26

The ball sliced through the air, circled around the rim of the basket and bam!

"Raizada, piss off"Aman huffed out , pushing his hair back.

When Arnav said nothing, he looked at him out of the corner of his eyes."You are in some form today."

The muscles ached, sweat poured relentlessly down his forehead and the sun mercilessly tore his will.

"Take it easy man", Aman said, now with a hint of concern.

Arnav sighed with frustration as the ball was confiscated, forcing him to rest at the sidelines.

"Still hung up on her?" , his friend spun the ball lazily.

He answered with his silence.

"You do realise missing your brother's wedding is a terrible solution to your feelings?"

"I am not missing it"

"Oh yes, your graciousness will attend the reception "

"I need to go to Monte Carlo-"

"Oh please. Know your audience. I know you could have pushed back this meeting"

"What the f**k do you want me to do Aman? Ban her from attending her own sister's wedding?" Arnav burst out, with a pinch between his brows and his neck tense.

"Why does anyone have to be banned? "Aman asked incredulously."You can't avoid her forever . You'll be family soon-

"Oh, shut up", he groaned."I may not know how to deal with this Aman, but I know I need to stay the hell away from her."

He stood up, his back ramrod straight. Tension emanated from him.Arnav allowed himself to walk the few steps leading to the club room, before turning back.

"Akash knows. He will understand. I'll be there for the reception. I am making up for it , Aman"

"How?" Aman smiled wryly.

"I am gifting him the villa in Tuscany"

"I am sure that will cover up your absence ", Aman shook his head in defeat. Even he knew better than to argue any further.

---

Darkness persisted around him. Both in thoughts and environment .The plush cushioning did nothing to ease him. The plane continued to fly over oceans, seamlessly covering the distance he was now afraid of.

Ice cubes clinked within the glass as he raised the whiskey to his lips, attempting to soothe himself with liquor.

His family hadn't been happy, but they had understood. They had been even more forgiving when the meeting brought AR closer to their annual summit. But he knew nani disapproved more than anyone.

Guilt had gnawed at him from inside. He had missed something so significant for Akash, just because he couldn't control his feelings.

Fanaa indeed, he thought bitterly.

He hated her. Hated what she invoked in him. What she made him become. Someone he couldn't recognise in a fog.

Khushi Gupta was not going to be an enigma. Maybe after he sees her up close without the fascination of her words, he will be rid of this sickness.

Yes, he will be. Thus, assuring himself, Arnav shut his eyes, pushing her wide eyes to the back of his mind, as the seatbelt sign turned on signaling the end of his avoidance.

---

Golden lights beamed all around. The lawn was covered in flowers and lanterns. The moon's light was a welcome intruder. Laughter, music and cutlery worked together to create a marvellous piece of art.

And on any other day, he would have appreciated the night. The sherwani blended into the surroundings, as black as the night sky. He fiddled with his collar, giving away his nervousness.

His eyes, refusing the will of his mind, searched for her like a parched man searching for an oasis. Only this time, he didn't know if he wanted it to be a mirage anymore.

"Arnav"Nani walked up to him, her smile eliciting one of his own.

He hugged her, and she whispered into his ear."I hope you had a nice flight"

He nodded absently, not noticing the glint sparking up in her.

"Who are you searching for?"

"What?"

"What?"

He looked away, now more agitated than ever."Akash! I am looking for Akash"

"Oh. Never saw you looking for Akash with that scared look on your face", nani quipped.

"It's his wedding, nani-"

"Oh, so you did remember?", nani smirked, looking uncannily like him.

"I apologised nani, and I-"

"I know , I know. You are gifting him and Payal, the villa. But so what? When he looks back on this special day, you wouldn't be there in his memories. Ditching an important event for something avoidable? What's really wrong Arnav?"

He pressed his lips together into a thin line. He was this close to reverting back to the boy he once was. He wanted to helplessly confess to his grandmother how insanely out of control he felt.

But he couldn't. Not before he found her and got rid of 'it' himself. Clinical precision. That's the ASR way of making things right.

--It was her laughter that drew him in first. He didn't really know her voice. Neither did he recognise it. But some instinct told him it was indeed her.He turned and saw the sight he had been unintentionally yearning for.

There she was. Khushi Gupta.

A vision in white. Again.Her lehenga seemed to glitter against the dark and shimmer in the light. Hair unbound, and curls styled artlessly, she threw her head back and laughed at something the girl beside her said.

His breath hitched the next moment as she paused, biting her lip and looking over at an elderly woman. She toned down her laughter but her giggles still helped him lose his mind further.

He watched her over the rim of the glass, he was desperately clutching. A deer being pursued by the lion, he thought wryly. Arnav decided he would deal with the repercussions later. He couldn't get enough of her. A parched man indeed.

But even a man as meticulous as him can stumble with calculations at the hands of fate.Because what he hadn't expected was her noticing him. She locked eyes with him for a moment. A moment too short in his opinion. But she looked away in an instant, but not before he saw her lips part and those kohl rimmed eyes light up with unbridled awe.

The most breathtaking shade of pink blossomed on her cheeks. She bit her lip, making his heart race. She then turned to her friend, whispering something urgent in her ear. The friend had then moved, perusing him in the process.

Whatever it was. He knew he had made a mark. He didn't know how or why. But he wasn't the one to look at a gift horse in the mouth.

Throughout the evening, there had been heat alive beneath his skin and a thrill in his spine. With every glance, every admiring look she threw his way, she pulled him further deep into his madness for her.

But what embarrassingly floored him ,was the jealousy in her soft gaze. It flared up whenever the women in the wedding party would come and greet him. Her eyes rested on their hands touching him. She even gave those women a once over, an unfounded possessiveness in her actions.

Was he seeing things? No, it couldn't be.

He was a bad man. He had told Aman that, hadn't he? This changed everything.

Arnav looked at her one last time before the evening ended. Her pout, which she donned as often as she could. The grace with which she moved, lightened by the mischief he knew she possessed. The way she scrunched up her nose at the slightest inconvenience. And most of all he loved the way she looked at him.

He was not a vain man. But god helped him, her gaze made him preen like a foolish bird. A trapped bird none the less.

He was a dead man, alright. Only this time, it thrilled him.

-----

Author's Note:

I had fun writing this.

I hope you guys like it?

Want to know what you all think!!