"Rajeev!"

"Kid!"

"I am back!" I yelled and ran towards him. I jumped in his open arms, and he engulfed me in a tight hug.

"Missed you, kid." He rubbed my back.

"I missed you too." I clutched him like a baby monkey.

"Wow, what an emotional scene. I am in tears," Dhruv mocked as he wiped an invisible tear from his right eye.

Rajeev and I ignored him. "How was your trip?" My adoptive father asked as we sat down on a bench in his gym.

"It was fucking awesome!" I squealed, feeling really good to openly use curse words.

"Looks like someone had too much fun," Dhruv commented as he picked up a dumbbell and showed off his biceps.

"Did Mayank take good care of you?" Rajeev asked.

"Yes, 'Mom' was really great," I replied and started laughing at the embarrassed expression on Rajeev's face.

"I really need to beat some sense into that guy. He doesn't know what he is saying half of the time." He shook his head.

"Must be because of hanging around her," Dhruv said while pointing a finger at me. "She is weird."

What the hell was his problem with me? It hadn't been even a minute since I came and he was already complaining.

"Don't you have any other work to do?" Rajeev scolded him.

Dhruv put the dumbbell he was practicing with back on the shelf and walked towards Rajeev's cabin. I stuck out my tongue at him, and he rolled his eyes at me in annoyance.

"So, tell me what you did," Rajeev said.

I told him everything about the trip and how I got in a fight with Mahek and Farha. He pursed his lips at that, but when I told him about what happened, he let me off the hook. I made sure not to slip out my crush on Priyaank in the process-it would have been disastrous.

Rajeev was smiling from ear to ear when I informed him that Ved helped me to reach the resort when I had missed my bus.

"Looks like you both are getting along." He smiled.

"Maybe..." I averted my eyes and looked at other things.

"'Maybe' also sounds good," he stated. "Is there anything else?"

I tried to remember hard, and suddenly, Karthik's pale blue face flashed in front of my eyes. "Oh, I forgot. Karthik almost died." I widened my eyes as I told Rajeev.

"What? Is he okay now?" he asked in concern.

"Yes, don't worry, he is alive. I saved him from drowning." I grinned.

"I am proud of you." He patted my back loudly and announced in the gym that I saved a life.

Everyone started clapping in appreciation, and I felt embarrassed. Rajeev threw a genuine smile at me, and I thanked the others for complimenting me. Surprisingly, Rajeev didn't ask about how Karthik drowned in the first place; maybe he was already aware about Karthik's situation.

"Hungry?" Rajeev asked.

"Always." I gave him a toothy grin.

"What would you like to eat?" he questioned and took out his phone from his pocket.

He typed on his phone as I listed out all the items I wanted in my stomach, and when I was done, he took out a credit card from his wallet. Soon, after a few seconds of him doing that, Dhruv came out of his cabin and took the card from him.

"Bring all the things I messaged you asap," Rajeev ordered, and his cousin nodded in return.

"Will be back in a jiffy," Dhruv said and threw a harsh glance in my direction.

He left after picking up his black fanny pack, and I controlled my laughter. I didn't know why Dhruv was impolite to me, but Rajeev knew how to handle him. He purposefully sent his cousin to bring snacks for me and went to take care of the new customers.

And as promised, Dhruv returned in a flash with all the food as ordered. He handed me everything and was so pissed off that he didn't even accept my offer of dining with me.

So, I didn't force him too much and began eating like it was the last day of my life. I kind of enjoyed irritating Dhruv because his expressions were hilarious-it would be more awesome if I got to know the reason behind his hostility too.

"I knew you would be here."

How does he always manages to come at the right time? And now, he will take my food without even asking. Sigh.

Ved put his helmet on the reception table and smirked when he saw me sitting with all the victuals around me. I gave up even before he tried to steal from me; I knew how it would have turned out.

He occupied the space beside me and took a Jalebi from one of the bowls. I moved my leg away when his left knee touched mine, and he raised an eyebrow at me. He kicked my leg, but I didn't kick him back.

(Jalebi👆)

I scooted away from him as I felt my right side of the body getting heated up. I was wondering why I was suddenly getting hot when Ved grabbed my hoodie and yanked me towards him. "What the hell are you doing, Sandy Pandy?" he interrogated.

Wasn't I supposed to ask that question?

I opened my mouth to reply, but nothing came out. Ved's dark brown eyes looked more brown than usual, and his face seemed to look more vibrant. And his hair... he had shortened them! It was no longer a crew cut, but a buzz cut.

Why did he cut his hair shorter? I missed his curly brown locks from our childhood days.

"Ved bhaiyya?" Dhruv interrupted the staring contest between me and the person who was radiating heat like a geyser.

I mentally thanked Rajeev's cousin for doing that because I knew I must have looked like an idiot with my mouth open like a fish.

"Hey, man. Wassup?" Ved gave him a bro hug, and I used that opportunity to shift away to sit on the edge of the bench.

"All is cool, bhaiyya." Dhruv shot him a bright smile.

Look at this little brat. He can't even look at me without a frown and here he is, smiling at Ved like he saw his favourite celebrity.

"How are your boxing sessions going? You need to put more effort if you want to win the junior championship," Ved advised, and I shot a curious glance at Dhruv.

Junior Boxing Championship? I didn't know that Dhruv played professionally; I should pay more attention to what was going on around me.

"How old are you?" I asked out of the blue as I munched on a Khakhra.

(Khakhra👆)

"Seventeen," Dhruv replied plainly.

"Oh, all the best for your preparations. I hope you win," I beamed, having no clue about how the whole championship thing worked.

Dhruv gave me a flat look. "I don't need your blessings," he rolled his eyes, "I know I will win."

Wow, I thought only I boasted.

"Easy there, big guy. Don't get too high on adrenaline," Ved said as he placed his right hand on Dhruv's shoulder.

"Talk about manners," I taunted as I popped a Bhakarwadi in my mouth.

(Bhakarwadi👆)

Dhruv clenched his jaw and charged towards me, fuming like a bull. But before he could even reach me, Ved blocked him. He put a hand on Dhruv's chest and pushed him back lightly.

"Don't you ever pull that stunt again, or you very well know how much my punch hurts," Ved said barely above a whisper, but I heard it loud and clear, and so did the other occupants who stopped doing their workout.

Once again, I saw Ved turn all red, but it was a few shades lighter. Dhruv quickly nodded his head, and Ved removed his hand from his chest.

"Sorry, bhaiyya," Dhruv apologized and glanced at me. "But she is really..."

"I am what? Say it before I thrash you up." I narrowed my eyes at him.

Ved shot me a glare, but I was really in the mood to get a beating. I stood up from my seat and took a challenging stance. "Want to have a match? Let's see whether you are capable of winning that championship or not." I smirked at Dhruv.

He glimpsed at Ved who was busy shooting daggers at me. I was about to comment something nonsensical but stopped when Ved snapped at me. "Shut the hell up! Just because I am taking your side doesn't mean you can act all snobby. Don't cross your limits, Sandhya."

That made Dhruv's face lit up with the biggest smile I had ever seen him sport.

I curled my hands into fists. "And who the hell are you to tell me my limits?" I grunted.

Ved stepped forward and stopped just a few inches away from me. "Listen carefully, Sandy Pandy. You can't insult Dhruv in front of others like this. He owns this place, you should be respectful."

"Rajeev owns this place, not him," I argued.

"He is Rajeev's cousin!" Ved huffed. "Why are you acting like this?"

"What is going on here?" Rajeev asked as he came out of his cabin and saw that everyone's attention was on us.

"Nothing, bhaiyya," Ved said calmly.

"Dhruv," Rajeev said in a warning tone after he saw my enraged expression.

"I didn't do anything, she started it!" Dhruv defended.

"When did I?" I retorted and pushed past Ved.

Fortunately, before I landed myself in trouble, Ved pulled me back and held me hostage by wrapping his right arm around my waist, locking both of my arms along with it. I struggled in his arms which only made him tighten his hold more. He bent his head down, his hot breath fanning my ear as he spoke in a low voice.

"Relax, Wildebeest. Don't make things worse," he warned and rubbed the top of my head with his left palm. "Cool down, it is not good to act without thinking."

What the hell? Now he was back on my side? He was confusing me!

"Bhaiyya, there is nothing serious. We just had a small fight," Ved tried to resolve the matter, "Right, Sandhya?"

I didn't say anything. I just stared at Dhruv like I wanted to murder him. I only wished him luck for his upcoming competition, but he acted like a smartass. He had been mistreating me since he started helping Rajeev in the gym.

I didn't even know why!

"Sandhya?" Ved's stern voice broke my chain of thoughts.

I nodded slightly. "Yeah, just a small fight; nothing to worry about," I said and gave a small smile to Rajeev.

"Chill, bro. Everything's sorted," Dhruv almost squeaked and threw a panicked glance at me.

I rolled my eyes. He was worried that his cousin would beat him to a pulp for messing with me-then why did he infuriate me in the first place? I wanted to punch him, but I sensed my anger receding.

Instead of the harsh heat of rage, I felt a strange warmness which seemed to occupy every cell of my body. Ved rubbing my head with his palm was making me feel drowsy. And my back touching his chest could feel the soft heartbeats resonating through us.

I loosened myself, and my tensed up nerves relaxed. I let Ved give me a free massage till I felt completely void of any negative feelings I had harboured towards Dhruv, surprising myself that I didn't even need to count to calm my temper.

When I had satisfactorily cooled down, Ved loosened his grip on me without me even informing him, and he removed his hand from my head-I already missed the gratis service. He kept his hand on my waist as a safety measure in case I attacked Dhruv again.

"All is good, Rajeev." I gave him an 'Okay' sign accompanied with a bright smile.

"I will let it go if you are saying so," he replied and told everyone, including Dhruv to go back to their trainings. He also left after making sure that I was okay.

"I am not angry anymore," I told Ved.

"Don't tell me what I already know." He smacked me behind the head. "Always getting in trouble. When will you let me live in peace?"

"You can die in peace instead," I mocked.

He raised one of his eyebrows and pinched my cheek. I elbowed him in the stomach, making him wince a little. He shoved me forward and pulled me back instantly before I left my face's imprint on the recently mopped floor.

"How will you look with a broken nose, Sandhya?" Ved laughed.

"Better than you for sure." I gave him a proud smirk and raised my head high.

"Your ego is getting bigger day by day." He flicked me on the chin.

"At least it is in limits," I chiacked, bringing what he had said earlier about me crossing my limits to use against him.

He narrowed his eyes at me. "You know I didn't mean it like that."

"Who cares what you meant?" I shrugged my shoulders and turned on my heels.

Just as I took a step forward, Ved grabbed my head in a headlock and bent me down. I tried to kick him, but he dodged my hits at a lightening speed.

"I will show you who cares when I throw you out of the window," he threatened as he ruffled my hair, messing it all up.

"Rajeev! Help!" I shouted when I saw no way out.

Rajeev came out of his cabin like a Mama bear but shook his head in disappointment when he saw Ved trying to push me out on the balcony. I waved my hand at him to rescue me, and he told me to fend for myself.

"I thought they were getting along," he mumbled, but I could see a ghost of a smile on his face.

Why did everyone enjoy my adversity?