33) Your tie looks a little crooked

Arjun's POV

I got out of my private elevator, checking my watch. I still had 10 minutes before the meeting started.

Stepping in my office on the 45th floor, I adjusted my suit jacket and my PA, Peyush rushed to me. "Good morning, sir. Mr. George Brown will be here any minute now."

"Everything ready?" I walked past my employees as they greeted me, giving them a short, curt nod in response.

"Yes, sir. We have everything in control." He handed me the file and I went through it, checking for any mistake.

I want everything to be perfect.

We reached the conference room and I took my seat. "Good. Inform me when he comes. You can leave now."

As I flipped through the pages of the file, my eyes roaming on the words, I realized Peyush was still standing there. Raising my head to him, I twirled a pen between my fingers as my eyes flitted to him. "What?"

"Sir, uh" Flinching at my sharp tone, he pointed towards my neck with hesitation. "your tie looks a little crooked."

Keeping the pen on the desk, I leaned back and raised a challenging brow at him. "And?"

"Nothing sir." He squeaked, straightening up immediately. "Y-you look perfect. I'll t-take your leave now." With that, he rushed out of the room as if he was being chased by a dog.

Idiot.

Running a hand over my maroon tie, I opened my laptop and took one last glance at the presentation when a knock sounded on the door.

"Come in." I ordered in a distracted tone since I was busy scrolling down the company's latest stocks.

The sound of heels clicking on the floor reached my ears and I mentally rolled my eyes.

Not again.

"Good morning, sir." An extremely irritating voice filled my ears and I coughed slightly at the overbearing stench of the perfume that now filled the room.

I looked up at the girl uninterested, trying to get over with this as soon as possible. "Yes, Miss Verma?"

"Sir, could you sign these papers regarding yesterday's deal? " Flashing me a flirtatious smile, she slid the file in front of me.

She was the daughter of one of dad's close friends. This was the only reason I was tolerating her. If it was up to me, I would have thrown her out a long time ago due to her constant, failed attempts at flirting with me.

I scrawled my signature swiftly and gave the file back to her.

"Your appearance looks a little untidy." She pointed out, obviously referring to my tie and my lips pressed in a thin line.

What was wrong with everyone?

It wasn't that bad, the tie looked okay. Just a little crooked. Maybe because they've never seen me in anything less than perfect that such a small detail was bothering them so much.

It's just a tie for God's sake!

"I mean, look at that tie."

My jaw set tight at her snobby tone and I clenched my hand in a fist, trying to control my anger.

Not sensing my mood, the fool continued to blabber whatever came to her mind. "Who even made it? My 10-year-old nephew can do better than this." She scoffed.

"My wife did. Any problem?"

"Huh?" The smug expression wiped from her face and changed into hesitation. "Wh-what?"

She tried covering up the situation. "I-I was just saying that it looks li-"

"Did I ask for your opinion?" I cut her off. I didn't have time for her bullshit.

"N-no, sir." She stuttered, her confident facade cracking slowly.

"It would be better if you keep your nose out of other people's business." Her face turned red in embarrassment as I snubbed her. "Leave." I ordered in an authoritative tone and she scrambled off humiliated.

Seems like people are deliberately trying to rile me up today.

I might need to start doing yoga if they keep pissing me off like this.

5 minutes later, I got a call from Peyush telling me that George Brown had arrived. I rose from my seat, ready to welcome him and that's when the door of the conference room opened, George entering inside.

I shook hands with him and his eyes flitted to my tie, a flickering look passing in them.

I clenched my jaw.

Another comment on the tie and I'm starting punching people.

Granted I will lose the deal. What the hell was their problem?

Why was I being so moody?

More importantly, why was everyone getting worked up over a fucking tie? If I want, I can come to work in sweatpants. This is my office.

Says the one who was about to fire his maid just because his shirt still had a crease after being ironed.

Shaking away the unsettling thought from my mind, I showed George his seat while other people filled in. We took our seats and the meeting started.

An hour later, I sat there, my fingers anxiously drumming against my knee and gazed at George who was sitting in the same position for the last 5 minutes.

Has he fallen asleep?

Or is he dead?

No, he was still alive, he just closed the file in front of me.

Fuck, I have never been this nervous before.

I rubbed my knuckles uneasily, keeping a straight face and not letting my nervousness show as George cleared his throat, straightening in his seat.

Never show your weakness to others.

"Well," George closed the file, glancing up. "I must say Mr. Singhania, I'm impressed."

This is a good start.

I felt the tension leave my body and relaxed against my chair.

"I'm looking forward to working with you." He smiled slightly and applause broke in the room.

My lips twitched in a small smile and I stood up, following his lead. "Sure, Mr. Brown."

We walked out of the room, discussing the terms of the deal.

"I'll contact you within a week regarding the clauses and then we can go ahead with the project."

"That would be perfect."

He halted near the reception desk. "Well, I'll take your leave then."

"Have a good day." I gave him a polite nod, shaking hands with him and he walked away.

"Congratulations, sir." Peyush grinned and scurried after George to see him off. A feeling of pride surged through me as I walked back to my office.

I did it.

We cracked the deal.

Dad would be so happy.

Taking out my phone, I opened my contacts, my thumb hovering over his number as I pondered on calling him. Before I knew it, I was scrolling past his name and dialing another number.

Her number.

She picked up on the sixth ring, her voice breathless. "Hello?"

"Hey. Ar-"

"Just one second." Kiara interrupted me and I could hear her yelling in distance. "No, Maahi! This is not a booty call. Shut up."

A few seconds of muffled arguing and laughs later, Kiara spoke again. "Is your meeting over? How did it go? Did you get the project? What happened?" She said in one go, her breath winding up in the last and I chuckled slightly, sitting on my chair.

This girl is always on a sugar high.

"I got the project." I hadn't even completed the sentence when she squealed loudly, which normally would have made me cringe away from the phone if it was someone else. But I found myself shaking my head in amusement at her excited squeals.

"Oh my god. Congratulations!" I could bet she was jumping up and down by now. "I told you, you were going to get the deal, didn't I? Gosh, this is amazing." For the next few minutes, she continued to ramble on and I sat there with a smile on my face listening to how she already knew this meeting was going to be a success. For the first time, I didn't really mind this useless blabbering.

"Wait, did you tell your dad?" She asked abruptly after she was done giving me all the facts and propositions on how everything was in my favour and George had no option but to agree to this deal even though she had no idea in the world what this project was about.

"Not yet."

"Go meet him personally, it will be worth it."

"If you say so." I shrugged though she couldn't see me. "I'll meet him after my next meeting."

"Great! When will you come back?"

My eyes flickered to the clock on the opposite wall. "Around 3."

"Okay then. I have a class now. I'll talk to you later." Chirping a 'bye', she cut the call, not giving me a chance to reply.

The upward tilt of my lips reflected my bewildered amusement and placing the phone on the desk, I decided to review the papers for the next meeting when a thought occurred to me.

I called Peyush.

Not even a minute later, he knocked on the door, his head peeking inside. "Yes, sir?"

"Come in."

"Are you married Peyush?" His head snapped to mine as soon as the question left my lips and he took a startled step back, his eyes wide.

Okayy. I just freaked him out. What a start!

"Well? Are you?" I asked again after the lack of response from his side.

"N-no, sir."

"Do you have a girlfriend?" If possible, his face turned more comical, twisting into shock.

He looked mortified at my question.

I sighed.

This was going to be tougher than I expected.

"Y-yes."

"What do you usually gift her?"

His eyes bulged out of their sockets, ready to fall down. "I'm sorry, sir?"

"I'm not asking for your kidney, Peyush." I snapped. Why was he behaving so dumb?

Maybe because his no-nonsense-boss is asking about his personal life as if they are childhood friends meeting at a reunion.

I could have called Sid but he wouldn't have let me hear the end of this. And Rohan was no better. True, he was more mature but when it came to teasing me, those two were worse than teenage girls.

"What do you usually gift her?" I repeated my question, my patience already hanging on a thread and the expression resembling that of a lost puppy on his face wasn't helping my case either.

"On some special occasion or just casually?" He asked.

Wait. There are supposed to be different gifts for different occasions?

God, it's that hard?

I thought about it. "Casually."

He cleared his throat, adjusting his glasses. "Well...usually. I...um-just..."

"You know what? Don't bother." The way he was talking, it would take him a whole day to answer my question.

I racked my brain, thinking hard about Kiara's likes.

Well, she likes Chris Hemsworth but I can't gift her real people now, can I?

Of course, how could I forget. I smirked mentally.

"Just bring me a box of the best chocolate brand before I leave."

He dropped the phone from his hands.

"Ch-chocolates?"

I rubbed my face in exasperation and fixed him with glaring eyes. "Did I stutter?"

He shook his head rapidly.

"Then go." I ordered in a stern voice and he picked up his phone, almost face planting in the floor and scurried off in a hurry, not before stubbing his toe in the wall.

Rubbing my temple, I closed my eyes, my head hanging down.

8 seconds later, as the realization of my actions dawned upon me, my head shot up and my eyes flew open.

What did I just do?

Kiara's POV

I paced around the lounge, my eyes glancing at the wall clock every now and then. It was 3:05. Arjun would be home any minute now.

He finally got the deal. I was ecstatic when he called and gave the news. It took only four words from him and I was already hopping around like a kangaroo.

In my excitement, I had yelled out the news to my friends, doing a happy dance around and the principal chose this very moment to grace us with her presence. She had looked at me like she had seen a chimpanzee doing salsa. The result of my loud vocal cords and award worthy dance was an hour-long detention after my class.

I didn't really mind the detention, I was just glad Arjun's hard work paid off.

My ears perked up at the sound of rattling keys on the other side of the door and as it opened, I only saw a blurred blue outline when I ran and launched myself on Arjun, almost making him fall on his butt.

"Congratulations, congratulations, congratulations!" I screeched in his ear, squeezing my arms around his neck and his arms immediately came around me, balancing us so that we wouldn't fall.

While I was too busy choking the death out of him, my conscience clapped in mockery.

Great going, Kia. Keep jumping on him like this. You're doing amazing.

"You love pouncing on me, don't you?" His question caught me off-guard and I pulled back immediately with wide eyes gaping at him while he sported his infamous smirk.

"You could've simply thanked me when I congratulated you."

"Uh-huh." He tutted, leaning down to my eye level. "Don't change the topic, princess."

Only then I realized the compromising position we were in. I had my arms around his neck while he held me securely against him, our fronts touching.

I stepped back swiftly, avoiding his eyes, and ducked my head, my open hair curtaining my flaming cheeks from him.

A paper bag came in my line of vision and I glanced questioningly at Arjun when he handed it to me.

With furrowed eyebrows and a curious mind, I peeked inside and gasped when I saw what was there. "Chocolates!"

"For you." As his voice registered in my brain, my face lit up like fairy lights and I gave him a megawatt smile, my heart melting in a puddle.

I had half a mind to hug him again but seeing how extremely awkward it would be, I refrained from doing so.

Hugging the bag to my chest, I sighed dreamily, swaying slightly. "Thank you."

With a slight roll of his eyes and a ghost of smile playing on his lips, he sauntered inside. "Did you eat anything?"

"No. I ate three hours ago but I'm hungry again." I told him as I set the bag on the table.

"Come, we're going out."

"To eat?"

"No, to hunt animals."

"Haha." I mocked with a straight face but followed him anyway.

We reached a fancy Italian restaurant that was close to the penthouse.

The guard outside paled on seeing Arjun and immediately bowed down in a grand gesture, his forehead almost touching the ground.

Did I miss something?

Arjun must have noticed the confusion on my face as he explained the reason behind the guard's behaviour.

"I own the place." He told me as we entered inside and I snapped my head to him.

Why was I not surprised?

"This place is really beautiful." I was so busy admiring the ceiling that I didn't see where I was walking and bumped into someone.

"I'm so sor-.... Kunal?" My expressions turned from apologetic to confusion and then surprise.

"Kiara?" The guy in front of me asked as his eyes shone in recognition.

"Yeah." I replied in a daze. Kunal was my classmate in high school.

"How are you?"

"I'm good." I smiled.

"How long has it been? 2 years? 3?"

"Yeah, almost 3."

"You...you look beautiful as always." He complimented me as his ears turned pink.

"Uh-" I stuttered, my own cheeks resembling a ripe tomato.

What are you supposed to say back? Same to you?

I've never been good at receiving compliments.

"Thank you. A-" I was interrupted with the clearing of a throat. My eyes wandered to Arjun who was now throwing daggers at Kunal for God knows what reason.

"Oh right. Arjun, this in Kunal, my ex-classmate." I introduced them. "And Kunal, this is Arjun."

"Boyfriend?"

I was going to correct him when an arm snaked around my waist and pulled me closer to the hard, granite body beside me, rendering me speechless. My round, owlish eyes darted to Arjun while his own were trained on Kunal as he answered on my behalf. "Husband."

Kunal blinked at me in surprise, his eyes darting between the two of us. "You got married?"

"Um-yeah." Tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, I became flustered at the way Arjun was holding me in public. Yes, he had done that before on our engagement but it was all for a show.

"Oh, that's great." Kunal's uncomfortable expressions contradicted his own words. "Congratulations."

"Thanks."

This was getting awkward.

He coughed slightly, grabbing my attention. "Well, I have to be somewhere right now so I'll see you later I guess?"

"Yeah, sure. Bye."

"Bye."

"I think he still has feelings for me." I wondered out loud as I saw him exiting, my lips pulling in a grimace.

"What!?"

I looked at Arjun. "He asked me out during the last year of our school but I rejected him because I wasn't interested."

"He looked like a creep."

I made a face at him. "No, he isn't a creep."

As Arjun kept staring at me blankly, my pout slowly turned into a sheepish grin and I rolled my eyes. "Okay, fine. Yes. He is a creep."

"I don't like him." I clucked my tongue, my expressions sour. Even when I rejected Kunal's several advances, he would keep following me around, staring creepily whenever he got a chance. He was a creepy stalker indeed.

"Me neither." Arjun mumbled and I whipped my head towards him.

"What?"

"Nothing."

I was pretty sure it wasn't nothing but didn't question any further.

We started walking again but there was a strange restlessness within me, my heartbeat was uneven and my heart would flutter now and then, butterflies erupting in my stomach. It took me a few more seconds to realize what was wrong.

His arm was still around me.

He must have sensed the same thing as he removed his hand like it was on fire and a wave of disappointment rushed over me.

Why?

Though that sinking feeling was soon replaced by jittery tingles down my spine when he kept his hand at the small of my back, escorting me to the reception. The frown that marred my face was now replaced by a small smile and a content feeling in my heart.

I was confused with my own behaviour. What was happening?

When the manager saw us, he went into total freak-out-mode. Immediately rushing to our side, he welcomed us with smiles and praises.

He seemed like he would even start throwing rose petals on our path.

The manager showed us our table and Arjun pulled out a chair for me and I gasped dramatically, placing a hand over my heart. "Are you okay, honey? Pulling out chairs for me?"

Rolling his eyes, he helped me sit down and then sat in front of me.

We enjoyed our food as we made small talk now and then.

Just kidding. Let me rephrase that.

While I talked and he listened.

The only input that I got from him was either monosyllables or a sentence with 6 words max.

The day Arjun speaks willingly for more than a minute, I'll make sure he receives the Guinness World Record for that- 'The longest time Arjun Singhania ever talked.'

The food was delicious and they even had chocolate mousse cake.

I had almost finished my dessert when the manager came to us with a troubled expression on his face, sweat beads forming on his forehead. "There is a slight problem, sir."

"What happened?"

"The paparazzi have gathered around the entrance of the restaurant. I'm afraid they are waiting for you and ma'am."

My eyebrows raised in surprise. Paparazzi?

Arjun pressed his lips in a thin line, his face reflecting annoyance. "The back door?"

"It is under renovation, sir. We can't use it."

"Damn it!" Arjun cursed quite loudly, his forehead creasing as he eyed the table.

"What do we do now?" I asked, worried. I was claustrophobic and couldn't handle crowds.

Arjun dialed a number on his phone, placing it near his ear. "David, I need you to pick me up in 5. I'm sending you the address. Bring the others too."

He stood up, asking me to get up too and I followed him as we walked towards the entrance. Reaching the glass double doors, I could clearly see the hoard of people with cameras and mics, pushing each other wildly and yelling, creating a huge commotion.

I turned to face Arjun. "Why are they so interested in your life?"

"Our life." He corrected me. "I'm not the only one whom they're interested in."

"So much for having a peaceful lunch." He muttered to himself and then checked his phone as it beeped. "David's here."

Just then, two cars screeched to a halt in front of the restaurant and four huge bodyguards stepped out. One of them was David, the guy who was there when those goons were chasing me. They jogged towards the entrance in a perfectly coordinated manner, looking like robots.

"Stay close" Arjun told me as he held my hand.

I snorted. "Right, as if I'll deliberately push myself in the crowd."

"I don't doubt it. You are crazy enough to do that."

Gasping, I lightly hit his shoulder. "Hey! I'm not crazy."

Yes, you are.

Okay, but he didn't need to say that loud.

He didn't bother to reply and as soon as we stepped out, the shouts and yells got louder. My paranoia kicked in and I wound my free arm around Arjun's elbow, staying close to him.

The bodyguards spread around us, forming a human chain and trying to control the reporters who had now gone insane on seeing us.

Jeez, they made me feel like a celebrity.

If it hadn't been for these huge mountain-like bodyguards, I would have been crushed in the crowd.

The reporters fired questions at us about our marriage and personal life as we tried to walk past them, the continuous flashes almost blinding me. Halfway through, someone grabbed my elbow, taking me by surprise and yanked me sideways with such force that I was pulled away from Arjun. Panic rose in my chest, my breathing coming out laboured as I saw the guy who had manhandled me. Arjun looked back at the loss of contact and his face hardened at the sight that greeted him. Stalking closer to me, he pulled me to his other side and glared sharply at the reporter making him shrink back in fear.

Bringing me in front of him, my back touching his chest, his arms encircled around me, not touching me just hovering above and positioned in such a way so as to push away any more grabbing hands. On instinct, I held his wrists and he instructed me to walk, keeping close and his proximity calmed me down.

We made our way to the car and David opened the door while Arjun ushered me inside. When I sat inside comfortably, Arjun closed the door and said something to the other bodyguard while pointing to the reporter who had grabbed me, his features hard and sharp. I couldn't hear him due to the commotion outside. The bodyguard nodded and Arjun jogged to the other side of the car while David took the driver seat.

"Are you okay?" Arjun asked as soon as he settled beside me.

My heart was still thumping loudly but my breathing was even by now. I nodded, rubbing my arms and looked out of the window. "Why are they making such a big fuss about it?"

"This is the first time that you both have been sighted together outside, ma'am." David answered, driving away from the restaurant. "Sir is one of the top businessmen of the country and he has always been secretive of his personal life. People are always curious about him."

"How did they even know we were there?"

"Someone might have leaked the information for money." Arjun explained, an angry undertone to his voice and I fell silent after that.

I came to two conclusions that day.

First, there are crazier people than me in this world.

Second, the next time I go out with Arjun, I'm wearing a mask.

*

I was sitting on my bed, gazing lovingly at the chocolates in front of me, caressing them every now and then. It had been 2 hours since we came back from the restaurant.

Apart from that paparazzi incident, today had been good.

Heaving a content sigh, I supported my face on my palms, making heart eyes at the delight in front of me.

I had already called all my friends thrice, telling them how Arjun had bought them for me. As a result, my number had been blocked by Maahi, put on silent by Anushka while Nandini and Saumya refused to answer my calls.

Heck, I would publish the news in the newspapers if I could.

Even I didn't know why I was making such a big deal out of it. All I knew was that they were extremely special.

I didn't know what to do with them. Eat them or store them in a safe?

Also, I couldn't shake off the feeling when Arjun protected me from those paparazzi. The way his arms enclosed around my waist, making sure no one touched me.

The ringtone of my phone broke me from my trance and I picked it up after seeing Sid's name flashing on it.

"Hello, my valiant princess in shining armor! Your knight-in-distress needs a little help." His over enthusiastic voice made me scrunch my face in suspicion.

"What do you want, Sid?"

"You know me too well." I could make out his sheepish expression. "Okay, here's the thing. The Singhanias and Oberois run a charity trust together for orphan children. There are several orphanages in the city under this trust. One of them is close by and we go there once every month."

"That's really sweet." I listened to him patiently.

"We are going there this Sunday and you're invited."

Sunday, that means day after tomorrow.

"Okay, I'm free that day."

"Great! Now your task is to convince Arjun for this visit."

"What do you mean?"

"Arjun never accompanies us to the orphanage."

"Why?"

"He just...stopped going there after Sapna aunty's death. Though he would never tell this himself but it's difficult for him to go there because those children remind him of his own loss."

I frowned at what he told me.

"So, I was thinking if you could persuade Arjun to come with us?"

"Me?" I scoffed incredulously. "Seriously, Sid? What makes you think that he'll listen to me?"

"Please, Kia. Just talk to him once."

"I don't know Sid..." I leaned against the headboard.

We were finally making some progress and I didn't want to ruin it and overstep my boundaries by talking about such a sensitive topic for him.

"Just once. Please." Sid sounded really desperate.

I bit my lip, my gaze focused on nothing in particular. "Fine. You owe me a chocolate."

"You're the best! Bye."

"Bye." I kept my phone on the nightstand and folded my legs, thinking hard on how to convince Arjun.

Should I bribe him?

'Hey, if you come to the orphanage with us, I'll give you chocolates! And I won't talk about Chris Hemsworth for a whole week. How does that sound?'

Should I beg him?

'Please, for the love of God, come to this orphanage. Please! No, I won't leave your legs until you say yes.'

Sighing, I stood up from my bed.

Let's go solve Mission Impossible.

I roamed around the house in his search and finally found him in the study reading some documents. Knocking on the door, I stepped inside as he looked up.

"Hey."

"Hi."

I licked my lips nervously, walking closer to his desk.

"Do you want anything?"

"Yes, actually." I sat in front of him, cracking my knuckles and he gazed at me, giving me his sole attention.

Can you stop looking at me with those intense eyes?

"Okay." He answered and my eyes widened.

Shit, I said that aloud, didn't I?

"You totally did." He smirked at my dumbstruck expression.

"What did you want to talk about?" He asked after sometime when he had seen me struggling to overcome my humiliating self-talk.

"The weather is so nice, isn't it?" I exclaimed cheerfully in response, glancing at the ceiling like it was the sky whereas my conscience was already banging its head on a wall.

Arjun stared at me with a partly open mouth and squinted eyes like he was weighing his options of calling the mental institution right now or tomorrow morning. His eyes followed my gaze as he slowly glanced up and then back at me, his expression never faltering.

"Sid called." I blurted out, not able to fake it anymore. "And he told me about the orphanage visit."

His expressions changed drastically and he closed his file a little harshly, rolling his eyes. "So that's what it is all about."

"Bu-"

He cut me off. "Look, Kiara. I am making this clear once and for all. I will not go to the orphanage."

"But why?" He didn't even listen to what I was saying.

"Because I don't want to."

"That's not a reason."

"For me it is."

"Imagine how happy your dad will be on seeing you there." I tried to reason. "Or how delighted Sid and Rohan will be."

"I have this discussion with Sid and Rohan every month. And my answer is always the same. No." He wasn't ready to hear anything.

Irritation seeped in his tone and I rushed to explain my point but did a grave mistake instead. "I know your mom's death had a great impact on you but that doesn't mean that you stop living the w-"

"Stop." His voice was barely above a whisper but something in his tone had me shutting my mouth in a second. "Leave."

"Arjun..."

"I said leave, Kiara." His voice raised with each word, his face turning angrier by each passing second and I shut up.

Great, Kia. You ruined it.

"But -" My voice was cut off by the sound of clashing and I flinched in my seat, my heart skipping a beat in fear. Arjun, in his rage, had swiped the contents of the table as they now lay scattered on the floor.

"NOW." He yelled and stood up angrily, kicking his chair back and turned away from me, his chest heaving up and down. My throat clogged up and I shakily stood from my seat.

Just as I had feared.

I shouldn't have brought up the topic of his mom.

Taking a timid step forward, I called out his name softly. "Arjun. I don't want to fight with you. Just listen to me once. Please. Then you can do whatever you want."

When he didn't say anything, I took it as my cue to continue, eyeing his clenched fists and rigid form. "These children have no parents, they are orphans. They, too, have lost their families, someone important to them, someone close to their heart. Just like you had."

My voice was trembling.

"I can never feel or understand what you've gone through but these children are familiar with that feeling. They know how it feels like to lose your loved one."

"If you don't want to do this for your dad or Sid or Rohan, then don't. Fine. Do it for yourself then. Maybe these children will help you find a way to deal with your own pain."

"I just want you to think about it." I whispered at last and without waiting for his response, I turned away and left him there.

*

"We are here."

"Yeah, okay. I'll be there in a minute." I cut the call, putting the phone in my jeans pocket and hurriedly combed my hair. Sid and Rohan were waiting for me in the parking lot.

I rushed out of my room and found Arjun sitting in the living area, switching channels on TV. We hadn't really talked much after Friday night. I had deliberately avoided Arjun on Saturday morning, not knowing his mood and it seemed he was still worked up with our talk that he avoided me rest of the day.

"I am leaving." I told Arjun although I was doubtful he would respond.

And I was right!

He didn't even spare a glance at me.

Great! So, he's back to Mr. I-won't-talk-unless-the-world-is-ending.

Half of me wanted to throw something at him while the other half wanted to set the stupid TV on fire.

Sighing, I trudged away towards the entrance and opening the main door, I could feel eyes on my back but as I craned my head towards Arjun, his eyes were still glued to the TV.

I had a sudden urge to throw him against that TV.

Why does his ignorance affect me so much?

Walking out of the apartment, I entered the elevator with a heavy heart. As I came out of the building, I put up a smile on my face on seeing Sid and Rohan, not wanting to ruin their mood too. They were standing in front of a brand-new car, talking and laughing.

They spotted me as I neared them, waving at me like small children and the fake smile that I had put on turned into a genuine one.

"Arjun?" Sid asked in a hopeful tone as his eyes wandered behind me, searching for his friend.

My smile dropped and I shook my head.

I hadn't told Sid about our small fight because I knew he would blame himself for it but he wasn't at fault here. When Sid had called me later that night, I had asked him to wait because I was still hoping Arjun would agree.

Sid mirrored my expressions, his face falling but Rohan gave a tight-lipped smile. "Never mind. Let's go. Uncle Rajveer is already there."

"I tried, Sid." I gave him an apologetic look. "I really did." Looking at my crestfallen face, he came closer and put an arm around my shoulders.

"Hey, it's okay. No worries. I know how stubborn that idiot can be." He chuckled.

I reciprocated his smile and he nodded towards the car. "Come on."

I was going to sit in the car when a new voice interrupted us.

"I'm driving."