Charu found herself standing by the water pipe at the edge of the fairground, furiously scrubbing at the bright blue stain on her dress and her hands.
But when the clumsy spill of water had splattered across her delicate dress, leaving a mark that wouldnât be easy to ignore.
Charu sighed, glancing down at the stain. âGreat, just perfect.â
"Ugh, yeh kaise niklega?" she muttered under her breath, rubbing harder, only to make the stain spread.
A low chuckle sounded behind her.
She exhaled sharply, resisting the urge to smack his face with her paint-covered hands . "Youâre enjoying this way too much."
"Can you blame me?" He gestured at her helplessly.
"How clumsy can you be? This is easily the highlight of my day. Maybe my entire month, actually." Abhir said, stepping closer.
Charu closed her eyes, counting to five before opening them again. "Great. So glad Mr.Sharma I could provide you with free entertainment."
Abhirâs smirk softened just a little. "Okay, okay don't curse me in your head now. Do you need help?"
Charu stiffened as he moved in beside her, sleeves rolled up, mischief still glimmering in his dark eyes.
Before she could protest, he reached out, his fingers grazing her wrist, halting her frantic attempts.
"Dikhao" he said, his voice softer now.
Her breath hitched as his fingers brushed against her skin, his touch warm despite the cool breeze.
With a reluctant nod, she said, "Fine. But not a word."
Abhir grinned. "You wound me, Charu. As if Iâd everâ"
Her sharp glare cut him off.
"Alright, alright," he raised his hands in surrender. "Letâs get you cleaned up before people start mistaking you for street art."
Charu wasnât sure whether to laugh, cry, or strangle him.
Maybe all three
He removed his handkerchief and dipped in the water , carefully dabbed at the stain on her shoulder, his other hand steadying her waist as if she might slip away.
The world around them faded.
The only thing Charu could focus on was the way his lips quirked into a tiny smirk, how his fingers worked with surprising gentleness, the way his eyes flickered to hers for just a moment too long.
She looked up at him, her heart racing for reasons she couldnât quite explain.
She was trying to keep her composure, but the closeness of his touch made her breath hitch.
"Donât make that face," Abhir teased, noticing the slight grimace on her face as he dabbed at the fabric. "Itâs just a stain. Weâll get it off."
"I hate this mess," she muttered, trying to sound unaffected.
Abhir smirked at her, his fingers moved slowly, tracing the length of her forearm, his thumb brushing against her skin in a way a slow heat crept up her neck.
His grip tightened ever so slightly on her waist, pulling her just a breath closer, and for a moment, it felt like he might say somethingâdo something.
Charu swallowed, her heart thudding unnaturally fast.
The moment felt... intimate.
Too intimate.
She should pull away.
She didnât.
Instead, she found herself watching himâhis long lashes, the way his lips curled ever so slightly in amusement, the casual confidence in his touch despite all this his touch felt so pure and innocent.
His gaze flickered up to hers, something soft and unreadable.
Neither of them spoke.
A quiet tension settled between them, crackling and charged, pulling them in like gravity.
And just when it felt like the air had grown too thick with something unspokenâ
Thenâ
"ABHIR!"
Charu flinched back as Abhir straightened, looking entirely unbothered.
Sira stormed over, hands on her hips, glaring at Abhir like he had committed an unforgivable crime.
Abhir groaned, taking a reluctant step back. "Kya hai, Sira?"
Sira narrowed her eyes at him, exasperation clear in her tone. "Kal tera concert hai, aur tu yahaan apne baalon ki halat aur bigaad raha hai? Kitni mehnat ki thi maine aaj tera hair style karne mey!"
Abhir rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "Yaar Sira, drama mat kar. Mere baal theek hai."
"Haan? Theek hai?"Sira scoffed, reaching up to ruffle his hair further. "Abhi theek kar deti hoon!"
Abhir groaned, ducking away from her. "Pagal ho gayi hai kya?"
Abhir smirked, running a hand through his now messy hair. "Sira, mujhe lagta hai tu mere balon se mujhse zyada obsessed hai."
"Haan! Kyunki agar tu aise bana raha, toh log sirf tere music pe nahi, tere hairstyle pe bhi judge karenge!" she shot back.
Charu watched the exchange, an odd pang of irritation stirring inside her.
It was clear that Abhir and Sira shared a level of comfort with each other that Charu didnât quite understand.
Their playful banter, the ease with which they scolded and teased each otherâthere was something so natural about it, like they had been doing this for years.
And for some reason, Charu felt like an outsider, standing at the edge of their world.
"Chill, Sira," Abhir said, his voice a mix of amusement and mild exasperation. "Iâm just helping her out."
Sira rolled her eyes, clearly not buying it. "Sure, sure. Youâre always this 'helpful' to people."
Seeing Sira and Abhir so at ease with each other, Charu felt a sudden pang of jealousy she couldnât quite explain.
She quickly stood up, trying to distance herself from the situation. "Iâm fine now. You can go back to whatever you were doing."
Sira huffed before turning to Charu with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Charu. Isne tumhe bhi pareshaan kiya na?"
Charu blinked, snapping out of her thoughts. âNo, I'm fine.Iâll just head backâ She forced a smile, but the discomfort remained.
Abhir snickered, clearly enjoying her irritation.
Sira, oblivious, beamed. "Chalo, hum bhi nikal rahe hain. Tum bhi chalo, hum drop kar dete hain resort tak."
Before Charu could refuse, Sira had already looped an arm through hers, leading her toward Abhirâs jeep.
But as they reached it, Sira happily slid into the passenger seat beside Abhir, leaving Charu to take the back.
Great.
If Charu was irked before, she was positively seething now.
Abhir started the jeep, but his attention kept flickering to the rearview mirror.
More specificallyâto her.
Charu met his gaze once. Twice. But he didnât look away.
Her fingers curled into fists in her lap she muttured under her breath. Thoda sa theek se baat karun phail hi jaata hai yeh psycho.
Meanwhile, Sira was blissfully unaware, rambling on about how Abhir needed to maintain his routine before the concert.
Charu wasnât even listening anymore.
She was too focused on the way Abhir's eyes kept seeking hers through the mirror, the way his smirk kept threatening to break free every time she caught him.
By the time they reached the resort, her patience was hanging by a thread.
And thenâ
"Oh-ho!"
Ruhi stood by the entrance, arms crossed, eyebrows raised as she took in their appearances.
"Aap dono ka kya scene hai? Dono aise range hue ho. Saath koi painting competition khel rahe the kya?"
Abhir, without missing a beat, grinned. "Haan, aur competition jeeta bhi maine. Charu abhi tak haare maan nahi rahi hai."
Charu glared at him. "Mujhe toh laga tumhara sirf singing career hai. Yeh nautanki wala side naya hai?"
Ruhi snorted. "Oh, mujhe toh bohot kuch naya lag raha hai yahan."
Charu, already feeling irritable from the entire evening, excused herself with a strained smile. "Iâm going to my room."
Ruhi watched Charu disappear down the hallway, her sharp eyes flicking back to Abhir, who was still standing there, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
She crossed her arms, tilting her head to Abhir.
Abhir gave her a deadpan look. "Main tere stupid sawaalon ka jawab nahi de raha, iska yeh matlab nahi ki kuch hai."
He stepped past her, already making his way toward his room. "Jaa thoda apne bete daksh pe dhyan de yeh CID khelna band kar"
Ruhi watched him leave, her smirk widening. "Ja billa boy, ja⦠par yeh kahani ab interesting ho rahi hai."
With a small chuckle, she turned on her heel and walked away, already looking forward to seeing how this would play out between Abhir and Charu.
------------
Fresh out of the shower, Abhir was in an unusually good mood.
His interaction with Charu had left an annoying yet undeniable sense of warmth in his chest, something he wasnât used to.
He didnât question itâhe simply let himself enjoy it.
Walking into the living area of the resort, he absentmindedly hummed a tune, running his fingers through his damp hair as he stepped out onto the patio.
His voice carried through the space, light and unrestrained.
But his moment of peace was short-lived.
"Abhir!"
Abhirâs humming cut off instantly, and his expression shifted as he turned to see Manish Goenka walking toward him, a concerned frown on his face.
Before Abhir could react, the elderly man was already reaching for him, a towel in hand."beta, thoda dhyaan rakh apna"
"Sar pura gila hai ab tak! Thand lag jayegi," Manish muttered, forcefully rubbing the towel over Abhirâs damp hair as if Abhir were still a child who needed to be taken care of.
Abhir stiffened.
His jaw tightened as irritation surged through him.
"I can do it." His voice was clipped, void of warmth.
Manishâs hands faltered, but he didnât let go. "Kahan tu hamesha beparwah kyun rehta hai"
"Main bacha nahi hoon," Abhir snapped, stepping back abruptly and snatching the towel from Manishâs hands.
His once carefree mood had vanished. "Mujhe apna dhyaan rakhna aata hai. Aapko itni fikar karni ki zaroorat nahi hai."
A heavy silence fell between them. Manish's face softened for a brief moment, but he quickly masked it.
"Fikar toh hogi, Abhir," he said, his voice quieter now. "Chahe tu manne ya nahi, tu hamara hai."
Abhir clenched his jaw, exhaling sharply.
He didnât respond, didnât acknowledge those words.
Instead, he turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Manish standing there alone.
From a distance, Armaan and Abhira watched the tense exchange.
"Phir se wahi takraav," Abhira sighed, shaking her head.
Armaan folded his arms, watching Abhir storm off. "Yeh kab tak chalega? Dono ek doosre se door bhaag rahe hain, par dono hi clearly care karte hain."
Abhira nodded. "Par Nanu toh bas pyaar jatana chahte hain, but AB usse bas interference samajhta hai."
"Aur Par Nanu Usse already itna space de rahe hai," Armaan mused.
Abhira sighed, thoughtful. "Hume kuch karna padega, Armaan. In dono ki beech ki yeh doori aur nahi badhni chahiye."
Armaan smirked slightly, nudging her. "Tum toh setting karne mein expert hai. Plan kya hai?"
Abhira grinned mischievously. "Bas dekhte jao. Yeh bhai aur Par Nanu ki tension hamesha ke liye khatam karni hai toh kuch alag hi karna hoga"
And with that, the wheels of a plan were set in motion.