His eyes wavered, and she could feel the heaviness in his heart, which was overtly visible through his eyes. They rightfully said, eyes were mirrors to the soul, and at this point, his soul was screaming for help.

She searched his eyes, and a whisper left her mouth without acknowledgement. "Abhigyan, don't."

He leaned closer as his thumbs began moving in circles on her cheeks. "Do you hate me?" He asked out of the blue.

She tightened her hold on his wrists and gave it a slight push without breaking eye contact with him. He blinked and let out an air of exhaustions slowly. He suddenly looked burned out for some reason. Maybe it was there before, but she had overlooked it. He looked stressed, exhausted, and emotionally drained. His hands were, however, warm.

"Does it make any difference?"

"What do you mean?"

"My existence. Does it make any difference? Do I matter?" His eyes dropped, not particularly on her lips, but he didn't meet her eyes. As if he was on an autopilot, he began acting. Shreya wasn't sure why she was still putting up with him. But she couldn't seem to say no to him.

Gyan bit on his lip-ring and hissed. But it didn't look like an accident. He bit it intentionally. As a response, she winced. "What the hell, Gyan?"

But his reaction to that was totally unexpected. He chuckled, then licked his wound again.

"Why would you bite it when it's raw?" Gyan didn't answer but withdrew his hands from her cheeks. She waited for a second before asking again, "When did you get the piercing?"

"Today," he said and ran his hand through his hair.

"Isn't it paining?"

"Pain?" He snorted. "You making me conscious of the pain here?" He asked while pointing at his lips then his finger moved down and touched his chest. "And what about the pain residing here?"

Shreya kept quiet. She knew he was drunk and probably emotional. Things he couldn't say while being sober, they were instinctively coming out as his suppressed complaints. He would probably forget about all this in the morning. So she didn't interrupt or try to upset him. She wouldn't prefer a drunk and enraged Abhigyan who could easily create a scene.

He was wearing his usual home outfits. A sleeveless hoodie and shorts. He buried his free hand in his pockets. "Do you think if I run away just like this," he gestured towards his attire and added, "I can make it to the top? Just like once Papa did?"

Shreya blinked, then took a deep breath. "Gyan, you're not thinking straight. This is getting absurd. You should return to your room. Are your friends still here?"

Gyan smirked mysteriously at her inquiry, then glanced at sleeping Dev and back at her. "All of my days are same. It's the same monotonous routine, and routine is lethal. It destroys your knack for freedom."

She opened her mouth to say something but closed immediately having no words to say against that.

Gyan however, continued. "Personally, I have not experienced any kinds of appreciation in my life for what I love. It's always been my job, everything I did was, supposed to happen like that. Nothing special. At least that's what I've been taught. Maa supported, of course. But I know, her heart had always been somewhere else. She was physically with me and Ritu, but mentally, she was always..." he trailed off.

Shreya felt stupid to just stand there and listen to Gyan's complaints which probably he'd regret telling her in the morning. But she couldn't do anything about it. Could she? How would she make him stop?

"I'm tired Shreya. I feel empty and burdened. I can't work normally. All the time, my head burns, I can't sleep at night, I can't meet the demands of life as a normal person. I feel defeated... inferior even. It's hard to meet everyone's expectations. And to be compared with others..." he trailed off again.

She fidgeted with her fingers. What should she do now? But she didn't have to think more as Gyan suddenly grabbed her hand and asked, expectant of her understanding, "Do you judge me?"

She shook her head immediately. Whatever he was going through, and whatever he just said were symptoms of a severe burnout. He looked... desperately needy.

"I'm sure you're telling the truth." He lifted her hand and held it gently then pleaded, "Please come to my room. I want you to meet my friends. Well, if I can call them friends that is."

Oh God! Why was this boy so fickle minded? Now he was talking about something serious, and the next he'd simply switch to some entirely different topic.

"Gyan what..."

"Please," he interrupted and pleaded again.

She looked into his hazel eyes, dull yet deep and expressive. And she couldn't say no thereafter. Why was she even doing this? It didn't make any sense.

They left Dev's room quietly and went to Gyan's room. The door was closed from inside. So, he had to knock on it before it was opened by Rishi. He was still here. They entered the room and there were a total of eight people including her. All of them had headphones on, and she was handed one as soon as she entered and stood in the middle of his room. His room was double the size of that of Dev's. There was a bed at one side, separated by a curtain made of silver beads. But everyone was huddled in the opposite side of it. There was a large music system, a desktop computer system, a book shelf, a mini fridge, a floor level seating arrangement, and a makeshift couch. Right now, everyone was either sprawled on the couch or the floor, two of them were sitting on the floor level sofa. Numerous drink bottles and food packets were scattered around here and there.

When Gyan entered the room everyone got up and looked in their way. Gyan gestured to take their headphones off for a moment, and when they did he introduced her to them. Most of his friends appeared older than him. She doubted whether they were from his college at all.

One of them, whose name was Alex, handed her a glass of a light brown liquid and asked her to join them. She was feeling slightly awkward but somehow thankful because there were two females as well. Although they didn't exchange any words she understood they were couples with two of the men.

Rishi flopped down on the couch and raised the glass in his hand to make a toast with her. She smiled quietly, and stayed put at one side. Gyan was still by her side until Abir asked everyone to play a game. Everyone agreed and settled for truth and dare. Shreya was primarily reluctant. All of this was happening involuntarily and she still had no idea how she ended up here. However, upon everyone's request, she joined them. Gyan had fallen surprisingly silent since they entered his room. He was only focused on consuming the alcoholic drinks. When Shreya took a sip of her drink, she realised it wasn't a hard drink. Could be a cocktail but the alcohol percentage was very little in her drink. So, she didn't think too much before gulping down the rest of it.

Time flew quickly and comparatively quietly to mention until they all ended up dancing as a dare. She learned the headphones played music so that no other people would be disturbed because of the noise. For the first time in a while, she felt light. She had no idea that intoxication could feel this good. But it was only possible when you're with the right group of people. She had never felt such happiness when she had such kinds of parties with her cousins. With her cousins, it was wild and restless but with Gyan's friends it felt light, worry-less.

She was giggling with their animated acting and Gyan was laughing too, watching her enjoying this. The dares weren't too vulgar but not too innocent either. Even she had to drink three shots back to back as a dare. Soon after her, it was Gyan's turn, and he chose to do a dare as well. It was all too good until Jishu gave him the dare to kiss the most attractive person in the room.

The moment he said so, Gyan's eyes turned straight to Shreya. Everyone's eyes followed his immediately.

Shreya's smile faltered and her mouth fell open slightly as she sucked in a sharp breath. Gyan however, got up boldly, despite swaying a little, approached her and sat down on his knees before her.

Everything happened in a blur after that.

Gyan cupped her face in his warm hands and murmured, "You're too nice. Do you know that?"

Her eyes widened as he said so. But he added, "Do you know why you're so nice? You listen to me when no one else does." It was merely a whisper. She was sure he lowered his voice intentionally so that no one else could hear them. She held his wrist when he said, "Shreya, trust me, I am not lying. But I think I..."

She panicked as he said those words and without realising what she was doing, she reached up and closed the minimum gap between them until their lips crashed with each other. He responded immediately. Their lips moved in perfect sync until her lips touched his lip ring and he let out a hiss. They broke away abruptly. Her eyes widened when she realized what just happened. She broke away from him and scooted back, her chest thrummed in a thousand drum beats.

No. No. No. What had she done? No! Why the hell did she do that?

"Shreya..." Gyan reached out but she hurried up and took several steps back from him.

"It's okay, Shreya. It's just a game," Rishi said.

No, it isn't! You don't kiss someone and blame it on a game then forget about it altogether. She couldn't.

Moreover, she was feeling extremely hot. Sweating even. Why was she feeling hot? Because of the kiss? It wasn't like it was her first. Or was it because it was with a Roy? Or was it because of the alcohol consumption? She felt confused... panicked... scared...

She was hyperventilating, and was about to leave when the door suddenly opened behind her. She spun around with a speed she wasn't sure was possible for her to acquire and met the person she'd have stayed thousands of kilometres away from at this point.

Abhimanyu.

Her panicked eyes grew wider as he quietly came in and stood beside her. A deafening silence fell in the room. All of Gyan's friends fell quiet and looked down including Rishi, except Gyan. He slowly got up and strode towards them slowly. He stopped two feet away from them and glared at Abhimanyu.

No one talked for a moment until Gyan gritted his teeth. "What are you doing in my room despite knowing you aren't welcome here?"

Abhimanyu buried his hands in his pockets and eyed the whole room quietly. There was no trace of annoyance or anger. Then he said in his usual monotonous voice, "Clean the room if your party is over. And... I don't need anyone's permission to roam freely in my own house including this side of it." He looked over at Shreya and added, "Besides, I came here looking for her."

"Why?" Both Gyan and herself asked in unison. However, both of their tones were different, hers was more shocked and panicked and Gyan's was enraged.

"Dev is alone in his room. I needed to make sure that everything was alright. Now, enough partying for one night. Ask your friends to leave now, it's almost 2 am and we have a sensitive member in our home. Shreya, c'mon." He gestured for her to leave with him.

She gasped. He called her by her name. For the first time. But before she could comprehend anything happening, the turn of events next left her blood run cold down her spine. Gyan hastily moved forward and grabbed her arm and yanked on it roughly. "She's not going anywhere."

Abhimanyu's eyes moved swiftly and focused on the area Gyan's hand had wrapped around her arm before they shifted to her face. She blinked. Her heart was beating wildly. She couldn't think straight what was happening there. She just knew... it was all wrong.

"Gyan, leave her hand," Abhimanyu commanded. The voice was calm but firm.

"You don't tell me what to do, Dadabhai. I'm an adult now. I can make my own decisions." The words definitely had greater significance. Because as he uttered them, his hold on her arm tightened.

Abhimanyu made a direct eye contact with Gyan and asked again. "Let her go."

Gyan wasn't budging either. Thankfully, Rishi intervened at that moment and forcefully unwrapped Gyan's hand from around her arm. "It's okay, Gyan. The party is over," he said quietly.

Her heart was palpitating at the unpredictability of the situation. She didn't have the ability to predict these siblings' next action and she didn't want to be the reason for their argument. And sure enough, her fear was proven right when Gyan shook off Rishi's hand and reached for her again just to get stopped by Abhimanyu. It all happened so hastily that she barely got time to register the blur of movements. Abhimanyu had stepped between her and Gyan and caught Gyan's wrist midway before it could reach and touch her.

"Behave yourself," he said; his voice was still. It never rose, even for an octave.

Gyan's jaws ticked as he realised what Abhimanyu did in front of his friends. He hastily jerked his hand to release it from Abhimanyu's hold and as it did, he raised both of his hands and pushed onto Abhimanyu's chest. Although Abhimanyu stumbled back crashing onto Shreya since she was standing just behind him, he soon recovered and straightened quickly. Then in an eyeblink, he raised his hand and slapped Gyan hard enough to make him fall on the ground.

"Enough," he said quietly. Shreya's eyes grew in round balls as she saw Gyan lying there an inelegant manner. One of his hands instinctively touched his beaten cheek, as he tried not to raise his gaze.

Abhimanyu turned towards others and asked them to leave. How could he not raise his voice the whole time? Shreya looked between the brothers when everyone else evacuated the room including Rishi.

All the while Gyan never raised his eyes and lay there on the ground, unmoving. She wanted to go and check on him but decided against it when Abhimanyu came into her view. She did not have the courage to disregard his command. His presence alone was intimidating. It was strong enough to make her freeze on the spot.

Once everyone left, he turned towards her and asked her to follow him.

As her eyes met with his through his spectacles, she knew she had no other options than to obey him, unquestionably.

~~~

Author's note: Don't forget to vote, and if you're liking this story, please help me reach 400 followers.