose and everything to gain but playing dirty with a girl's feeling wasn't my style.

The girls I had dated so far were all out-going, loud, and bold. They didn't shy away from their feelings or needs. And I loved it. Being on the same page was so much easier and convenient than wooing your way in through lies and empty promises.

When my phone displayed no new messages or texts, I made up my mind.

"You owe me a huge one for this," I said as I settled down.

"They are here."

His eyes lightened up when he spotted someone near the entrance. My eyes followed his gaze to land upon a girl, who I assumed from that grainy picture, was Tanvi. She was followed by another girl soon and I felt my breath hitch as I met her eyes.

Green. Her eyes were aqua green. One of the sexiest I had ever come across.

Momentarily stunned by the sudden eye contact, she averted her eyes before shuffling closer to Tanvi.

Arnab waved the girls over and I sat back, studying my date for the evening. She was thin, timid and basically crawling at a snail's pace, almost as if she was dragging her feet as slow as possible. Her short frame easily blended behind Tanvi's large one, disappearing in her shadow.

"Just keep 'meri wali' engaged in some conversation. She isn't too hard to please, just throw some compliments on her looks and I will handle Agni." I barely registered Arnab's words as we got up to greet the company.

('Meri wali' is a Mumbaikar slang for my girlfriend, my date, or my crush. Basically used to stalk claims or possession.)

I was momentarily stunned by her beauty as she walked closer, stopping across me, never meeting my eyes again. Her milky white complexion, high cheekbones and slender frame made her easy on eyes. Her luxuriant black hair had some glossy brown strands that shined under the sunlight.

Realizing that I was in deep trouble, I quickly averted my eyes before she thought of me as some creep.

From my peripheral vision, I caught Arnab practically drooling on the table while looking at her. I tightly clenched my fist, sending a prayer to the Gods above to give me enough strength to survive this date without committing murder.

Sensing my eyes on her once again, Agni's cheeks bloomed like Kashmir apples, red and plum.

At least I couldn't deny it was a win-win situation.

****

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