-• an unwanted addition •-

Rudra

I connect my phone to the car's blutooth and fix it in the holder, opening the map to the town. I'm glad Taranya is keeping me around even though I'm a Rajawat. I know she's trying to dig up the truth of the girl who went missing in the middle of the night two years ago. This case is an easiest way to open doors to that undetected crime.

The camping is just an excuse. She needs to convince that man to tell her the truth. I prodded into things behind her back and found out he was the first doctor appointed for Inayat Rizwan before they replaced him with someone else overnight. I'm sure he knows something that he's intentionally hiding, either for money, or to protect his family.

Taranya is more determined than what I first assumed. She's down to get to the end of it, and there's no stopping her. I can't even share it with Yuvraaj, because then she'd know it was me who told him, and I might lose whatever chance I have with her. The only option I have is to stay around her as much as I can and protect her from any potential threat.

The Chairman hadn't got a hint of this yet. And I'm making sure he doesn't ever. Even if that means stuffing Virendra's mouth with more money. I'm already on the old man's radar considering how he plotted an insider in the team of my investors. I've to be extra careful around him. I can't afford exposing myself.

I've Taranya to thank that for. If it wasn't for her making me jealous by getting into Atharva's car, I wouldn't have followed her, and had instead went to that meeting where all my secrets would have been revealed.

My eyes switch to the rear view mirror. She has her ear buds on, her eyes fixed outside the window. A smile reaches my lips. It's a familiar sight. The last time I saw her this relaxed was in Seoul two years ago. The time after that was the hardest. I was doing my best to deny my feelings for her, to brush them off as lust, so much that the rare times I was in England, I intentionally avoided going places she frequented to.

If only I had mustered up the courage to confront my feelings, seeked her out, confessed to her, we wouldn't be in this mess. Because I'm tired of acting as two different people at the same time in front of her. The day she accepts me as Shourya, Rudra is never making an appearance again. I want her in open, in front of the world, standing beside me as mine, and I'd freeze hells to make that possible.

"How far is that place?" Ayush asks, breaking the prolonged silence in the car.

Atharva's eyes flicker to my phone screen. "An hour and forty minutes." He reads aloud the estimated time.

"Should we stop at some supermarket or something for beer before we hit the highway?" Arush suggests. "I mean, if it's okay with the girls." He adds cautiously.

I frown. Since when did he become so considerate? Chauhan men are self centred, narcissistic assholes. They never listen. I call it selective deafness.

"Whoever's willing to pay can buy whatever they want." Tara shrugs. "Except drugs."

"Let's stop by somewhere then," Atharva nods. "Beer sounds good. What do you think?" He looks at me for my opinion.

"I-"

"He prefers wine." Taranya cuts me off.

Stunned silence follows. My gaze finds her through the rear view mirror and she appears flustered, shocked, and embarrassed.

"I- I mean, he told me during our Seoul trip. Weird fact. It's just stuck with me." She blubbers with a forced shrug and an awkward chuckle.

I don't remember telling her anything remotely close to that. That was pure observation and I'm fucking floored.

"Yeah, I exclusively prefer wine, and if not wine, then whiskey. But not beer." I nod, turning my head towards the window, putting my knuckles to my lips in order to hide the smile on my face.

"Then I guess two dozens of stock should be enough." Arush mumbles.

Agreements ring around. Atharva suggests I stop the car at the next supermarket we cross. I make a detour to the main city since as per the map there are no supermarkets in this area.

And that's the first mistake I make.

The second is getting out of the car to help the boys instead of just staying inside. I had no business tagging along. I'm not even drinking that shit. But sitting inside with the girls felt even more uncomfortable. And I immediately regretted my decision when a feminine, high pitched voice screamed my name from across the supermarket.

The boys and I, we all startled.

"Shourya! My baby!" Akansha shrieks.

I stumble back in horror.

The boys break out in snickers that they struggle to cover up with a cough.

"Oh shit," I swear under my breath. I was doing so good. I was avoiding the places and parts of the city she goes to. Even in the university I made sure Yara kept me updated about her whereabouts so I can exclude going there. One month and it was all going to end. But no, my unfortunate fate, God damnit. It enjoys fucking me.

She flings her petite body in my arms and I'm knocked out of breath for a second. My spine straightens, and I force a smile on my face when she pulls away to grin up at me. Then she hugs me back tighter.

I look at the boys. They stare back in pity. The twins mouth all the best to me and sneak away. Atharva smirks before he follows the twins to the beer section. That motherfucker.

"This is such a pleasant surprise!" She gushes after standing straight. Subtly, I step away, causing her hands to slip down my chest and drop to her sides.

"It sure is." I mutter sarcastically under my breath. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I'm with the girls. We planned a sleepover tonight. So I'm out with them buying some necessary stuff." She snaps her manicured fingers.

"Sounds fun," it does not.

If I know something about Akansha as her temporary fiance, then it's that she loves her nails and mathematics. She's crazy smart when it comes to numbers. If she wasn't a bitch towards other girls her age that don't match her beautiful looks and rich status, she'd have been no less than Taranya and Janet. But I guess, it's true when they say you can't have it all. She might have high IQ but she's low on the EQ part. From what I've witnessed, kind attitude paired with good looks can take you lengths than nasty attitude and good looks. Therefore even if fake, I act kind where I need to.

"It is fun. But I can cancel if you say."

Yeah, and don't forget to validate your own plans. That's another thing she lacks. It's after meeting her I realised self-confidence doesn't equate to self-esteem. She tries too hard to impress the people she likes, even if it's at the cost of her own feelings. It's irritating. And pitiful at the same time.

"No, go have fun." I tell her. "I'm with the boys. I'll talk to you later." I try to walk away.

"Are you having boys night?" She asks me.

I turn around. "Uh, something -"

"We're going camping." Atharva comes, holding a stack of 12 beers in his hands. "Do you think the girls will like beer or should we buy coke for them?" He looks at me.

"Girls?"

I close my eyes in annoyance.

"Yeah, Tara and Janet." Tell me he's doing this intentionally. Tell me he knows what he's doing. I want to snap his neck like a twig and all I need is one fucking reason to follow my gut feeling.

"Oh," I open my eyes. Akansha looks at me with hurt etched across her face. "Have fun." She forces a smile at us. I sigh in relief when she turns to leave.

Surprising, but maybe she understands the gravity of their situation. After what went down between her and Taranya, she must know it'll be hard facing each other. "On second thought, may I join?" She turns back around.

Spoke too soon.

Atharva looks at me in panic.

Is he normally like this or does he play innocent?

"No, you can't." Arush says sternly.

She twists her fingers nervously. "Look, guys, I'm really sorry for what I said to her-"

"Keep that bullshit to yourself." Ayush steps forward. She swallows, looking past him towards me in hopes I'll pacify him or take her side in front of them.

I look away.

Nope. I'm not putting myself in Chauhans' bad books for anyone. I'm planning to marry their sister in future.

"You should consider yourself lucky. Had Tara come to us, you can't imagine the lows we would've stooped to just to make sure you and your family never stands again." He growls.

She flinches back.

"What's taking them so long-" our eyes snap to the entrance. Janet and Tara stop talking between themselves when they spot us. Their eyes shift to Akansha. I see Taranya frown. It's when Akansha turns that realisation dawns on her face. "What's happening here?" She asks, looking at me for answers. Right. Became it's my fiancee standing before her. I clench my jaw.

"Hi, Taranya," Akansha begins softly.

Taranya's eyes zero on her.

"I was out shopping with my friends. But then I saw Shourya. He told me you guys are going camping?"

"Yeah," she forces herself to nod.

"Well, I was hoping to join -"

"And we said no." Arush cuts in.

"Yeah," she mumbles. "It's just, Shourya and I rarely spend time together. And when that guy," she points at Atharva, who frowns at her for being referred to as that guy.

Finally something we agree on.

"He said you and your friend is coming too. I thought it'll be good opportunity to solve the issues between us and call a truce?" She bites on her lower lip, peering up at Taranya with her almond eyes.

"Truce?"

"Yeah, I mean, I agree we're not comfortable around each other, for obvious reasons. But maybe we can put it away when we're together and act civilised?" She looks at Tara hopefully.

"You mean you'll act civilised?" Tara counters. "Because I don't remember going out of my way to call someone I've never met before a whore or a mistress."

I hear the twins suck a sharp breath. Ayush's fist almost trembles. This is the first time I've seen him angry. I didn't think the boy was capable of feeling annoyance, let alone anger.

"Yeah, I'll behave." She nods. "We belong to the same society, our status match, in future your husband will belong to the same background as us. We'll be meeting in a lot of parties and functions, we can't be fighting like cats."

What the fuck is this girl talking about?

"What the fuck is she on?" Atharva whispers under his breath.

Took the words right out of my mouth.

Taranya rolls her eyes. "Do you want her to come along?" She looks at me.

Everyone else follow. Fuck. I like the spotlight but not for the wrong reasons. She can't just ask me on my face. Especially when she knows what I feel for her.

Akansha looks at me, a sparkle in her eyes.

I stammer like an idiot.

I'm sailing on two boats and no matter what I say today, yes or no, I'm drowning at least one of them.

"Uh-"

"Make it quick, Rajawat. We don't have forever."

"It's your trip." I retort. "You made this plan. You were looking forward to it the most. You make the call." I throw the ball back in her court.

She grits her teeth. I shrug. If she can run me under the bus, so can I. It's you jump, I jump. Just for a different reason. Either we float together or we drown together. No sacrifices made.

Akansha looks back at her with hope.

The girl is being played like a tennis ball from one side of the court to another, and she doesn't even feel bad for herself. How low do you have to value yourself to be disregarding the underlying meaning of someone's hesitance towards you?

Taranya yields. "Someone will have to adjust between the twins in the back. I'm not giving up on my seat." She exits the supermarket after dropping that bomb on me. She could have said no and none of us would have questioned her decision. Why would she say yes? Why would she put both of us in such an uncomfortable situation?

"Neither me." Janet follows her best friend.

"Sounds like the decision's already made." Atharva nods, walking out behind them holding the beer case. The twins storm off too, looking unhappy with the turn of events.

"Yay!" Akansha cheers and rushes up to me, wrapping her long fingers around my bicep. "Let's go, baby!"

I cringe internally. "Are- Aren't you here with your friends?"

"Yeah, I'll inform them through text. C'mon, now!" She swings my arm before dragging me out of the supermarket. I grind my teeth in frustration, looking heavenwards and praying the Gods for something to happen. An earthquake? A tsunami? I'd rather give up on this time with Taranya than spend time with Akansha.

As soon as we reach the car, "Quick, Rajawat. We don't have all day." She comments from her seat.

I throw her a glare. She glares back. Shaking my head in disappointment, I climb inside the car and close the door. Akansha gets on the passenger seat. I drive out of the parking lot and right as we hit the main road, her hand comes to settle on my thigh. I clench the wheel so hard my knuckles turn white. My eyes dart to the rear view, I see Taranya staring at the hand on my thigh before she accidentally meets my eyes and looks away.

"I just texted my girlfriends. They're teasing me." Akansha giggles. "Oh my God, they're asking if we'll be sharing a tent?" She glances at me and strokes my thigh.

I try to focus on the road. The touch is uncomfortable because it's not an action I can control. I've always maintained a physical distance between us but in times like this, when we're in public, it's hard to turn her down.

I hear the camera shutter go off and flinch. I look at her pointedly. "What are you doing?"

"Showing off how hot my fiance is." She taps my thigh, giving me a lopsided grin.

The bolder her hand turns, the harder it gets for me to sit without fidgeting in my place. I try to get her hand removed by moving my legs, but she manages to hold me right back.

I start to sweat.

Sliding down the window, I pull at the neckline of my sweatshirt to make the fabric a little more breathable.

Her perfume hits me out of the blue. "Are you getting turned on?" She whispers in my ear.

"Akansha, there are other people in the car." I pull away.

She chuckles and sits back.

I chew on my lower lip, shaking my head to focus on the road.

I can't be having flashbacks of my past right now.

I tap my right foot constantly, distracting myself from the intimate touch on my thigh. It's oddly familiar with the feeling I had back then when I woke up one morning, with no memories of it but enough evidences on my body to prove that I was used in the worst possible way for someone's pleasure. Tears gather in the corner of my eyes and I feel myself starting to panic.

Shit. Shit. I need Yara.

Fuck, I need to focus. I need to think of good things. Good memories.

The day I came out of that cell.

The day I first felt sunlight on my skin.

The day I first saw Taranya.

"Stop the car." Tara commands.

I steer the car off the highway and on the side road, internally grateful for the momentary pause.

"Arush, take the wheel. His driving is giving me motion sickness." She states.

"Really?" Atharva asks in surprise. "You were perfectly fine last time-"

"Yeah, well, I hadn't stuffed my face with burger back then. I ate too much during lunch today."

I unbuckle myself, not giving anyone another minute to rethink her decision. Janet comes out, her seat reclines ahead, and Arush exits the car. I enter after him, settling myself beside Ayush by the window. The seat falls back, Janet sits inside and the door closes.

"Are you okay?" Ayush asks in a whisper.

"Huh?" I look at him clueless.

"You're sweating," his eyes raise to my forehead and then drop to my neck, before falling lower to my hands. "And your hands, they're shaking."

I clench them into tight fists. "I'm fine."

"You look pale as a ghost." Atharva mumbles. "Water?" He offers.

"Thanks." I take the bottle from him and guzzle down large sips of water.

"Are you okay back there, baby?" Akansha asks. I stop myself from reaching over and smashing her face into the windshield.

"Yes," crossing my arms on the headrest of Janet's seat, I cushion my head with them and breath out softly.

"Dude, I can't sit. Take off your arms." Janet tries to push me off.

I tweak a lock of her hair.

She gasps and hits my forearm.

I slap her temple.

"You fuckface!" She pinches my skin. When I don't react, she groans and gives up, resting her head on the window instead. I smile a little, my heart beating normally again. "I hate this guy!"

"Feelings mutual." I reply.

"Shut up!" She snaps.

"If you're hungry, eat this." Taranya puts the box of washed grapes in my lap. I lift my head, our eyes meet. "You look hungry." She adds softly.

"I am. Thank you." I haven't eaten anything except for the mandatory breakfast today. Which were two toasts and an omelette with a cup of coffee.

She goes to retract her hand when I take a leap of faith and clutch her fingers. She stiffens, glances towards her brother and Atharva who are busy talking about cars and books, before urging me with her eyes to let her go.

I soak in the warmth of her touch. "Thank you." I whisper.

"You already said that." She reminds me.

I shake my head. "Thank you."

She nods, hearing the unsaid.

I let go of her hand, hoping it's so I can hold it again.

I love him. Like I'm sorry, I love him more than anyone else. More than any character, any living person. I love this man.

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