Saving is undefined.

Vaanya

"Fuck, you're so good." Ranveer's guttural gratification lashes through me as he pounds into me with full force, his tongue sliding against the hardened peak of my breast, and he sucks on it. His gaze catches mine as I lower onto him and he grips my hips, his nails digging into my tingling skin and my lips part to a sharp intake of breath. "Fuck, fuck. Don't stop."

My head falls back to the sensation of having him so hard inside me, so hot and so sexy. My fingers splay on his flexing pecs as I undulate against his rock-hard length, building the sweet edge as his crown hits the knot of pulsing nerves inside me. The scent of our lust and desires is a heavy mix in the thick air, deepening my craving for him. I bite my lip to hold back a graceless moan. This is what I always want from him—desire for him, to climb on his gorgeous body and craze him.

My knees sink to the mattress with a low creak. "Oh my god, you're so deep." I gasp, feeling outrageously stretched with a tinge of pleasured agony when I slide lower on him. He looks so beautiful under me, lips parted and muscles strained to his desires. He presses his thumb against my throbbing clit and circles it leisurely, deftly and everything inside me clenches with insatiable need.

I lower my lips to meet his and hear his teeth grind when I slide further to take him to the root. I have nearly sheathed him, so wet and so hot for him; I can barely stand the bite of burn in my inner muscles. A breathless cry escapes me as I tremble to the pained pleasure. "Please tell me you agreed to tell everyone that we were with you the other night."

His gaze flickers on me and I bite my lip to stifle another moan. His thumb ceases the delicate motions and I cry out to the abrupt languidness of his touch. "I won't agree until you tell me why you'd want that." His voice is throaty and thick with arousal. "Why would you want me to lie baby?"

"Because...Oh," I moan blatantly as he bucks his hips to push deeper into me. Our gaze catches. "I don't want to answer a lot of questions," I manage to say, his cock powering into me with maddening speed and my fingers flex against his muscles, mist smearing against the back of my neck and my muscles begin to ache on the verge of orgasm. "I—we're mostly...passed out."

His groan is a low tint of pain as he hits my core relentlessly, melting it. "I'm going to come so hard, shit." His chest heaves with frantic breaths and he grips me tighter, urging me to lean back against his arm and I arch my back, pleasure spreading all across my body. "Why don't you just tell the world that you guys had some drinks and were dead by night?"

His words knock me down. I rock my hips harder against him and his groan grows animalistic, ferocious, and luscious. "Because nobody would buy it," I say through my pants, squeezing my breasts as the heat radiates through my body. Wildly, I lean closer to him and push my fingers through his sweat-damp hair and tug it. "What is it Ranveer? You don't wish to help me?" I ride his cock at a desperate speed, feeling the carnal ecstasy surge through me as every form of restraint begins to close on me.

"Goddamn it," he curses under his breath, catching my nape before he seals his lips on mine. I slow down to double the tension and he groans to my mouth. "At least I deserve to know what's really going on."

"It's nothing," I bite his bottom lip and feel his muscles flex under me. "I'll tell you all about it later," I whisper hoarsely and cup his jaw gently as he thrusts into me but I back away. "Tell me, do you agree?"

"Fine, yes," he growls, catching my thighs to spread them even further, his tongue dancing on mine and I smile to his mouth.

"Thank you," I whisper and lean away from him, my grinding hunger reaching to a fevered pitch as he lunges into me, angling just enough to reach me the right way and the orgasm explodes through me, trembling me with spasms and jolts of absolute pleasure as I fall apart around him.

Ranveer grows thicker inside me, battering into me as he yanks my hips to meet his base, giving me everything he has got, his gaze locked on mine and I shake with another jolt of pleasure. I watch his beautiful face mar with delicious traces of agony and vulnerability as he comes with a feral growl, bursting harsh gusts of gasps that strike against my cheeks. He cages me with his toned arms and I bury my face against his chest to soothe my raging emotions.

Ranveer is the love of my life and that's a fact I can swear by. He has an addiction to substances but he has a heart of gold. There isn't anything he wouldn't do for me and I should know because he has given up significantly enough for proving himself. The truth be told, I understand where his substance abuse stems from and I have accepted it a long time ago. My Ranveer...he never cheats on me, always checks up on me even when he is high on something and never—ever lies to me about anything.

We have been together for over a year now but we were always the best of friends since we were kids. Our affair was always under wraps for reasons that were dangerous. His crowd is different to mine, boding criminals and junkies while mine involves people who look down upon him just because he doesn't wear a certain type of clothing or behave in a certain kind of way. It will be too overwhelming for him to be around them—not that, he isn't used to that already but he can be aggressive and that will be just ludicrous. It's fine by me because at the end of the day, he will always be one of us no matter what anyone says and even if he weren't, I'd have loved him all the same.

I'm not a great advocate for changing people in a relationship—if we can't accept them the way they are, then we don't deserve them at all because that's what we want for ourselves too.

"So what happened the other night anyway?" Ranveer's voice is throaty as I sleep on my back and pull the sheets over my bare breasts.

I try to remain calm when I ask, "What do you mean?"

"You left early, didn't you? Where were you?" He shifts on the bed to face me and I look away with a heavy sigh.

"We weren't gone Ranveer," I mumble lowly and smile. "We were right outside at the parking lot, drinking and talking."

"That Sambhavna girl," he begins to say and I turn to him. "She was alone the last time I saw her and the next minute, she was gone."

"Yeah, she got sick, which was why Ella called me outside later."

"Hm." He contemplates silently as his gaze averts on the bay window across the room and I stroke his jaw gently. "Fuck. If I had any idea that Kunal would be dead after my party, I'd have been with him all that night." I know he is starting to feel like he is responsible for it.

"You couldn't have helped it Ranveer." I urge him to face me. "Nobody could have known. One minute he is there and the next, he isn't."

He presses his fingers against his closed eyelids and heaves a sigh. "He was with Maira most of the night, wasn't he? I saw them on the dance floor but I'm not sure when he left."

"He left quite early because he wasn't around when we were hanging around later at night." We had so much to drink and Maira was so happy after sharing the dance floor with Kunal. Who knew it would be their last? I'm still reeling from the fact that Kunal isn't among us anymore. "Aagnay left pretty early as well," I mumble and Ranveer arches a brow in my direction. "It's odd that both of them weren't around for long last night."

"Those two had some kind of beef going on earlier, isn't that right?" His gaze grows dark on me and I'm lost for words. "Heard they got into some pit war last week, don't know why but Bhasin looked wrecked." He laughs and I suddenly feel sick.

Is that why Ella is acting the way she is? Because chances are, Aagnay had something to do with Kunal's death and Ella knew all along? I have to go meet them.

"I don't remember a lot of shit from last night either, quite frankly." He smirks and I chuckle. "I had lost the race and my money. I needed to blow out some load. Besides, some of them are still after me for the next round."

My eyes pop as I stare at him and he tenses. "You aren't doing it, are you?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure." He shrugs and I back away from him.

"Ranveer!" I'm officially scared now. "Delivering drugs is way too dangerous now more than ever. I thought you were over it." He casts me a knowing look and I roll my eyes. "Just promise me, you wouldn't. Please?" All eyes would be on him since Kunal wound up dead after returning from his party and I don't want him in another soup.

He drones in exasperation. "Alright, fine," he grumbles and tugs me closer to him. "So about last night," he murmurs throatily, stroking my chin gently and I look at him. "Why do you want me to vouch for your bearings again?"

I pry away from him. "I thought we talked about this."

"Yeah, yeah, we did," he drawls and drapes his arm around me. "Only you didn't tell me why you need it so badly." He grips my wrist before I could slide out of the bed.

I'm so irked; he is starting to grate on my nerve. "Why can't you simply agree?"

"Because what I'm saving is undefined," he says tersely. "Come on Vaanya, I at least deserve to know what's going on."

"Nothing," I chirp instantly and he arches a brow in silent query. "Look, someone is dead after returning from your party, we were there too...so I need to know that I have you by my side."

Ranveer doesn't look convinced. "You know I'd do anything for you right?" I know...

"It isn't about that—"

"It's not?" His brows deepen to a scowl. "Then why do you want me to warrant for your friends?"

"Can we please not do this?" My tone lashes to a curt note and he gawks at me. "Stop crowding me with so many questions. If you don't wish to do it, then don't." I shrug and begin to back away from him. I can't believe I'm on the verge of losing my only alibi. What am I supposed to do? I thought I convinced him enough this afternoon.

"Fine." Shit. Oh shit. This isn't good. Maybe I was too harsh with him. His flash of grin stirs me and my brows furrow in bewilderment. "Have fun with your friends, I suppose."

"So much for doing anything for me, right?" I mutter and feel his sharp gaze on me, piercing me as I rise to my feet and he draws me back with a jerk. The creak of the bed cuts through the air and I look away.

"I said, fine, I'll do it," he says softly and I avert my gaze on him. Of course, he meant that—I'm such a fool. "But promise me you'll tell me all about it later."

I pull him closer to me and smile to his mouth before a quick kiss and draw away from him. "You know I will."

"Are you leaving already?" Ranveer asks, propping his head against his muscular hand and his biceps bulge to his movements.

"Yes. I have to meet the girls at Rider's Café later this evening." I pick my purse from the floor after I fix my skirt and turn to face him on the bed. "Do you have plans for the night?"

"Just the race." He catches my hand and kisses the back of it.

I flush. "Call me tonight?"

"I will." He grins as I grab his denim from the floor and toss them on him. He rumbles a laugh that knocks the wind out of me. "Drive safe, okay babe?"

"Of course." I lean to kiss him one last time before I head out. "Bye."

Ella

No! I can't get a zit.

Not right now. I had enough derma appointments to make sure I don't have any. "Binti!" I holler at the top of my voice and wait for the footfalls on the staircase as they begin to ascend.

My maid skates into my room and stands near my freshly made bed. "Why am I getting a zit on my face?" I'm freaking out before she could answer. What would Aagnay think? Zits are the worst because that's all everyone will look at. "I need to remove this or stop it from getting worse."

She nods quickly and clasps her hand. "I know a couple of remedies that can help you. Do you want me to help you with that?" Nonsense! I know none of that works for real.

"My diet is gluten-free, is it not? And vegan too." I look at my reflection in the mirror and feel the pressure of tears behind my eyes. Only a day of stress and I'm already breaking out. What's next? Dark circles and lines around my eyes? "Make an appointment with the doctor for the week." I turn to face her and she nods silently. "Fast!" She scurries out of the room and I fetch my hairbrush from the vanity top.

I haven't talked to the girls yet and none of them have tried to reach out to me either. If anything, it only makes me more suspicious of them. My parents have been shell-shocked by the news and I can't blame them. Mummy insists I should go talk to more people if I feel low but she has no idea how much I must be avoiding people, given the recent turn of events. Never thought Kunal's absence would create such a ruckus in our community. That dude had nothing to offer except STDs maybe.

I begin to brush through the tendrils of my hair after I turn on my playlist on my phone and Entangled by Future Moons pours into the air. I guess I'll just have to live with a load of concealer for now.

When Arijit Dubey—Kunal's brother and an ex-alumnus of our UNI showed up at our doorstep, I couldn't help but think what he knows; his version of Kunal's cause of death. If there's any way he manages to link me to his death that night, at least I have nothing to worry about now.

Aagnay was ever so ready to be my alibi for the night. He didn't think twice before taking up on my offer—such a sweetheart. We have our stories straight: we were together at the party, he left to help out a friend and got back to drive me back to his penthouse so we could celebrate his victory in Math Tournament privately.
I don't know what I'd do without him.

I make my face quickly, slipping into a pair of denim and a shirt before I head out to meet the girls at the café.

*

"I think I'll talk to Saxena Sir for some grief counseling," Sam announces and I prop my fist under my chin to look at her. So that's her perfect plan to get around him.

"Real smooth S." I narrow my eyes on her and she shrugs, twirling her hair mindlessly as Maira sips from her bottle of beer.

"But you aren't spilling the details right?" Vaanya inquires pointedly and the collective attention fixates on her. "Nobody can know we were there."

"Are you sure because the way I see it, she's too whipped to shut up," Maira snorts and I can't hold back my chuckle.

"I'm not stupid if that's what you mean," Sam's voice tints with annoyance, and I toss my hair back before I turn to Vaanya.

"Did you talk to him?" I tip my chin up and she looks at me, and then she looks at all of them.

"Of course, Ranveer agreed to my plan, we guys are safe." I wasn't expecting that. Maybe he needs an alibi too. Sam leans back to her chair with palpable relief and Vannya smiles at her. "But I kept thinking, is there a reason we don't remember anything from that night?"

"Maybe we were just too wasted or something." Sam munches on her fries and I tap my finger on my chin thoughtfully.

"I remember the parking lot." I set my mug of coffee on the table.

Vaanya nods immediately. "Me too." She looks at Sam. "Hey, why were you sick the other night?" she asks and Sam looks blank for a beat. Under normal circumstances, it would be nothing but right now, I want to believe that one of them has something to do with Kunal's death and I have to know who it is so this nightmare can be over for real.

"I just had too much to drink, why would you ask?" She stops eating and Sweater Weather by The Neighbourhood begins to pour through the speakers.

"I don't know." Vaanya shrugs insouciantly. "I just never got a chance to ask, I guess."

Maira looks over her shoulder and scans the place before she turns back to us and leans closer to the table. "Did you guys notice the gossip column has no new updates?" she whispers and I sip my coffee slowly.

"You figured that out already," I quip indifferently. "Not a single update since yesterday. I can finally feel like I'm not under someone's watch twenty-four-seven."

Vaanya tears the tissue into bits. "But why would Kunal post all that about us? It isn't like he hated us. Did he?"

"Who knows V?" Sam shrugs and caresses her scar above her brow. I gave her my derma's digits to go fix that hideous thing on her face but I don't know what's stopping her. "Maybe he was trying to prove a point. Who knows how far he'd have gone to expose us?"

"And that's why he got killed," Maira declares somberly and all of us fall silent for a long minute.

"It can be an accident too, we may never know," Vaanya mutters but Miara doesn't seem convinced.

"Exactly, none of us had anything to do with him," I add. "You excluded." I continue to drink from my mug and feel her raging gaze on me. "What? No offense, M, but none of us actually cared about him."

"Which is exactly why it's very likely that one of you killed him," she snaps and my mouth falls open out of sheer shock.

Vaanya is agape and Sambhavna groans incredulously. "Can we not do this here, you guys? People can actually hear us."

Maira and I have to stare off, and she is first to turn her eyes away. "Arijit visited my place earlier today," I announce and note her features soften.

"What did he have to say?" Sam asks and I lean closer to the table.

"The forensics is involved now and we'll soon get the official word about his cause of death," I share and Maira's eyes turn glassy. Vaanya gasps and Sam looks like she will pass out. "Relax. We don't have anything to worry about right? We did nothing so act like it, will you?" That should be easy for them.

"What if they find something that links us?" Vaanya asks and I drum my fingers mindlessly on the edge of the table. "Did you guys leave anything in that warehouse? What if they collect DNA or something?"

"That's what alibis are for right?" Sam asks hopefully. "Our alibis are airtight," she asserts and Vannya continues to shred the tissues. She is a nervous wreck; at this rate, she has to crack under the pressure and each one of us will be wiped off.

"Yes but alibis are nothing in the face of forensic evidence, you guys, we can seriously be held accountable for all of it." Maira then hisses under her breath and I'm beyond scared at this point. She has a point and I was the one who threw up in that sink. If at all, they will procure my DNA faster than any of them. I should've thought it through. Fucking bitch!

"No need to get paranoid right away," I say evenly and find the three pairs of vivid eyes gawking back at me as though I've grown two heads. "What? We don't even know what's in the report. The cause of death is pretty random so based on my calculations, it should be an accident." Say it and I might actually believe it. That has to be what this is.

"But you have to be freaking out more than any of us," Sam whispers sharply. "You puked in that sink and Vaanya was all over the place before any of us."

"That's very comforting, thank you," Vaanya rolls her eyes aggressively. "Hey E? Has Aagnay ever told what his deal was?" she asks and now I'm the one who's clueless. "With Kunal, I mean."

"What deal?" Sam asks and at the same time, "Aagnay had a deal with Kunal?" Maira raises her brows questioningly.

Kunal knew a lot of things—things he wasn't supposed to and I had no idea how he got his hands on them. But one thing was for sure: he sure as hell messed up with the wrong guy this time. Aagnay would rather his head severed than face someone versed with his secrets.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I lift a shoulder up dismissively and get back to my cooling beverage. End of fucking discussion. Nobody can know Aagnay's secret.

~~~~

Hello, Darlings!

Please let me know what you think of this chapter so I can serve you better as a writer. I have been quite nervous about this particular update but I can't even say that I didn't enjoy writing it. ;)

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