Aadhya's POV
Augh, the pain! It was like someone was beating my brain with a rhythmic stick. I slowly stirred, my vision all hazy and blurry like a bad Instagram filter. As the world came into focus, I looked down at the blanket.
It was —white, pure, crisp, expensive-looking white.
Huh? I don't use white blankets, I thought, my heart doing a triple backflip.
I sat up so fast I almost saw stars again. This definitely wasn't my room. My room has posters and piles of clothes, not... whatever this minimalist heaven was.
Where the hell am I? Then, bam! The memories hit me like a truck. The party, the shouting, and Naman's disgusting, oily smirk. That was the last thing I saw before the lights went out. I checked my clothes immediately, my breath catching in my throat. Wait, what? I was still wearing my outfit, but my top was inside out. Wait, what happened? Did he succeed? Am I going to be Gracy 2.0?
"No, no, please God, no!" I whispered, spiraling into a 10th-grade existential crisis. I didn't have time to panic, though. I needed to move. Jana kahan se hai? (Where do I go?)
I stood up, wobbling like a newborn giraffe, and yanked open the first door I saw.
Bathroom.
My jaw hit the floor. I didn't know washrooms could be this pretty! It was bigger than my entire bedroom, sparkling with marble and filled with fancy supplies that probably cost more than my life.
My brain short-circuited for a second—naturally, I did the most logical thing. I grabbed a new toothbrush, brushed my teeth like a pro, and put it back.
Whoever's this is, I'll just pay them later.
I ripped off my inside-out top, flipped it the right way, and marched out, trying to look like I belonged in a billionaire's catalog.I headed down this fancy, massive staircase, trying to be a stealthy ninja. I was midway down when a voice echoed: "Miss?"
Augh!" I didn't just jump; I practically performed a stunt-double fall right off the step. I looked up, rubbing my bruised ego, and blinked.
Huh? Vivaan? But no, this was like a "Baby Vivaan" edition. He looked exactly like him, just... younger.
"Is there something on my face? You're staring hard," he said, looking amused.
"Hu?? No! I'm just surprised you look like..." I scrambled to my feet, trying to regain some dignity."Look like Vivaan Oberoi Windsor? I know. I'm his younger brother," he introduced himself with a smirk that was way too cool for his age. Wow. That idiot Vivaan actually has a brother?
"I'm Viraan Oberoi Windsor."
Come, Bhaiyya and the others are in the room. I'll take you there," Viraan offered.
Wait, so I'm at Vivaan's house? How did I end up in the Windsor castle?
I followed him, my eyes bulging at the decor. This place was huge! Every hallway felt like a mile.
"What's your name?" he asked suddenly.
"I'm Aadhya," I said, trying to sound cool while staring at a golden vase. He smiled—a cute, non-annoying version of Vivaan's smile.
"Nice name," he said, pushing open a door.
Boom.
It wasn't a room; it was a heaven for slackers. PlayStations, billiards, those massive arcade games—it was basically a mall. All the other idiots from our group were there, too.
"Aadhya!" they called out, but I pulled a "Main apni favorite hoon" and ignored them.
My eyes went straight to the sofa.Mahi was there, looking like he'd gone ten rounds with a tiger. He was exhausted, drained, and totally pale.
"Mahi, are you okay?" I rushed over. He slightly opened his heavy eyes, looking at me with worry.
Someone handed him a an ice pack, I looked up to see...Vivaan.
He nodded and approached Nikansh sitting by the table full of wines and drink bottles.
" What happened? How did we ned up here?"i asked them.
" It was a trap and you were their target," Nikansh said seriously.
" Samar called me and said you were at party..then he said he couldn't reach out to both of you. I knew something was off. So we bought the entire section E with us" Vivaan explained further taking a sip.
"Before Naman could do anything to you, we caught him." Nikansh continued.
Huh? He really had bad intentions. I thought he was a nice guy.
But wait..if they caught him before he should touch how's my top..
" You caught him before he did anything? Then..did see me without clothes?" I asked, panicking and covering my chest. They looked at eachother.
" When we came, nothing was wrong" Nikansh insisted.
" But my top was—"
" Shut up! You're just being paranoid, we saw nothing!" Vivaan snapped taking a drink.
I looked at the table. It was early morning, and they were already drinking.
What a great breakfast, i thought.
" Why are you drinking so early in the morning?" I asked.
" None of your business," Vivaan snapped back. Ofc since it's god of demons himself. No one questions him.
"Aadhya " Avi called me from the other side.
" Adi, you go to him," Nikansh said. I started walking toward Avi but I stopped before that..and turned back." Nikansh...Vivaan thankyou," i said quietly and walked away.
Nikansh POV: The Aftermath of he Raid.
" Do you think we did the right thing? It's like we followed his orders," I said, looking at Vivaan as he poured another drink. The sun was already up, but the tension in the room was already suffocating.
Vivaan took a long swig, his jaw thight. " No, we didn't. It's actually in my favour. It's good that we don't have to explain anything to her," he muttered. I just nodded. Yesterday was a complete bloody mess.
#FLASHBACK
The moment we reached their teammates farmhouse, the stench of cheap booze and desperation hit us. It was a sea of vulgariy—people stripped down, making out in every corner, lost in haze. Then we heard the commotion. We ran toward the centre of hall and saw the group of guys kicking someone on the floor.
My blood ran cold when I realised it was Mahi.
Vivaan didn't hesitate. He lunged forward, grabbing one guy by their neck, his voice dropping into dangerous, low register
" What the hell did you do to him?"
" He...gate c-crashed our party" the guy stammered clearly afraid of Vivaan's anger.
" It's not his job to gate crash your party. YOU FUCKING LIAR," I snapped lunging forward.
Devit and Neel scrambled to pick unconscious Mahi.
Vivaans eyes were burning with anger. " Section E make sure not even a single one of them play basketball ever again," he ordered and the real fight just began.
" Vivaan, we'll handle these losers! Go find Aadhya!" Romy shouted over the chaos.
Vivaan and I sprinted through the crowd. We ran into Samar and Jiya, who looked terrified.
" We can't find her!" Samar panted.
Jiya looked at us and then " I saw Naman he was holding someone who looked like Aadhya. She looked .. unconscious."
" That Fucking bastard has plans for her," Vivaan growled, his tone more lethal than I have ever heard. I was burning from inside. He better not lay a hand on her. I'll cut off his arms.
We stormed upstairs, slaming open doors, seeing things I wish I could unsee. We were about to kick in door when the one across from us flew open.
A body tumbled out, face unrecognisable from all the wounds and blood. It was Naman. Standing over him, his knuckles raw and eyes filled with terrifying clarity was Reyansh.
" How many times did I warn you to stay away from her huh?" Reyansh roared, landing another punch that nearly cracked his skull.
Vivaan and I froze. We tried to push past him into the room, but he blocked the door.
" Wait...She's ..she is not wearing her top," he said, his voice thick with exhaustion. He walked back inside, closed the door, lights were off, we left him to put her clothes on. When he came back out he motioned us to enter.
Aadhya was lying on the bed, looking small and fragile, deep in drugged sleep. Reyansh sat on the floor, breathing heavily, his own face marked from the fight.
" We'll take her home," I said to him " and get back to Naman."
" No," Reyansh said, looking at the floor. " She'll ask me questions when she wakes up. I don't know what to tell her. Just ...take her with you."
Vivaan didn't wait. He threw off the blanket, lifted her in a bridal style, and walked out without a word. I was about to follow when Reyansh grabbed my arm " Nikansh please..take care of her..and don't tell her I was here." I nodded and followed Vivaan.
#FLASHBACK OVER.
" Reyansh just proved me one thing to me— he fucking cares for her," Vivaan said staring intensely at the glass in his hand.
Why the hell is that thing still on his mind.
"Are you still thinking about your plan," i asked him, watching the way his grip thighented.
" Ofcourse I always think about my plan," he lied.
" No, you can't fool me," I said leaning. " I think it's not about the plan or Reyansh anymore. It's about something else."
Suddenly the glass shattered in his hand, shards drawing blood but he didn't even flinch. I have known you long enough Vivaan I know when you're hiding behind a mask of rage. I know you Vivaan. You're trying to hide your guilt.
You're in love with her and that's what's actually bothering you.....
Aadhya's POV
Avi's high-pitched whining. "Adi, look! Bhavik is cheating!" he barked, pointing at Bhavik, who was suspiciously moving the bowl of almond-crusted makhana closer to his plate.
"What am I, your mother?" I retorted, though I still turned to glare at the culprit.
"Hey, Bhavik! Play fair or I'll tell everyone you still use a cartoon towel."
"It's not cheating, Aadhya, it's 'strategic resource allocation,'" Bhavik countered, his mouth already stuffed with a piece of paneer paratha. "You're just cranky because your brain is currently 90% occupied by panipuri."
"Shut up!" I snapped.
Don't you dare insult panipuri here. Before I could tackle him, Viraan appeared like a polished prince. "Breakfast is ready. I'd like to invite you all to the verandah."
Naturally, my friends—those absolute traitors—didn't even wait. The mention of food sent them sprinting.
"Um, Viraan, that Mahi can't come with us," I said.
"Don't worry, my butler will take care of him," he reassured me. I waited until his butler arrived to check on Mahi.
Nikansh stayed back and waited with me. As we stood there, I noticed something I had seen earlier: Vivaan's hand was bleeding. So I thought of asking him about it.
"What were you guys talking about?" I asked Nikansh, nodding toward the house. He shook his head slightly.
"Nothing important," he said, though his eyes told a different story.
"I said something he didn't like, so... the glass," he added.
My heart sank. I ignored the thought that he might have told Vivaan about my feelings for him. Maybe Vivaan was disgusted by it? Maybe that's why he broke the glass? I shook the thought away as Viraan's butler came in, and Nikansh and I finally walked toward the verandah.
"Viraan looks young! How old is he?" I whispered to Nikansh.
"Don't trust him easily... he is kind of..." Nikansh started, but he didn't finish. We had already arrived at the table.
The table was full of gourmet food. Is this how they have breakfast every day?
It was like a feast. Viraan guided me to a chair and pulled it out. Wow, such a gentleman—totally unlike his idiot brother.
I smiled and sat down, and he took the seat beside me.Everyone was there except Vivaan. The crooks—Avi, Bhavik, and the rest—had already started eating like they hadn't seen food in years.
"Umm Viraan, where is Vivaan?" I asked, trying to sound casual.
"Behind you," he answered.I looked back. There he was.
A freshly bathed Vivaan, his hand bandaged, looking stoic. But behind him was a smaller version of Vivaan and Viraan. I'd bet 100 rupees he was the younger brother. Vivaan sat directly across from me, and his mini-me sat beside him.
"You woke up early today, Vyaan," Viraan teased. So, the little boy's name was Vyaan.
"Shut up," Vyaan snapped, looking grumpy. It was actually quite cute. I looked at Vivaan, but he was busy with his coffee. He didn't even glance at me once.The maids began serving us a spread of Vegetarian Poha,Paneer Parathas, andFresh Fruit. I looked at Vyaan, who was practically staring me down.
Then, the silence was shattered. Vyaan leaned forward, looking at me, then at Vivaan. "So... Vivaan Bhaiyya is not gay?"
The table went silent for a microsecond before the crooks erupted. They laughed so hard some of them actually started choking on their food. Nikansh and Viraan were howling, clearly enjoying Vivaan's misery. Vivaan actually spewed his coffee back into his cup and glared at his little brother with a look that could kill.
"I mean, you kept bringing only boys home," Vyaan explained with total innocence. "I just figured you had a type."
I couldn't help but smile a little. His expression was "killer," but to me, it was just plain cute.
"Says the guy who can't even talk to Nini," Nikansh interrupted, seizing the chance to deflect.
"Who's Nini?" I asked Viraan quietly.
"That's Nikansh's sister and Vyaan's crush," he whispered back.
"Shut up! She is not my crush!" Vyaan defended himself, his face turning a deep shade of red. Vivaan actually smiled at that.
"Umm, what's the time, Viraan?" I asked, breaking the rhythm of clinking silverware.
"It's 10:00 AM," Viraan replied, glancing casually at his watch.Ten? My heart skipped. I really should have had breakfast and headed home by now. Who knows—Bhaiyya might have filed a police complaint about me being missing. He overreacts to every situation like it's a national emergency.
"Are you going somewhere, Adi?" Nikansh asked from beside me, sensing my fidgeting.
"No, I was just thinking that Bhaiyya must be worried. I didn't go home last night, so..."
"Amar knows you're here," Vivaan interrupted.I blinked, stunned. "Bhaiyya knows?"He finally looked at me and nodded. "I already called him and informed him," he explained. Well, that was one less thing to worry about, but a new question popped up.
How did he even have Amar Bhaiyya's number?
"So, do you have a big brother?" Viraan asked, stuffing a piece of Paneer Paratha into his mouth.I shook my head. "He's my elder cousin. Out of respect, I call him Bhaiyya."
"What's his name?" Viraan pressed.
"Amar. Amar Mahajan," I answered.Viraan froze, a piece of paratha halfway to his mouth. "Boss? Boss is your cousin?" he asked, his eyes wide with genuine surprise.I felt like I'd missed a script reading. "You call Amar Bhaiyya... 'Boss'?"
"That's what Vivaan Bhaiyya , and Nikansh Bhaiyya call him," Viraan explained quickly. My head whipped toward Nikansh and Vivaan. They knew him? Not just knew him, but called him Boss? My mind was spinning.
"You guys know him?"
"They used to be—" Viraan started, but a sharp "Viraan!" from Vivaan cut him off like a guillotine.
Viraan immediately looked down at his plate. "Sorry, I keep asking too many questions," he apologized, his voice small."No, no, it's fine," I said, though it was anything but fine.
The air was suddenly thick with things unsaid. Avi and Bhavik, sensing the shift in pressure, suddenly stood up.
"Okay, we're going home. Adi, are you coming?" Avi asked.I opened my mouth to say yes, but Nikansh beat me to it. "I'll drop her."I nodded slowly. "Okay then. Bye-bye, meet you tomorrow." The two of them bolted out like they were escaping a crime scene. My eyes followed them until they disappeared, leaving a deafening silence behind.
Vivaan, Nikansh, Amar Bhaiyya... and even Reyansh? How were they all connected?
Vyaan stood up, breaking the tension with a huff.
"It's boring here," he muttered, walking back inside.As soon as the kid was gone, Vivaan's demeanor changed. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes, handed one to Nikansh, and took one for himself. The flick of the lighter sounded like a gunshot in the quiet morning.
Are they seriously smoking now? At 10:00 AM? I must have been staring, because Vivaan snapped at me without even looking up.
"You can ask for one if you want. Don't stare like that."I shook my head quickly.
"I tried that once. I won't do it again," I admitted, the memory making me shiver slightly.Nikansh looked genuinely shocked, the cigarette pausing halfway to his lips. "You did?"I nodded."Then why did you stop?" Viraan asked, curious again.I hesitated. It wasn't a big deal, right? We were all just talking.
"Umm... my boyfriend burned me when he caught me smoking. So I didn't do it again," I said, a flicker of old irritation rising in my chest.The silence that followed wasn't just quiet—it was heavy, dark, and dangerous.
"He did what?" Vivaan asked. His voice had dropped an octave, turning into something cold and lethal. I looked up, startled. Both he and Nikansh looked like they were ready to commit a felony.
"He was just angry," I tried to defend Jivin, though even to my ears it sounded weak. "It was a mistake." But that only made them look more murderous. Vivaan's jaw was set so tight I thought his teeth might crack."Is this Jivin you're talking about?" Nikansh asked, his eyes narrow and sharp.I nodded slightly, feeling a sudden chill. Their looks were absolutely killer. If Jivin had been in the room at that moment, I don't think he would have walked out alive.....