Chapter 15 ~ "Haldi "

EDITED.

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Akira's POV

"Where is she?"  I was met with silence.

"Ayan, I asked you where is she?!" I repeated more harshly.

"I–I don't know, she ran outside."

I took a step forward grabbing his collar, "What did you do Ayan?" I growled.

"Nothing! Just that I...didn't return her feelings." 

"How could you Ayan! How could you break her heart like that?"

Ayan's voice grew louder, meeting my level of frustration."What did you want me to do? Lead her on? Hurt her even more?"

"You did lead her on! All the sweetness and smiles did lead her on."

He ran a hand through his hair, "I was just being myself! I thought she knew I already had someone else." Ayan flinched after revealing the last statement. 

"Someone else? Oh my god Ayan. You played her."

"I did not. I swear to you Akira, none of that was my intention."

"You encouraged her feelings! She's been missing for three goddamn hours Ayan!"

"I treated her like a little sister! And don't blame this on me! You could have stopped her," he hollered.

"I should have protected her from you! I should have stopped her heart from being torn apart." I mumbled, tears threatening to spill out. Taking a deep breath, I lift my gaze to meet the brown eyes of the jerk who stomped on my sister's feelings. "I haven't seen her since I left her with you four hours ago."

He sighed, "Rhea said she needed space, and left for the hotel." 

"I already checked there."

"Might as well go back and check."

Decidedly, I turned around to make my way to the hotel, praying to God that I hadn't lost my sister in Greece. 

I ran up the stairs to where mine and Rhea's room was situated. Throwing the door open, I wildly searched for my twin. "Rhea! Rhea, tell me you're here." My sentenced trailed off as I noticed her suitcase missing, along with the rest of her things. My eyes trailed to the bed where I caught a glance of a hotel notepad with a message written. 

Akira

I don't feel too well. I think I'm a little home sick, so I'm deciding to take an early flight home. Honestly, I'm over this grad trip. 

Don't worry, I'll call you when I land, ok? 

Stay out of trouble. 

Love you Aku,

Rhea

I sank down onto the mattress after reading her messily written note, the words still swarming in my head. 

"Akira?" I turned my head slowly, noticing Meera standing by the door with furrowed brows. "What happened?" She took tentative steps towards me, grasping the crumbled note from my palm. After a few seconds she sat down beside me. "She went home early?"

I furiously shook my head, "this is not like her. She doesn't just up and leave without saying a word. That's not how she functions." My hands began to tremble as my mind began running wild. "I'm so scared, Meera." 

"Hey, it's ok. Maybe she's still at the airport. We can still catch her?" She suggested.

I nodded, and sprang off the bed, as we made our way towards the lobby. 

"Athens International Airport please." I said before jumping into one of the taxis parked in front of the hotel. 

"I'll stay here, just in case any of the organizers ask about you two." She said with a smile, which I returned.

"Make space." A voice piped up, before climbing in the seat beside me. 

"Get out." I sneered. 

"Don't you have meetings to be attending Ayan?" Meera mused.

He simply shrugged in reply, "my company. What I say, goes."

"I don't have time for your bullshit Ayan, just get out of the car."

"Exactly, so stop wasting everyones time. Driver, please hurry." Ayan requested, ignoring me for the rest of the ride as I did the same.

"Kyría , eímaste schedón edó (Madam, we are almost here.)" The driver hollered after half an hour.

I bit my lip, simply praying I would get there in time before Rhea got on her plane. 

Seconds later the sky ahead flashed bright, as sounds screeched in my ears. The light kept getting brighter, until it wasn't. Until the sky was destructed by grey thick clouds of smoke, which only seemed to grow. The sounds had faded to a numbing dull, one of constant ring. 

 I looked over at Ayan, utterly lost. And then the chaos hit. I stepped out the taxi, which I vaguely recognized to have stumbled off the road.

I walked closer and closer towards the havoc, faintly recognizing voices yelling out for me to stop. The ringing in my ears grew louder, as I took in aircrafts flying through the heavy fog that enveloped the largest building in site. Athen International Airport' was laying in mere debris. 

"Akira! Get back here!"

My vision grew blurry as clouds of smoke surrounded me. 

"Akira!"

The ringing grew louder mixing with a screeching sound that I registered to be my own voice, all before it went completely silent. 

"Akira!" I jolted awake, panting and glancing around. My mom exclaimed from the other side of the door."Sangeet will begin soon. Please, bhagwan ke liye uth ja." For the love of god get up. 

"Haan maa, I'm getting ready." I croaked, as I climbed out of bed and made my way into the bathroom. In my jet lagged state, I had snuck in a deep nap after the haldi function, falling into bed without a second thought. One look in the mirror was enough to scare anyone, my eyes were slightly swollen with smudged eyeliner from the event a few hours prior. My hair wasn't looking any better in the tangled bun that was now undone. I sighed, leaning against the counter taking deep breaths.

It had been a while since I saw that, memories fresh as if the incident had just happened yesterday. Whatever I tried, somehow the flashbacks snuck into my subconscious, nor did I have anyone I could release these feelings to.

I shook the thoughts out of my head, and quickly jumped into the shower.

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"Akira?"

I hummed in response, distractedly fixing my hair.

"Hurry up, the sangeet started. Aunty's getting mad." I rolled my eyes. When is she not mad? "And mind telling me why Ayan is 'patiently' waiting outside the room at the moment?" Shanaya questioned with a raised brow.

I stood stiffly, "What the hell?"

"Yeah, I'd like to know what the hell is really going on between you two. Anyways, come down quickly." I nodded my head, turned back around towards the mirror, but not before she said, "I'm sending him in, though," and waltzed out the room before I could protest. I groaned inwardly, scolding myself for foolishly thinking I could avoid him forever.

A gentle knock on the door alerted me of his presence, but I continued to brush through my hair roughly.

After a few seconds, he cleared his throat, "Can you stop ignoring me for one second?"

Avoiding his gaze through the mirror I asked, "Why should I?"

He clenched his fists which were crossed over his dark blue kurta. "Because I need to talk to you."

"Ayan, for the sake of my brother, I think it's best to just avoid each other to prevent any kind of conflicts. I want this wedding to go smoothly, for Kabir."

He raised an eyebrow as his lips quirked up, "Do you honestly think I want to be here? If it were up to me, I wouldn't be. But you need to hear this. You and Kabir."

"Then why aren't you with Kabir?"

"I think you should hear it first. Then decide if we should tell Kabir."

I turned around to meet his intense brown eyes, my heart stuttered at the somber emotion they held. The seriousness in his tone confused and startled me, I had no idea what was so important for him to be so shaken. "Ok...tell me."

Just as he opened his mouth my phone buzzed in my hand, startling both of us as the sound sliced through the tension in the room. 

"I have to go right now. You can talk about whatever you need later." I said, giving a fleeting glance to a stiff looking Ayan, before shuffling past him. 

I felt a hand clasp around my wrist, roughly pulling me back to come face-to-face with him. "You need to listen to me Akira. I'm not joking around." He growled fiercely, his deep brown eyes glaring down into my own. 

"C-can it wait?" I stuttered out, trying to pull my hand free. 

He breathed impatiently, "I don't know how long I can keep it in."

"Mamma will kill me if I'm not at the sangeet this instant," the tone of my voice much lower as he pulled me closer.

"Akira, it's about Rhea." He murmured.

My eyes widened in bewilderment, "I-what...what does she have to do with anything?" 

"She has everything to do with it." His eyes flickered over my face, taking in the confusion and growing shock.

"Wha—"

"Akira!"

I blinked and Ayan was standing several feet away from me, stoic expression taking residence on his face once again.

I leaned out the room to peek into the hallway, met with my completely outraged mother, hands resting on her waist. "Mamma, ek second."

"No! Come here now!"

"But ma plea—"

"Akira." She warned, alarming me. I looked back at Ayan who was still standing awkwardly in the room. He sighed before mouthing 'later.'

I pursed my lips, turning and marching right past my mother who seemed oblivious to my disconcerted state, as she lectured on about punctuality and obedience. I was hardly paying attention, my mind still looming somewhere else.

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"Why are you staring at him like that?" I turned to face Shanaya, startled.

"I'm not staring at anyone." I mumbled over the loud punjabi music playing.

She rolled her eyes, "Well your hawk eyes have been trained to him for the past hour, meaning otherwise. And stop with that constipated look." She scolded.

My jaw dropped, staring at my best friend incredulously, "I do not look constipated!" I said, accidentally too loud, gaining me many weird looks from aunties sitting at a nearby table. I blushed, slapping a laughing Shanaya next to me.

"Seriously though Akira. You are so sketchy right now. What is going on with you and Ayan. Before you both couldn't stand each other's existence much less be in the same room. And now you're having secret rendezvous' in guest rooms, and throwing each other fleeting glances?"

With wide eyes, I quickly glanced if anyone had heard what she said, but they were all too busy dancing or eating food. Turning back to Shanaya, I whisper-yelled, "Why don't I just get you a microphone to announce all my affairs to everyone?" I continued before she could but in, "And no I am not having an affair."

"Then what?" She questioned, with an amused smile. 

"My company is linking with his company." I lied, "So he's been working on some deals for the collaborative projects."

"Oh..."

"Yea oh..." I mimicked, rolling my eyes. My eye grazed over the dance floor, noticing Kabir dancing with his friends, but one in particular was currently looking at us. Looking at Shanaya. 

A small smile slipped onto my lips, as I took in the obvious emotions of desperation on Vivan's face. I didn't know what they discussed back in the hallway, yet I was sure they had relieved the tension. 

I glanced back to Shanaya, who was distractedly playing with the straw in her drink. "What's up with you and Vivan, now?"

Her shoulders stiffened out of habit at the mere mention of his name, before they slowly relaxed. "Nothing."

I arched a brow, "Nothing? Really now?"

She sighed, meeting my gaze,"Really. We talked and resolved the...issues between us." 

"...So is there still something there?" 

She thought over my question and then smiled at me tiredly. "No, not anymore. For a while, I wondered why I couldn't move on, thinking I was still in love with him. He brought me closure, which was all I really needed." 

I rolled her words around in my mind before tilting my head in Vivan's direction, "And is he on the same page as you?"

She flicked her gaze towards him. "I hope," she muttered.

"He's holding out hope for something else." I grinned at her, "telling him once again won't hurt. Go, dance."

She pursed her lips, pondering over my idea and then nodding. 

"Fine, let's go." She replied, standing up from the chair, straightening out her suit. 

I shook my head, "You go. I'll join you later." She cut in with many protests, but a pointed look finally shooed her away. 

After few minutes of watching my friends and family dance embarrassingly, a body stood in front, blocking my view. I bit my lip, already knowing who it was before I even looked.

"Tell me what you know about her." I stated, before standing up and leading Ayan out of the hall quietly as possible.

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Author: A hoe finally finished the damn chapter. 

Akira: It's a miracle really.

Ayan: *Hugs author* Thanks.

Author: *Hugs back tightly* I need all the love I can get.

Akira: Oh jesus. *rolls eyes*

Author: *flips Akira the bird over Ayan's shoulder*

Ayan: *winks* Of course it is, I give you all my love.

Akira: This is sickening.

Author: Of course it is. Tone the jealousy down a notch, Aku. Everyone can sense it.

Ayan: *snorts* Like subtlety was ever her thing.

Akira: OH you both can go fuc—

Author: BEEP! This book is censored, and the main character should know that.

Akira: *throws hands in the air in defeat* Ok, where the hell is the rest of the cast in this BTS (Behind the Scenes, not Bangtan Sonyeondan ;) )

Author: Probably sick of dealing with you two on screen, so they decided to skip out on dramatics offscreen.

Ayan: That's presumptuous of you. 

Akira: Yeah, I'm 100% sure they're avoiding this nonsense because of Ayan's ego and Author's overbearing attitude.

Author: *rolls eyes* Anyways, I've had enough of this brat. Stream Mickey Singh and Fateh's bop at the top. It's got me grooving in my seat. 

And remember...

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