*Aslesha*

"I am not going to suicide" I say looking above me and slowly start stepping back.

"It's called bungee jumping" Viraj says taking my arm and pulling me towards him.

I look at the yellow metallic structure which is reaching the sky and the small platform at the end of it.

Bloody hell no!

I glare at Viraj and he grins. "Come on it's just 50 metres. Utna bhi uncha nahi hai. It's for beginners" he says.

"I'm not planning to die today so my answer is no. No no no no and no. Did I mention no? No! N-O NO. No na nahi nako never" I rant and fold my hands in front of me.

Konsa pagal waha se kuud ke apni jaan dena chaahega. Maze ke liye ye sab. Isme konsa maza hai?

"Darpok!" Viraj mutters.

"What did you say?" I ask, giving him a death glare.

"Darpok! Coward, crybaby, wimp, sissy, weakling, fattu, coward, bheegi billi" he says and I fight the urge to strangle him.

Kuch hi der pehle I wanted to grab him and kiss him. Now I want to grab him and slap him. Yahi pagal milna tha mujhe. Oh god!

"Mai darpok nahi hu" I snap at him.

"Tum ho! Darpok darpok darpok darpok darpok darpok.."

"I'll slap you ha" I say putting my hands on my waist.

"Kitni darpok ho tum. I thought you're not like the other girls. You are tough and strong and brave. But tum bhi aakhir.." he lets his voice fade away and sighs.

He is doing it purposely. For me to say yes. To agree. And I won't. Because I know he's doing it purposely. No I won't. Iski baato ka mujhe koi fark nahi padta. I'm not stupid to do something like that. No way.

"Fine! Lets do it" I say and a grin forms on his face.

Yay me! Pyaar me pagal hui mand ladki.. FML.

He grabs me and presses his lips against my cheek happily. "Jesus, Aashi.. you are amazing!" he says and I'm about to faint.

I don't know if it's because of the nervousness or his kiss. I guess it's because of the latter.

He takes my hand and leads me towards the metallic structure where some instructors are standing.

Viraj talks to them and pays the fees. He is literally jumping up and down like a little boy who has been given his favourite toy. I on the other hand feel like I'm about to pee in my pants.

Kis baat ki punishment hai ye Bhagwan? Viraj se pyaar karne ki? Aisa hai toh I don't like him. Iss sankat se mujhe bahar nikaalo and I promise I'll stop picturing Viraj shirtless every now and then. I'll become a good innocent girl like before.

Impossible. My inner voice mocks me.

The instructor starts giving us certain instructions about the jump and I can't stop squirming. "...so you just have to be physically and mentally prepared. That's it" he says and ends his talk.

He tells me to take off the jewelry if I have any and empty my pockets. Thank God I didn't wear a dress. Ya fir pehenna chahiye tha. Bach jaati.

Viraj and I go together on the elevator like structure that takes us up. The way it's shaking and vibrating below my feet is making me more nervous.

"Agar mai marr gayi toh tell papa that I love him" I say fidgeting with my shirt and he takes my hand in his. "It's okay if you don't wanna do it" he says, for the first time looking concerned.

Just then we reach the top and I literally start shaking and I have to hold the railing on both the sides to steady myself.

"So who's going first?" asks the man standing there.

"He"

"She"

We both look at each other and I groan. "At least itni baat toh maan jaao please" I whine.

"You'll back out if I go first" he argues.

"No I won't. I promise" I say.

Shit! I promised. Can't my big mouth stay shut for a while?

He searches my face for any hint that I'll back away. Then he nods and the instructor starts strapping him in the harness. He obviously has done this before. He is so much at ease. Unlike me who is going to shit her pants. When he is done he looks at me.

"Neeche milte hai Aslesha. Just let go okay? Let go!" He screams and then jumps.

I lean ahead a little and see him screaming as he falls. The rope brings him up again and then he again falls lightly. Just in a matter of seconds it's over.

I can see the other men helping him down and then the cord is removed. It's pulled back up and I gulp down the lump formed in my throat.

The man straps me into the harness tightly. "First time?" he asks. I just nod not able to form words.

"It'll be the best experience of your life. Just spread your arms and enjoy the fall. Relax" he says nudging me ahead towards the railing.

I look down and I quickly step back. I can see Viraj scream something. But I can't hear it. I look at the deep valley and the lake underneath me and I start shaking with fear. My heart starts beating frantically and I think I'm gonna get a heart attack.

Jitna jaldi jump kar dungi utne jaldi ye khatam hoga. Aur utne hi jaldi I'll be near Viraj. With that thought I walk towards the edge, close my eyes and jump.

A loud scream pierces my ears and then I realise that it's mine.

I free fall down and feel like I'm totally weightless. The ground gets closer and closer but just when I'm near it, I'm pulled up. And then this time I fall slowly. For a few seconds I swing in the air upside down as my eyes become moist.

I did it!

Wow.

That was mind blowing. Literally. I felt so free. It felt surreal. It felt exhilarating, exciting, intoxicating, thrilling. Euphoric!

Two hands grab me and I see Viraj's face upside down. They're his hands. He is looking at me anxiously and holds me when my feet touch the ground.

I don't move. I'm not able to. I'm still shaking because of the adrenaline rush. The harness is removed but Viraj is still holding me close and I place both my hands on his chest.

He's waiting to hear my response. About how I felt. I'm speechless. So I just smile. A big, face splitting, this-was-the-best-experience-of-my-life smile. He smiles in return and exhales loudly.

"You're beautiful" he says, his eyes running all over my face and then landing on my eyes. "Beautiful" he whispers, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear.

My cheeks turn warm. What should I say to this? "Aur ek baar kare?" I ask and he chuckles pulling me in his arms.

"Damn Aslesha. Kya karu mai tumhara?" he mutters and pulls away.

Hey, I didn't get to hug you properly.

Ok that's not the point. He pays the fees again even though I force him not to. Ladko ko itna kya shauk hota hai saare paise bharne ka?

And then we bungee jump again. This time I go first and it's more fun that I'm not so bloody scared. I could do it again and again but I'm seriously feeling hungry now. So Viraj takes me to a nice cosy restaurant which is just a few minutes away.

'Something Fishy'. That's the name of the restaurant. Oh I love sea food. Just what I needed. It's a small place and has a retro like vibe to it.

Viraj pulls out a chair for me and I smile at him. Such a gentleman.

"By the way yaha hum order nahi de sakte. Thaali serve karte hai aur koi bhi fish hoti hai. Jo bhi vo subah pakad ke laaye" he tells me. I chuckle. "That's fine. I love seafood" I say and he sighs in relief.

"The best part about you is ke tumhare duniya bhar ke nakhre nahi hote. Dusri ladkiyo ki tarah" he says and I roll my eyes.

"Sab ladkiya aisi nahi hoti" I say.

"Mere pehchaan ki ladkiya sab aisi hi hai" he scoffs.

"Tumhari saari galat ladkiyo se pehchaan hai" I tell him with a smirk and he suppresses his smile.

"Are you implying ke meri ladkiyo ke maamle me bahot gandi choice hai" he asks raising his eyebrows and leaning back on his chair.

"Maybe" I shrug.

"Smartass" he mutters under his breath.

The waiter arrives and we both give each other nervous looks. Hopefully koi dhang ki fish ho khaane laayak. When he places the plates, I see that it's prawns. My favourite.

We both sigh and chuckle. My stomach growls looking at the big thaali in front of me. There's bombil fry, prawns masala, rice, chapati, solkadhi, aachar, masala papad and also cucumber raita. Yummy!

"You're drooling paglu. Come on start eating" Viraj says and I start munching down. Everything is just perfect. This guy seriously knows all the best food joints. One more reason to love him.

When he goes to wash his hands after eating I quickly ask for the bill and pay it. Ha! Har baar vo kyu kharcha uthaayega?

He scolds me when he comes back but I don't listen to him. I decide to thank the chef personally. She's an old lady and tells us to come back.

"Kitni pyaari jodi hai" she mutters when we leave and I look at Viraj from the corner of my eye. He does the same and I quickly look away pretending that I didn't hear her say it.

Jodi?

Viraj walks towards the bike and taps the seat looking at me with a smirk. "So you wanna..?" he asks.

"YAASS!" I scream loudly and he winces and closes his ears. I run towards him and start jumping up and down.

"Oh my god oh my god. VIRAJ!" I start squealing again.

He is letting me ride his bike!

After asking him almost everyday and hearing no every time in response, now he is letting me ride it. I am truly blessed today.

"If you keep screaming like this I'll change my mind" he chuckles.

"Nahi nahi nahi" I say and he starts the bike and I sit first. "Whoa it's heavy" I say placing my hand on the handle.

"Agar ek bhi scratch aaya na Aslesha, I will seriously kill you. Mazak me nahi bol raha" he warns me and gets behind me.

"Shut up. Toh start karu?" I ask.

"Arre ruko baba" he says and shifts ahead so that we are completely pressed against each other. He leans ahead and places his hands on mine on the handle and his chin on my shoulder. I gulp nervously at the proximity.

Ab toh scratch kya, pura accident hi ho jaayega.

"See the clutch here on the left, break to the right. Gear yaha left me neeche okay? Ready?" he asks.

I nod excitedly. He slowly eases the clutch and the bike starts. I balance it and Viraj's hand is still on mine on the handle. He slowly removes his hand but the bike loses its balance.

"Easy there paglu" he says and again places his hand on mine. Once I get the flow he removes his hands and this time I ride it smoothly on the empty road.

"Oh wow. Dekho Viraj mai Royal Enfield Himalayan chala rahi hu" I squeal like a little girl. He laughs behind me. I ride freely on the road and Viraj helps me during the turns.

After a while I catch up speed. This is so amazing. How could I not love this dummy. This is crazy! One moment I want to slap him, then hug him, then kill him and then grab him and kiss him. I'm not a mentally stable person anymore.

I see a park nearby and stop the bike. We go inside and I go and sit on the rocking spring duck below a tree. It squeaks under my weight but thankfully doesn't break.

I look at Viraj and he is looking at the rocking spring horse in front of me unsurely.

"Baitho. It's just a toy. Kuch nahi karega" I say and he rolls his eyes.

"Ha ha very funny" he says and sits on it. I start laughing. He looks funny. His lean muscular body on that tiny horse.

"What?" he frowns.

"Kuch nahi. Tum toh bilkul novels ke hero ki tarah lag rahe ho. Safed ghode pe aane wala sapno ka rajkumar" I say laughing at him.

I remove my phone to take a photo of this funny view. He makes a face, poking his tongue out and then pouting exaggeratedly and laughing. I click many pictures.

"Tell me about your family" he says after a while.

"Papa. He is my only family. Mumma mere paida hone par hi guzar gayi. Thode rishtedaar hai but unse itna contact nahi. Koi Goa me nahi rehta" I tell him and he nods.

"What about your family" I ask carefully. His face drops. "Tumhe nahi batana toh.." I start saying but he cuts me off.

"Nahi. Bahot badi family hai meri. Dad ke side ke log itne close nahi hai but mom ke side ki family bahot badi hai aur bahot cool hai. Nana nani, do mama hai. Ek ke do chhote chhote bache hai. Ek ka ladka, mera cousin Om, abhi shadi karne wala hai December me. I'm waiting for it. It's gonna be a big family get-together" he says and I smile.

His face lights up talking about them. Just the way it does when he talks about cricket or something he loves. I love it. I love him.

Around 6pm we get up to leave. Last ferry is around 7pm and we don't want to miss it. Just outside the park we meet a couple who don't look Indian. They give us a pamphlet.

"Here. There's this big festival tonight on the Blue Waters beach. There are gonna be many events. It happens just once a year. It's like a trance party. And the money raised will be used for the development of this town. Please do participate guys" they say and walk away towards another young group.

I look at Viraj who is looking at the pamphlet like it's the Kohinoor diamond. Kitne pasand hai iss ladke ko parties. But fir raat ko late ho jaayega.

Just by his expression, I know that he is dieing to go here. He did so much for me. Itna achha day plan kiya. Maybe we can stay the night here. Utna hi aur time spend karne milega.

"You wanna go?" I ask.

"Yes.. I mean no. Abhi ghar jaana hai na. Chalo chalte hai" he says and crumples the pamphlet. I take it from his hand and read it. 'Festa' is written in big bold letters on the top. The address and the details are given. Doesn't look shady or some shitty kind of a party.

"Mujhe jaana hai" I say looking up at him.

"No! Tum pura din jo mujhe pasand hai vo karti rahi. It was more like a Viraj day. Jab ke it was supposed to be Aslesha day" he says eyeing the pamphlet.

"Parties me dance hota hai. Aur mujhe dance pasand hai. So I wanna go and that will make it an Aslesha day" I tell him.

"Are you sure. Raat ko you'll..."

"Yes I'm sure. We'll attend this event and go back tomorrow morning" I say with a smile.

He looks at me unsurely and I know he is inwardly having a battle with himself. "Itna mat socho" I say placing my hand on his. "Chalo chalte hai"

"Aslesha.. thank you. Tumhare saath sab achha hi hota hai. You are my lucky charm paglu. There's never a dull moment with you. Come lets go" he says and ruffles my hair

I smile and get on the bike with him.

~•~•~•~•~•~•

I call papa and inform him about my whereabouts and tell him that I'm staying for the event. He tells me to not take drugs and make out with strangers or something. Aise kaise papa hai mere? Kabhi kabhi lagta hai strict hote toh behtar hota. But he trusts me a lot and I won't make him regret it. I have the best papa in the world!

We reach the address and loud chattering can be heard from the beach. It's already dark as we walk inside the entrance but the place is glowing in different coloured lights. There are two bouncers at the entrance who check our bags. One of them ties a neon band on our wrist as Viraj pays the entrance fee which is just 200 bucks.

My eyes widen as I take in the place before my eyes.

There is a bonfire in the middle where people are drinking and some are smoking. People are also singing songs around it. There is a restaurant bar nearby. I see a tattoo studio beside it and there are also few food counters and shops selling different items. There's a small stage but nobody is up there now. Viraj takes my hand in his and I smile as we walk inside.

Most of the boys are in shorts and shirtless and the girls are in bikinis. It's a usual thing in Goa.

"Lets eat something first" he says and we walk inside the open bar restaurant and sit. Viraj asks me if I'll drink? I shake my head and he goes to bring food. I gaze up at the clear sky full of stars above me. Coming here was a good decision.

I see that there's a booth nearby where people are getting themselves painted with neon colours. I wanna do that too.

The music system is being set on the stage. Viraj comes with the food and I start eating. I'm not really hungry. Lunch heavy ho gaya tha.

He is drinking beer and I see a few girls eyeing him. I lean a little towards Viraj and that's when their eyes land on me.

Yes girls! I'm with him. Suck it up!

Just when we're done I see the couple who gave us the pamphlet sitting near the bonfire.

"Hey you guys. Come join us" the girl says and we walk towards them and sit with them. We introduce ourselves and they tell us that they, Edward and Kristina, come to Goa each year for this festival and they're from Dakota in America.

I'm enjoying myself looking at everyone sing and have fun. People from all around the world are present here.

We also get ourselves painted when Viraj removes his shirt and I gulp looking at his abs. Yummy yummy!

The woman with the paint brush keeps giving him suggestive glances and I grit my teeth in anger. She is painting his abs!

Bloody hell!

"Ok the next one is you!" Edward points at Viraj when he is done singing. Viraj gets up from beside me and stands up and takes the mic.

He starts singing Swalla by Jason Derulo and that same paint wali girl goes and starts dancing with him. What the fuck.

Time to down some drinks.

I take two glasses of two different drinks from the waiter walking nearby and gulp them down in a go without thinking. I feel like breaking the glass on his head.

The song gets over and the girl hugs him and grinds her body against him and I have an urge to throw up.

Bitch!

"Hey you should go next" Kristina says and nudges me. "No not me. I can't sing" I say shaking my head and everyone starts forcing me.

"Oh no she won't sing. She's really shy" Viraj smirks evilly and I glare at him. Everybody starts booing.

No I won't make a joke of myself in front of all these people. He can't always trick me.

"She's still a little girl. And so very shy. She.." he stops when I stand and take the mic from him.

I take the bottle from his hand and gulp down the sour liquid and empty the bottle. Everyone starts cheering and I smirk as he raises his eyebrows. I place my hand on his bare chest and push him lightly. He steps back and stands a little away from me looking at me with a smug smile.

Shy?

I'll show him how shy I am.

~•~•~•~•~•~•

Hello there babies... Naya update! And such a long one.. Did you guys like this chapter? This party is gonna be a blast.. next chapter me kuch bahot achha hone wala hai.. heheh.. guess karo kya? And bungee jumping ka surprise kaisa laga? Damn I wish mujhe bhi Viraj jaisa ladka milta.. Aur next chapter ke liye thoda time lagega because mai kal gaav ja rahi hu. But I'll update next week. Tab tak ke liye miss me.. ily :)