Mitali Jain's POV

"Come let's go and greet your lover boy!" Naveen whispered as he pulled me towards Jai and the group of men in suits.

"Why can't we just go somewhere else?" I snapped at him, as I tried to understand the weird twisting in my stomach, for a moment and two it seemed I was suffering from a stomach bug or something. But as we neared and he excused himself from the group and walk towards us with a smile, it happened again, and I ... I had almost moaned at the delicious feeling that it spread around me.

"Hii," he breathed out as soon as we were in talking distance, and waited for me to say something. Shaking my head, I tucked my hair behind my ear and whispered,

"hii."

It was truly odd for a very short while, I couldn't understand what was it that was happening to me whereas he was staring at me and my brother, and he was busy devouring the drink, as he eyed the two of us from the brim of the glass.

Lucky for me, someone called Jai, and as soon as he turned around, I took my brothers glass and walked away from there, with him following me, and I committed the biggest mistake of my life. I took a sip of that drink.

The burning and a weird taste filled my mouth. Gagging at it, I quickly turned around and brought my hand on the 90degree and said, "Stop." My brother's hands went up in surrender, as I walked closer to him and said,

"This is a drink."

"That's obvious Mitali... and that's champagne." He gave me a sic kingly sweet smile and went ahead to take the glass, but I was quick and pulled my hand back.

"Yes it is, and you are driving if you remember?"

"Mitali one drink doesn't cost us our life." Naveen tried to reason out. Shaking my head at him I handed him his drink and walked away from him, only to get bumped into another suited man.

"Why is everyone wearing same colored suit!" I exclaimed, not at all liking the same dress code, it becomes so difficult to find a person in this fleet of 100 of people, and not to forget the large area of this room.

"Hii, Mitali, it's very nice to meet you Mitali." My eyes went towards Dakh's smiling ones and I smiled as well.

"Finally someone who is sensible!", I huffed and took hold of his hand as we walked about, and that wasn't just the best part, there were virgin drinks as well. Taking a glass for myself we moved ahead with Daksh smiling at people here and there. We came off to one side from where we could almost see everyone and stood there talking.

"So what did Naveen do this time?" he asked as he took a sip of drink.

"He drinking and he is our driver tonight." I could see the way he tried to stifle his laughter.

"Driver? Mitali, the press out there is waiting to have one interview with that brother of yours," he pointed towards a bald headed person and said, "you see that man over there the ball headed one, he is said to be one of the finest investor in the market yet he wants to have a meeting with your brother to know how he managed to bag the deals that he had in the past few months."

"I know how capable my brother is, me being here in this room proves it, but that brother of mine doesn't have a small essence of sensibility and doesn't care for himself." I said and my eyes wandered off to the room, in search of Shakti.

It seemed she was successful in getting lost in this crowd and all I hope is that she would be fine.

"I have to agree with that. He can be careless at times." Daksh said as we two shared a hearty laugh.

Before we could sober up, I saw a few men in suit walking towards us, taking it as my cue I touched his hand to gather his attention and said, "There are a few men in suit coming this way, I really don't like these business talks, so I will take you a leave, I have to go search for Shakti."

I saw Daksh's eyebrows scrunch in confusion as he asked, "she is here?"

"Yep, I will tell you the details later one, the men in suits are here." we two laughed as I once again made my way back into the crowd.

But it seemed that it wasn't really my day, as the lights dimmed a bit and focused on a slight platform as yet another man came on the stage and took hold of the mic.

"A very good evening, ladies and gentlemen, I Venkatish Raman welcome you all to the 35 annual ball of the Business association of India. It's really amazing to see these young people who once held on to the loli-pops and toys now signing off the papers of corers of deals and Champaign in their hand. "

The crowd fell into a laughter as I stood there listening to the old man. He seemed so old yet the fresh enthusiasm had the whole crowd towards him. It seemed as if I was looking back at my dad, if not for his small scale business and have had a huge one, he might as well have looked somewhat like this.

His words, would concur the hearts of the small crowd of our gatherings. Though not a family but extended ones and a few friends.

The rest of his talk seemed a blur until I felt someone standing right beside me, ignoring their presence I smiled as the old man lifted his drink and declared the dance floor open.

"Can I have this dance?" the very familiar voice of Jai fell on my ears.

And so much for sneaking out from here, I thought, as I took hold of his hand, and finally looked back into his eyes and said,

'I must warn you I have never danced."

"I know.", his hold on my hand tightened a bit as he pulled me towards the dance floor. Keeping my left hand on his shoulder and the other in his hand we began to move to the beats of the orchestra.

"I saw you walking away as soon as someone approached Daksh, did he asked you –"

"No, I do not like these business talks, it intimidates me and I was looking for Shakti." I clarified as my eyes found his.

As we kept on dancing, he twirled me once around, and then brought me back in his arms, it felt so weird to be so close to him, like this.

"so ..." he began, as he pulled me a bit closer to himself, his eyes on my face studying me, while I , I tried to understand what was he really up to.

"so?"

"Is it working?" asked as twirled me once again and I walked out of his arms, and came back into those warm arms and he dipped me down as soon as the music came to an end, and whispered,

"My charms,... is your heart beating loudly?"

As he made me stand up, I stood there, while he kept on walking backwards, as he mouth a thank you and something really very unexpected.

"I like you Mitali."

While I stood there my hand now, on my loudly beating heart!

*****

"You were supposed to be by my side all the time out there." Shakti's voice came from behind me, as I sat by the pool area of the Sahara. After the dance I didn't had it in me to stand there amongst the crowd of unknown and take in the glances that Jai threw at me.

At first I tried to find Daksh so that we could just come out here and talk something or the other, but when I saw him busy talking with a few people I thought it would be better for me to stay away and alone for some time.

"I was trapped by a certain new friend of mine, than the heir of Kapadia industry, than a dance with him, and by the time I could find you again I thought I would let you be." I smiled at her and shifted a bit to let her sit on the long pool side chair.

"It has been what just the second or third time that I am attending this thing, it's more of Rey's thing than mine." She said, and the way her voice sounded low made me a bit worried. Shakti wasn't a person to sound low as easily as it would have been for any other normal person.

Something was definitely not okay.

"Was it wrong to come here?" I asked hesitantly, my eyes trained on the shining water of the pool.

"It was for better, I think we came to realize it's been a long time now that we have been hiding."

"So you guys are going to go back?" I asked my head snapping to look at her.

"I am not sure, but what I saw today there is a need, leave about this, you tell me, what happened with you and Jai?" and was she successful in switching the topic? Well the increase in my heart beat and the way I fidgeted with my fingers surely had an answer for that.

"We were dancing..."

"Yes you told me about that, what happened that has got you this quiet?" her eyebrows raised as she tilted her head to a side to let me know she wanted the right reason.

Letting out a huge breath I said, "you know this was my first dance, but there were things which Jai said, what he did... he was close, so close to me that I would have felt appalled at the proximity, but I didn't, I liked it, I liked being in his arms, with him near me and then ..."

"then?"

"then he said, that he liked me... he said it again, and unlike last time, this time my heart was beating loudly it was something I liked listening to, the way he said it, the way he called out my name, and I am scared about it... damn I don't even know him properly to have such a feeling for him" I shook my head and hissed out,

"I can't be like this, how can I possibly be attracted to any one just by their words, their actions and their guts?"

Shakti had a very weird look on her face as she stared right behind me and then took a deep breath and stood up. She patted the small tear that I didn't realize was there on my cheek and said,

"Talk about it with him, may be that would be the same case with him." with that she walked behind me, and as I turned I saw him, standing a few feet away from us, as he smiled at Shakti and then let his gaze fall on me... while I sat there fidgeting with my fingers.

****

Shakti Ahuja's POV

I walked away from the pool side to let the two have their talk privately, though I had answers to Mitali's questions I couldn't bring it in me to let her know what it was.

But I knew, it was possible, it was possible to feel something very strong for a person whom you have met just a few minutes ago, there can be a connection between the two of you that can be so strong, but the problem is... connections like these are the way towards disasters, I had seen them, I have known them, I have experienced them.

Taking a deep breath, I walked back towards the ball room where the event was being conducted but stopped in mid way as I came across my brother.

"Rey, you okay?" I asked, he would never let anyone get across that façade of his, not even me, and somewhere I was envious of his childhood for he was taught to be the way he was, while I , I was the open book for the whole world to read.

May be that's how he knew it, that's why it became so easy for him.

"Where were you, I was looking about."

"I was with Mitali, she was a bit disturbed." I said and stood beside him, looking over the people as they waltzed in and out of the hotel.

"Shakti, do you want to leave?" he asked all of a sudden as I let out a chuckle.

"I am enjoying myself but if you want we can go, just let me go and tell Naveen about it, you call a cab or the driver." Rey nodded his head and walked towards the lift to make the arrangements while I walked off in search of Naveen.

But it seemed this night had stored something for each one of us, the day wasn't really meant for us, but then again I should have known, this was a party for the best of the business men out there, and he was amongst the best... he had always been.

There he stood, his one hand tucked in his pants pocket while the other held his drink, his face I could never understand what was it that he had to say or was feeling... they were all same, trained to conceal, reveal the unseen and speak the needed.

While I , I was the one who was foolish to assume what was seen, and spoken was the truth. But alas, nothing had ever been right for these Royals was it?

"Rajkumari Shakti" he called out the way he always did, the nerve of that proud prince of Rajasthan.

"It's nice meeting you once again, Prince Veer Pratap Singh."

*****

Daksh Chauhan

My legs stumbled as I walked inside the house, it looked so beautiful, everything was just the way she like... she had told me once she liked it this way, and I made sure it was the way she liked.

Stumbling once, twice, and thrice I finally landed on the sofa and called out to my mom... but she didn't came, than I called out once again, this time for my dad ... even he didn't came.

May be they are out for a diner. I thought and bent down and retrieved my diary and began writing.

I wrote about her, about her beauty, about her simplicity about her innocence... and than about him, how he held her, how he loved her... but even I loved her , I did didn't I ?

Slow warm tears began to fall off my eyes, as my head began to hurt once again... I cried and I screamed, I screamed out her name and that's when I saw her running towards me, dressed in her favorite Plazo and long Kurti, her hair open and long earrings adoring her ears.

She was beautiful.

I fought the urge to keep my eyes open, her figure began to dissipate, sometimes it was kaka, and sometimes it was her who was caressing my hair and calling out to me.

I tried touching her but it was difficult to reach her, my hands weren't moving, my head was aching again as I called out to her and told her about it.

But finally she came near me, as I hear her voice say,

"It's okay Daksh, I am here, and you sleep." But I wanted to say something... I tried to open my mouth and said,

"I love you..." she nodded her head, saying yes she knew it, but she didn't reply back. But again my limps were getting stiff, it was itching everywhere, what was it that was happening?

Finally I got hold of her hand and I complained, "You didn't greet me, you never greet me."

As my eyes finally closed off into oblivion!

A/N

And here is that one chapter which had me so exited all along. so many new questions, twists and a few hints. 

but above all, you guys tell me, is it really possible to have feelings for a person whom you might have met just a few moments ago or say to fall in love with someone whom you meet just a few times? 

Are Mitali's queries and doubts stupid, immature or the obvious ones that any person could have? 

Shakti Reyansha and Veer have something going on of their own, any guesses what it could be? 

And Daksh has feelings for someone... any guesses who it is?? 

waiting for your comments and views

happy reading!!