Author's Pov

Outside Singhania's mansion, Vansh stood near his car, making a call, and put the phone against his ears.

"Did you find him?" Vansh asked making his grip tight over the phone.

"I can't find him." Ronit on the other side replied.

"You can't find a man?"

"I tried."

"Did you check his house?"

"I did, even though I have checked all the hospitals in the city. I didn't even spare the small clinics as well. But, still, for some reason, I can't find Mayank."

"The way I beat him last night, he should be getting himself treated now."

"That's what I thought and I swear I have searched everywhere but I can't find him."

"Did you talk with his family?"

"I did, and they said he didn't reach home last night. His mother was crying like hell and his father was also worried."

"I don't know, what you will do but I want that man, anyhow." Vansh hung up the call in his demanding voice.

'Achaanak se ek aadmi gayab kese ho sakta hai?' (How can a man disappear, suddenly?) Vansh thought, playing with his phone, rolling in his fingers.

He came out of his trance when he heard his phone ringing, "Jii baba" (Yes, father.) He speaks, placing the phone against his ears.

"Vansh mujhe tumse baat karni hai, study room mein aao." (Vansh, I want to talk to you, come to the study room.) Aaliya's father speaks from the other side and he hangs up the phone after speaking.

******

Aaliya has attended all her classes today except the last one. She and Anushka left the class.

"Oh my god! Why didn't you inform me about last night." Anushka's eyes widened, hearing what happened to Aaliya last night.

"You guys were already gone and besides I was unconscious and my family was there," Aaliya replied, assuring her while walking side by side.

"Still, you should have told us. We are friends. And, If I would have been there, I swear I would have killed him." Anushka says dramatically.

Aaliya chuckled and she added, "But, Vansh did a good job last night. He should have killed him." Anushka says in an appreciative tone.

Aaliya smiled, softly, 'He did a good job.' She thought.

"The moment I saw Mayank, I knew he was the bad man. You should have never agreed to meet him."

"Yeah, I made a mistake." Aaliya sighs in regret, "Let's leave it, you tell me, how is your online dating going?" Aaliya teased, smiling.

"Finally, you asked. I thought that I would have to tell you by myself without being asked." She fumes. Aaliya smiled, "How can that be? I will always ask about your life. Now, spill it."

"He is finally here, in the city. We both have decided to meet." Aaliya blinked, perplexed, "Really? Then when are you meeting?"

"Today in the evening." Aaliya scrunched her eyebrows, "Be careful, it's the first time you will meet him and also you don't even know his name and never saw his face."

Aaliya added, "What if, he is not what you think he is?" Aaliya parted her lips, "I mean he is not of the same age or not a good man or maybe not your type, then?"

"But, I love him. I will accept him, however he will be." She blushed and Aaliya smiled back.

"By the way, I have some work nearby. You can go back to meet your prince charming." Aaliya said playfully teasing her.

"Are you sure?" Anushka asked, to which she replied, "Yes, be careful." Aaliya and Anushka part ways in the opposite direction, leaving the college.

Aaliya goes to a repair shop, "Can you repair this?" She takes out Vansh's watch from her bag and hands it over to the shop owner.

"Yes, I can." The owner replies, checking the watch thoroughly.

She asked curiously, tapping her nails on the glass where she was resting her hands. "How much time will it take?"

"One-hour maximum." to which Aaliya nods.

Aaliya takes a seat on a chair, placed inside the repair shop. She patiently waits for the watch to be repaired. She randomly took her phone out and started scrolling her Instagram.

Her fingers stopped when she saw a short video playing on the screen on how to make a Kheer.

'Kheer' she taps her fingers on the screen, plunging into deep thought. 'Vansh likes Kheer.' She pouts, concealing the smile.

"The watch is ready." Aaliya came out of her trance when she heard the owner.

She quickly stood up and checked the watch, "It's looking the same as it was earlier." She smiles, paying the bill and then she hails the cab to go home.

*******

“Umm... Kya ban raha hai? Bahaar parking lot tak khushboo aarhi hai?” (What are you making? The fragrance is coming to the parking lot.) Deepak enters the kitchen while sniffing the fragrance of kheer.

“Kheer!” Aaliya replies, smiling profusely, stirring the kheer continuously with a spoon.

Deepak took a fresh spoon from the stand and put it in Kheer to taste it.

Aaliya softly slaps, Deepak's hand and takes the spoon from his hand, “You can't taste it.”

Deepak pouts, “But why?” to which Aaliya says nonchalantly, “Because it's not for you.”

“Then for whom are you making it?” Deepak scrunched his eyebrows.

“It's for Vansh to express my gratitude towards him.” Deepak grimaces, hearing her words, “What gratitude?”

Aaliya quirks her eyebrows, “You forgot? He saved me last night.”

Deepak crosses his hands against his chest, leaning against the wall, pouting, he hums a song,

Dost Dost naa raha,

Behen Behen naa rahi,

Dost Dost naa raha,

Behen Behen naa rahi,

“Oh please Bhai, you know, I have given him a chance, not agreed to marry him. You are being dramatic now.” Aaliya fumes.

Deepak straightens himself, with a serious face and a serious tone, “He is a good man, Aaliya. If there is a slight chance that you know, you can't love him. Don't give him any false hopes. I repeat, don't hurt him.”

Aaliya stops stirring the kheer, she parts her lips wide open, perplexed, “Do you think I am someone who will break the hearts of others?”

Deepak widens his eyes, “I am not talking about others. He is Vansh, my childhood friend and a man to whom you used to cling to yourself like a puppy, every time in childhood.”

He adds, “But, things have changed now. We are not children. And, you and I both know that you don't like him. Just don't give him false hope. I just don't want to see my little sister and my best friend being hurt.”

Aaliya gulps, wetting her lips, “It will not happen. I will not hurt him.”

Deepak caressed, Aaliyah's hair softly.

“But I am upset, you didn't make Kheer for me.” He smiles.

“I promise, I'll make tomorrow for you. But, you can't taste this one. It's for him only.” Aaliya smiled, stirring the Kheer again.

“Tumhari jagah agar Vansh hota toh voh mujhe kabhi mana nahi karta. Ab aana tum mere pass! jab tumhe kuch chahiye hoga toh, mein bhi nahi dunga.” (If Vansh had been in your place, he would have never refused me. Now you come to me! Whenever you want something, I won't give it to you either.) Deepak teases Aaliya, playfully and leaves the kitchen.

'Baba already takes the side of Vansh and now Bhai also does.' I thought, rolling my eyes.

*******

Deepak sulking, entered the living room and saw Vansh coming from outside.

“Aa gaye tum, Kheer khane?” (You came, to eat Kheer?) Deepak taunts.

Vansh was perplexed, “What Kheer?”

“You don't know? Aaliya is making Kheer for you.” Vansh widens his eyes open in surprise, “Really? She is making Kheer for me.”

“Or nahi toh kya. She is making a Kheer for you to express her gratitude.” Vansh asked, curiously, “What gratitude?”

“You saved her last night!” Vansh makes an O face, “Oh!” He smiles.

“Where is she?” Vansh asked while searching for her.

“In the kitchen,” Deepak says, sitting at the dining table.

******

Vansh entered the kitchen and saw Aaliya stirring the Kheer with a spoon while her mood was good. She is smiling.

Vansh takes slow steps toward her but Aaliya doesn't seem to notice him.

Vansh clears his throat once, wanting her attention. But Aaliya didn't face him rather she was busy making Kheer.

Vansh again clears his throat while coughing a few times. This time Aaliya sees Vansh from the corner of her eyes rather than facing him.

Vansh sighed heavily as he thought, 'Did she not see me, or is she ignoring me?'

Vansh coughed again a few times but with a much louder tone than before. Aaliya concealed her smile and put on a stern face so that Vansh thought she was ignoring him.

But, in reality, she already has noticed him and she was just messing around with him.

Vansh's failed attempts left him with no choice but to call her with a deep sigh, “Princess?”

Aaliya's expression changed in no time from a serious face to a smiling one. She smiled unknowingly, hearing him calling her a princess.

“It's Aaliya for you.” She corrected him with a smile.

“But that's for others not for me,” Vansh replied making his way close to her.

“I heard you're making a Kheer for me,” Vansh asked softly, fixing his intense eyes on her.

She finally faced him, “It's only a thank you from my side.”

Vansh blinks, “Whatever it is, the main part is you are making it for me.”

Aaliya finds herself out of the words so she averts her eyes back to the Kheer.

Vansh leaned his hips against the slab and crossed his hands above  his chest, “Can I ask you something?”

“Hmm,” Aaliya hums without facing him.

“Why did you agree to give me a chance?”

Aaliya bites her lower lips from inside, thinking, she says, “I have always thought that you have taken Baba away from me and thus I started to dislike you but, however, I think the truth will always be the truth.”

She pauses, “And, the truth is Baba doesn't like me and it's nothing to do with you. Actually, it's my mother who left him and Baba says that I resemble her. I haven't seen her and nor there is any picture of her in the house. I assume she and I are similar. I wanted to see her and ask her, why did she leave us? But, look at the irony, I don't even know if she is alive or not.”

She chuckles, softly, glancing at his brown eyes, “And to your question, I gave you a chance because I want to make amends for the times when I misjudged you.”

“So, you don't have any sort of feelings for me?” Vansh asked.

“It's been a single day since you have confessed your feelings. How can I have those feelings for you in a day? I need time.” Aaliya says.

He bends his head, close to her ear, and whispers, “Take however the time you want but let me tell you this, I am a very selfish person. I always take what is mine.”

Aaliya felt his cold breath touch her ears. She could feel her baby hair bristle up. A cold shiver ran down her spine. And a different feeling hit her stomach.

She parts away her lips to say, “Let's see.” without gazing at him.

Vansh nods and straightens his head back while a smirk lingers on his face.

Aaliya was done with her Kheer making so she started to pour it into the bowl.

“Shall we go outside?” Aaliya holding the bowl in her hands, pointed towards the living room.

Vansh took the bowl from her hands and placed it back on the slab.

“I have one more thing to talk about?” Vansh in his serious tone and Aaliya being perplexed, asked, “Can't we talk later after dinner?”

Vansh nods in disagreement, “It can't wait.”

“What is it, that's so important than Kheer?” Aaliya whines.

“I want to tell you that..” Vansh paused, “Okay! No wait, I want to ask you if..” Vansh again took a pause.

“What is it, you're scaring me?”

Vansh continues, “I want to ask you if you will marry me in three days?” Vansh bows his head down, not wanting to gaze at her.

“What?” Aaliya scrunchies her eyebrows in surprise.

“Is this a joke?” Aaliya mutters, with a grimace face. “Should I laugh?”

Vansh exhaled sharply, fixing his gaze on her, calmly speaking, “It's not a joke.” Vansh bites his lower lips, being serious, “I know it's too soon for you but I want you to marry me, and that too in three days.”

“Vansh” Aaliya stretched on words. “Did I not make it clear that I need time? Let me digest the fact that you like me then only can I start to feel something for you, isn't it?”

Vansh cups his both palms to her cheeks, making her gaze fixed on his. Vansh's palms were so big that they could cover her whole face with them. “I know, I get it. But, you have to marry me.”

Aaliya removes his palms from her cheeks, inquiring, “But, why so soon?” Aaliya wets her lips, “Didn't you say that I can take however much time I need?”

Vansh this time places his both hands on her shoulders, squeezing them in comfort, “Princess” He drags the word, making Aaliya focus on him.

“You are ready to give me a chance then why not give a chance to our marriage?” Vansh tries to make Aaliya understand.

Aaliya stared into his eyes with an intense gaze, “Is it Baba?” Hearing her words, Vansh gulps, blinking continuously.

“It's him right? He is forcing you? And, you agreed?” A lone tear falls from the corner of her eyes.

Vansh didn't reply, avoiding the eye contact with her but, Aaliya was adamant about fixing her gaze on his. She was searching for an answer and the silence from Vansh told her everything. She fumes in anger, shrugs off his hands from her shoulder, takes back the bowl of Kheer from slab, and walks out of the kitchen.

She finds her Brother sitting on the dining table. She makes her way to him in fury. She placed the bowl on the table with a loud thud which made Deepak surprise and he widened his eyes open to glancing Aaliya's anger.

Vansh follows Aaliya and comes to the living room.

“Bhai, you wanted to eat Kheer, right? Here, it is. Enjoy!” She made her way back to her room in fury.

“Princess?” Vansh called her.

“Aaliya?” Deepak also calls her.

But, she doesn't listen to anyone and she closes herself into the room.

To be continued...

A/N; Let me know, how was the chapter. And, please comment on your views so that I can know if you like the story or not. Have a good day/night.