Author's Pov.

"-and cheers to the last day of my freedom." Shravani clinked her glass with Reena's, who for a change was not scolding her sister for her rash drinking.

Red lights glimmered around the club, shadowing the occupants like a thin layer of blanket. Loud music was blaring though the system, drowning the voices of people below it. The smell of alcohol and sweat lingered on air, intoxicating the atmosphere.

She gulped down the colourless liquid, hissing slightly at the burning sensation it was causing on her throat. The liquid scorched her insides momentarily clouding her mental pain.

"Come on, Reena. Let's dance." She tried to pull Reena along with her but failed miserably as the latter moved back, shaking her head. "Please Reena, come na." She looked at her dear sister with pout making it almost impossible for Reena to reject her offer.

"You go. I don't feel so good today, I did rather be seated here and have my drink. You go and enjoy." Reena forced out, making Shravani sigh in disappointment. 

"Fine." Shravani made her way towards the dance floor, where few of her friends were dancing.

She closed her eyes, swaying her hips, letting her body flow with the rhythm of music, forgetting all the worries that layed out before her. Her hair streamed behind her and fanned out like a cloak and her skirts flew up around her slender legs in a tornado of colour.

She danced around like a like a seductress in red, her moves luring in the gazes of the strangers in the room. All eyes watched her, some with admiration, some with lust and many more, but amid everything their was a pair of eyes that were glaring at her dancing form, furiously.

He gulped down the drink and made his way towards the dancing nymph. He stepped in close behind her, not caring about the audience, they had.

His large hands slid down her bare arms and settled on her hips, drawing her against his body. He pushed the hair from her neck and his lips sizzled a hot trail in its wake, as their bodies moved through the rhythm of the music.

Startled, she turned around, her eyes caught him standing before her, not even a hand space between them, him less adept at hiding in the shadows than her. He dropped his eyes momentarily before looking, his head tilted to one side and a mirthless smile.

Their breathes mingled, their bodies brushing against each other as they moved with the rhythm of the music. She closed her eyes, her heart fluttering and her skin tinkling with sparks.

She'd dared to hope again that everything was a hallucination brought on by too much alcohol, until she felt someone pulling her away from him, with a harsh tug. Not someone more precisely, her elder sister.

Before she could understand what was happening, she heard everything going still as the goons of Kamal surrounded rocky, completely armed. Her feet swayed, unable to stand steadily, but fortunately for her, Reena held her and made her stand on her legs before she could hit the floor and broke her limps.

"This guy? You people gave such a build up for this guy?" Kamal mocked his men as he eyed Rocky with disgust. "And you guys, you even got beaten up by him." He continued, his eyes mocking and uncompassionate. "I don't know where you came from! But before coming to Bangalore, you should have found out, how bad I am, instead of exploring where is Vidhana Soudha or how is the weather here."

One of the thugs passed him a gun. "You made a mistake, but now it's too late." Kamal continued as he pointed his gun right against Rocky's heart.

"Please stop him, Reena. Tell kamal to leave him. Please." Shravani almost begged her sister as she watched the scene unfold before her eyes without blinking.

She tried to tell herself it was the alcohol scattering her thoughts and not the growing feeling of respect or concern she felt toward him. Hell! The alcohol has really messed up her system.

Frowning, Reena made her way towards her fiance. "Don't waste the bullet, Kamal." She said, pushing the gun down, diverting it's point to the floor. "He is not worth it. Do you know why I called them here?" She asked facing Rocky, her eyes burning with anger and frustration, yet her mannerisms did not have away her emotions.

"No, not to hit you up," She continued, folding her hands across her chest. "but to merely show you, your worth. To even aspire, you need to be worthy and that too a girl like, Shravani Desai." She jerked her head, motioning to her sister, who was standing two steps away from them.

"Still, I will give you a chance, an opportunity to prove your manhood." She walked towards Shravani and pulled the clueless girl in the middle. "If you come and touch her, in front of all them then, she is yours."

The moment she completed her sentence, all the thugs had their guns pointed at Rocky, daring him to take a step forward and touch Shravani.

Meanwhile, Shravani was stupefied. How can Reena be so stupid and reckless? Is the girl out of her mind or what? Doesn't she know her situation. For god's sake, she is getting engaged tomorrow. Already she was neck deep in trouble and her darling sister was hell bent on increasing the trouble.

Rocky assessed her in silence for a few seconds, and she had the feeling his sharp gaze missed nothing. She waited for him to do something, but he turned around and started moving out with head out. She didn't know why but she felt her heart sinking as she watched him walk away from her. Why? Don't ask her what she wanted or hoped for because it will just make her blurt out yet another lie.

"Hey, Go, go away man." One of the goons screamed as they watched the long haired man walk away.

"Get the hell out."

"You need guts dude."

One after another, the thugs screamed insults after him and howled in laughter, mocking the long haired man for his cowardice.

Shravani could feel her sister's burning gaze on her but didn't dare turn around and face her, afraid she might give away her emotions.

"Hey kid, go to balepot and tell my name, you will get two dozen bangles from my uncles shop." Shravani heard another one call from behind. His nasty remark was rewarded by loud thundering laughter from the men behind him.

However, their triumphal gloating didn't last long, an earsplitting noise cut through the air, making every one flinch back in surprise. They lifted their gazes and found a tanker bursted through the wall. Opening the door, Rocky jumped out from the driver's seat.

The men scurried and pointed their guns back at him as they watched the long haired man walk towards them in unsteady steps. The smell of petrol in the atmosphere alerted the scenes of the men. Panicked, they looked down and found a colourless liquid sweeping through the floor. One of the men quickly bent down and checked the colourless liquid, only to conform, that the liquid was indeed, petrol.

Rocky put a cigarette in his mouth, completely ignoring the chaos, he created. His hands moved towards his pockets, searching for something and finally, he pulled out a match box. He lit the match stick and brought it near his cigarette. Few of them ran towards him, before he could drop the burning match stick on the sticky liquid. He pressed the burning match stick on to the palm of the nearest thugs as he causally moved forward, giving deaf ear to the cry of the man.

Shravani felt her body freeze as she saw him making his way towards her in slow, unsteady steps. He puffed on his cigarette, blowing grey ashy smoke. She gulped, cold fear spiraled through her, grasping her heart tightly, in fear as well as anticipation.

Finally, he stopped before her, his hand lifted in air, just inches away from her face. Her features were beyond pale, to the point of translucent, her gaze unblinking as she waited for him to make a move. He moved his hand in air, tracing her face, not touching her yet touching her.

He shook his head, dropped his hand and moved back surprising everyone present in the room. "It is said that, those who are on love are high on jealousy." He said looking at Reena, who was standing beside Kamal.

He averted his gaze back to Shravani, a flash of darkness went through his gaze, and the same sense of hidden ardour returned. "Not everyone who puts a finger on the trigger is a shooter, nor everyone who lays his hand on a girl is a man." Shravani didn't know why but she felt her heart flutter at his response.

'Not bad, he do know how to respect a girl. Whoever he is gonna end up with is quite lucky. She is gonna get a man who will respect her and fight for her unlike the she, Shravani, was getting married to.' Her heart chirped in, making her heart sigh in despair.

"My worth, what my worth is, other than those who love me it won't be understood by anyone else. And I'm quite sure, your sister here does know my worth." He continued, his solemn gaze roved over her face.

His penetrating gaze gave her a different kind of chill, one that made her blood quicken as well as her heart beat fast. She watched him, her eyes twinkling with emotions foreign for herself. They watched each other in silence, unknown and forbidden emotions burning between them.

"Hey! Where is that balepot bangle seller?" He asked, averting his gaze from her.

"In my uncle's shop, without customers, the business has become dull. That's why I was promoting it. Sorry Bhai." The goon stammered out, as he tried to hide behind another thug.

"And then, ha, who is that, who said I need guts?" He jerked his head looking around to spot the daring fish, who questioned his guts. Finally spotting the man among the thugs, he flew him a kiss. "I love you, darling. You gave me a great idea." 

He let out a mirthless chuckle before walking over to Kamal, who was glaring at him, like he wanted the man to burn down to ashes. Looking at Kamal, he continued, his voice thick and steady. "He who comes to live in the city learns about it. The one who comes to rule the city teaches the city about himself. If you think you are bad, I'm your dad."

"You-"

"Kamal!" Rajendra Desai's stern voice rang through the dark room, cutting Kamal's words off, effortlessly.

"My father-in-law came." Rocky smirked, cheekily winking at Shravani, making the young girl look away, red hue forming on her cheeks.

"Everyone out." Another voice ordered, as the men of Rajendra Desai moved in.

"Reena, Shravani that includes you both too." Rajendra Desai's voice boomed through the dense air, making the girls flinch.

"Come Shravani." Reena pulling her sister along with her. Shravani turned her head and looked at Rocky one last time, her eyes twinkling with regret. She shook her head, pushing those thoughts out of her mind and walked out.

"You got saved this time." Kamal whispered furiously making Rocky's smirk widen even more.

Rocky shook his head, mocking a look of pity at the guy before him, as he said, "They came, not to save me, you Dumbo. But to save you from me."

•

People can grow strong enough to whisper at the iron bars that hold them and see them bend out of their way, like the most crazy magic. That's what love can do: fix souls, fix brains, cure us all.

With each step Shravani took away from him, she could feel the irony of the situation sinking in on her. She could still act like there is no cage, wear a mask of coping and normality. She can rage against the bars.

And now, she was more or less convinced that she could have been happy with him, when it was no longer likely they should meet again.

Yet what love makes simple, no other thing can solve. There is another escape route, yet it is one into another great pain for her. She wish, she could have mastered that way, but now, it was too late. Too late to turn back.

Unfortunately for her,

Her love story ended, even before it could start.

How sad!

Funnily enough, it was hurting her, crumpling her soul with despair.

When you loved someone and had to let them go, there will always be that small part of yourself that whispers, "What was it that you wanted and why didn't you fight for it? And it was exactly what Shravani felt then.

A defeated smile traced her lips as she wiped away the tear drop that fell from the corner of her eyes.

'Maybe, we are not meant to be, Rocky. Wish we had a chance.' Her heart bleed as she walked out of the bar with her sister.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

How was the chapter guys? Was it good?

Sorry for abandoning you guys. My academics has started and I barely had any time to write. Don't worry I won't abandon you guys again. You guys will get two updates per week.

Hope this chapter has made up for my absence.

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Till then,
Take care.