A low hum began playing from a source Shanaya failed to locate in the scant lighting. In an instant, Dhruv’s arm slid around her waist and his palm pressed into her small back, pulling her closer. Despite the thickness of her dress's fabric, she felt his warm hand sending a shiver down her spine. As a reflex, her hands rose to his shoulders and settled there and soon they were lost in each other's eyes.
"What song is that?" Shanaya asked in a whisper, swaying slowly in his arms along with the tune. Her eyes remained glued to his. Stupid as it seemed, she was unable to take them away from his face. Up this close, he looked even more handsome. And tall. She failed to realise it earlier but she only barely touched his shoulder. Craning her neck to not lose sight of his eyes, she held her breath, waiting for an answer. "I don't know. I don't care," he said in a husky tone. It may have been just a game her mind was playing on her, but she sensed him leaning closer as they moved their bodies along the song. His other hand slid around her waist, pulling her even closer until his breath fanned her face. As his eyes held her prisoner, Shanaya felt her chest twisting in a knot.What was he trying to do? Why were they in such a position?
Lowering her eyes forcibly, Shanaya pushed him away.
"I should've known it," she said, her voice breathless. A smirk settled on his lips as he watched her huffing for air. "Honestly, I knew it all along, Dhruv. You'll always be obsessed with me." The smirk flickered and faded away completely when she continued, "That's why you're here. Because even after eight years, you can't move on!"Shanaya made herself laugh despite the situation and her words. She made herself sound convincingly cruel. "Don't turn it around on me, Shanaya," Dhruv snapped, his jaw clenching. "You're clueless. This wasn't me trying to claim you again. This was me testing you. You failed. You still have feelings for me!" He reciprocated with a throaty laugh of his own but failed to sound even the slightest bit convincing to her. "Wait, what you mean to say indirectly is that you have moved on? That you don't care about me anymore? That you don't feel anything. Anything at all for me? " Shanaya asked. The song continued to play over their shouts and barks. "Yes." He bobbed his head and then grinned widely. "Does that make you sad?" "It makes me want to laugh until I die! Look around you, Dhruv! Anyone who has moved on wouldn't care to do all of this." In the rage, Shanaya toppled a candle over but it extinguished as soon as it touched the floor. He took an intimidating step ahead, his face twisted in an identical rage. "I said it already: I was testing you. And you failed." His eyes bored into hers and a short, snappy laugh left her lips. "Oh, is that what this is? A test? To see if I've moved on? Tell me, Dhruv, do I get to test you as well?" Shanaya snapped back, her head and heart pounding equally. She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth as she stood watching her with a gaping mouth. "Wait. Don't bother answering."With two quick strides, she seized the collars of the dark shirt he was wearing, roughly enough to pop a button from the top before pulling him close—close enough to let their breaths mingle with each other. Dhruv tensed, causing Shanaya to smirk. She lowered her voice to barely a whisper and leaned into his side. Her lips touched his earlobe teasingly when she said, "Be honest with me. You still miss me, don’t you?" "I don't," Came an answer with a growl. The smirk on her face only widened, enjoying her effect on him. She let out a disappointed squeal and leaned out, seeing his face through her long lashes. One of her hands reached up to his chin and pulled his face down so his eyes looked directly into hers. "Look at me and tell me you don't want me. Look at me and tell me, Dhruv, that you don't think of our time together. All we did and how it felt. It's been eight years and it feels like yesterday, doesn't it? Look at me and tell me," she whispered over his lips. His throat bobbed up and down as his gaze continued to burn into hers. Shanaya trailed her hand down to his chest, her eyes locked into his, and started playing with another button. "Tell me you don't think every other night of what it could've been only if..." Unintentionally, her voice lowered until she trailed off. However, she recovered soon enough. "Tell me you never dreamt of me on lonely, cold nights." He held her hand, stopping it from going down any further, and said it with a calm that comes before a storm. "Shut up, Shanaya. Shut up!" She gulped before the words left her lips, barely audible to her own ears, "Make me."Within a second, Dhruv seized her, pressing his lips to hers with all the rage within. Shanaya’s knees buckled under him as an effect and she locked her arms around his neck for support. His arms resumed their place around her waist and pulled her dangerously close, pressing their lips together even more. A while later, they parted, huffing out of breath, only to find each other back a while later. One of his hands reached to hold her neck from behind and he pushed her until her back touched a wall. She took her hand away from his neck and found the buttons of his shirt instead, unbuttoning them one after the other. Dhruv pressed kisses along her jaw and slowly reached her neck. He paused and leaned back to say, "Shanaya." His eyes burnt into hers with a passion and she pulled him for a long, deep kiss. "Dhruv," she breathed before they resumed their respective tasks. The song now played as a seducing hum, ignited their passions a little more. It helped her keep her mind away from thinking rationally and more on him, the man kissing her. The last thing Shanaya remembered of that night was the sound of a cloth ripping apart.Thanks for reading! If you're liking the story, consider voting or leaving a review.
The sun rays passed through the window panes and kissed Shanaya's face, fuelling her annoyance. She barely slept the previous night. Dhruv wouldn't let her. The little time that he did allow her, she wasted away by thinking constantly of what had happened between them and what it meant.Her head ached from the lack of sleep, making her frown as she lifted herself from the bed, covering her naked body with the white sheets. On the other hand, Dhruv slept peacefully on his stomach, snoring lightly. The sheets concealed the lower half of his body, keeping the other half on display for her eyes and she smirked. The smirk vanished as soon as she recollected moments from the previous night. Dhruv provoked her and she reacted just as he wanted her to. With a groan, she closed her eyes, gathering her hair into a messy bun. Her eyes darted around the room in search of her clothes—the striped dress she wore the previous night, but all she found were the bits and pieces of what remained of her
It slipped Shanaya's mind that she was wearing nothing but an oversized T-shirt. She slid the door wide open, allowing Shaheer who stood outside to take a good look at her. The calm over his face vanished in an instant. His cheeks blushed pink and he lifted his eyebrows in embarassment, clearing his throat at the same time. "Oh," Shanaya said to herself, realising what had happened and in a haste almost closed the door on his face. Luckily, he stepped behind on time. She sighed deeply and counted to three, letting her erratic heart go back to normal before slightly jerking the door open to peek out. "Did you get what I asked?" She said hurriedly and for a moment Shaheer's brows furrowed in confusion. "What? Oh, yes. Yes, here it is. Ms. Arora," He said and passed through the little gap a bag with her clothes. Shanaya grabbed it without another glance and turned around to find Dhruv looking at her with a smirk. "And who might that be?" He said, more to himself than to her and too
Kabir shrugged and the smile slipped away, getting replaced by a serious look. His gray eyes stared at her with curiosity. "But seriously, Shan, where were you last night? I called you like a hundred times." She ran her fingers through her wet hair strands as the light buzzing of the machine continued. Pretending to not hear his question, she said looking at herself in the full view mirror, "Do you think it's okay for you to be in my room while I'm not here? And even when I am. With me. Alone?" "Let's not pretend like I didn't spend half of my teen years here," He shook his head as his eyes went over the room, quickly examining it. Picking up a pillow, he flipped it and then stuffed it behind his head, relaxing even more. "You're not scared of what Dadi has to say?" His eyes flickered away from her but a small smile appeared on his clean shaven face. "She stopped doubting me a while ago. Precisely on the day I got married to Noor. Unless she considers me able enough to have an extr
Ahail, was a hero. Her saviour. Her protector. Or at least, he had been; once upon a time before the whole Arora family descended into the ruins. Shanaya had been a notorious teenager. With her heart on her sleeve and her mind in her mouth, trouble was always lurking around, and she attracted it like a magnet—picking fights with girls and boys all the same. But Ahail was there. He was always there to clean up her messes. He'd beat up guys and flirt with girls until they thought no more evil of his little sister. Ahail was the perfect guy—tall, handsome and smart. They were both blessed with a good combination of their parents' genes but while Shanaya struggled with Math, he excelled. With the ability to make friends at just the wave of his hand, he was a charmer. He sang sometimes and played music at pleas of girls. He was the life of every party he attended. Such was the Ahail she knew and loved and admired. The one she was about to meet, however, was a completely different person
"He'll be here in a minute," Shanaya said in an instant, earning a head tilt and a long gaze from her granny before the old woman settled on the seat as the head of the family. Her brother entered moments later, displaying a freshly shaved jaw and carried out the walk of shame with his head low before sitting down. "Now that everyone's here," Suhala began with a small but genuine smile, "I'd like to introduce everyone to Raunak Mehta." So the trouble's named Raunak this time, Shanaya thought as she examined his face carefully. He smiled at her grandmother's words but the moment his gaze met Shanaya's he blushed and looked away. The latter continued to glare. "Ms Chahal is here with her with daughter too," She added with a forced smile. "Mithila, right?""Mridula, Dadi." The girl corrected politely and lowered her head, smiling. "Yes, yes." Shanaya resisted the urge to roll her eyes and sighed instead, failing to maintain a fake smile. Times as such reminded her of why she prefer
When Monday morning dawned, Shanaya could not be more eager to leave her family house. She had always expected it to be a haven; a place to relax after a long week—to heal and recover from the burnout, but it had never felt that way. Going to her family house felt more like an obligation—a duty she was committed to doing. She did that every weekend. Sometimes, she felt guilty for perceiving like checking up on her grandmother and Ahail, were merely tasks on her to-do list. Shanaya sneaked out as always, tiptoeing to the front door. It was still dark outside, but the chirping of birds had replaced the quietness of the night. She needed some time to restore her sanity before reaching her workplace. She was about to turn the doorknob when someone cleared their throat behind her, causing her to freeze in her place. She sighed, feeling like a thief caught red-handed. "One day you'll regret not saying goodbye before leaving," Suhala's throaty voice fell on her ears. Her grandmother was
Despite its beauty, Shanaya frowned as she picked up the bracelet and examined its delicate design. To the touch, it was cool, sending tiny shivers through her fingers. Dhruv's smirking face flashed through her mind and she tried her best not to recall fragments of the night they spent together. What was all of this supposed to mean? What was he up to? Why did he suddenly choose to flood her with his attention after ghosting her for the last eight years? Dhruv was the last person she wanted on her mind that morning, but he was utterly unsettling like a wine stain on her conscience. Shanaya placed the ruby and gold bracelet back in the box with equal care and shut it close. “What an idiot,” she whispered to herself, remembering their conversation. Well, the next time I'll bring you roses carved out of gold. How about you never bring me any flowers? Of gold or otherwise. Dhruv had done just what she had told him not to. That was expected of him. It annoyed Shanaya but she found
[DHRUV]When his eyes opened, Dhruv feared he had slept through the afternoon. The watch on his wrist, however, displayed the time to be ten o’clock. He closed his eyes, breathing in deeply before deciding to begin his day. His body was still trying to adapt to the change. It took most of the night to fall asleep, causing him to wake up much later than he intended to. Alarms had never worked for him, so he did not bother setting them up now either. Standing up on his feet, he wandered around, taking in the emptiness of his room. A bed and a wardrobe were the only pieces of furniture inside. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done, he noted to himself. Dhruv had his old friends from Mumbai hunt for some bungalows while he was still wrapping things up in the U.S. The one he had ended up buying was perfect for him—just as he had pictured.However, everything had been done in haste and there was no housewarming ceremony which aggravated his mother, who was mad in the first place be