Chapter 17 ~ Have fun?

"This is cheap" Dhruv commented analysing my dorm room.

I crossed my arms across my chest with annoyance, "you don't have to be here it is not like I am 'forcing' you, I mean consider yourself in my shoes, this situation and see who is actually been forced into- wait what are you doing? Why you taking off your clothes!" I shouted then covered my eyes peeking through my fingers as Dhruv shrugged off his jacket and dumped it on my study table-

"Don't make it so dramatic I am only taking off my jacket and t shirt" he pulled out his graphic t-shirt directly from his neck. He came towards me and drop it on my extended hand which I had raised in motion to stop him but was rendered frozen at the sight of actual abs like real abs on a toned chest! I haven't see those things from this close! I picked my jaw up and somehow managed to look up at him. In stead of smirking or being self satisfied of catching me shamelessly staring at him like the second time today.

He only appeared annoyed, "this is my tshirt wash and iron it I'll need it when I leave" he ordered and turned around dismissing me.

"Oh really?" I gathered my wits before I became like one of his fan girls. I was like hair away from there but boys with bad attitude are just repulsive.

I threw his precious tshirt to the Dustin bin at the corner of my room. Of course it missed it and landed near it, because I was bad at everything.

He exhaled out shaking his head, "you are trying to pick a fight with me and I am not in a mood"

Seriously?

"FYI I am not your personal maid Dhruv! "

"That would be an insult to my personal maid at home" he told.

I gaped, indignant,"why you always insulting me? don't forget you are in my room in my property not technically but still in my dorm room this is my area! I brought you here otherwise you'd be soaked wet outside in rain like a sponge but instead of being grateful you are treating me like your servant and...and also don't forget this is girls dormitory so yeah boys aren't allowed here but see yourself you are still standing there safe and dry!"

He shot me a look through his wet hair.

I corrected myself,"partially dry so what?? It is better than having pneumonia you are healthy because of me because how I was generous enough-wait - what are you doing? why you laying on the bed?"

"You are making me sleepy" he said gruffly casually lying on my roommate's bed. Divyanshi's; that girl had just vanished off into the thin air, I didn't see her since she visited me long back telling once I manged to push out Cinderella out of the picture (apartment) she would come back the very day.

I glowered down at him which got pulled back to his abs on audience view. It was actually appreciable I mean I wasn't into buff and all that muscular body, his was lean yet still built and strong and .... nothing nothing! I slapped on my cheeks with the big realisation other than I was literally staring at him for the third time but to the second most important thing! Oh my god I have a half naked boy in my room! If someone finds out I would be thrown out of the dormitory.

Why do I always end up in these situations?

First boy, wanted to get a haircut in my room

Second boy, wanted me to wash and iron his t- shirt

Was I secretly their slave and I didn't know about it?

I recalled my convo with Dhruv when he dropped the Selena bomb on me

"Selena" this time he said firmly.

I turned around with my heart in my mouth.
"Serena can I come inside?" His eyebrow raised daring and taunting me to say otherwise.

"Selena" he prompted me again by finger quoting the name and then looked directly at me.

Can he make it more obvious that he knew about my identity?

Anyway, I still pretended otherwise,
"I don't know what you are talking about," I lied after some moments of hesitation and freaking out.

He raised his perfectly arched eyebrow I bet he gets them done from parlour no one had that sharp and arched eyebrows, "I would also not know what I am talking about, if you let me stay in your place for a while until I figure out what to do with my current situation"

I was taken aback by the causality of our conversation wasn't he going to eliminate me(kill me) like he promised? And how did he even know about it? Did he know from the starting and was fooling me?

I slit eyed him.

"Make it quick, I will get pneumonia the way I am getting wet by this shitty rain..." he complained impatiently shaking his boot filled with water.

I sighed, shutting my urge to wail loudly at my fate.
"come inside from the back door that's where boys sneak into girls dormitory"I gave in. We needed to discuss how and what he knew about me.

"So you sneaked someone in before?" He asked, frowning.

Sahil and our very unfortunate kiss flashed in the back of my mind. I shut it off and snapped at Dhruv.
"Disappointed you weren't the first one?"

"Whatever" he said, scowl only deepened.

"Iron it with open eyes and open mind you won't like the outcomes if you burned it" he gave me directions while watching my room like it was some slum house.

"I won't be washing your t-shirt so forget about ironing it!" I declined.

"We will see that after I say one word or actually one name" he dared me.

I sprung awake and tensed, "okay okay! I will wash it, alright but I can't iron it I don't know from where I will get the iron this is not my home precisely not your mansion right?"

"Just one name, Ms. Newton" he told regarding with closed eyes I could see his lips tipped up slightly.

He enjoyed making me squirm I bet he saw everyone as his servants to bow down and accept his commands and just because I didn't give a damn about who he was he deliberately insult and riled me up. Not to forget the new leverage he had on me now.

"I will try" I said, gritting my teeth.

I won't.

I will just soil his tshirt finding the nearest muddy puddle or maybe chop or make holes on it.

"I don't believe in trying I want full commitment say you will do it by hook or crook"

"Oh shut up!" I snapped.

"Just one name, Serra" he threatened opening his one eye.

"Please, shut up?"I requested nicely.

"Let's make it interesting by having a countdown?" He folded his arms roaming around in my room, "10,9, 8,..."

I stared at him unamused.

"Or 4, 3, 2,1

"I'm on it!" I yelled darting out of my room.

God he was so infuriating!

•
•

I told Zoya everything. I supposed.. but yes I did give her a blurb about what was happening how it started and how I landed myself to where I was stuck now between three bullies of my best friend, they might be the cause of his demise now when I said it aloud to someone the pain didn't lessen but since I have acknowledged and admitted out how I felt guilty and responsible too. It made it less haunting, when someone outsider someone not just me knew about it, the meagre but the crucial portion of guilt had eased off .

What made things worse was not sometimes the situation it was the barrier, the trapping of it inside you, which only grows bigger and hurtful the harder we tried to bottle up and deal alone.
Zoya tried to be considerate as anyone could be, she told me I might feel I was wrong but I wasn't. I wasn't even right also because my way of dealing to know what was going on in Aarav's life could have been better than pretending to be someone else but that didn't make me a bad person because I wanted good for him.
I wasn't to be blamed for what happened, I can regret and wish I could have acted differently upon it but still that didn't guarantee me about the turn of the situations because no matter how we scatter all the blames on everyone including the boys, I and every person in Aarav's life for what happened, it would still not make it solely our own fault, Aarav too was a part of it.

I can say everything to make me feel okay but what was important was me to feel it too. I was struggling with that.

I handed Ehaan's red shirt to Dhruv once I returned back to my room. I was a bit hesitant to leave him alone in the room, he might snooped around in my things but there were hardly any of my belongings there and I don't think Dhruv would stoop to snooping around, he was too royal for that.

Found him exactly where I left him by the window glaring at the rainfall, with nothing on his torso. My old self would have collapsed with shock knowing some half naked boy was residing in my room, if not he pulled that look so well, I mean someone without shirt couldn't match his arrogance and flair.

Dhruv turned his head my way then eyed Ehaan's shirt distastefully, "I don't wear someone else's clothes and let's not even get started with the colour of that thing"

So high maintenance

I huffed placing my hands on my hips, "look"

He turned his body literally properly looking at me from up to down. I was in my white crop top and black jeans; our color choice matched well not now that he was bare chest.

"Nothing that surprising," he told looking away.

Jerk

"I was saying see your t-shirt, even if I washed it there's no use as it won't dry anytime sooner in this rainy season and on top of it I couldn't find iron anywhere here... because that's just impossible!"

It wasn't, Zoya had but I didn't ask for it.

"You didn't try" he guessed it correctly.

"Of course I didn't I am not stupid and also not your servant! Just wear this and hide those" I told tossing the shirt in his way giving a last glance to his well maintained and displayed abs half-heartedly.

"A compliment or two won't hurt you" he suggested, noticing my staring.

I pursed my lips, "you wish"

He rolled his eyes taking the shirt and put it on, it was a bit small couldn't fit his broad chest so he left it open then glanced at me with narrowed eyes, "from whose kid's have you brought this?"

"It is of my friend's your fault why you're so..."I moved my arms gesturing at his tall frame even the room felt small in his presence. "Huge!"

He raised his brow.

I flushed, he had the nerve to find it amusing.

Someone knocked at the door making our heads turn.

I was going to open knowing it was Zoya and Ehaan but Zoya whispered,"aren't you going to ask the password?"

"Oh!" I remembered, we discussed a code word so Nadia's incident we don't repeat

"Password?" I said. Dhruv snorted from behind.

"E=mc2" she said from behind the door.

What can we say? We were nerds

"Hey" I sputtered when she waved alcohol bottles in her hands. Even, Ehaan carried a few of beer bottles.

"What are these for?"

"Our plan to get him drunk and spill out all the secrets" she told in a low voice.

"But why so... many??" I asked matching her voice.

"Oh Serra you really don't know about anything, won't it be suspicion if we make only him drink??"

"You mean we will also drink! " I almost shouted. I don't know how it appeared from inside from where Dhruv stood while we huddled talking in whisper at the doorway conspiring against him.

I wanted to turn this mishap into an opportunity to know how he actually knew that I was Selena? And also other things like what did Aarav do to Sahil? And why they were no longer friends? And how can I make it even with them? The last one was for me to figure out but rest of the questions answers I won't be getting from him in his full conscious.

"Yep, why are you making it such a big deal??"

I stared at her in disbelief, "have you ever drank?"

"No" she admitted sheepishly, "that's why I am a little excited and scared -

"You don't have to do this" I told

"But I want to!" She almost shouted then lowered her voice, "I want to, after such a long time I am finally having something exciting to do in my life and you think I will let it go away like that- oh no no I am sorry shoot I didn't want to call your problems exciting-

"Drop it, it's alright" I waved it off then looked at Ehaan who appeared sleepless.

"And you, have you drank before?"

In response he raised his two fingers.

"He has drank only two times and each time he fell sick" Zoya decoded it.

"Let's get inside before Dash guessed something is suspicious, Serra please don't mind me if I start fangirling over him I haven't met a star from this close! "

She rushed inside with Ehaan trudged tiredly, I glanced at him in concern, "you okay Ehaan?"

"Fine, just tired was awake the previous whole night studying and this was actually my nap time " he answered.

I felt bad for him. I should have probably asked him before dragging him into this.

"Can't miss the fun to get sick again, you know?" He assured me with sleepy eyes.

There wasn't much space in my room, it was a moderate room but with four people in it it took all the space. Ehaan dropped on the chair at the study table.

"Is he sleeping?" Zoya pointed at Dhruv's figure who was leaning against the window wall with closed eyes, the guy was like devotedly praying for the rain to stop or mediating or ignoring us.

I sighed, "it is his way of telling us we aren't worthy of his attention"

At that Dhruv's eyes opened.

Zoya was starstruck, "I am your biggest fan! I literally watched you guys every video especially the teachers day one when you know ..you rode the bike in front of your maths teacher making an infinity sign with tire marks and then Dark added with the black paint that we hate maths to infinity! And -

Dhruv tossed my sky blue handbag signing at the back of it to Zoya's way. Zoya caught it surprised, "thank you!" She said overwhelmed.

I glared at him, "it was my new bag"

"Thank you, Serra" Zoya said to me gushing.

I nodded still glaring at him.

"I can afford an entire store of it" he boasted.

"Yet, you are still standing here in this small room anyway ..They are here to have fun kinda sleepover party" I said glancing at my friends, Ehaan was dozing off and Zoya staring dreamily at my bag.

"Have fun on my behalf too" Dhruv mocked putting his earphones on, shutting us off.

"You are invited too!" I yanked his earphone out from his ear then suspiciously put it into mine to know what was he listening to?

Loud music in which someone was shouting singing for no reason

I shot him a disapproving look, "stereotype" I mumbled.

"What do you want?" He asked arrogantly.

"Let's drink and have fun?" I said awkwardly.

"With nerds? sorry not my kinda fun" He turned us down brutally.

"Please, it will be an honor...Sir... I see my shirt looks good on you Sir" Ehaan said with half opened eyes probably Zoya must have shook him awake.

Dhruv looked at Ehaan , "so you are the child?"

"Yes, Sir!" Ehaan snapped back.

Both stared each other down then looked away at the same time, Dhruv muttering, "what a drag"

Ehaan mumbling, "Sir, my foot"

"We wil have games too!" Zoya chimed covering the damage.

I facepalmed we were failing badly.

"Games?" Dhruv hummed least interestedly.

"Like, Truth or Dare" I supplied knowing what will catch his attention. I raised my eyebrow like he does but I can't do that like everything so I raised both of my eyebrows at him, that made his lips twitched then he walked away from the wall
"this better be good"

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