CHAPTER 4: Part 3 (CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE)
Recap:
I emerged from the dressing room, I felt a surge of self-consciousness. The dress clinging to my skin.
The CEO's gaze swept over me, a slow, appreciative smile curving his lips. As his eyes held a silent appraisal, I could feel another pair of eyes staring at me intensely.
~ MRITYUNJAY (POV) ~
'How the hell did I get so lucky? It feels like wherever I go she is there' She looked stunning.
The dress accentuated her curves in all the right places, her allure was undeniable. For a moment, I was lost in the beauty before me.
I'd arrived at our mall for a pressing business matter.
I was leaving, my eyes caught the sight of the one and only object of my desire, my little rabbit, coming out of the changing room in that dress she was looking just like a rabbit. A smirk crept across my lips.
The smirk vanished as soon as I saw who was talking to her.
A cold fury ignited within me as I recognized the man. He was a predator, and my rabbit was his prey.
Atharva Singhania, of all people. My blood ran cold. This was the last person I ever wanted her to meet least of all interact with.
My feet moved before my mind could register the action. I found myself standing beside her, my presence a silent assertion of ownership.
"Atharva Singhania, what the hell are you doing here?" My voice was low, a dangerous growl.
They both turned in my direction, their gazes colliding with mine.
Atharva's smirk was a blatant provocation, while Ishika looked startled, her eyes wide with surprise. The tension in the air was palpable.
"Mrityunjay Singh Rathore, what a surprise to find you here," Atharva drawled, his voice dripping with false nonchalance.
The amusement in his eyes was clear, a blatant attempt to provoke.
"As you should know, this is my property, who allowed you in here? Why am I even asking, it is your old habit to come uninvited." I spat out, my voice low.
The audacity of this man to waltz into my property without permission was infuriating.
"If you haven't noticed, this is a mall, and we are customers here. Right, Angel?" Atharva retorted, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Ishika looked at him wide eyed.
Blood rushed to my head. The monster inside me wants blood now, his blood. How dare he call my little rabbit, an Angel, she is an Angel, that is beside the point.
"I... You both know each other? Are you guys friends?" Ishika asked, her voice laced with confusion.
The unexpected encounter had thrown her off balance.
"No!" Atharva and I both exclaimed simultaneously, our eyes locking in a battle, we glared at each other.
Ishika took a step back, whispering an okay.
~ ISHIKA (POV) ~
What was going on? Why were they behaving like this?
I felt like a small fish caught in a net of confusion and awkwardness.
The tension between them was so fierce that I could see the sparks fly, and I was caught in the crossfire.
'Mrityunjay Singh Rathore... Mrityunjay... where have I heard that name before? ' My mind raced, trying to piece together the puzzle.
It was the kind of mental block you experience during an exam, when the answer is right there, just out of reach.
I have a feeling that bit of information is really essential.
"Ishika, Ishika! What are you doing here? You didn't even tell me you were going shopping," Aanika's voice, my lifeline in this surreal situation, cut through the tension.
"Hey, what are you doing here? it was all a last minute thing." I asked Aanika while hugging her, relief washing over me.
Her presence was a beacon of normalcy in this bizarre situation.
Crossing my fingers, I signaled her with our secret hand gesture for help which we all came up with in 8th grade.
"I was here to meet with a client, but I'm just leaving. Oh thank god I saw you here. I really needed your help with... with the thing. I was just about to go to your place to ask for your help, please come with me... right now and help me with... the thing." Aanika explained breathlessly, Her acting is goddamn awful.
Her eyes darting between me and the two intimidating strangers.
"Oh, is that so, of course I'll come with you to help you with the thing." I said to Aanika, thanking her with my eyes.
Before anyone asks, my acting is just as awful as hers.
"I really need to leave now. Thank you for understanding," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
I wanted nothing more than to escape the brewing storm.
Grabbing my purse, I made a hasty retreat, Aanika trailing behind me.
Escaping the tense atmosphere of the mall, we stepped into the cool comfort of the taxi.
I turned to Aanika, my best friend, and threw my arms around her in a tight hug.
"You are my life savior, I love you for being here when you were." My voice filled with gratitude.
"Alright, alright, what were you doing there, with two handsome hunks like that? And one of them none other than 'Hukum AKA Rana Sa' Mrityunjay Singh Rathore," Aanika exclaimed, her eyes wide with curiosity and amusement.
"Where do I start?... What... What did you say?... I am dead." I am brain dead, trying to process the whirlwind of events.
The mention of his name sent a jolt of recognition through me.
>>>>>>>
I explained everything to her, from the bizarre encounter to the unsettling presence of Atharva Singhania.
Her eyes widened in disbelief as I recounted the events, her jaw dropping in astonishment.
"So, the guy you kissed that night is Hukum?" Aanika exclaimed in disbelief, her laughter filling the car.
Her disbelief was evident, and I couldn't help but join in, the absurdity of the situation finally sinking in, her laugh was like normal laughing but my laugh was more like an attack of hysteria.
"You're so dead if your family finds out," Aanika warned, her voice laced with both amusement and concern.
The gravity of the situation was slowly sinking in.
"No one will find out, I am not telling, are you?" I replied, my voice firm.
"Of course not," she replied, I nodded.
'Why me? Every time, life mein pehle kabhi koi adventure nahi tha aur, jab thoda kuch shuru hua, aapne toh mere raaste lagwa diye (There was never any adventure in my life before and when a little something started, you got me in big trouble.)' I thought talking to bhagwan ji (god) in my head.