Chapter 17
"aaaaaahhhhhhh!!! No no….i'm drowning!!! No no!!!" maithili shouted from the pool.
"stop it!! Stop it! stop kicking me!!" adi spluttered… "just enough!! I said stop!! You're not drowning god dammit!! You can stand up here!!! The water only comes up to your chest!!!"
Maithili suddenly stopped kicking and stood up in the water. Adi was right the water only came up to her waist "oh…" she replied sheepishly. Adi cocked up his eyebrow and turned to leave but she held his hand back… "uh…ummm…can you please help me…"
Adi smirked and nodded.
Tannu swam round the pool with bharat behind her. He didn't like it one bit that there were many boys of the same age as tannu in the pool and that too staring at her.
Tannu would randomly stop and look behind only to find bharat shamelessly flirting with every other girl in the pool. She would sigh, roll her eyes and continue with her laps.
Pranay and mallishka were no-where to be seen, in fact they were at the restaurant on the other side of the hotel.
Adi held maithili's waist and pulled her close to him. Both looked into each other's eyes. She was lost in his soft hazel eyes and he was lost in her sharp raven eyes. He took a deep breath in and lowered himself down into the water. She, unable to tear away from his gaze, too lowered her head into the water.
Both were completely under water and were still looking at each other.
After 15 seconds he lounged to the surface and she followed. "what was that all about?" she directed the question at him but felt as if she had questioned herself.
"to…umm…see if you can open your eyes under water, be…because I'm gonna teach you to swim with your head underwater.
"oh…" was all maithili could say.
A: hold me…Maihtili gave him a weird look
I mean my shoulders…she frowned at him with confusion
for support…oohhh
She followed his orders and rested her hands on his shoulders.
"now lift up your body…"
"huh!!!???"
"I mean, let it float in the water…"
"okkkkey…"
Maithili started kicking in the water as instructed by adi. She seemed to enjoy digging her nails into his chest and watch him wince in pain, the best thing about it all was that adi wouldn't complain and continue to instruct her. She laughed after the whole experience was over and she and adi were out of the water
She looked at his bare chest and saw her nail marks. She gasped and pulled him down onto a chair. "adi!!!" she whined… "you could have told me to stop!!"
"stop what??" adi asked looking confused…. "uff!! You should have told me it hurt you, me digging my nails into you!!"
"ooohhh…that…well, I thought it was because you were afraid…not because you enjoyed doing it!!"
Maithili's eyes were moist, she felt hollow inside…how could I have done this to you… she questioned herself. She abruptly got up and turned around… "thanks.." she murmured without even looking at adi and ran off.
"weird…" was all adi could say
After changing, maithili and tannu decided to go to the restaurant along with adi and Bharat since they had not seen Pranay or Mallishka anywhere.
All four sat on a table and began ordering their food.
Bharat ordered so much food that tannu's eyes blew open in shock. "umm…bharat…can you actually eat all that food?"
Bharat looked offended… "of course I can…I just had a very tiring swim and I'm hungry"
Tannu snorted "ya sure…80% of the time you flirted with girls and the rest of the time you bugged me…"
"ooohhhh jealous I see…" bharat teased tannu. She frowned and raised her eyebrow, but before she could reply maithili gasped.
"aah! Look!!!" maithili pointed to a table where pranay and mallishka were sitting at and eating food.
"OMG!!!! Drama queen!!!! What happened!!!???" Adi mocked her.
Maithili glared at him and kicked him under the table, but heard a yelp from bharat.
"jeez!! Di!!!! Watch whom you're kicking!!!" tannu laughed as bharat winced in pain.
"anyway…what's the big….WHAT!!!!" adi started his sentence coolly but shouted as he saw pranay caressing mallishka's hand
"exactly What I was trying to say…" maithili seethed.
Tannu and bharat followed adi and maithili to pranay and mallishka's table. As soon as pranay saw adi, his face grew pale… "he he…adi…" he laughed nervously
"mallishka smiled nervously at maithili who looked at her with squint eyes.
A lot of yelling was heard from room 203. Passers by would look curiously at the door wondering what went on inside.
"HOW!!!! I mean WHY!!!"
"WHY??? What do you mean why??"
"I mean why her!! She was like your enemy!!! Remember we made a pact last year!!"
Flashback
Adi, maithili, Pranay and mallishka were sitting at a table with prem-shruti and shikhar-mayuri standing up.
P: look kids…your marriage…what I mean to say is…
S: oh prem just say it!
P; well, let me take my time!! He whispered
Shruti sighed and rolled her eyes.
S: maithili, mallishka, what your father wants to say is that we both want you to get married…
Maithili looked shocked and mallishka looked scandalized. Adi and pranay burst out laughing.
"this is exactly what you deserve chipkalli!!" said adi
Shikhar whacked adi's head…and maithili laughed now.
"oww…dad what was that for??"
"for calling your wife-to-be a lizard"
shikhar's words shocked adi.
"dd…dad…you…you really don't mean that!!" Adi stuttered. "me..and this..this thing!! Can't get married!!"
Maihtili got up from her seat and coldly spoke to adi… "Mr. VIKRAM ADITYA MEHRA I do not want to get married to a cockroach like you anyway!!"
Saying so she stomped upstairs to her room
P :ok….that didn't go too well…so umm mallishka beta…we have better hopes for you…
Mall: dad puhlease! You can't be thinking of getting me married to this toad conveniently named PRANAY!!!
Saying so mallishka too stormed off.
Shruti frowned "how can these four hate each other so much!!"
Upstairs all four of them paced their rooms.
"I WON'T BE MARRYING YOU!! EVEN IF MY LIFE DEPENDED ON IT!!" Mallishka yelled across the balcony to pranay
"AND I WOULD'NT WANT A WITCH OF A WIFE LIKE YOU EVER!!!"
pranay yelled back.
Maithili and adi yelled similar phrases at each other and al four promised each other that under no circumstances would they marry each other
Present
"I know!!! Pranay yelled! I know adi I promised, but I really like mallishka now and ..and maybe i…love her."
Mallishka turned to pranay in shock… "you…w..what???"
"see mallishka…I know its not the best place, but I think I love you!"
"you..you can't decide that in a couple of hours!!!" mallishka spoke
P: yes..i know…but I have always loved you…ever since childhood, I just used to fight with you because it used to be fun to see you all angry, I used to be confused as to why I felt this way about you and so all my confusion used to vent out into hatred for you…but now I know…I love you mallishka!
Mallishka smiled and hugged pranay… "I love you too pranay!"
Maithili and adi rolled their eyes… "now what!!!" adi spoke
Mai: you broke the promise!!
Mall: so???
Mai: remember what mom-dad said after we promised each other…
Flashback
S: this is stupid maithili!!! Adi is such a nice boy!!
M: no mom!! I can't..i mean I've hated him all my life and now you want me to love him!!!
Mall: me and maithili, adi and pranay all promised each other that we would never fall in love or marry each other! So no marriage!!
S: girls!! This is stupid!!
Shikhar too was shouting at adi and pranay to try to convince them to marry mallishka and maithili.
The four parents gathered and spoke to their four children.
Shruti and mayuri nodded at each other
S: beta we've decide not to force you into things..
The children sighed and rested back
M: but!!!
Adi "oh no..i don't like the sound of that.."
M: but…if any two of you fall in love….then the other two have to marry as well…deal..?
The four kids looked unsure and nervous.
Mayuri and shruti smirked at each other and the kids looked confused.
"deal…" adi finally said
