You return like autumn,
and I fall every time
I stood in front of the mirror, frowning at my reflection in my room. The backless black top I had picked out looked nice, but was it too much? Or too little? I turned to the side then back again tugging at the hem.
"Samaira, is this okay? Or should I wear the red one? Or maybe the blue?" I asked, glancing at the pile of rejected clothes on my bed.
Samaira, lying comfortably on my bed with her phone in hand didn't even look up. "Alia, they all look the same. Just pick one and move on."
"They do not look the same!" I protested looking at Diya for support. She was too busy curling my hair focused like she was performing life saving surgery.
"Diya, tell her they don't look the same."
"Hmm?" Diya murmured twisting a strand around the curling iron. "No, they don't. But I think the black one is perfect. It's classy. Just trust me."
I sighed dramatically. "Okay, fine. But should I add a necklace? Or earrings? Or maybe both?"
Samaira exhaled loudly. "Oh my God, Alia. It's a party, not the Met Gala. Just wear something and stop overthinking."
Diya rolled her eyes, tugging on a section of my hair. "Alia, it's fine. You look hot."
"Okay, fine! But earrings hoops or studs?" I asked, holding up both options.
"Hoops," Diya said instantly.
"Studs," Samaira countered.
I groaned. "Helpful, as always."
"Acha, bata. What's the vibe? Cute innocent ya baddie energy?" Samaira smirked, finally looking up from her phone.
"Umm... somewhere between 'I didn't try too hard' and 'I could break your heart but won't'?"
"Then hoops," Diya said firmly. "Also, hold still. Your hair is almost done."
I sighed dramatically and put on the hoops. "Okay, makeup. Matte or dewy?"
"Dewy," Diya said, dabbing a bit of highlighter on my cheek.
"Matte," Samaira countered again, just to be difficult.
"Sam, are you just saying the opposite of whatever Diya says?"
"Shayad," she smirked. "But tera mooh chamkega toh wahan disco ball ki zarurat nahi padegi."
Meanwhile, Samaira looked up from her phone again. "By the way, what's the point of this party?"
"Meeting new people," I said. "It's just my uni friends."
"You mean people we don't know?"
I nodded.
Samaira made a face. "And you're willingly going?"
"It's called socializing, Sam."
"Disgusting."
I laughed. "You wouldn't last five minutes in a party full of strangers."
"And I'm perfectly fine with that," she said, going back to her phone.
Diya, finishing my hair, clapped her hands together. "Done!"
I checked my reflection again and smiled. "Okay, I think I'm good to go."
"Finally," Samaira said. "Hriday's been outside for a while now."
"Wait, what?" I checked my phone. Sure enough, there were two missed calls from him. "Crap!"
Diya handed me my Dior black bag which was my first expensive bag I got when I secured 97% in myy 12th board exams.
"Bye, guys!" I called out, rushing to the door.
"Have fun! Text me when you reach."Diya waved.
Samaira didn't even look up. "Try not to get kidnapped."
"Thanks for the concern."I snorted
I stepped out of my room, only to find Hriday leaning against the wall, arms crossed, looking thoroughly annoyed.
"Kitna der lagati hai yaar tu? Main abhi andar aane wala tha" he groaned.
He huffed. "Yeah, yeah. Chalein ab?"
"Wait, my heels," I muttered, turning back to grab them.
As I bent down to slip them on, I heard a sharp intake of breath from Hriday.
"Ahh!!Piche kya hai?!" he practically yelped.
I blinked before realization hit. "Oh. Gosh, Hriday, it's backless!"
"Oh!!lets go"He said and muttered something about "fashion disasters" as he led the way out
The ride was mostly Hriday lecturing me about staying safe, not trusting random people, and calling him if anything happened. I let him talk nodding occasionally while fixing my lip gloss in the car mirror.
As we pulled up outside the venue, he put the car in park and looked at me seriously. "Call me when you're done. I'll pick you up."
"I can come back on my own, Hriday. I'm not a kid."I rolled my eyes.
"Just call me. I don't care what time it is."He ignored that.
"Fine, fine. I'll call."I sighed, knowing there was no point arguing
"Good."
"Okay. I'm going now."I opened the door and stepped out, adjusting my top.
"Haan, haan. Ja, but call karna."He rolled his eyes.
â.Ëâ®ð§â®Ë.â
The party was... fine. Nothing extraordinary. Just loud music, flashing lights, and people trying too hard to impress each other. I danced a little, chatted with some new friends, and sipped on a Coke and beer while pretending it was something fancier.
I stood outside my apartment door rubbing my arms as the cool night air made me shiver. The car that had dropped me off had already driven away, and now I was stuck outside at 2 AM, knocking like a lost child.
Shoudnt have backless now air is
I knocked again. Thud thud thud.
Silence.
I sighed and tried once more, harder this time. THUD THUD THUD.
Still nothing.
I pulled out my phone and dialed Samaira. It rang. And rang. And rang.
No answer.
I groaned and tried Diya next. Same thing. No answer.
And they call me sleepyhead
"You both are useless," I muttered, shifting from one foot to another. I was too tired for this.
I scrolled through my contacts and called Aayush.
Wrong. His phone rang and then went to voicemail.
I was about to call Hriday. He had to pick up. Right?
but then Aayush called me back, his voice groggy. "Alia? Why are you calling so late?"
I exhaled in relief. "Because your girlfriend and Samaira have locked me out and no one is answering the door."
There was a moment of silence before I heard shuffling. Then, the sound of a door opening.
I turned around just as Aayush stepped out of his apartment, his hair a mess and sleep still clinging to his face. "You got locked out?" he asked, blinking at me.
"Clearly," I deadpanned.
He yawned. "Get in, I'll figure something out."
Reluctantly, I stepped inside the flat already planning my revenge on Samaira and Diya for this.
I stepped inside and switched on the hall lights blinking at the sudden brightness. Aayush yawned, rubbing his eyes.
"I'll knock on the door while you keep trying to call them," he said already making his way toward my flat's door.
I sighed and redialed Diya first. The phone rang, rang... and went to voicemail.
I tried Samaira next, tapping my foot impatiently. Same result.
Aayush knocked. "Samaira! Diya! Open the door!" He waited. No response. He knocked again, harder this time.
Aayush, then walked back into the hall."They are in deep sleep I guess.We will have to figure out something"
"What do we do now?"
I let out a tired sigh. "I'll just sleep in the third bedroom."
Aayush blinked at me. "Uh... you can't."
I frowned. "Why not?"
"New roommate, remember?Sidharth moved in yesterday,we forgot to tell you" He scratched his head.
He thought for a moment before sighing. "You sleep in my room. I'll take the sofa."
"Wait, what?"I stared at him.
"You heard me." He plopped down on the couch and patted the armrest. "Go. My bed's more comfortable anyway."
"You can't sleep there unless you wanna share a bed with him," he teased, wiggling his eyebrows.
I scowled. "Shut up."
Then he pulled out his laptop and clothes and bag for tomorrow from his room.
I frowned. "Why are you taking your stuff out now?"
"Because I have a morning class and I know you won't wake up early," he said, smirking. "No way I'm coming in to wake you up and getting scolded for disturbing your 'beauty sleep.'"
"I'm not that bad."I huffed.
Aayush gave me a pointed look.
"Fine," I mumbled. "Maybe a little."
He smirked and settled onto the couch, adjusting his blanket. "Now go sleep"
I rolled my eyes and finally went to his room.
I stepped into Aayush's room and went straight to his closet, pulling the door open with a yawn. My jeans were too uncomfortable to sleep in and there was no way I was going to bed in them.
I grabbed the first tshirt I saw an old faded one that looked like it had survived a war. And the shorts? God, they looked like they belonged in a museum.
I tossed them back and kept searching. That's when I found it the tshirt Diya had bought for him while shopping with us. Brand new, tags not even removed, neatly folded like it had never been touched.
Well, it was about to be worn now.
I smirked and pulled it out, along with a more decent pair of shorts. Changing quickly, I stretched my arms, feeling the soft fabric against my skin. Much better.
Sliding into bed, I sighed in relief. Finally. Sleep.
As I was changing, a sudden alarm blared from the other room. The loud, shrill sound broke the silence, making me pause mid-movement. I could hear movement outside, followed by a sleepy voice complaining.
"Who the hell sets an alarm for 2:30 AM?" Aayush grumbled, his voice muffled through the door.
I bit back a laugh. Good question.
"Me," Hriday's answered, still heavy with sleep.
Aayush groaned. "Why, man? What's so important at this ungodly hour?"
There was a pause before Hriday mumbled, "Alia."
My eyes widened slightly. Me?
Aayush sounded even more confused now. "Huh? What about her?"
Hriday yawned. "She went to a party right? I set the alarm to remind myself to pick her up. I thought 2:30 would be her deadline to leave."
I froze for a second, my heart warming at his words. He actually set an alarm just for me?
" But you can relax. She's already home."Aayush said
There was a brief silence, and then Hriday, now sounding more awake, asked, "What? When did she come?"
"A while ago," Aayush replied. "She got locked out of her apartment because diya and Samaira were busy sleeping like rocks.She is sleeping in my room"
"And you took the couch"He asked
"Yup,now off the light and let em sleep"aayush said
Listening to them, a warm feeling spread in my chest. I had such amazing friends. They weren't just people I lived with,they truly cared. Whether it was setting an alarm just to make sure I got home safe or giving up a room without hesitation, they always had my back.
What did I do to deserve such amazing friends?
But just as I was about to drift off,
I reached for my phone on the bedside table, my fingers sluggish with sleepiness. With a few taps, I switched it to Do Not Disturb.
There. Now these idiots can't ruin my sleep.
Because I knew them. The moment Diya and Samaira fully woke up and saw the number of missed calls I had made earlier, they'd spam my phone like maniacs calling, texting
I wasn't in the mood for that. Not now and a single thought lingered in my mind.
Sidharth...
Could it really be him?
I blinked at my phone screen, my brain still half asleep. Missed calls from Alia? At 2 AM?
What theâ?
I sat up instantly, frowning. Why would she call me that late? Did something happen?
I pushed off my blanket, quickly got out of bed, and went straight to her room. I knocked once. No answer. Twice. Still nothing.
"Alia?" I called opening the door.
Empty.
My frown deepened. Where the hell is she?
Okay, maybe she got up early and went out. But that didn't make sense. Alia never woke up early unless she had to. And she had no reason to be anywhere this early.
Something felt off.
Without wasting time, I turned and walked straight to the boys' flat. I knocked twice.
The door swung open, and Aayush stood there, rubbing his eyes, looking like he just woke up.
"You all decided to not let me sleep peacefully, or what?" he muttered running a hand through his hair.
I raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me? I should be the one saying that. Where is Alia?"
Aayush yawned and leaned against the doorframe. "She's in my room, sleeping."
I narrowed my eyes. "Why?"
"Because someone forgot to open the damn door when she came home at 2 AM," he said giving me a pointed look.
I opened my mouth to argue but then stopped.
I groaned and rubbed my temples. "Okay, fine. Maybe that was partially my fault."
Aayush gave me a look. "Partially?"
I ignored him. Just then, Diya walked in "Why is everyone awake so early?" she mumbled sleepily.
I turned to her, unimpressed. "Because we forgot to open the door for Alia, and she had to sleep here."
"OH GOD!!"Diya said
An hour later, we were all sitting at the dining table in the boys' flat, having breakfast.
Aayush had made some toast and eggs, while Diya cut some fruit. I just sat back and drank my coffee.
"I still can't believe we locked her out," Diya said, shaking her head.
"Yeah, yeah. We're bad friends," I said, taking a sip of my coffee.
Aayush stretched, yawning. "So, who's giving Alia the flat key?"
I glanced at Diya, then at Sidharth, who was silently eating, completely uninterested in our conversation.
I smirked. "Sid will."
Sidharth raised an eyebrow but didn't look up from his plate. "I will?"
"Yes, you will," Hriday chimed in. "You're home today. You can just give it to her when she wakes up."
Aayush picked up the spare key from the table and tossed it to Sidharth, who caught it effortlessly.
Diya leaned back in my chair. "Let's just hope she doesn't kill us when she wakes up"
"She will. But we'll survive."I chuckled
"Great."Diya sighe
I woke up feeling warm and comfortable, completely wrapped up in the blanket. For a few seconds, I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, wondering what time it was.
I grabbed my phone from the bedside table and checked the timeâ12:07 PM.
Stretching lazily, I got up and walked toward the main door. As soon as I pulled the handle, I frowned. The door wouldn't budge.
I tried again and it is Locked.
I twisted the handle a few more times. Nothing.
Why am I sometimes locked outside and sometimes locked inside? What is even happening in my life?
Shaking my head, I pulled out my phone and called Aayush. He picked up after two rings.
"Alia, you finally woke up." He sounded amused.
"Why is your flat locked? I can't get out."
There was a pause. "Oh... yeah."
"What Oh yeah"I ask
"Uh..." Aayush sounded distracted, probably rubbing his eyes or something. "Oh, maybe he went out or something."
I blinked. "He? Who he?"
"Sidharth"He said
I froze. "Wait. What?"
"Yeah," he continued casually. "Since he had the day off, we told him to give you the key when you woke up."
I rubbed my temples. "And he just left? With the key?"
"Looks like it," Aayush said, yawning. "Don't worry, he'll probably be back soon."
"Also. We gave the flat key to Sidharth.Just wait for him to come back," Aayush said
"How about you cook something for yourself?" he suggested. "Maybe pasta. There's pasta in the shelf."
At the mention of pasta, my annoyance faded just a little. Pasta. My weakness.
"Fine," I muttered.
For a few minutes, I just sat there, scrolling through my phone, but my stomach grumbled, reminding me that I hadn't eaten anything since last night.
"Ugh, fine," I muttered, pushing myself off the sofa. "Let's make some pasta."
I made my way to the kitchen, opening the cabinets until I found the pasta Aayush had mentioned. I also grabbed some veggies, a little bit of cheese, and whatever sauces we had.
I quickly grabbed my phone and opened my playlist, scrolling until I found the perfect songâ"Greeku Veerudu."
Humming along, I swayed my hips, moving to the rhythm as I chopped some veggies. The song had such a fun beat that I completely forgot I was locked inside.
I twirled around, still dancing, and grabbed the salt. With a little dramatic flair, I sprinkled it into the pan and stirred everything together.
Turning slowly, my eyes widened as I saw a figure standing near the entrance.
It was him.
Sidharth.
I blinked, completely baffled.
He stood there, watching me with an unreadable expression.
CHAPTER AESTHETICS:
What do you all think about Alia and Sidharth?!
What are you thoughts about Sidharth?
Do y'all think Alia massive crush on Sid for so long is understandable cuz duh!ð He is amazing so is she thoð»
Ik Alia is a bit delusional but the good part she is aware of it
This is the longest chapter I have written. I hope you all really like it. Please vote, comment, and share your views on it. Feel free to express anything, whether it's positive or negative.
I'm looking forward to your feedback!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME!!!!!!!!ð¤
Thoda pyaar dedo na!!kya hojayegað
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