Shaurya
"Um, excuse me?"
Lexie looks at me dead straight in the eyes, basically killing me slowly as her grey eyes stared me down. Part of me feels like it's envy for breaking up with her, but the other part of me feels like it's also because Anika, a pretty, Indian girl, is by my side.
And I'm honestly not complaining.
But the way she looks at me scares me to death. It's as if she's seeking revenge after what I've 'done to her' when we broke up. And I only did it because she was cheating on me multiple times with Brayden, who is the guy also staring me down. These people really hate me, huh?
"Lexie?" I breathe out.
Those memories of us together ran back into my mind, but I quickly threw them out away. No! I will not let my ex control me again. She was toxic!
"Um... nice to meet you guys," I trail out.
A tiny smirk grows on Lexie's lips. Then, she slightly turns her head towards Anika and places her long, slender fingers on her chin, as if she's deeply analyzing Anika. Her eyes run back and forth to Anika to me, to Anika to me, and so on and so forth. And then she blurts out:
"And who is this, Shaurya? Is this your girlfriend?"
I swear I choked on my own spit.
Did she just ask if sheâ I mean, likeâ what?!
I feel my cheeks warming up and my body heating up, as if it wasn't hot enough already. Sure, a lot of people have mistaken Anika as my girlfriend, but when Lexie mistakes us like that... I don't know what to feel about that.
Opening my mouth to answer, Anika beats me and to it by blurting out, "Uh... no. We're just friends."
Part of me feels a sigh of relief as Anika quickly shuts down Lexie's conspiracy. But the other part of me kind of wished that Anika lied to Lexie by saying that we are a thingâ but just to make Lexie jealous, no other reason.
"Uh huh," Lexie mutters, seeming as if she's not convinced whatsoever.
I look over at Anika quickly. When she walked in, I swear I was not able to take my eyes off of her. The way she walked so subtly onto the beach; pursuing her beautiful lips as the sun beat against her flawless skin. She looked like a queen wherever she walked, and my insides were burning to just screw everything, screw rules and morals, and to just be with her and forget about my parents and Lexie and Brayden.
My eyes realize that her expression is completely unreadable. I can't tell whether her expression is a combination of being relieved or being completely pissed at me for letting Lexie and her boyfriend interfere into our precious time together. But it's not like I was supposed to handle it... Nathan was!
Speaking of Nathan, where exactly is he? My eyes travel around, looking for him, but I immediately see him socializing with Emma by the drinks. Of course.
Now I'm gonna have to find a way to get rid of Lexie and Brayden because there is no way I am going to let them ruin my time here, especially with Anika. I finally meet a good and amazing girl for once and I'm just not going to let my chances with her pass by.
I look over at Brayden, who seems to have crossed his buff arms over his chest, sternly glaring at me with disgust. I don't see why he's the one glaring at me. He's the one who made me and Lexie break up because he just couldn't control his mouth around her, literally.
But I don't care what they do anymore. It's not like I enjoyed being in a relationship with Lexieâ she flirted with every guy she laid eyes on, she was possessive of me and complained about every single thing I did, even if I didn't breathe at the time she wanted me to. But the way we broke up I despised mainly because she cheated on me, and that's not right.
"So..." Lexie trails off. "This is awkward."
No shit, Sherlock.
I open my mouth to reply, but nothing seems to come out. It seems as if the thing I am dying to say just doesn't have the guts to reveal itself, the thought that I've been hiding to myself ever since Lexie and I broke up.
"Lexie, babe," Brayden whispers to him, placing his hand on her waist. "You wanna come and tan with me?"
"Yeah, let's go," she huffs, starting to walk away. Lexie shoots one more glare at me and interlocks her hand with Brayden's. But as soon as they start to walk away, I blurt out, "Wait!"
I feel Anika stiffen under my arms. I completely forgot that she's still attached to me physically, her soft hands linked to my bicep. Her touch warms me, even when it's the slightest. Imagine how it's gonna feel when weâ
No! No, Shaurya! Snap out of it!
Lexie and Brayden turn around, a sneer spreading on Lexie's lips. "So, Mr. Roy finally had the balls to say something, huh?"
I completely ignore Lexie's remark and take a deep breath. "I just wanted to say that..." my eyes land on Brayden's, who looks at me intensely, as if he's eyes are saying to me, 'be very careful what you say next.' Clearing my throat, I stand closer to Anika and reply, "I'm happy for you guys. Really."
Lexie and Brayden's face softens at the same time. "Wow, uh..." she replies confusingly. "Thanks?"
"You're welcome," I nod my head. "And Brayden?" I look over at him as he looks me as if a third head is growing out of my shoulder. "Take care of her, okay? She deserves it."
"Why, uh... thanks, dude," he mutters, looking embarrassed all of a sudden. "I really appreciate itâ"
"She deserves it after the hell she put me through. She deserves it after not being loyal to me. And she even deserves it after making out with you multiple times!" I hiss.
My face fumes with anger as Lexie's face immediately turns red from embarrassment, but so does Brayden's but I have a tiny feeling that isn't from embarrassment.
"Don't you dare talk about my girlfriend like that," he strains every word out.
"I won't talk about her like that once she apologizes to me about making my life a living hell when we were together!" I shout. "I was actually having a great time in that relationship, but she wasn't," I mutter.
"So what does it matter to you now?" she scoffs. "Stop being so childish about it."
"I'm not being childish about it," I glare at her. "In fact, you're the one being childish, not me. No person should be treated the way you treated me."
I notice a small crowd is forming around us four, but I don't care. I need to get this straight now.
But of course I didn't forget that Anika is by my side still, and I don't want to drag her into my mess. I look at her and whisper to her, "Anika, please leave. I don't want you to be a part of this."
"No," she immediately blurts out. "I'm staying here. With you."
"Are you sure?" I softly reply.
"Yes," she solemnly nods her head, her blazing brown eyes making eye contact with me. "I'm not leaving your side."
I take a deep breath and eventually nod my head. Then, I look back at Lexie and Brayden, which both of them seem to be fuming at me now. "Don't you want to apologize, Lexie?"
"She doesn't have to apologize," Brayden hisses, stepping in front of her. His face is only a foot away from mine as I contain every urge to just fight him and make him pay for what he's done. "In fact, you should be. For embarrassing us in front of everyone."
"So, that's what you're worried about?" I chuckle. "Your reputation? I'm sure your reputation will be fine. But what wouldn't be fine is your face."
"Wait, what do you mean by thâ"
Brayden is immediately interrupted as my fist makes contact with his jaw.
A gasp erupts from the crowd as Brayden falls a few feet back. Lexie screams, immediately rushing to his side. "Babe! Are you okay?" Brayden clenches his jaw in pain as he immediately stands up. There seems to be a bruise growing on his jaw as he walks a little closer to me. "Yeah, I'm fine, babe. Don't worry."
He walks towards me until there is only a couple of inches between us. His cold eyes stare at me with disgust and anger as a hiss escapes from my mouth. "Fight me back. I dare you."
Brayden's hand falls from his jaw, clenching his fists to his sides. Then, in one go, he pulls his arm back and dives his fist into my stomach, but my reflexes are way too fast for his. My fist covers his before he can even make contact with my stomach, and I twist his arm, making him groan in pain. "Anika!" I breathe out. "Leave! Now!"
Anika leaves immediately, but my eyes interlock with hers. And then she mouths, 'you can do it.' And with only that said is enough for me to move mountains with one finger.
That's how much she motivates me.
She stands next to Em and Ty as I conclude that she is finally safe. Now I can deal with this person right here. My furious eyes look at Brayden as I continue to twist his arm, slowly driving it back against his shoulder in an uncomfortable position. "You need to leave right now," I grit through my teeth. "Do you understand?"
Brayden stares at me furiously as I then scream into his face, "DO. YOU. UNDERSTAND?"
He takes a heaving breath as he leans closer into my face and breathes out, "Fuck off," spitting right onto my face.
I clench my jaw in disgust as I immediately wipe his spit away. Then, with no hesitation, I pick my leg up and kick right into his gut, sending him flying away. The crowd gasps again as Brayden immediately gets up, except now he's running towards me, going for a punch. I duck and grab his legs, making him fall, plunging his face onto the sand.
Breathing heavily, I say, "Get up and fight me right now."
Brayden immediately lunges at me, kicking me on the shin. Pain fills through my body, but I immediately ignore it. But then, his elbow violently makes contact with my arm, sending pain through my vein. Gritting through my teeth, I run my fist through Brayden's cheek as he stutters back, blood spattering from his mouth.
"You bitch!" he booms. Then, he makes a full sprint towards me and body slams me, thudding my back against the sand. My back aches from the hard fall as Brayden is on top of me, immediately wrapping his hand around my neck, putting me into a chokehold. I try to push him off of me, but he is completely dominating against me. "Thought you were gonna win, huh?" he hisses. "But I always win. I always do."
"Get off... me," I wheeze out, my face burning from all the pressure he is taking out from my veins. I can't even breathe anymore, as I feel my surroundings turning black, the noises around me fading and my heart beat slowing.
Now whatever Brayden is screaming at me, I can't seem to evaluate. It all sounds like I'm plunged underwater and everything that I hear is dragged out or incoherent.
But suddenly, I feel his fingers around my neck loosening as I notice he is getting pulled off of my body. I see a guy with very familiar blonde hair that I can't seem to make out, but whoever he is was able to stop Brayden from basically killing me.
"Shaurya!" A dragged out voice screeches. "It's me, Nathan! Listen to me, do not close your eyes! Please stay awake!"
"I..." I breathe out. "I can't..."
Nathan curses to himself as he frustratingly runs his fingers through his hair. But, a familiar hand lands on Nathan's shoulder as he looks at the girl with agony. "I got this," the girl mutters.
He starts to get up as the girl replaces his position. My eyes immediately start to make out who it is...
"Shaurya?" Anika's voice shakes. "It's me, Anika. Please, and I mean please don't lose conscious. We're at your party right now, and I can't- we can't afford to lose you. Please..."
"Ani..." I start to say her name, but I don't finish. Instead, I black out.
Anika
"No..." I murmur. "No!" My voice starts to shake as I frantically look at the crowd. "Nathan, he blacked out!"
He jumps beside me as he mutters to himself, "Shit... guys! Someone get me a huge bucket of water! Right now!"
Seconds later, a girl brings him a pair of water as he sighs to himself. "This should be enough." Then, he goes right ahead and dumps the water right onto Shaurya's face. He gasps awake, sitting up and breathing frantically. "What the fâ" he gasps. "What happened?"
Nathan explains, "Well, you and Brayden got into a fight and he was basically choking you to death, so I jumped in and made him get off of you. You're welcome."
"Yeah, and thanks for protecting me when I told you too," Shaurya replies.
"Hey!" Nathan retorts. "I'm sorry about that, okay? It won't happen again."
"It's okay," he brushes off. "Besides, I did feel better when I punched him across the face."
"Yeah, I bet," Nathan chuckles.
"But wait," Shaurya questions, "Where did they go?"
"Anika's friends made them run away by chasing them with a knife," Nathan shrugs. "It was an absurd option, but at least it worked." A smile grows on my face as my eyes land on Em and Ty's. They grin at me as Ty points at the knife he's holding in his hand. Those are my friends right there!
"Well, tell them I said thank you," Shaurya says. Then, his eyes land on mine as Nathan then clears his throat. "So... I should probably leave you guys to it. Hope you feel better bro."
Shaurya nods his head as Nathan walks off. Then, he grunts to himself as he scoots closer towards me. As I'm kneeling in front of him, he whispers, "Thank you."
"For what?" I snort. "I wasn't the one who pulled a 200 pound guy off of you."
"Yeah, I know that," he chuckles. "But I'm thanking you for being here for me. I appreciate it."
"I mean, you're here for me so might as well be there for me," I grin as my cheeks warm up. Shaurya's stomach is blazing red from the fight so I mutter to him, "Do you want me to get you an ice pack?"
"Nah, I'll be fine," he brushes off. "I've been in a lot of fights, so this is basically nothing."
"Oh, really?" I raise my eyebrows. "Try not to get yourself killed, then."
He laughs, but winces as he immediately clutches his throat in pain. "Okay, so I'm definitely not laughing," he frowns.
I grin. "Anyways, do you need anything? Like are you sure you don't need an ice pack or water at least?"
"Anika, I'm telling you I'll be fine," he reassures me. Then, he starts to get up and brushes off the sand off of him. He takes a deep breath. "See? You know I'm fine if I can get up with no pain."
"Yeah... I guess you're right," I sigh. We start to walk back to the main party area, where most of the people area. Shaurya immediately gets engulfed in a huge crowd of people that praise him for beating Brayden up and check up on him to make sure he's okay. Shaurya being his humble self brushes off everyone and pleads to them that he's fine and he didn't even do anything, Nathan was the one who ended the fight.
After that ended, it was time to eat. A huge buffet of sandwiches and different tropical drinks were lined up. I stand in line with Em and Ty as they drool over the food. "Holy shit," Em trails out. "This food... I never want to leave this party, man."
I chuckle as I pick up a few sandwiches and get a ice cold margarita. I've decided to myself that I'm gonna let myself be wild and free, at least for tonight. I need to forget about what's going on in my personal life and to just live life on my own terms. My father is definitely not going to control me anymore, and neither will I let him.
Hundreds of people pile around each other as music vibrates against the speakers. The sun is starting to set as I feel the beach getting chilly, since the heat is kind of going. I sit on the sand next to Em and Ty as Shaurya and his two friends are right across from me. I notice Shaurya is kind of third wheeling from his other two friends, Nathan and Emma, as they feed each other sandwiches and coo to each other how cute they are. Shaurya makes eye contact with me and playfully rolls his eyes. I snort.
After we finish eating, we all gather around and play musical chairs, which is such a childish game but some of the girls suggested it so we all went along with it. I've noticed some of the people have left, so basically it's now Shaurya's friends and not a whole bunch of strangers anymore. There are at least dozens and dozens of chairs in two rows back to back, and a nice beat starts playing. Shaurya is right behind me as we walk around, making sure we got our eyes on the chairs. The music immediately stops and I sit down, as one person is left behind.
Several rounds later, it's just three people left: me, Nathan and Shaurya. There are two chairs left so it's getting pretty intense. The crowd is gathered around is, cheering us on as excitement fills inside of me. The music stops and I sit right down on the chair as Shaurya sits beside me, pushing Nathan onto the sand. "Aw, man!" He whimpers, walking over to Emma as she soothes him.
"Looks like it's only us two left," Shaurya breathes out.
"Yeah," I sigh. "But I'm so gonna win, you know that right?"
"Yeah, in your dreams," he scoffs, grinning.
We get up as one of the chairs is gone. We walk around the one chair left as the music plays again. The crowd looks at us anxiously as I look at the chair anxiously as well. Around and around and around... but suddenly the music stops.
I don't even think or hesitate as I sit down onto the chair, but I feel something... soft beneath me. I gulp as I look down and I noticeâ
I'm sitting on Shaurya's lap!
And I'm not just sitting on his lap awkwardly, but his arms are enveloped around my waist, touching my bare skin. His chin is placed on my shoulder as he looks up at me and I look back at him. If his hands went down any further...
My skin radiates beneath his touch, his fingers grasping so tightly against my waist. My heart beats irrationally against my chest as I feel my hands grasping his arms, his strong, veiny, and muscular arms. His chest moves up and down as he whispers into my ear, "I guess the both of us won."
*
A/N:
Whew. This chapter was just something else...
Anyways, hope you guys liked this chapter! I wasn't able to upload last Sunday because I was extremely busy that weekend with my online class and sweet 16 planning and homework. I knew if I uploaded a chapter that Sunday then it would be rushed and it wouldn't be as detailed, so I waited it out a bit.
I probably won't be able to upload this Sunday either because I'm gonna be on Christmas break so we're going to be travelling up to New Jersey. But when I come back I'll DEFINITELY be updating Wednesday and the next Sunday, so I'll be basically double updating the rest of the break!! :)
Stay tuned for the next chapter as things start to heat up...
And can you guess between which people? ;)
- Ru <3