Hastinapur

Arjun's POV

"And you didn't get caught?" amusement flashed in my tone as I strode through the stony pathway, extravagantly canopied with vines bearing freshly bloomed winter flowers. The afternoon Sun casted mild rays through the clouds, only enough to cast two faint shadows as we trailed past the path, the friendly soul beside me added on to whatever it required for the environment to be mellow.

I felt  comfortably warm. 

"Almost, but managed to escape that." She concluded, shrugging a bit. I peered to steal a glance of her petite visage, the strands of her blue black hair flowing in front of her exquisitely carved face, "I may not have inculcated second thoughts of sneaking out if I did, I guess." She bit on her lip, knitting her eyebrows confusedly.

"That's sad, I thought we were coming to the most interesting part." I didn't even feign my sorrow, I was actually rooting for that part where she would be caught to be honest. She eyed me with a soft glare, mocking a smile. 

I bit back a chuckle, smoothening my curls after a whiff of wind had distorted it from its position.

"By the way, how did you manage to sneak out?" I knitted my eyebrows, crossing my hands behind my back.

"It wasn't that difficult," her lips curved into an impish smile, "Besides, when you have friends who had spent a lot more years on earth than me." 

"And how did you escape?" 

"Seriously Arjun?" she blinked at me, drawing in breath, "I have so many interesting things to tell you and you are only behind the aftermath of how did I manage to escape?" 

"Were you rooting for me to get caught?" she concluded after a while with a straight face, crossing her arms across her bosom. My lips articulated into a satire smile, "I would be lying if I denied." She gave me a 'seriously Arjun' expression again after a mocking shrug.

"I mean, it won't be fair on your part to escape lectures which we didn't manage to escape, you know." I pursed my lips, counting on the days when we were punished for mischief by doing sit ups. 

"What is your exact idea of getting penalized for doing something you shouldn't supposed to do?"

"Sit ups, by holding your ears." I raised my eyebrows, my body now vibrating after catching her amused. Her forehead wrinkled gradually as she tried to look away, raising a finger and rolling her dark orbs, "That's the minimum punishment you get in exchange of mischiefs." I concluded.

"Do anything but just spare yourself from the thought of me doing that, okay?" her eyebrows knitted even more as she licked her lips after scanning me up and down for a while, very sure of the fact that something odd must be definitely going in my mind. 

Is she wrong? 

Well...

"That is something really interesting you asked me not to ponder about, you know?" I feigned innocence, walking past the artificial waterfall marveled with marble statues.  

"Better I continue before this conversation takes a diversion to where it is not supposed to take." she sighed shaking her head, striding past me to rest herself on the marble lining of the waterfall. 

"Yes, please. I am actually lending my ear for that." I bit my lips, raising my brows, "How did you exactly escape?"

"Govind arrived," her face suddenly lit up at His mention, and so did mine, "For the first time...." her petal shaped lips bloomed into a soft smile as she gazed down, reminiscing while fidgeting with her fingers. 

Not realizing, I got lost in recalling the moments I had spent with my incredible cousin from Dwarka. I don't know why, His presence is enough for me to feel close to something ethereal peace. 

And a part of my heart still yearned for that feeling, His glimpse which makes even the worst appear the best.

"Along with Satya," her soft voice snapped me out of the momentary trance as I circled around, taking a seat beside her. I felt her slightly stiffening as I did so, adjusting herself to allow me space. I would choose to anticipate that my eyes didn't defy the fact that a dash of crimson crawled up her jaws with my unexpected activity. 

"And, the palace got involved in gratifying them?" she cupped her elbow, "So the entire thing just got diverted." she winked in the end, making me glance at her with amusement. 

"That is something--" I gulped, blinking, "I just don't know what to say-" Actually I really didn't know what to say. 

"I know right," she pursed her lips, putting a strand of hair behind her ear. 

We sat there beside each other still, silent enough only to allow the rustling of leaves greet our ears. I wrapped my arm around a leg rested above on a marble step, with my gaze epoxied on the figure beside me. She was probably engrossed in her own self, concocting ripples on the pool with her index finger with a subtle smile. The dimly rays contacted her dusky skin, allowing her to appear as an exclusive being in the entire environment.

Her beauty, it is surely unparalleled but--

There is something else, there is certainly something about her more beautiful than her appearance.

It does something to my heart which it hasn't done before.

 My memory unintentionally dipped down to whatever little time we could spend with each other, our efforts rather to do it. There might be, might be differences in our characters but we somehow end up finding something similar. 

Something similar to ponder about.

We seem different, yet so alike....

She possesses something, yes, the ushering simplicity. Her persona screams elegance, yet one cannot turn a blind eye to her sheer humility and kindness. It unintentionally swirls a feeling in my heart, a feeling of comfort and closeness. 

And warmth.

The warmth of her purity, the fire devoid of a blemish.

I feel drawn without any efforts, I smile unknowingly in front of her without any efforts, I feel peaceful with her without any efforts.

Hastinapur didn't seem that bleakly in her presence, anymore.

Madhav, He said the truth about her.

"Draupadi?" my voice almost turned into a fortuitous whisper, as I haphazardly started smudging the rose petals on the water pool with my fingers. I don't know why but why this feeling swept my mind, making my heart skip a bit. My eyebrows knitted gradually as my orbs flickered to her finger which was immersed in the waters. 

"Hmm?" she responded, kind of half dazed.

"I want to ask you something....." it almost came out as a breath as I gave a slightly longer blink.

"Hmmm...." she nodded, responding even more softly than I did. 

"What did Madhav," my lips inadvertently articulated into a gingerly smile, "What did Madhav- what did he....say to you about me?" I almost sided myself towards her, though gluing my orbs down on the rose petals and creating waves with my fingers, imitating her. She certainly appeared a bit off guard with the sudden question of mine. 

I slowly raised my lashes to peer at her subtly, her ravenous pairs began to swivel with warmth as it met mine. They began to surveil my features, glistening with an arduous emotion as she drew out her hand from the waters. Her gaze gradually fell down, her lips articulating into a coy smile, "I won't tell, I won't tell you." she slowly shook her head and smiled.

"But why..." I didn't realize those words too came out as whispers, I was too lost in her to think about it, "I want to know..."

"No..."

"But...why..."

"Because...." she gave a long blink to her lashes and drew in a deep breath, "I need to leave...."

"Hmm?" I snapped back to my senses hearing her, knitting my eyebrows and looking around. The Sun had already set, leaving its orangish yellow hues scattered in the cloudy sky. "You need to leave? But, but why?"

"I don't know....." she moved her lips, smiling to herself again.

"Huh?" I blinked, looking around confused.

She instantly realized what she did, "I mean--Maata Kunti and Maata Gandhari must be waiting for me." she began blinking furiously, flustering around, taking me aback for a while, "I need to leave--"

Okay, what did just happen--

She sprung up from where she resting upon, smoothening her garments. She cleared her throat and licked her lips, making me smirk a bit as I raised an eyebrow, tapping my fingers. "I, I'll see you later Arjun," she gave a light tipped smile, her stance seeming that she would hop away from now. 

"Listen?" I instantly stood up, zeroing my eyes down her figure as she halted, and turned around, perplexed. She stood jammed on spot, as I drew close towards her, the scent of her lotus fragrance along with the jasmine garland wrapped around her hair pervaded my nostrils. I kept my eyes glued on her frame, she began peering at me subtly with her long lashes and biting her lips. 

"Yes...?" she slowly blinked, peering at me.

"I have a very....very important work to do," my tongue rolled out those words as a sigh, as I began to close the distance between us, "Very important work....." I crossed my eyebrows gradually, as she lowered her lashes, giving long blinks. I could feel her stiffening under my gaze, yet she didn't back off. 

I tried to abstract the smirk which was threatening to etch on my lips, as my fingers crawled up to her hair. I fixed my eyes on her head and began to remove a dry leaf which had fallen and got stuck in her locks and discarded it away, "Done." 

She flinched a bit hard this time, her pupils dilated at me in disbelief as she gaped at me. I pointed at the fallen leaf on the ground with my eyes and smiled. 

"Oh.....uh-Thanks-" she bit her lips and gave me a light tipped smile, scrunching up her nose. "Can.... I leave?" 

"Yeah yeah, of course." I extended my palm towards the stony pathway which led back to the palace, "All yours." 

She swiftly turned around and started marching away, while I crossed my arms on my bosom pursing my lips from bursting out laughing. I had to later cup my mouth as it was being difficult, watching her figuring out which would be the correct route for the palace.

★★★★★★★★★

A/N

Hayee, Arjun crushing on Drau. 🙈🙈🙈😍😍

Why do I feel like Arjun is going to be a good ASMR artist 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣....

Happy OS on the demand of -Ankitaa U_U

Signing off for today-

Kiritija Nushkie~