Bhumi's POV

"Why are Adanis and Kaurs sitting at the same table?" I asked, confused to see both families chatting and laughing together.

"Why not?" Aryamann responded, looking puzzled.

"Aren't Adanis and Kaurs rivals?" I pressed, even more puzzled.

"How do you know that?" Aryamann narrowed his eyes on me.

Damn it, Bhumi! Where is your brain?

"Oh! I just... I have heard it somewhere," I quickly covered up, hoping he wouldn't ask more questions.

"Well, they used to be rivals, kind of. Maybe until around ten years ago. But they have been good friends ever since," he explained.

"Oh," was all I could manage. If only they had been like this earlier...

"I don't know the full story. Ishitha bhabhi mentioned some family drama once, but I didn't pay much attention. Something big and tragic happened in their family, and they decided to let go of their rivalry," he added, and I nodded.

If only they had let go of their rivalry earlier.

I sighed wearily. What's the point of worrying over spilled milk? Nothing is going to change. But the heartache within me will persist until I die.

"You know what? Siddharth was supposed to marry Ishitha bhabhi to strengthen their bond. And Madhuri was supposed to marry Daksh," he continued, surprising me with this new information.

"Really? What happened?" I was fascinated by this new piece of news.

"It was quite a drama. Daksh and Ishitha were in love with each other, as were Madhuri and Siddharth. But the families didn't know about it. Ishitha and Siddharth were hesitant to reveal their real love interests because of their families' previous rivalry. They didn't want to risk reigniting the feud. So, the four of them decided to sacrifice their love," he explained with a sigh.

"And how did they end up with their real loves?" I asked, curious.

"That's where the great Aryamann Mehrotra stepped in," he said with a smug smirk, and I rolled my eyes.

"Get to the point, please," I said sarcastically.

"Okay, okay. Long story short, I switched the brides without anyone knowing. Not even the brides themselves," he said, shrugging.

"You are kidding," I exclaimed, horrified.

"Don't look at me like that. I couldn't bear to see my brother and Ishitha bhabhi so miserable, so I did what I did. And Gaurav may or may not have helped me with the plan," he admitted.

"Unbelievable. And how did the elders react?" I inquired.

"It was quite the memorable moment when the veils were lifted," he chuckled.

"How could you do that? Weren't you scared?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"Scared? Me? THE Aryamann Mehrotra? No way. Anyway, look at them now. They are all happy and so in love that it makes me sick sometimes. But hey, they are happy, and that's what matters," he said, pointing to the couples in question.

Once again, I saw another side of Aryamann Mehrotra. A brother who would go to any length to ensure his siblings' happiness.

Don't do this, Aryamann. Please don't.

I couldn't help the flutter of butterflies in my stomach.

What are you doing to me, Aryamann?

As dinner concluded, I excused myself to the restroom. I just needed a moment to gather myself.

*****

Third person's pov!

As Bhumi excused herself to use the restroom, Aryamann felt his heart going into an overdrive.

What was it that he saw in her eyes?

She was starting to feel something for him, he could see that. But he can't let that happen.

This is a pretend relationship for a year. Nothing more. If Bhumi develops feelings for him, it would be difficult to get rid of her at the end of the year. And he cannot have that.

He looked around the party and saw some women, still eyeing him greedily, even after knowing that he was getting engaged.

Maybe, he should get intimate with one of them and show Bhumi, so that whatever crush she had developed on him would die.

With that thought in mind, he walked towards the dance floor and before he could invite someone, a woman joined him. And since he was a man in need, he didn't reject her.

He pulled the woman into his arms and started dancing intimately. He was getting repulsed by each passing second, but he didn't want Bhumi to end up heartbroken once this whole charade is over. For that, she should see what he really is.

"What the hell are you doing, Aryamann?" It was Jai's voice that pulled him out of his own thoughts.

"What?" He snapped at Jai and Jai almost dragged him away from the dance floor.

"What are you doing, Jai?" He asked in annoyance.

"That's what I am asking you, Aryamann? What the hell do you think you were doing with that woman on the dance floor? You were almost dirty dancing." Jai said in an accusatory tone and he scoffed.

"What is your problem with that?" He asked.

"What if Bhumi sees you, Aryamann? How can you do this to Bhumi? I thought you loved her.." Jai said and hearing Bhumi's name from Jai infuriated him.

"Bhumi is none of your concern, Jai." He snapped angrily.

"She bloody damn is. If you hurt her, Aryamann, I will kill you without a second thought." Jai said and Aryamann saw red.

He was angry at Jai for having feelings for Bhumi and he was angry at Bhumi for letting him develop such feelings for her. He remembered all the time she had belittled him by choosing Jai in front of him. Like that night when she chose to go home with Jai.

Aryamann briskly walked back to the dance floor and pulled the woman back into his arms and started dancing again.

****

Bhumi came out of the restroom and was walking towards the ballroom when she saw an anxious Aditi standing there.

"Hey, Aditi, what happened?" I asked and she shot a nervous look at me.

"Uh! You must be tired after the party. How about we go to one of the rooms and take some rest?" Aditi asked, almost pulling me towards the exit door.

"It's okay Aditi. It's my engagement party. I cannot walk out like that." I said with a chuckle.

"Of course you can, bhabhi. Come, let's go." She said, hell bent on dragging me away.

"Aditi, come on. Aryamann would be looking for me. Let me go to him." With that said, I walked towards the ballroom, ignoring Aditi's calls.

As I reached the ballroom, my heart stopped beating at the sight that welcomed me.

Aryamann was dancing intimately with someone on the dance floor.

Why am I hurt? Why am I jealous? I couldn't understand.

I don't even have any feelings for him.

What did you think, Bhumi? A few nice gestures means he is developing feelings for you?

Damn, Bhumi! You are freaking delusional!

I looked around to see people staring at me with pity and sympathy in their eyes, and I couldn't bear it anymore.

******

Bhumi's pov!

"Bhumi," I looked up to see J looking at me intently.

"Oh, hey, J," I said a bit too cheerfully.

"You okay?" He asked, concerned.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" I said, my eyes straying back to the couple dancing on the floor.

"You don't have to lie to me, Bhumi," he said with a sad smile.

"Is it that obvious?" I asked, chuckling, and he smiled faintly.

"Can you take me home, J?" I asked.

"Of course, darling. Let's get you out of here," he said, dragging me out of the venue through the back door.

The car ride was painfully silent, something that never happened when I was with J.

"Hey, what do you think about ditching Aryamann and marrying me? We could elope now and get married even before Aryamann figures out that you are MIA," he said, grinning at me.

I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

That's J for you guys.

"That's the real Bhumi. Keep smiling, okay? You don't look good without that bright smile of yours," he said, gently ruffling my hair.

"J, can you take me to Hyde Street?" I asked, suddenly remembering that I hadn't eaten well at the party.

"The food street?" He asked.

"Yup," I said, popping the 'p' out.

"Sure," he said, driving toward Hyde Street.

After a twenty-five-minute drive, we reached Hyde Street, filled with food stalls.

As I got out, I wound my arms around J's, too tired to walk without support.

I forced myself to forget that Aryamann had arranged for snacks for me knowing that I would get hungry.

Don't go there, Bhumi. No Aryamann. Only food!

We visited each stall, buying different food items, and then walked to the courtyard with tables and chairs.

We sat across from each other and started eating.

Well, I started eating, but J was staring at me.

"What?" I asked, frowning.

"You eat a lot when you are upset?" He asked, amused.

"Pretty much. Or you could say I eat a lot when I am upset, when I am angry, when I am happy, when I am bored," I said, shrugging casually.

"In short, you always eat a lot," he said, looking even more amused.

At what? I have no idea.

"Well, if you put it that way, yes, I do," I said.

"Oh crap! I didn't tell my friends that I would be late," I said, realising I hadn't informed Arohi or Bani about my Hyde Street plan.

I took my phone out of my clutch, and my eyes widened looking at the screen.

Forty-seven missed calls from Arya- devil-mann.

Thirty-two unread messages from Arya-devil-mann.

My phone was on silent mode.

Why the hell is he calling me anyway?

Wasn't he busy dancing with that woman?

As I pondered what to do, the phone rang again, and I picked it up without thinking.

J raised an eyebrow at me, and I mouthed "Aryamann." He smirked at that.

Why the hell is he smirking now?

Why are men so complicated? And they complain that women are complicated.

"Finally! Bhumi, where are you? I have been calling you for an hour now. I can't see you anywhere here," he said, and I rolled my eyes, though he couldn't see that.

"I already left, Aryamann," I said calmly.

"What do you mean you left?" He whisper-yelled.

"I was tired, so I left," I said blankly.

"Why didn't you tell me? I would have taken you home. How did you go?" He asked, and was that worry I heard in his voice?

No! Not possible.

"I left with Jai," I said.

"Jai? You left with Jai?" He shouted through the phone.

"Yes," I said calmly.

"I am coming to your apartment now," he said.

"No need. I haven't reached my apartment yet," I said.

"But you already left an hour ago," he screamed.

Okay! What's with him and all this screaming?

"Well, we are here at Hyde Street," I said.

"Why?" He asked, his voice strained.

"What do you mean why? I already told you before the party that I wanted to come here," I said, now annoyed with this questioning.

"But that was our thing, Bhumi. You were supposed to go there with me," He said, and that ticked me off.

How dare he?

"Well, Aryamann, you were pretty busy dancing with some woman who took your fancy. So I thought not to disturb you," I snapped at him, and the line went silent for a moment.

"Bhumi, I... I—"

"Save it, Aryamann," I said, hanging up. I was too hurt and angry to listen more.

I looked up to see J looking at me intently.

"What?" I asked.

"He doesn't deserve you," he said in a low voice, but I heard it.

Oh, Jai! We are not in a real relationship, so he isn't answerable to me in any way.

*****

As we reached my apartment building, I saw a figure standing there leaning on the car.

Aryamann Mehrotra.

What does he want now?

"It's about time you dropped her home, Jai," He growled, and I rolled my eyes.

"Why are you here, Aryamann?" I asked.

"We need to talk," he said.

"I am tired, Aryamann. Please leave," I said, turning around to give J a goodnight hug and then walking towards my apartment, leaving the boys there.

What the hell is happening to me?

Why should I care if Aryamann is with another woman?

As per the contract we signed, he has every right to be with whoever he wants.

Then why am I making a big fuss out of this?

A/n

Here it goes..

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