A note: 

Happy Diwali, dear readers!

I wanted to take some time and thank all of you for continuing to read this story. I am very grateful to have you all here. 

To all my silent readers, do share your thoughts and feedback in the comments. Looking forward to hearing from you. <3

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Riya

"Stop stressing. Your hair will turn gray." I said to a stressed Rudra, who was all suited up.

"Easy for you to say."

I sighed. We were standing in his kitchen at his parent's bungalow, which felt like a mansion to me. We were in the kitchen looking after the food and the drinks as the guests enjoyed the party outside that his parents had organized for Siya's birthday.

I didn't know why he was here. I was here because parties with rich people were not my thing. Even the black halter neck dress and the black stilettos couldn't help me out in mingling with the crowd. It was as if they could smell that you were not one of them.

He was here looking after the food and drink even when he hired the catering company to do this.

"Why are you even stressed? Everything's perfect." I said, looking around.

"Whenever our parents are together, it's just a countdown to the explosion." He sighed.

"They won't fight on her birthday. Chill." I didn't feel the confidence with which I said it. But such was their fate. Their fathers didn't look eye to eye.

"Hmm. How long are you going to hide here?" He asked, and I glared at him.

"I'm not hiding."

"Right. Let's go back before Siya gets angry for abandoning her on her birthday." He joked.

"Fine." I sighed.

We stepped out of his kitchen and paused at the balcony, peering down the staircase below us.

"Ah! Look who decided to show up." He said, looking down.

Even before he took his name, I spotted him. It was hard not to. He had a presence that demanded your attention. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears, and for a second, I felt as if everyone could hear it.

Abhay stood beside a beautiful woman in a maroon dress, wearing a black suit that fit him a little too perfectly.

"Abhay Raichand. He doesn't usually come to parties. Especially birthday ones." He chuckled and looked at me. His chuckle slowed down when he saw my face. I wonder what he saw on my face. Disgust?

"Why is...he here?" I asked.

He looked down before answering, "We have a partnership with his father's real estate company. He handles the profile for our hotel chains."

Before I could stop myself, I asked, "I heard his father...died?"

I fought to maintain the casualness, even as a storm of emotions roiled inside me. Two days had passed. My anger had subsided, and there was a lingering sadness I couldn't quite place. Why did I feel so betrayed?

"Yeah, after his father died, his uncle took over the business. Abhay will manage it after he finishes his studies." Rudra's voice lowered, thick with concern. "But right now, they're struggling."

"Struggling?"

"Yeah. At one point, their market capitalization exceeded 100 billion...dollars," he said, pausing for effect. "But after his death, things have been going downhill. If his uncle decides to give it back, Abhay's facing a failing company."

He looked at me with a small smile, "You want more info?"

Yes, I wanted to know more. I wanted to know what made him tick. What made him him?

The images of him plummeting his cousin played in my mind, and I changed my mind.

"No."

"Riya," Siya shouted from the end of the staircase. Rudra's expression softened as she climbed the stairs in anger and went straight to him.

"I asked you to bring her back, not hide with her." She poked Rudra in his chest.

"One has to when his girlfriend is like this." He said in a teasing tone, and Siya's anger visibly spiked.

These two.

They started bickering and Siya started dragging me downstairs. I couldn't help but glance down. His eyes were already on me, watching me as I descended the stairs, and passed by him ignoring me as if he didn't exist.

𐃢𐃡𐃢𐃡

I stood by the balcony, hidden in the corner, away from the glass doors. The darkness made it easier for me to disappear. The pulse of the party vibrated below my feet. People were too engrossed in their chatter and business talks. I needed a break from all of it.

I managed to avoid Abhay at all costs, ignoring his presence and pretending I didn't know him. Still, for some reason, I could feel his eyes following me.

I told Ruhi and Siya that I needed some time to rest, and they let me be. I loved how easy it was, the familiarity of a long friendship. Like a soft brush stroke gliding over the smooth paper. We did not need explanations to understand our quirks and needs.

The leaves danced slowly in the cold air, and with it came the smell of the rain in the air. With the incessant rain, one would think I would get bored of it, but in moments like these, they soothed the soul like a balm.

I had the urge to paint. It had been a while since I painted something.

Curbing the urge to paint, I leaned against the railing, closing my eyes, and soaking up the cool air. The balcony gave much-needed privacy from the hall. It was hidden in the corner, with glass doors and giant house plants blocking the view. I didn't know the name of the plant. I needed to ask Siya. My eyes moved to the vintage black railings I was leaning on with intricate patterns. The patterns reminded me of our college's architecture.

This was turning out to be my favorite spot here.

The heavy weight on my head for the last two days seemed to be going away, but the urge to go home and run away from this place remained. But doing that wouldn't have been the right thing to do today.

I looked around to keep my mind occupied so I wouldn't think of my stupidity and naiveness.

I heard the glass doors open. Someone stepped out, and I groaned internally. Fate didn't want peace for me. She was probably sitting on her throne with a big bucket of popcorn, laughing at my misery.

I thought of clearing my throat to not spook the person, but I stopped midway as I saw Abhay stepping forward.

His feet stopped the moment he saw me, and for a moment, we just stared at each other. The look of surprise in his eyes cooled down into indifference.

"I didn't realize you were out here," he muttered, glancing away as if his eyes weren't following me around. Or maybe I was thinking too much.

"Yeah, well, it's a big party," I replied, looking past him toward the door. The urge to run away or scream at him was too loud to ignore. But I didn't move. I couldn't.

We stood in silence, each watching the lights below. Rudra's parents went above and beyond for Siya's birthday. Their whole property was glowing as if it was Diwali.

After a moment, he spoke. "Surprised you're even here. This doesn't seem like your crowd." His eyes trailed my attire for the day.

What did he think about the dress?

"Neither does it seem like yours," I retorted, fighting back the heat creeping up on my cheeks. "So why are you here?"

"Business," he shrugged. "Not that it's any of your concern."

The nerve of this guy. How dare he? But he was right, wasn't he? It wasn't any of my concern. I swallowed back the instinct to snap at him. "I didn't ask for your life story, just making a conversation. Not that you'd know much about it since your conversations usually include fists."

I couldn't keep quiet, could I?

He turned to me with a cool expression. "Right. I forgot you know everything about me." His voice held a hint of challenge. He took a small step closer, narrowing the gap between us.

I folded my arms. "I don't know a thing about you, actually."

"Good. Keep it that way, little Miss Saviour." His voice was low, but there was an edge of something in it—frustration, maybe? Or something else? "I'm not your next project. Keep your interference limited to Dhruv."

He did not just say that.

My hands fell beside me, fists clenched. I took a step closer, "You're too delusional if you think I would waste a second on your rotting personality. Dhruv is not a project. He's my brother—Family. We care for our family. I don't think you would understand that."

For a moment, hurt flashed in his eyes, and they hardened as if I slapped him. Maybe I touched some nerves.

"Aren't you talking too much now?" He said with a clenched jaw.

"Do I need your permission to talk, you piece of shit."

His jaw tightened, and he stepped forward, closing the distance between us.

Too close.

"You just love thinking you're better than everyone else, don't you? Always sticking your nose in things that aren't your business."

I scoffed. "Maybe if you didn't go around acting like a damn lunatic, no one would have to step in. You're as predictable as they come, always hiding behind that cold exterior. It's almost sad."

A spark of irritation flashed in his eyes, but it was replaced with a smirk that pissed me off. He leaned in, so close that I could feel the warmth radiating off him and smell the faintest hint of his woodsy cologne. "Sad?" he echoed. "This is coming from someone who needs everyone to see her as the good girl? The rescuer?" His smirk deepened. "Tell me, Riya, does playing the savior get tiring?"

My fists clenched, and I forced myself to stand my ground. "You wouldn't understand, Abhay." His eyes widened a small fraction at his name. "Some of us don't have to pretend to be decent human beings."

He looked at me, his expression unreadable. "You're so convinced that you're better than me, aren't you?" His voice dropped to a whisper. "Hate to break it to you, but you don't know a thing about who I am."

I was too close, and I could feel his breath against my cheek. Neither of us moved as if we were daring each other to move first. The anger in his eyes shifted into something else—something that felt like a magnet pulling me in. My pulse thundered in my ears.

"Why would I even want to know about you?"

"Big talk for the girl who chased me around the campus."

"You're delusional if you think I was chasing you."

"Are we sure I'm the delusional one here?" His voice dropped to a whisper.

His gaze dropped to my lips, and before I could think, my breath hitched.

His phone rang, shattering the silence as a glass dropped on a tile. I took a step back, my face heating as I forced myself to tear my gaze away from him.

What?

Abhay pulled back, a flicker of frustration in his eyes before his expression hardened, his mask slipping back into place. He didn't say a word, didn't even look at me again, just turned and walked off into the hall. I watched him go, still feeling his presence, the ghost of his breath lingering on my cheeks.

I exhaled and tried to shake off the strange feeling tightening my chest.

The chill in the air sharpened, but his warmth remained. I fought for composure, swallowing hard as I forced my hands to my sides. My mind wasn't able to form a sentence or make sense of what just happened.

"Riya?" Ruhi's voice pulled me out of my thoughts as she slowly walked towards me.

"Are you okay?" She asked as she stopped in front of me in her gorgeous deep red spaghetti straps.

"Yeah, nothing's wrong." I exhaled.

Her calculative eyes peered into my soul, "Then why are you breathing like you just ran a marathon?"

I wanted to tell her. I wanted to tell her how maddening and confusing all of this was and I had no idea what was going on. But I also wanted to keep it to myself for a bit longer. It didn't make any sense.

"I think I need some food," I replied. 

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