Aadhya's POV
I stared at the scene before me, and my internal monologue immediately went into overdrive.
This wasn't a "celebration"; it was a biological hazard.
People were flailing around like they'd just discovered electricity for the first time, and the smell of chlorine mixed with cheap energy drinks was enough to make my nose hairs curl.
One guy was currently trying to "swim" on the grass, and another group was stacked like a human
Tetris game gone horribly wrong.
Focus, Aadhya.
Distraction! That's the goal, I screamed at myself mentally. But my brain, being the absolute traitor it is, kept flickering back to Nikansh. The kiss.
The suddenness.
The way my heart had done a weird, uncoordinated backflip.
Ugh, stop it!
It felt like my life was a badly written wattpad story and someone had accidentally hit the fast-forward button. No transition, no "slowburn," just—BAM—climax. It was rude, honestly.
Where was the professional courtesy?
"Are you okay… Adi?" Mahi asked, his voice barely cutting through the music. He looked genuinely worried, which was weirdly annoying because I should be the one looking at him like that.
"Huh? Of course," I snapped, probably a bit too fast.
"Didn't I tell you I'll come?."He hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. "I thought I pushed you too much… I can drop you home if you want. You look like you're seeing ghosts."
"Of course not!" I frowned, crossing my arms to stop myself from fidgeting. "I came here myself. Don't act like you kidnapped me. Though, looking at that pool, a kidnapping might have been safer." I pointed toward a teammate who was currently trying to drink soda while upside down.
"What is this place… Party or apocalypse?"Mahi let out a short, breathy laugh.
"Yeah… it got a little out of hand."
"A little?" I raised a brow, my inner critic taking full control. "If this is 'a little,' I'm terrified of what 'wild' looks like. Is there a fire breathing dragon in the kitchen?"He chuckled softly, and for a second, the distance between us just... evaporated.
And for a moment he was just Mahi.
"Hey," I said, the thought jumping out of my mouth before I could censor it.
"You know how to play guitar?" He blinked, looking startled. "Yeah. How did—?" I was talking about the Band Blitz he played guitar.
"That was good," I interrupted, feeling my face heat up. "Like… annoyingly good. Like, 'stop-trying-to-be-perfect-at-everything' good."
He looked down, a shy smile tugging at his lips.
"My stepbrother taught me."Oh, great job, Aadhya, my brain screamed.
Drop a bomb right into the middle of the nice moment.
"I'm sorry," I said immediately, the sarcasm draining out of me.
"I didn't mean to bring that up. I'm a disaster, ignore me."He shook his head, his gaze turning distant. "No… it's fine. Actually… he was my idol. I used to follow him everywhere like a lost puppy. He'd include me in all his stupid plans… we were really close."I stayed quiet. For once, my inner monologue didn't have a witty comeback. I just watched him.
"Then he introduced me to his friends. That's how I met Vivaan," he continued, his voice getting smaller.
"Slowly… he started spending more time with them. And then… that accident happened."
The silence that followed was heavier than the bass from the party.
I wanted to hug him.
I also wanted to crack a joke because the "heavy stuff" made my skin itch.
My brain immediately started drifting to my own brother—the one who's probably out there being a "super-brother" to someone who isn't me.
Is he eating pizza with some other girl? Does she get the 'supercute' title now?
I shook the thought away and smirked at Mahi, trying to pull him back from the edge. "Sounds like you were those dramatic 'super siblings' types. Did you have matching capes?"He laughed, a real one this time. "Yeah… something like that."I clapped my hands together, the sound sharp in the night air.
"Okay! Enough gloom. So, shall we attack the snacks like those animals in there?" I gestured to the house.
"I see a buffet that deserves our professional attention."Mahi looked at the chaos, then back at me. The way he looked at me made that "warm" feeling return, the one that had nothing to do with the summer heat."No…" he said softly, shaking his head. "Maybe not yet."
I was just minding my own business when Naman stumbled out like a human wrecking box. He smelled like he'd bathed in a beer vat—gross. He draped his sweaty arms over me and Mahi and dragged us inside.
My brain was screaming, "Abort mission! High-level cringe detected!" The inside of the house was huge, but the people? Absolute animals. It wasn't a party; it was a "who can lose their dignity fastest" competition.
People were dancing on tables, some were halfway through a strip-tease, and others were... well, they were "eating each other's faces" so hard I thought they were trying to perform dental surgery with their tongues. Ugh, get a room, or at least a napkin!
Naman called everyone to gather around. "We're all here to celebrate our basketball win! And the credit goes to the best player—Mahi!" Everyone started cheering and clapping, and I joined in, smiling for him. They even picked Mahi up and raised him in the air, chanting, "Mahi! Mahi! Mahi!" while they carried him away. I looked around and saw Riya—
I thought she was with Naman, but she was practically sleeping on some other guy. So weird!
I walked further into the house to escape the madness and finally found the snack table. Thank god for food! But as I filled my plate, the people around were acting so gross I wanted to puke. Then I spotted Jiya with a guy. "Who's this guy?" I demanded.
The guy turned out to be Samar in a mustache and a summer hat! "Samar, what are you doing in this ugly look?" I asked. Jiya answered "he didn't want me to be alone at such a party and besides section E aren't allowed here,".
Samar looked at me "you? What are you doing he ? He asked.
"I'm here with Mahi!"
" Does Vivaan and Nikansh know this ," I shook my head.
" Call them and inform them," he said, his voice tensed.
"But wait if they come here they are sure to start a fight ..let Mahi enjoy a little," I said, my voice little desparate. He sighed.
"30 minutes. Then we meet at the gate," he warned. I just nodded and went to find a bathroom.
Before I could even open the bathroom door, a drunk guy grabbed my arm and pinned me to the wall.
"You're alone... babe, let's enjoy together," he slurred, leaning in. Eww, your breath could kill a cactus.
I pushed him, but suddenly, he was slammed against the wall by a massive punch! It was Naman.
"You fucking bastard, how dare you touch her!" he growled. He turned to me, acting like a total hero.
"Are you okay, Aadhya?" he asked. I forced a smile and nodded.
"Come, let's go over there. Mahi and the others are there," he said. He handed me a glass.
"Just a little... I got this for you," he said, looking all sad and pouty. Acting all cute.
What is he a kpop Idol? Atleast his looks match them.
But he can't match them not My BTS and Seventeen babies ofc.
Fine, one sip won't kill me.
I took a few sips, but the taste was so bitter it hit my brain instantly. What is this? Liquid regret? Poison maybe?
Suddenly, there was a commotion nearby. Naman walked there I followed him, my head spinning like a top.
My heart stopped—Mahi was on the floor, his face covered in bruises and blood. Huh? What's happening here?
"Mahi! Mahi!" I screamed, trying to run to him.
But Naman's hand clamped onto my arm like a trap.
"Aadhya, get out of here! You're the target!" Mahi choked out through the pain.
My head was throbbing, and I couldn't see straight.
As I stumbled back, I saw Naman's face.
He wasn't the "hero" who saved me from the creep anymore. He looked happy.
He looked like he had just won the lottery.
Oh, Aadhya... you really are the main character of a tragedy now.
...
Reyansh POV
"Babe, let's go inside please," Yuvika was saying, acting all cute and clingy. I just shook my head. No way.
I didn't want her anywhere near a party like this—full of vulgarity, cheap drinks, and people who forgot how to act human.
I looked out the car window and my blood started to simmer. Section E? Here? My orders were crystal clear: nobody from that section was allowed at this farmhouse. Yet, there they were—Vivaan, Nikansh, and the rest of the crew trailing behind.
"They said they are celebrating Mahi's win," Yuvika added softly. Mahi.
That name gave me a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. I needed to find Manik and Naman immediately and remind them who actually runs things around here. I stepped out of the car, ignoring Yuvika's protests, and stormed inside.
The air was thick with the smell of sweat and alcohol. I followed a loud commotion, and as the crowd parted, I saw a guy on the floor, covered in bruises and blood. It was Mahi.
"What is he doing here?" I snapped, turning my glare toward others.
"I already ordered you—no Section E allowed! So what is this?"
Mahi groaned, his voice barely a whisper.
"Adi... Adi... Adi..."My heart skipped a beat.
Aadhya was here?
In this hellhole?
That girl doens't seem to have mind?
I immediately knelt beside him, my anger turning into pure cold dread. "Where is she? Where is Aadhya?" I asked, my voice low and dangerous.
Naman... Naman..." Mahi stammered.Damnit! I stood up and threw a heavy punch straight at Manik's face. I didn't care if his jaw broke. "Where the hell is Naman?" I growled. He pointed upstairs, trembling. I told Yuvika to get back to the car and stay there, then I took the stairs two at a time.
The scenes I saw through half-open doors made me boil—it was so cheap, so vulgar. If anything happened to her, I was going to burn this place down.
I kicked open doors, seeing things that made me want to burn the whole farmhouse down. It was so cheap, so disgusting. And then, I hit the last door.I burst in and saw the sight that will haunt me forever. Naman was there, his hands on her, already her top was taken off. My sister. My little sister. Something inside me snapped. It wasn't just anger; it was pure rage... I didn't even feel my feet hit the floor as I lunged at him. I tackled him so hard we both crashed into the ground.
I didn't give him a chance to breathe. I pinned him down and started swinging.
Each punch was for every time she cried, for every second she was scared. "How many times!" I roared, my voice sounding like an animal's.
"How many times did I warn you to stay away from her!" Naman was shocked, trying to block his face, but I was a machine.We rolled on the floor, a messy, violent fight, but I didn't feel any pain.
"How dare you touch my sister!" I kept growling, my knuckles split and bleeding. I hit him until his face was unrecognizable, until he couldn't even groan anymore. My vision was tunneled—all I could see was his face and the image of him touching Aadhya....