Roohi's Pov :
His mother asked him to show me around the house. He simply nodded and motioned for me to follow him. Without a word, he started walking, his long strides making it clear that he wasn't interested in making this tour any more pleasant than necessary.
I followed behind, struggling to keep up in my saree and heels. Is he mad? Can he not see how difficult it is to walk like this? The silence between us was suffocating, so I decided to break it.
"You've been so ignorant," I began.
"I know you've made it abundantly clear that you're not interested in this marriage. But at least stop treating me like I'm invisible."
He didn't even turn around. Not a word, not a glance-nothing. How dare he.
"Do you even realize how many people have been asking me about you? And I have nothing to tell them! How am I supposed to explain this...this whole situation when you refuse to engage?"
Still, nothing. I was beginning to feel like I was talking to a wall. "Mr. Birla, are you even listening to me?"
He didn't glance back. "You don't owe them any answers," he said calmly, his voice like ice. "I'm only doing this because of you."
"Oh, trust me, you've made that point very clear. And it's not like I'm the only one who created this scandal."
He slowed down, his voice dropping to a colder tone. "I told you from the start, Roohi, I never wanted this marriage. But since you want to make everyone happy, go ahead and do whatever you like."
Just as he finished that sentence, I felt my foot catch on the edge of the carpet. Before I knew it, I was tripping forward.
Instinctively, I reached out and grabbed the back of his coat for support. He paused, and without turning around, he said in a calm voice, "If it's too difficult for you to walk in those heels, we can sit in the balcony. It has a seating arrangement, and you can just tell everyone you saw the house. It's not like we're going to get married anyway."
His words stung more than I expected. Is that what he really thinks? I thought, feeling a pang of hurt. He kept reminding me, again and again, that I was the one pushing for this marriage, like I was solely responsible for this mess.
We reached the balcony, and as I sat down, the anger bubbling inside me spilled over.
"It's not only my fault, you know! That scandal wasn't just because of me!" I shot back, my voice tinged with the frustration I'd been holding in.
He finally turned to face me, his expression as calm as ever.
"I know but You're the one because of whom this entire marriage drama is happening-you could have denied it," he said, his voice cold and detached.
His words were like a slap to the face. How dare he put all the blame on me? Furious, I stood up, determined to walk away from this pointless conversation.
But, in my haste, I tripped again, nearly falling this time. Advay quickly reached out to steady me, but I pushed his hand away.
"I don't need your help!" I snapped, my voice sharp. My pride wouldn't let me accept his help, not after everything he'd just said.
But as I tried to walk, a sharp pain shot through my foot. I looked down and realized that my ankle had swollen up. Great, just what I needed, I thought, gritting my teeth.
He noticed immediately and, without asking, crouched down to check my ankle. I tried to pull my foot away, but he held it firmly. "Please don't move; you'll hurt yourself more," he said, his tone softer this time, almost as if he was trying to be gentle.
"I'm fine, Mr. Birla," I insisted, my voice trembling slightly from the pain and frustration. I didn't want to rely on him, not when he was making everything so difficult.
Before I could argue further, he bent down and, in one swift motion, scooped me up in his arms. "Hey, put me down!" I exclaimed, my voice rising in pitch as I tried to wriggle out of his hold.
Ignoring my protests, he gently set me down on the couch and called out to one of the house help. "Bring the first aid box."
As he waited, he knelt down in front of me, his eyes scanning my ankle. "You really need to be more careful," he said softly, almost as if he was talking to himself.
"Why are you doing this after clearly insulting me?" I asked in a harsh tone, my pride wounded.
He paused for a moment, looking up at me with those intense eyes. "I'm not insulting you, Roohi. I'm stating facts."
His calm demeanor was infuriating. He just didn't get it, did he?
"How dare you treat me like this? How can you ignore the woman you're publicly engaged to? I'm not someone you can treat like garbage! I'm wearing your ring, Advay Birla. I know you told me not to expect anything from you, and I'm not. But how can you ignore me when I'm here to fix our marriage date? I'm not someone you can treat like this, Advay. I hope that's clear to you. I know you want to break this engagement, and you said you will, but until then, while I'm wearing this ring, behave properly with me."
"Ro-"
"Shut up, don't interrupt me when I'm speaking," I said, cutting him off. He looked taken aback.
Just then, his sister Shivika came asking us to come as the elders were calling us. As I stood up to wear my heels, he stopped me.
"Don't wear them," he said, his voice soft but firm. Without waiting for my response, he took my heels in his hand.
"All this is because of you," I said, taunting him as I pointed at my injury.
His hand reached up to gently tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, his thumb brushing against my cheek, wiping away a tear I didn't even realize had fallen.
Why was I crying? I wondered, confused by the sudden wave of emotion. Was it the pain in my leg, or was it the pain in my heart?
"Sorry" he said offering me his hand to hold for support.
Aadya's POV:
Roohi walked in, supported by Advay. My eyes widened at the sight-woah, the lovebirds in action. I'd had my doubts, but maybe Advay is just an introvert.
As they approached, Advay's mom was the first to speak. "What happened? Is everything alright? Why is Roohi walking like this?"
Before Advay could respond, Roohi quickly interjected, "Nothing, Aunty. I just tripped."
Advay's chachi wasn't buying it. "Let me check," she insisted, reaching out to inspect Roohi's foot. But Roohi waved her off.
"It's alright, Aunty. Just a little swelling. He treated it," she reassured, glancing briefly at Advay.
The room was filled with skeptical looks, until the smug face finally appeared. "Maa, don't worry. Bhai takes good care of Bhabhi. See how he's even holding her heels."
Vivaan joined in. "Bhai, who knew you had such a romantic side? Holding Bhabhi's heels like that-it seems the rumors are true?"
Roohi turned as red as a tomato, while Advay remained completely unfazed, his expression as stoic as ever.
Their mom chuckled warmly, "Oh, stop teasing him. I told you, Purnima, my son will take great care of your daughter."
Roohi, clearly embarrassed, muttered under her breath, "He's the reason I'm hurt in the first place. How will he take care? Asshole."
Advay, who obviously heard her, leaned in closer, his voice low and teasing, "I can hear you, My dear fiancé."
"Good," Roohi snapped back, throwing him a glare. Their bickering made me question if they were even a couple, but Shivansh and Vivaan seemed completely oblivious.
"Bhai, don't be so shy," Vivaan chimed. "We all know you two are crazy about each other."
Advay, still acting as though he hadn't heard a word, glanced at Roohi. "Do you need anything else?" he asked, his voice as cool and composed as ever.
"No, I'm fine," Roohi replied, avoiding his gaze, her cheeks still carrying that hint of blush.
As the pandit ji arrived, everyone's attention shifted. Ishaani leaned over and whispered to me, "Aren't those two weirdly cute?"
I shrugged nonchalantly. "Who?"
She subtly gestured towards Roohi and Advay. "Who else?"
"Oh. I guess," I replied, trying not to sound too interested.
We were in their lounge area as elders were in hall, Vivaan leaned over, catching my attention. "Hey, Aadya, when are you going back?"
"I don't plan to go back anytime soon, but I'll have to for exams in a month. Though Papa is insisting me to shift back," I explained.
Ishaani, her curiosity piqued, asked, "How do you all know each other? I know Shivansh is your smug face, but what about him?" She pointed to Vivaan.
Shivika, Advay's youngest sister, jumped into the conversation with a cheeky grin. "Was she the one in your group known as the Three Musketeers? The one whose picture you have in your room, Bhai?" She pointed at Smug face, clearly enjoying the moment.
"Yes, unfortunately," I muttered under my breath.
"They were boring people in college, and I made them my friends. Then they also became cool," I said, casually throwing out the line as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Smug face, standing across from me, let out a laugh-one of those deep, mocking laughs that made me want to smack that smirk off his face. "You? Made us cool?" He shook his head, still chuckling. "You have some imagination, Princess."
I rolled my eyes. "Well, someone had to save you from your boring lives," I shot back.
Vivaan, ever the peacemaker, said, grinning. "Ah, so she was our junior in college," he said, pretending like he'd just solved a great mystery, then he started narrating whole story as i remembered good old days.
It all started back in our first year. I was new in college. One day, this group of girls decided to make me their target. They thought they could push me around because I was new and didn't have many friends. I wasn't going to let them walk all over me, though.
"Hey, Blue bag," one of the girls had sneered as they cornered me near the library. "You think you're something special, don't you? But you're not. You're just another nobody, how dare you complaint about us to professor."
I had clenched my fists, my heart pounding in my chest. But instead of backing down, I glared right back at her. "If I'm a nobody, then what does that make you? Someone who bullies people just to feel better about themselves? Pathetic, and i don't even know you i just told him what i saw, and for you kind information smokingis prohibited in campus."
She looked taken aback for a moment, but before she could retaliate, a voice rang out.
"Is there a problem here?"
I turned to see two guys who were Shivansh and Vivaan walking up they were really popular in collage.
The girls instantly backed off, muttering something about not wanting any trouble, and scurried away like the cowards they were.
"Are you okay?" Vivaan had asked, his voice calm and concerned.
I nodded, trying to appear unfazed. "I'm fine. I could've handled them."
Shivansh had smirked at that, folding his arms across his chest. "Oh, I don't doubt it. But it doesn't hurt to have a little backup now and then."
From that day on, the three of us started hanging out together. It began with casual run-ins on campus, which turned into study sessions and then, eventually, late-night talks over coffee. We became inseparable, and I quickly found myself trusting them more than I'd ever trusted anyone except my girls.
Especially Smug face. We clicked in a way that felt... natural. There was something about him that made it easy to be myself, even when we argued over the dumbest things. And argue we did-constantly. But it was never serious. At least, not until something shifted between us, and I couldn't pinpoint when it started to change.
Vivaan, said . As we reminisced, "I don't know what happened, but suddenly you two started fighting and competing over everything."
His words brought me back to the present. He was right. Somewhere along the way, Smug face and I had gone from friendly banter to something more... tense. What had changed? Why had he started ignoring me out of the blue? I couldn't figure it out, no matter how many times I replayed it in my head.
As Anika's bet echoed in my mind, make Shivansh fall for me in a month? The thought was both thrilling and unsettling.
I wasn't someone who played games with emotions, but something about the challenge tugged at me. Maybe it was the competitive spirit.
I glanced over at Smug face, who was doing something on his phone.
"Shivansh," I called out softly, my voice laced with something that surprised even me. He turned to face me, his eyes meeting mine.
"Yes, Princess?" he responded.
For a moment, I hesitated, The words slipped out before I could stop them, not in a flirtatious way, but with a sincerity that caught me off guard. "Do you ever wonder what it would be like if we weren't always competing? If, maybe, we stayed friends ?"
The question hung in the air, heavier than I intended. I hadn't planned to say it, hadn't even realized I was thinking it. But now that it was out there, I couldn't take it back.
His expression shifting into something more serious. For a brief moment, he looked genuinely surprised, as if he hadn't expected me to say something like that. "Aadya..." i felt butterflies when he said my name after long time.
I quickly shook my head, trying to brush it off as everyonewas looking at us, though my voice came out softer than intended. "Never mind. It's nothing. Just a silly thought."
But I knew it wasn't nothing. It was something-something I couldn't quite define but felt deep in my bones. And by the look on Shivansh's face, he felt it too.
"Maybe it's not so silly," he finally said, his voice just as soft, almost as if he was afraid of shattering the moment.
Whatever game we had been playing before, it felt like the rules had just changed. And somehow, I knew this bet with Anika will cause me serious trouble but i will not back out.
Ishaani's POV:
"Hey can you tell me where is washroom" I asked to avya.
"Come I'll show you" she said.
I genuinely wanted to ignore Vivaan after that dress incident. Advay's family seems good, but you never know with these elites.
There are always dark secrets behind their perfect personalities, i know this coming from one of the family.
I knew exactly what Aadya was doing when she started talking nicely to Shivansh-she's doing this for a bet, but i felt sincerity in her voice. I just hope it doesn't backfire on her.
As I came out of the washroom, I got a call from Navya. "Hey, Aditya called me for a business party, and I have to go now because he asked my father for permission," she said, sounding stressed.
"But Roohi will be upset," I protested.
"I know, but I can't ditch this one," Navya sighed.
"Okay, I understand. But you know Aadya is right when she calls Aditya useless. He's definitely an asshole," I grumbled.
While trying to lock my bracelet that somehow got loose, I collided with someone. I looked up and my heart nearly stopped-it was Vivaan. Oh god, not again. Embarrassed t encounter, I quickly picked up my phone and started walking away.
"Hey, wait!" Vivaan called after me, his voice warm and inviting.
But I just couldn't bring myself to face him. Not again. I ignored him and hurried back to lounge.
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