28. A Tipsy Twist

A/N: I honestly don't know how would you guys find this, but I had super fun writing this one especially!😅

I hope it clicks for you'all, happy reading!

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Abhir sat cross-legged on his bed, his acoustic guitar resting against his knee a frustrated sigh,escaped his lips as he strummed a few chords, trying to fit the perfect tune into place.

Before he could immerse himself back into his music, the door to his room burst open.

Abhira stormed in, grinning ear to ear—something he had long since accepted as part of having a dramatic little sister.

Before he could protest, she dramatically thrust a red tuxedo into his hands.

"Yeh kis liye?" he asked, raising a brow at her excitement.

"Bhai, YNW—You know what!" she chirped, practically bouncing on her feet. "Armaan ne resort owner se baat karke ek Christmas party organize karwayi hai. It’ll be fun!"

Abhir narrowed his eyes. "Poddar boys ne pehle kyun nahi bataya?"

He sighed, running a hand through his hair before glancing at his desk, where scattered sheets of unfinished tunes lay like shattered pieces of his thoughts.

"Main ek tune crack karne ki koshish kar raha hoon, Abhira. Kal concert hai mera. Tum log jao, enjoy karo. I’m busy."

Abhira immediately pouted, placing both hands on her hips. "C’mon naa, bhai... My AB... My MCI (Most Chahitha Insaan), please?!" Her voice turned whiny. "It’s my first Christmas with you..."

Abhir glanced at her, her hopeful eyes brimming with exaggerated emotions. "Yeh drama band kar," he muttered, but a small smile tugged at his lips. "Fine. But I’m not staying for long."

"YES!" Abhira jumped in joy. "8 PM sharp, lobby mein milna!"

Abhir chuckled at her antics as she ran off to prepare for the evening, while he shook his head and returned to his work.

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Meanwhile, in another part of the resort, Abhira and Armaan were hatching a mischievous plan.

"Theek hai, toh plan set hai," Armaan confirmed.

"We spike Abhir’s drink just a little—just enough to loosen him up—and make sure he talks to Par Nanu. Once he’s relaxed, he won’t be able to keep his emotions bottled up."

Abhira smirked. "Exactly. Ek baar jab sab kuch dil se bol dega na, sab theek ho jayega."

Armaan nodded, already relishing how smoothly their plan would unfold.

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At precisely 8 PM, Abhir stepped out of his room, adjusting the cuffs of his red tuxedo. He hated to admit it, but he did look good. Just as he reached for the door handle, the door opposite his swung open.

Time seemed too slow.

Charu stepped out, dressed in a fitted black satin blouse tucked into a flowing red gown that cascaded down in soft waves. Her loose curls framed her face, and she adjusted her delicate bracelet as she walked out.

Abhir stopped in his tracks.

For a second, he forgot how to breathe.

She looked… ethereal.

For a full moment, he just stood there, absorbing the vision before him, completely unaware of how long he had been staring.

"ABHIR! YOU LOOK SO GOOD!" Kiara’s excited squeal broke his trance.

He blinked, shifting his gaze to Kiara, who was practically bouncing in excitement. He forced a polite smile at her, but his eyes kept drifting back to Charu.

Then, Ruhi and Rohit approached.

"Billa boy, looking good!" Ruhi teased, winking at him.

Abhir smirked. "Wish I could say the same, Ruhi chuhi."

Ruhi gasped dramatically. "Excuse me? I don’t need your approval. My husband already told me I look amazing." She proudly linked her arm through Rohit’s.

Abhir smirked. "Haan haan, kehna toh padega hi na? Bechare ke paas option thodi hai."

Rohit stifled a laugh, but a glare from Ruhi shut him up instantly. She smacked Abhir’s arm. "Tu chup kar, Billa boy!"

Amused, Abhir asked, "Waise, where is Mamu’s little buddy?"

"Sleeping soundly with Dadi sa," Rohit replied.

Just then, Armaan and Abhira joined them, and the teasing continued.

Despite being surrounded by people, Abhir’s gaze often flickered to Charu.

She too, occasionally, glanced at him—but neither acknowledged it.

Inside the venue, the Poddar elders, including Manish and Swarna, were in a corner, discussing their kids with fond smiles.

Meanwhile, Abhir found himself in a conversation with Armaan, Krish, and Aryan.

Abhira subtly signaled Armaan.

Armaan nodded, casually mixing a small amount of alcohol into Abhir’s juice glass before handing it to him with a smile and slipped away for a moment walking up to Abhira.

But just as Abhir was about to take a sip, Krish said something interesting that caught his attention.

He placed the glass down on the counter, momentarily distracted.

Across the room, Charu was feeling thirsty. Not thinking twice, she grabbed the nearest drink and gulped it down in one go.

The moment she placed the glass down, Abhir turned and narrowed his eyes at her.

"What?" Charu asked, confused by his glare.

"That was mine." His smirk was laced with amusement.

Charu lifted an eyebrow. "Sorry, didn’t see your name written on it."

A second later, she hiccupped.

Krish groaned. "You guys fight like kids. Chill karo yaar."

Abhir sighed, rolling his eyes and turning back to his conversation.

Meanwhile, Armaan, unaware of the switch, spotted Abhir’s empty glass and observed him laughing talking to Krish and assumed the alcohol was taking effect.

He nudged Abhira. "Mission accomplished. Call Par Nanu, I’ll bring Abhir over."

What he didn’t know—was that their plan had taken an unexpected turn.

As Abhira discreetly made her way to Manish, Charu, who was walking towards Kiara and Ruhi, suddenly felt lightheaded.

Her vision blurred, and she gripped her head, feeling an unfamiliar sensation wash over her.

Before she could process the strange sensation, the lights went out.

Darkness engulfed the hall.

The power went out.

Gasps echoed across the room, and everything plunged into darkness.

Before Charu could stumble, a pair of strong arms caught her just in time.

A moment later, a firm grip caught her just as she stumbled.

Even in the pitch-black room, she knew who it was.

"You?" she whispered, her head resting against his chest.

Abhir froze.

From a far corner behind them, Armaan shone his phone’s torch and called out, "Sab log jahan hain wahi raho! Main generator check karta hoon!"

Unaware that his 'Operation Mend Abhir & Manish' had gone entirely wrong.

"Charu..." he murmured, his hands instinctively steadying her.

She giggled suddenly, surprising him.

"Abhi... you’re so strong..." She squeezed his biceps, her voice animated.

Abhir stiffened.

"Are you high?" he whisper-asked.

"Charu frowned in confusion. "Uh? High? High court case? Yes sir, I went there… how do you know?" She giggled again, her balance faltering.

"Damn," Abhir muttered. "What the hell did you drink?"

Before he could process anything further, she wrapped her arms around his torso, resting her head against his chest. "You smell nice… like vanilla and something else..." she murmured.

Abhir clenched his jaw. This was not good.

"We need to get out of here before someone sees you like this."

He tried to detach her, but she clung to him.

"Nooo… Armaan bhaiya said 'statue'—we can’t move…" she whined.

Frustrated, he quickly clamped his palm over her mouth. "Shhh! Bas chup. Chalo, before your family sees you like this."

Dragging her away making sure no one noticed, he muttered under his breath, "Mujhe yeh Christmas yaad rahega…"

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Abhir barely managed to pull Charu away from the crowded party before someone noticed her bizarre state.

She was swaying in his grip, her normally sharp and composed demeanor replaced by a dreamy, mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Abhirrrrr, why are you kidnapping me?" she whined, poking his chest with her finger.

"Shut up, Charu, before someone hears you," Abhir hissed, struggling to keep her upright as she giggled uncontrollably.

She gasped dramatically, her eyes widening as she clutched his shirt. "OH. MY. GOD. Are you—are you a secret agent?"

Abhir groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, Charu. I work for RAW. My mission is to babysit drunk lawyers."

She gasped again. "I KNEW it! I always suspected you were shady!" Then she squinted at him, swaying slightly. "Wait… why do you have three heads?"

"Because you’re seeing double, genius."

She pouted, tilting her head. "But that means there should be four heads..."

"Unbelievable," Abhir muttered under his breath.

Charu suddenly grabbed his face, squishing his cheeks together. "You're so soft. Like a marshmallow. But also strong. Like a coconut."

She patted his arm, nodding approvingly. "Marshmallow coconut. Mmm."

Abhir huffed. "Okay, that's it. We're going to your room before you embarrass yourself more."

"But I wanna dance!" she whined, flailing her arms dramatically.

"You’ll dance straight into a wall," he shot back, dragging her toward the elevator.

She gasped. "Are you calling me uncoordinated?"

"Yes."

"Rude."

"Truthful."

Just then, Charu tripped over absolutely nothing, and Abhir caught her by the waist, hoisting her up before she hit the floor.

"See?" he said, smirking.

Instead of being embarrassed, Charu threw her arms around his neck and grinned up at him. "You like catching me, don’t you?"

Abhir's smirk faltered. Her face was way too close. Her warm breath fanned against his skin, and the scent of her floral perfume mixed with something sweet.

"Abhiiii" she slurred, poking his chest. "You smell so... so nice. Like... like vanilla..."

Abhir rolled his eyes, tightening his grip around her waist to keep her from collapsing on the resort's dimly lit pathway. "Yeah, well, you smell like bad decisions, princess. What the hell did you drink?"

Charu giggled, clinging to his shirt. "Ummm… something nice. It tasted like orange juice but made my head feel like it's floating."

Abhir cursed under his breath. "That wasn’t just juice surely, dumbass.You're drunk.."

Charu gasped dramatically, putting a hand over her mouth. "OH NO! I'm... I'm drunk?"

She blinked up at him with wide, innocent eyes, as if the realization had just dawned on her. Then she grinned. "This is fun!"

Abhir groaned. "Yeah, for you maybe. For me? Not so much."

"Uff... tum kitni bhaari ho, Charu," he muttered under his breath as he struggled to keep her steady.

"Excuse meee?" she slurred, poking his chest with her index finger. "I... am not bhaari. You... are just weak."

Abhir sighed, adjusting his grip around her waist. "Mujhe laga tha tum ek serious, sorted lawyer ho... but look at you now"

Charu gasped dramatically. "I am serious! Super duper serious. But you... you are very unserious my psycho Rockstar," she pointed at him, wobbling on her feet. "And you are very... very cute."

Abhir blinked in shock. "What?"

"Yeah!" she grinned goofily, then frowned as if suddenly remembering something. "But I don’t like you, okay? Don’t get any ideas. I don’t like you. But you’re still cute. That’s the problem."

"Yeah, definitely a problem," Abhir muttered, half amused, half exasperated.

He had never seen Charu like this—completely uninhibited, saying things she would never utter when sober.

Suddenly, her expression turned serious, and she clutched his arm tightly. "Abhir… why is the floor moving?"

He rolled his eyes. "It’s you who’s moving. Now, let’s get you back to your room before someone sees you like this and I get framed for corrupting the great Charu Bansal."

But Charu had other plans. She dramatically gasped and pulled away from his grip. "Noooo! I don’t wanna go to my boring room. I wanna have fun!"

Before he could stop her, she twirled, almost falling flat on her face, but he caught her just in time. "Stop making me work so hard!" he groaned, stabilizing her.

"But I don't want to go!" she declared, placing her hands on his shoulders and swaying offbeat.

Abhir sighed, rubbing his temple. "Okay, drunk Charu is officially a handful."

She beamed at him. "Thank you!"

"It wasn’t a compliment!" he snapped, grabbing her wrist again. "Now come on before someone finds us."

Just as he was about to drag her inside, they heard voices approaching.

"Damn it," Abhir muttered. Thinking fast, he grabbed Charu and pulled her behind a large pillar.

Charu, completely unhelpful, let out a dreamy sigh. "Ooooh, we’re hiding. Are we playing spies?"

"Shut. Up stop troubling me." Abhir whispered harshly, pressing a hand over her mouth.

Her eyes widened at his touch, and she made a muffled noise against his palm.

Then, to his absolute horror, she bit his hand.

"Ouch! Charu!" he recoiled in pain, wiping his hand on his tuxedo.

She giggled. "You taste like trouble too."

Abhir groaned. "I swear, after tonight, I’m personally keeping  an eye on any drink near you again."

The voices passed, and Abhir seized the opportunity to take her towards the elevator.