-Roz
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CH 4 – Party Time
"Kamina. What did you think you were doing?"
"Hey, I was just spreading what everyone in college is saying," proclaims a defensive Sharvan.
Adi looks baffled at his cousin's words.
"What are they saying?"
"That our player Adi has fallen for the feisty Maithili."
"So? Gossip should not be considered fact-"
"Wait, wait, wait, bhai-jaan," Sharvan interrupts Adi.
"I was there watching your Romeo act," Sharvan falls to his knees and puts his hands together in imitation of Adi.
"Saala," Adi is about to kick Sharvan.
Quickly getting up, "Hey Adi! You can't hit me at my own birthday party."
"You're lucky it's your birthday or you'd be pounded meat right now," he says seriously.
Sharvan lets out a laugh.
"Oh by the way, where's aunty? I haven-…."
Sharvan's mouth stops moving and he seems to be stunned by something.
"Yo!" Adi waves his hand in front of his cousin's face.
"Kya hua? Seen a ghost?"
Sharvan just nods towards the doorway entrance.
As soon as Adi turns around, his heart skips a beat and everything goes blank expect for the figure standing not too far away from him. Maithili has entered wearing the black mini-dress that Adi had mischievously given her. She holds on tightly to the long trench coat she had been wearing a minute ago. It was her ticket back inside her house.
Adi continues to stare at Maithili and remains in his dream world with his mouth slightly open.
Oh God, she looks ………………
At his side, his cousin, looking back and forth from Maithili to Adi, feels like he's in DDLJ's sequel. Noticing movement, Sharvan pushes Adi's jaw up.
"She's coming," whispers sideways.
"Huh? Kya?" Adi finally comes out of his coma-like state.
"I think you should wipe the drool off your face. Most girls don't like that," Sharvan states mockingly.
"Ssssshhhh!" Adi hisses at him.
Maithili walks towards them with a small smile on her face. The kind of courteous smile one would have at a public gathering, a smile that doesn't have any real connection to the person's actual emotions. As she walks, her dazzling beauty conveys itself in a clearer vision. Adi realizes that her eyes keep diverting themselves to look at the floor. He understands now why he is so mesmerized by Maithili in a mini-dress. It's because she doesn't look like she's trying to show off her beauty like most other girls; she feels awkward and shy in the dress, but on top of that she probably doesn't even realize how stunning she really is.
Adi manages to tear his eyes off Maithili for a second just to realize that almost every other man's attention is on her as well. Experiencing an unfamiliar feeling in his gut, Adi pushes his feet to move and meets Maithili halfway.
"Hi gorgeous," he gives her his trademark smile.
"I would say hi handsome, but I don't want to lie," she retorts back as her hand unconsciously tightens its grip on her coat.
"Ok, how about you call me handsome after you fall for me cause you know it's just a matter of time."
"I'll call you handsome the day I've gone blind."
"Aww, why do you hurt me so, Mets?" places his hand on his chest, "dukh hota hai yaar." (shout out to Amit Paul😊)
"Sukh milta hai yaar," mimics Adi's hand gesture.
Shifting his focus to Maithili's coat, "You can put that on Mets."
"Why? So you can get to tease me for eternity about what a chicken I was. No thanks," moves her head upward to show that she has dignity.
"Yaar, I won't. Kasam se," looks affectionately at her.
"I'm not a duffer Mr. Vikram Aditya Mehra."
"Why don't we discuss the accuracy of that statement later. One thing at a time sweetheart," tries to take the coat out of Maithili's hand.
"I said no," tilts her head upward again.
"Mets, let me give you some advice about a lot of the guys at this party. They are dogs, actually men in general are dogs."
"No argument here," faces Adi, "In fact, I'm looking at a dog right now."
"Yes, but I'm a good doggy," winks at her.
" 'Woof!' 'Woof!' " Adi tries his hardest to make Maithili laugh but she doesn't relent.
"Oh come one Mets. That deserved at least a small chuckle," looks gloomily at her.
Maithili remains quiet with her nose in the air.
"Wait a minute. You aren't mad at me are you ?!" waiting in anticipation for her response.
"Call the press! Adi is not as dumb as he looks. It's unbelievable," Maithili makes a fake shocked face.
"Mets I already said I'm sorry-"
"Um, when was that? In your dreams," puts her free hand on her hip.
Adi realizes his error in speaking and seeks to correct it.
"In my heart. Didn't you hear?" looks at her lovingly.
"How can I hear your heart when you don't even have one?"
"Now that was not cool yaar. Ok, I am really sorry, but I really didn't expect you to wear this," says innocently.
"Have we met?" throws her hand forward in a ready-for-handshake form, "Hi, I'm Maithili. The girl who does not back down from anyone."
Grabs hold of Maithili's offered hand, "And I'm Adi. Maithili's boyfriend."
"Yeah just for tonight," tries to get her hand free from Adi's grip.
"Boyfriend-ji, can you do me the honor of letting go of my hand?" she fakes a smile.
"Girlfriend-ji, but your hands are unnaturally soft. I like them," he brings her hand to his face and starts stroking it.
"Adi! Stop! Adi!"
Watching all this out of the corner of her eye, Adi's mom smiles adoringly. She walks up to them and puts her hand on Maithili's shoulder.
"Beti."
A startled Maithili lets go of her grip on Adi's collar as Adi lets go of her hand.
"Mama, aap…"
"I'm fine Adi. I was just on my way upstairs."
"Haan, you should take it easy and rest."
"Don't worry beta," she shifts her smiling face to look at Maithili.
"Hi aunty. You look well. You probably don't remember me. I'm-"
"Maithili," she finishes the sentence, "Janki-ji told me."
"Oh."
"It was great meeting you Maithili. Night Adi."
"Goodnight Mama," says as she walks up the stairs.
"Ouch!" Adi grabs his knee as the pain on his foot grows from being stabbed with the heel of Maithili's shoe.
"What kind of an introduction was that?! She hates me! She must hate me!"
"Wait Mets, she doesn't," still wincing in pain.
Maithli walks off.
A few minutes later, after Adi is no longer hurt, he spots Maithili trying to shoo off a guy. The guy keeps on coming onto Mathili until she manages to walk away. Adi stops himself from going over and beating the man to a pulp. He is about to go check if the music is disturbing his mom when he notices that the guy who was bullying Maithili has slipped some pills into the juice she has ordered from the bartender. Maithili unknowingly starts drinking it. Adi runs over to her and knocks the almost empty glass out of her hands.
"Adi, what…"
Next, Adi walks up to the smiling guy and starts punching him uncontrollably. (Just pretend it's Pranay😆) Sharvan breaks them apart.
"Adi, what are you doing?!"
"Get this slime out of here."
"Magar…"
"Now!"
Adi turns around but he cant find Maithili anywhere. He asks a bystander and the man states that she just walked out the door. Adi runs outside his house and finds a drugged Maithili playing in the water fountain by the entrance gates. As Maithili runs around in the fountain, she spots Adi coming up to her.
"ADI!" she jumps out of the fountain.
"Adi's here. Adi's here. Yippeee!" she drags him into the fountain and starts splashing water on him.
Adi just stands motionless and can't help but smile at her.
"Ok. Me tired now. Me go to sleep."
Maithili is about to fall backward into the water with her eyes closed when Adi catches her while shaking his head. He leans over, grabs her coat which she had left hanging over the statue in the middle of the fountain, and wraps her in it.
"Now I guess I can test if my workouts are being helpful."
Adi pushes Maithili onto his back and starts heading back inside.
He exhales deeply, "I am definitely going to hit the gym tomorrow."
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