Chapter 2

-Rehanna-

@-Rehanna-

●Two● The Devil's Party

"So, are you going?"

"Home? No, not yet, I was thinking to set up a movie night for the kids first" frowning, she turned a little, "Why are you trying to get rid of me so quickly?"

Rolling her eyes back, Hailey clicked her tongue, "No, silly, are you going to the dance?"

"There's a dance?" Akshara's eyes popped open a little wider.

"Do you pay attention to ANYTHING that happens in this town?" Gaining a shrug in response, she shook her head in dismay. "The Devil's are having a welcome home party, I heard there will be a bit of matchmaking happening and a whole lot of dancing".

"Matchmaking? Isn't that a bit, oh, I don't know, weird?" It seemed all a bit too 1940's for her.

"Well, yes but Harshvardhan wants to find someone for his sons, maybe he'll be able to afford himself an alliance if the girl had Saint or Sinner blood" whistling lowly at her very lousy attempt to get the age old enmity to finally come to a halt, she blinked endearingly with an added pout for convincing.

"Pfft, me? Go to a party hosted by them? My Brother wouldn't even let me go to that side of town" holding her hand up, she span on her heel, "Wait a minute, are you trying to set me up?"

Noticing her very clear discontent, she narrowly avoided the question, "Just say you're staying at mine? Oh come on" Hailey nudged her, gaze imploring and a smile as slick as sin, "It'll be fun".

"The last time you said that, I ended up covered in custard and had to call my brother to pick us up from a party he had no idea I was going to" Akshara glared.

"That really was on you, I did say we'd get a taxi".

"We had no money, you decided to give it away to the busker who sang your favourite song" she huffed.

"Well we could have hitchhiked? And don't pretend like his voice wasn't as smooth as caramel" drifting off into a dreamy reimagination, she jumped when a stern voice shook her out of it.

"It was 3am and we were on an empty road, what were you hoping, that nice people drive around at that kind of time picking up strangers who convince their friends to go to weird parties that leave them looking like a dessert?"

"Urgh, fine" she threw her hands down, perhaps Akshara had a point. "Just come with me this once, you never know, you might enjoy yourself".

"Fine, but just this once and only because it's you".

And just like that, Hailey's grand matchmaking business had her first two clients; Akshara and Abhimanyu.

~~~

"I already told you" Abhimanyu seethed, "I am not marrying someone so you can prevent a war that you started, a treaty was in place" poking his Father's chest, he scowled, "It was YOU who broke the rules".

"Don't you understand? It's more than that!" Pinching the brim of his nose, Harshvardhan blew out his cheeks. "It's about lessening the bloodshed, it's about ensuring there's a plan for when I'm gone, IT'S ABOUT MAKING SURE I DON'T HAVE TO BURY MY SONS BEFORE THEY BURY ME".

"Don't" he warned, finger stiff in his face, "Don't you dare talk about our death like it would matter to you, the only thing you ever cared about was getting to the top" his voice cracked, "It didn't matter who's body you had to step on to get there".

Nostrils flaring and eyes as bloodshot as the blood that'd once covered his hands, he let out a growl. "You don't understand, you never have, no Father chooses to lose their son".

"No, but you chose to kill yours, there are many words to describe you" slinging his duffel over his shoulder, he held his stare, "Father is NOT one of them".

"ABHIMANYU" he roared, fists clenching as he watched his son storm out. Falling back into the shelf, he shoved his tongue into his cheek.

"Bro, Bro, wait" Neil gripped his shoulder, brown eyes soft and his smile even softer. "Please come tonight".

"I can't, Neil, I can't even bare to be around him".

"For me" he pled, "I promise I'll keep him busy, but don't let anyone think we're weaker because of our family issues, it's one night, please?"

Ruffling his hair, Abhimanyu nodded "You know I can't say no to you, but if he says anything then-".

"Then I'll help you leave from the back" he grinned mischievously.

~~~

Gripping the railing of the curved staircase, Abhimanyu shoved his hand with brute force through his messy waves. All the smiling faces, the fake jokes and pride in their eyes was nothing short of the biggest crime he'd ever witnessed, this wasn't grief, this wasn't how one mourned when they'd lost their own and this certainly wasn't how they should suffer for their sins. "It should have been me" he whispered into the air, hoping the wind would swallow it whole and grant him his wish by tipping him over the edge,"It wasn't your time, I should have died instead".

"You know," a gentle voice spoke from behind him, "We aren't born to die".

"Leave it" he warned, turning to walk past, he stopped, teetering on his heels at the cut on her throat that travelled down to her collar bone where sequins lined her breasts, tipping down into a long, cream coloured gown that hugged her hips. Swallowing harshly, he dragged his hand down his face.

Clearing her throat, she stepped forward. "I'm Akshara".

"Abhi" he turned back to look at the glittering crystals on the chandelier.

"People are always looking for some big purpose, like their life is only worth living if they fall in love, buy a house, get a dream job or have kids, but what if your purpose is smaller than that to you but bigger than that to someone else?" Joining him at the bannister, she sighed. "Maybe your purpose is just smiling at someone across the street, maybe it's making conversation with a bored stranger or..." she trailed off.

"Or?"

"Or saving her life".

Facing her, he hitched a brow "How'd you know?"

"I think I'd recognise that voice anywhere after last night" she laughed melodiously and as much as he hated to admit it, it was perhaps the nicest sound to ever bless his ears. "I had a candle in my room, large and tall, pink and white mixed together, I kept saying I'd save it for a special occasion but".

"But?" He spoke fast, almost as if he was on his knees begging to hear her say a few more words to drown out the voice yelling in his head.

"But I used it today, afterall, everything is temporary, Abhi" noticing how he clenched, she moved her hand closer to his; an inch away from holding it, an inch away from letting go. "If we keep waiting for something more special to come, we're telling ourselves that another day of us being alive isn't special enough, God forbid, what if that special day never comes? What if we never make it?"

"You're very wise for a girl that makes bad jokes" his brows wiggled.

"And you're awfully suicidal for a man that saved my life" she gazed at him pointedly.

"What are you even doing here? This is a Devil's party and you're certainly not a Devil".

"I'm not anything". Akshara pointed out into the crowd below, "I'm with Hailey, but I think she's too busy trying to get us free drinks from the bar, why are you here?"

"See that man over there, looks kind of like a sasta Sanjay Dutt? That's my fa-" he paused, correcting himself quickly, "Mentor".

Giggling into her hand, her eyes shone beneath the lights, a swirl of chocolate that only continued to captivate him in the essence that was Akshara Goenka. "Tum kya leke aaye the".

"Aur kya leke jaaoge" he completed, corner of his lips curling.