Chapter 20

Anjali sat in front of her large dressing mirror, putting on final touches to her make up and the dark bold eye make up she had applied, the mascara very evident, making her beady baby brown eyes look a lot larger and more appealing. She fiddled around with her curls, setting her high puff of hair up straight and perfectly aligned, like she had seen most models having when they walked the ramp. Fixing on her brown diamond studded earrings, she got up straightening up her knit chocolate brown maxi dress, it clinging on to her body, making her figure very prominent. The dress had a twist braid neckline, which Anjali kept positioning now and then, to have it set straight on her shoulders, finally done giving an impressive look to her self, the key hole front and shirred waistline being the most appealing parts.

As she was done honoring her beauty, a hand rested on her shoulder, and she turned around to see in the merry olive green eyes of her lovely mother, a pleasant smile etched on her lips, looking at her appreciatively and planting a kiss on her forehead.

"My princess looks breathtakingly gorgeous. *pause* (extending the Blackberry phone in her hand towards Anjali), your father's on the call", Anita Singh Raizada, a cheerful yet sturdy women of 39 told her lovely daughter lovingly, Anjali giving her a large grateful smile and taking the phone from her hand.

"I heard your mother complimenting you, be sure to email me every single picture of today princess", the jolly voice of her father, Arjun Singh Raizada, crackled on the other side of the phone, making Anjali smile and then suddenly an off handed slightly pissed look came on her face marring her beautiful features.

"I wont Paa, Its not fair you know that, me and Aakash are turning 18 today, and you aren't even here to celebrate the moment with us. Its really not fair.", Anjali said moodily, deeply disappointed about the fact that their father was not present today to celebrate her and Aakash's birthday, and even though he had given a very reasonable excuse for his absence, Anjali was still pretty upset over the grave news.

"Princess, I told you I did file a leave request it didn't get approved, since there is pretty high tension on the border currently, which means my work gets double the times it was", Arjun Raizada tried to explain his only daughter, trying to sound as convincing as possible, like her not happy at not being able to be with his family but then duty came before family, that is what he had sore to do for the service of their nation.

"Its alright Paa, I guess I am just being too whiny, (cheerfully) now, now aren't you forgetting something?" she said still looking at her self appreciatively waiting for her dad to respond, who she knew would be grinning to himself on the other side of the phone.

"Of course not dear, that's what I called you for, Happy Birthday Princess! Many, Many, Many, Many, Happy returns of the day to you, may God bless you, and and (playfully) you do know na, this is the legal age for marriage don't you?", Arjun Raizada wished his daughter, chuckling to himself on the last remark he had made very sure that she would be making a horrid face to herself now.

"Paa pleaseee, spare me for today at least, what's the hurry to get married? I am not as quick as you and mom were" Anjali said slightly irritated, but by now very fond of that snide remark that her father would make every time they talked, so yes it was true, she was use to of it now.

"Well, well, your mom and I are one of a kind dear *pause* Now give your phone to your mom will you?", Arjun Raizada told his daughter, showering on her a number of blessings again, when Anjali handed the phone to her mother, who had been pretty amusingly listening to the daughter-father talk, very well now use to of the pulling leg activity of her husband.

"So you are sitting out today, aren't you Ani?" Mr. Raizada asked his wife fondly, having had talked to her for the second time that day but earlier he had just forgotten to ask her off her routine.

"No, I fixed myself a night duty", Mrs. Raizada replied back, walking out of the room, not before signaling Anjali with her hands to get to the door as it was time the guests started arriving. Anjali nodded, before her mother disappeared out of her room talking to her husband.

"The kids must be pretty irked about it."

"Anjali and Aakash were on my necks, and insisted me on letting it go, but then of course, tomorrow is always for my threesome so that had them quiet for the time being"

"Oh yes, its Sunday tomorrow. So how is work going on for you?"

"It's good. *pause* When are you coming home dear?", Mrs.Raizada asked her husband concerned, since she and the family hadn't seen him for five months now, it's a perfectly in human gap, but because the border crisis had aroused the possibility of a leave for Mr.Raizada was just getting poorer and poorer every day.

"Probably by next month I suppose, I am still not sure I will keep you posted. Update me on the kids, are they all going good, I talked to monkey boy and princess, where is Chotte, doesn't he miss me? Still swollen faced is he?" Mr. Raizada asked his wife casually keeping up conversation, dieing to know more about the life of his children. Several miles apart, life was hard living away from his family for months, and so whenever the little time he got to talk to them, he would try updating himself.

"Yeah actually, but he's in a pretty good mood these days. And monkey boy, I think he did find a girl he's serious about, I have seen princess teasing him and he keeps blushing." Anita Raizada said keeping up with the flow, as she shot a glare at Anjali and Aakash who were once again at each others throats, and signaled Arnav to stop them who was sitting on a chair near the drinks counter, looking absolutely non interested in Anjali and Aakash's useless bickering. He gave his mother an annoyed look, and pulled Aakash away from Anjali with much effort, having her still grumble madly at her two brothers.

"Blushing? This boy is going to have my reputation at stake! I used to be a hottie in our school days", Mr.Raizada said fondly, going down the memory lane a small smile flickering across his face, making him look all the more handsome than he already is.

"It's a good thing he's not like you, his girl would have a rough time keeping up with a Casanova like you were back then. (Calling Arnav by her side) Chotte's here, talk to him, give him a lesson or two about how he can smile sometimes", Anita Raizada told her husband giggling under her breathe, as Arnav walked up to her and took the phone from her that she offered, her going to Anjali and Aakash who were still looking at each other menacingly.

From where he was standing talking to his dad Arnav could hear his mother shouting something like 'Grow Up!' to Anjali and Aakash, who has just scorned and straightened up themselves all over again, both going to stand by the door getting ready to welcome the guests inside as it was just about time.

"Choote, you really need to find a girl now, c'mon at least I have hopes that you don't blush while talking to them. Your brother has already put my reputation at stake" Mr.Raizada grumbled from the other side of the line, obviously not happy about the fact that his eldest son, was a scarcedy cat in front of a girl he likes.

"Paa please. How many times am I suppose to tell you that I am not interested in this girl business", Arnav said irritated, but as he said those words, he somehow at the back of his head was thinking about Khushi and the recent lovable moments he said spent with her. Shaking his head violently and knocking the thought of her out of his head, he quickly proceeded with the talk with his father, disconnecting the call as his father said his goodbyes, and handing the phone over to his mother who has roaming her eyes around the entire living room scrutinizing it for any imperfections. The Raizada living room looked an absolute knockout just now, with decorations inched up on every corner of the place, much to the combined hard work of the three siblings and their mother. They had the caterers in, who had set up the drink counter on the far end of the room, giving a very divine look to the entire place.

Anjali and Aakash stood on the main entrance, waiting for the guest to arrive, Anjali all the time teasing Aakash, and giving him tips on how he should welcome Payal.

"Will you please Shut Up Anji! I will do it the way I like, and if I need help, you will be here you can do whatever you like", Aakash said irritated with his twin sister's constant bickering, fixing up his tux which he had after such a long time managed to get right.

"Whatever I like?", Anjali asked him back mischievously, having him shoot a growling face at her, but before he could say anything, the bell rang, and they both together, grasping the handle opened the door, not before exchanging looks with each other, and as they opened a naughty smiled played on Anjali's face while Aakash started blushing furiously.

"Hey, you two are on time, come in Khushi and Payal", Anjali said smiling, grinning secretly at Aakash who was even having trouble looking at the two heavenly looking girls that had just stepped into their house. Payal was dressed in a bright sunny yellow knit dress with V-line features and scoped back with extra ruffle detail. But what gave the highlight to her dress was the smocked waist and straw stretch belt features that was a faux leather buckle front of a hazelnut brown. Poor Anjali couldn't control the laughter that was about to erupt from her with the way Aakash was ogling her friend, and it took her all her might to stop it when Payal had finally handed her gifts to them and went inside. Khushi hugged Anjali and gave her the gift, and then to Aakash, moving intentionally closer towards his ear and whispering something.

"I advice you to open this gift privately, its stuff that is exclusively meant for you only", she said smirking all the way, as she handed the small square shaped gift to Aakash wrapped in shimmering blue gift paper, him having to wink at her with Khushi going inside.

From the position where Arnav was standing, it was hard to lift his gaze off the hot looking girl that was walking pretty much her normal way, but to him it seemed very seductive. Clad in the black and white crinkled stripped halter dress, with two hot trends under its belt, wide straps that were tied behind the neck, smocked back, a solid elastic belt with covered belt and two faux hip pockets with snap closures complimented by the strong piping detail and two layers of ruffles just above the knee, with skin fitting black tights draping her creamy white legs, Khushi was the girl no boy would want to have missed looking just once in the duration of the party. The high pony that she had tied up, having her bangs falling on her face, and the ends of her pony tail that was ever gracefully resting on her shoulder, intricately curled, while the upper top dead straight along with the sleet black ringlets that adorned her ears, certainly she did not look a sight to miss. Arnav was extremely captivated by her beauty, and kept staring at her not flinching even when his mother tapped his shoulder to get him out of his reverie. His eyes were stuck on her as she moved towards him, and passed him her fragrance drawing him out of his trance, as he looked flustered seeing her shaking hands with his mother introducing herself.

Done that, she looked at him, surprisingly that she felt, was pleased seeing Arnav react to her like that, and even to the extent that his mother was also laughing seeing her son so badly smitten by the looks of a girl.

"Hey.", she extended her hand towards him, as he continued to look down embarrassed, but promptly took her hand into his and gave a tight smile, much of which was portraying embarrassment then appreciation for her drop dead gorgeous looks.

She freed her hand from where he held it, almost in shock at the way he was suddenly going all gooey eyed on her, and seeing something odd, just rushed off from where Payal was standing alone having had introduced herself to Anita Raizada already. Soon after, the guests kept coming in a flow, Anjali and Aakash receiving their gifts and piling them all up on the side table that they had positioned by the front door, Arnav totally useless in the regard as he kept twirling around in slow motion on the slivery metal rotating chairs, feeling utterly bored and somehow a bit offended by what had happened earlier. He didn't ogled girls like that, he kept thinking to himself, that was what girls did when looking at him, what was she then?

Khushi was not having a great time herself, being utterly bored, with Payal having her eye to eye conversation with Aakash almost all the time, and she feeling mad that Vivek hadn't arrived. Finally she gleamed with happiness, seeing her punching bag arrive, but the smile almost suddenly faded away as he saw him accompanied with Vishaka who was dressed in a Donna Morgan, Persian blue, delicate strapless chiffon dress. As the two greeted Anjali and Aakash, Khushi went over to Anjali who seemed confused seeing Vishaka, and quickly prompted her of the friend she had earlier talked to of inviting was Vishaka, because Vivek was trying to impress her and in the regard she was helping him. Anjali gave an understanding nod hearing that, and winked at Khushi who in turn gave her a brilliant smile, and went off back to where she was standing earlier.

Vivek waved at her excitedly, Vishaka by his side, and Khushi grinning broadly at him waved him back, having him lipsing something like 'Thank you' to her, and she blinked her eyes twice to let him know it was her pleasure. The couple went in and after excusing himself from Vishaka, Vivek walked up to Khushi, who introduced him to Payal. He pulled Khushi aside for a moment excusing himself from Payal trying to talk to Khushi privately.

"You are a lifesaver Chun", he said looking at her gratefully, getting a queasy expression from her, on the name she was being referred too.

"That's my new nick name for you, its alright with you if I call you that eh?", he explained to her and she quickly nodded that smile back to playing on her face.

"By the way, you look stunning bestie", he complimented her, winking simultaneously as she roamed her eyes around the room and then gave him a light punch on the shoulder.

"And your girl there is looking great too. (looking at him making a teasing face) you don't look too bad yourself punching bag." She told him light heartedly, having him narrowing his eyes at her in an exceptionally friendly manner.

"And, did I tell you, that I noticed Arnav staring at you, when I came in, you flattered him with your looks didn't you Chun?", he asked her teasingly, having her glare at him menacingly.

"One more Raizada related joke and I am going to punch the hell out of you punching bag!", she threatened him mercilessly, with him laughing his head off, and giving her a slight signal of 'catch you later', went over back to Vishaka while Khushi joined Payal.

"You do get along well with him don't you? Your best friend right?", Payal asked Khushi keeping up chatter and Khushi gleefully nodded in response.

"Yeah Jiji! He is what keeps me going in the school, other wise I would have been bored to death.", Khushi said looking fondly at Vivek who was having the time of his life having random chatter with Vishaka.

"And what about you and Arnav, do you get along well now? I saw him looking at you some while ago.", Payal said in a curious kind of tone, the color from Khushi's face vanishing, at hearing someone else informing her about how Arnav was looking at her.

"I don't know Jiji. Things are just fine between us", she said cooly, a bit hesitant now that she was realizing how everything she did was under some kind of strict surveillance.

Back standing on the door, Anjali was having her patient wilt every second as she waited for Shyam to come. She remembered telling him the exact time of the party, and even her address too back at school yesterday then what was keeping him from coming? As if her prayers had come into action just then, she jumped in delight seeing Shyam walking up their path way now at their door smiling at her and Aakash. Aakash looked at his twin sister beside him oddly, seeing the super excited reaction she had given and made it a point to tease her about it and pull her leg like she had been doing to him.

"Hey, what kept you so long?", Anjali asked him curiously, giving him her largest smile, as he handed over his gift to her and shook hands with Aakash wishing both of them Happy Birthday.

"I hurried here, just after my shift at the restaurant was over, Sorry for being late", he answered back earnestly, that glint of immense happiness purely reflecting in his eyes.

"You look beautiful", Shyam turning into a deep red as he complimented Anjali, much to Aakash's surprise having his sister blushing away insanely. "You too", she said shyly, receiving a small smile from Shyam who proceeded inside, and she turned her head towards the door, still blushing, in a daze.

"You look beautiful- You too, Now what was that Anji?", Aakash asked her with wide eyes, poking his shoulder into her sides, immediately having her knocked out of her trance and shoot a deadly annoying glare.

"Mind your own business Aakash, he's just a friend", Anjali told her brother making a horrid face at him,

"Just a friend. I can see that, btw he looks nice if you ask me", Aakash prompted his sister mischievously, having her shove a heavy punch right into his chest away from the prying eyes of their guests.

While the sister and brother kept pulling each other legs over their respective partner's the next guest that appeared at their door way instead of receiving him with a smile the siblings exchanged looks with each other confused.

"Happy Birthday Anjali and Aakash!", Purab greeted them joyfully, obviously ignoring the horrid looks the siblings were giving him, managing a tight smile now on their faces and taking the gift from his hand, he went off into the party hall, purposely rubbing his arms with Anjali's bare arms.

"I'll kill that son of a b****h! Who told you to invite him?" Aakash said gritting his teeth in anger, deeply offended by the sick act Purab had just shamelessly performed with his sister, his fist clenched tightly.

"Aakash leave it. *pause* (bewildered) And what do you mean I invited him? I thought you did!", she said keeping her hand soothingly on her brothers shoulder to calm the rising anger in him, which well he rarely was subjected too.

"Why would I invite him? *pause* If none of us did, then who did?", the siblings both looked at each other confused, both of having the same thought 'Arnav'. But as soon as it came, it went away even sooner and they exchanged knowing looks with each other, deeply aware of how pissed Arnav would get with this guy around, their was no chance that Arnav would be the one inviting Purab to the party.

"So he comes in uninvited, and puts up a shameless act with my sister, this party is not happening not until I kick him out of our house", Aakash said aggravated, and was just going towards where Purab was standing now awfully eyeing Khushi.

"Aakash stop! It's our party, we can't spoil it because of some un invited scoundrel", Anjali clasped his hand into hers calling out to him sensibly, over the blaring music from the loud speakers, making her almost non audible to him, but he had fortunately heard her.

Her brother stopped dead in his tracks, realizing she was right, and backed off his eyes still looking at Purab coldly making his way towards Khushi now.

"Anji I'll handle it here, just go tell Chotte or Vivek to keep that Purab guy away from Khushi, his intentions look sour to me", Aakash told his twin sister urgently, with her quickly nodding, and going into the blare of the party that was on a fierce roll, her having her time finding Arnav, who was sitting in a far corner away from the crowd accompanied with Karan both what it seemed like having a good time with each other.

"Karan are you enjoying the party?" Anjali asked smiling at a cheerful Karan who nodded at her complimenting the decorations.

"Di you didn't come here to ask Karan that did you? What happened?", Arnav asked back, seeing the expression on Anjali's face which was not as easy going as the one she had in the beginning. He knew his siblings too well, so what if they didn't get along with him, the three were one single force when it came to reading expressions of each other.

"I need you two to do me a favor. Keep an eye on that Purab and let him stay away from Khushi, Aakash says that he was looking at Khushi with not 'so- good intentions"

"Who the hell invited Purab to the party!?", Arnav got up from his seat angrily, growling with every word he spoke, his eyes now roaming around the room looking for Khushi.

"Nobody did. He came in uninvited" Anjali said worriedly, giving a pleading look to Karan to have her brother calm down, who gave a her a thumbs up sign and gestured her to leave assuring her that he would take care of Arnav and his temper.

Anjali made her way back to the door, happy to see that everybody was enjoying the party and went back to being herself, chucking the thought of a disgusting creep polluting their party. She was just going to the main door, when she froze seeing the most despised girl in the entire campus, and her biggest rival Saloni kissing her brother on his cheek handing the gift over to him, and walking in a s**tty manner to where all the guests were chatting with each other, slightly smirking at Anjali as Saloni looked into her direction, deeply offending Anjali not by her attitude but also by her very revealing dress. Anjali drove her sight away from the bitch she had seen and stomped towards Aakash angrily, who looked extremely flustered by the weird way of the girl he had just met.

"Aakash I didn't know you would go far enough to calling bitches to our birthday party!". Anjali said extremely furious, looking at Aakash in a way as if she would strangle him to death.

"What are you talking about?", Aakash asked her back confused, apparently not aware of who she was referring too.

"Who called Saloni to the party? You do know how much I hate her!", she spat out on him, fiercely, having him still looked at her utterly baffled.

"Oh hello, excuse me! I didn't call her, And don't ask me who did, because I don't know!", he told her wildly, Anjali rolling her eyes madly now.

"Another un invited guest", she muttered under her breathe, Aakash shaking his head violently, un aware that their mother was approaching the sibling duo now.

"Are you two fighting again? When will you two grow up?", Anita Raizada remarked irritated by her two older children on logger heads with each other all the time.

"We are not fighting", Aakash and Anjali both said together stoutly, looking at each other, and letting go of the anger smiling at the synch they had created while uttering those four words.

"Dears, I told you I have a night duty, and it starts on 10:00, it's already 9:15 now, if all your friends are here can we cut the cake now?" Mrs Raizada smiled at her children, the laughter fading away both looking gloomily at their mother.

"Is it necessary to go Maa, cant you stay?", Anjali asked her mother desperately, Aakash by her side shaking his head in the affirmative, as their mother kept her hands, one on either cheek of her two children.

"I can't dear you know that. We have tomorrow together, I promise no interruptions tomorrow alright? *pause* Can we cut the cake now?", Mrs.Raizada explained to her children with a motherly affection, both giving her a small smile and nodding, the three making their way towards the guests the music in the background flaring away, making the atmosphere look very juvenile.

"Attention friends! I hope you people are having a great time here, and if not, then not to worry the parties just started! (everybody hoots) Maa's is just going to wheel in the cake so make way for her buddies!", Aakash shouted out loud to the crowd to make himself heard over the loud sound of the music, signally the DJ they had hired to tune down the music to a few volumes.

Anita Raizada, came in from the kitchen wheeling a magnificent looking three Decker cake, the biggest layer a blueberry cake, the one on top a chocolate one and the extreme last one the smallest of all a strawberry cake. On top it was adorned with festive decorations and a multi colored '18' shaped candle, making the cake looking a luscious sight to crave for. The teenagers all crowded around the cake, Anjali and Aakash taking the central position, Karan forcefully pushing Arnav to the front next to his siblings, much to his annoyment, who was still busy keeping a check on Purab and Khushi. Anjali walked in the crowd, and had her best friend Piya, Aakash's best friend Roger, and Khushi-Payal moved in to the front, so that now Aakash and Anjali stood on two sides of their mother who was in the middle, Arnav standing next to Anjali, Khushi right beside him with Karan and Piya and on the other side Payal standing next to Aakash Roger right next to her.

The living room of the Raizada's blared with loud hoots and shouts from the people, as Anjali and Aakash cut the bottom most layer of the cake together, the crowd around them clapping heavily. They cut in a large piece individually, and stuffed it first into their mother's mouth, then into each others mouth, giving a one sided hug to each other, and then stuffing some into Arnav's mouth, who looked at them alarmingly, his entire bottom part of the face covered with blue whip cream. Anjali and Aakash both laughed looking at his state, who shoved people out of his way and went to the washroom in his room. Anjali and Aakash took their turns feeding their close friends, and their mother signaling the cooks in the kitchen, wheeled the cake back into the kitchen, they then opening the food desk at the far end of the room, everybody of the teenagers went to have food, Anita Raizada contented with the arrangements now, went to her room and changed into casual wear putting on her doctor coat, bid goodbye to her children, Arnav obviously still in the washroom and left the house.

Khushi was personally happy with the menu, pizza and potatoes wedges were her favorite and both were on the list. For a girl as slim and smart at hers it was difficult to believe that she was a lover of such high calorie food stuff. She filling up her plate took her seat at a couch, peacefully enjoying her food alone, Payal now with Aakash, Anjali having her time with Shyam who was under the very envious gazes of many other boys at the party, who wouldn't lose a chance to have Anjali spending time with them. Khushi finally felt at peace, having no stupid boy pestering her and trying to hit on her, but her luck hadn't carried on too far, and soon she was joined by Purab, who had sat next to her wickedly seeing her eat, a glass of apple juice in his hand.