Okay. Hi everyone. This is a bit spoilery. So, if you don't want to be spoiled, please don't read. It was inspired by the recent InstaReels of the actor playing Shaurya. Please don't be mislead by the title, it is not actually a fic on the bike ride. Okay. Bye.
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Jeet couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t believe that Hridhaan had lied. He couldn’t understand how a guy, how a person, like Hridhaan, could lie? Hridhaan was supposed to be the juxtaposition to Jeet. They were supposed to be complete opposites.
Hridhaan was the wanted golden child to Jeet’s unwanted misery for a lifetime.
Hridhaan was the bubbly smiles to Jeet’s sassy smirks.
Hridhaan was the perfect to Jeet’s imperfections.
Hridhaan was the marriage material to Jeet’s ruffianly misdemeanours.
Hridhaan was the legitimate to Jeet’s illegitimacy.
And yet, here they stood, with Hridhaan having lied to not one, but two important women in his life. Two women he loved the most in the world. Two women who meant the world to him.
And he had lied to both of them, but only one of them had figured out the truth and had wanted to protect Hridhaan and had in turn hurt the other woman he loved.
Hridhaan’s mother did not want Saumya as her daughter-in-law.
Shaurya had come, he had fought Jeet, he had tried to humiliate Jeet, and he had tried to humiliate Saumya. He had announced that he had seen Saumya and Jeet together, that he had evidence, of how Saumya and Jeet were together the night before, that someone had recorded them getting into a hotel room.
Jeet had scoffed.
Jeet wasn’t as stupid as to drink unattended drinks, he knew better than that. He only got drunk when he was in control of the situation. He only got drunk when he could be entirely defenceless.
Not at some club, specially not at a club where the girl that was the cause of all his recent discomforts was at a party with her fiancé, not at a place where he could create a scene.
Not at a place he had someone to protect.
Not where he was responsible for someone.
He had challenged, because he knew the only place Saumya and Jeet were together was the bike ride while he brought Saumya home.
The bike ride.
He backtracked. No. The evidence.
Shaurya had smirked and played the video, only, it wasn’t a video of Saumya and Jeet.
No.
It was Hridhaan.
But not only Hridhaan.
No.
It was Hridhaan and Reva.
He had turned to look at his Junior, scared how it would break her heart to find her fiancé with another woman booking into a hotel. He was terrified that she would be hurt, betrayed, and sad.
He was shocked to find the relief on her face.
Just for a split second, just for a moment, enough to be true, but not enough that Jeet hadn’t doubted himself.
His Junior was relieved that her fiancé was checking into a hotel with another woman.
Before they could react, her father was there, shaking, asking for explanations.
Saumya had backed away, her eyes on her phone, and Jeet hadn’t been able to look away.
She called the police. She had Shaurya arrested. She insisted that she would be at the police station to lodge the FIR.
She was so strong.
She was not heartbroken.
She was relieved.
When the dust had settled, they had entered the Mathur Niwas.
Hridhaan looked away from them, a guilt on his face, Reva stood beside him, proud and, dare he say, smug.
Jeet couldn’t understand what was wrong with these girls.
Both of them should be heartbroken, ashamed, guilty, but instead they were, what, relieved and smug?
Jeet felt like he had lost the plot.
Hridhaan was the first one to speak, and he was pleading, “Sumo. Uncle. This was all a trap. Kissi ne meri drink spike ki thi. They wanted this to happen. Shaurya wanted this to happen.”
Her father looked away from them, and Hridhaan’s mother interrupted, “Maaf kijiyega Bhai Sahab. Mujhe samajh nahi aa raha hai ki main aap se kiss muh se maafi maangu. Main aayi thi yaha, aap ke pass, Saumya-ka-Haath maangne. Mujhe nahi pata tha ki aisa ho jayega. I’m sorry. Hum log ko yaha se chale jaana chahiye.”
Hridhaan was shaken as he rebounded, “What do you mean hum log ko yaha se chale jaana chahiye? Uncle. Main ab bhi Sumo se Shaadi karna chahta hun. Main sirf Sumo se pyaar karta hun. Aur main yeh Shaadi nahi tutne dhunga.”
Saumya looked at her best friend, her eyes shocked. Jeet was too. How could Hridhaan still think that he could marry her? He had slept with someone. He wasn’t denying it. Reva wasn’t denying it. He still had the mind to marry someone?
Their father, Hridhaan’s and Jeet’s, took a stand, “AnoopJi. Hridhaan behki behki baatein kar raha hai. Obviously, yeh Shaadi abhi nahi ho sakti. Hridhaan ne---”
Anoop interrupted them, dropping the whole house into pin drop silence, “Kyun nahi ho sakti?”
The words were so strange, so unbelievable, that for a minute Jeet thought he had imagined them. But he knew he hadn’t. He knew because his Junior was looking at her father with a betrayal, one he had anticipated on her face much earlier. He knew because Reva was looking at Anoop Mathur with the smug expression totally wiped off her face. He knew because the Saxena family was speechless at Anoop Mathur’s question.
He knew because of the joy on Hridhaan’s face.
Madhu took a step forward, her hand landing on her husband’s face, “AnoopJi?”
Anoop shook off her hand, “Hridhaan ek acha ladka hai. Woh Saumya se pyaar karta hai. Uski family ne Saumya ko apna liya hai. Aur usne kaha toh sahi, ki yeh sab uski marzi ke bagair hua hai. Toh Shaadi todne ki koi wajah nahi hai.”
Krish stood then, furious, “Papa. Aap yeh kya keh rahe hai? Aap ko samajh aa raha hai, yaha sab ko lag raha hai ki Hridhaan ne Saumya ko cheat kiya hai.”
Anoop looked away, and defended, “Haan, par uski marzi ke bina. Ismein uski toh koi galti nahi hai naa. Aur waise bhi Hridhaan se achha Rishta nahi milega Saumya ko.”
Jeet couldn’t believe it. Jeet had always believed Anoop to be good father. A father that cared a tad bit more for society than the health of his own daughter, but a father that would do anything for his daughter.
Apparently, that anything included forgiving a cheating fiancé.
Saumya snorted. A bitter sound. A snort that turned into laughter. A laughter with tears in her eyes.
Jeet’s heart was breaking for his Junior.
Hridhaan took a step towards her, only for Jeet to block him. It was instinctive. He didn’t think. He didn’t look, but he knew that his Junior wanted to hide. Wanted a wall between the people she loved and her bitter self. He knew that she wouldn’t want anyone to look at her heart breaking.
So, he did what he always did. He stood by her.
Or in this case, he stood before her, letting her hide, letting her laugh, letting her cry.
Hridhaan glared at him, and he glared back.
Jeet scoffed, “Ghooro mat. Dur raho usse.”
Hridhaan took a deep breath and took a step forward, the rage Jeet had seen before present in his eyes, “Mujhe meri Sumo se baat karni hai.”
Jeet, never the one to back down, not unknowing that she needed time to gather her strength, took a step ahead and did what he did best, created a scene.
He laughed, “Pehle toh, woh abhi tak teri Sumo toh bani nahi hai. Aur upar se joh tune kaand kiya hai, uske baad woh kabhi teri Sumo banegi bhi nahi.”
He took another step closer to Hridhaan, intimidating, crowding him, even though he was a few inches shorter, he asked, mockingly, “Yeh Saxena Khaandan mein trend hai kya? Apni wife ko, mangetar ko, dhoka dena, unhe hurt karna, unki zindagi barbaad karna?”
Their father managed to separate them, before he looked at Jeet, “Bhulo mat, tum bhi Saxena hi ho.”
He clicked his tongue, stepping away from them, “Naa. Main koi Saxena Waxena nahi hun. Aaj tak Jeet ne apne naam ke baad Saxena naa lagaya hai, naa kabhi aage lagayega.”
He moved forward once again, grabbing Hridhaan’s collar, “Tu. Kya kiya tune. Pyaar karta hai naa Junior se. Arrey tere character ki guarantee li thi maine. Heera hai heera kaha that Doctor Sahab se. Kaha tha tujhse achha ladka nahi milega Junior ko. Aur tune yeh harkat ki?”
Hridhaan’s mother came to his defence, making Jeet drop Hridhaan’s collar by separating them, “Mere Hridhaan ke baare mein tum to kuch mat bolna. Ek toh Saumya ka sachh jaan ne ke baad bhi woh usse Shaadi karne ke liye tayaar hai, aur tum usse hi suna rahe ho.”
Jeet was struck. Was this what he was pushing his Junior into? Was this what was supposed to make her happy? Was Hridhaan the perfect guy for her? Was his family perfect for her?
“Toh kya,” he heard her, Saumya, ask, from behind him, her voice striking silence in the chaos, “---Hridhaan mujh par koi aisaan kar raha hai?”
She took a step around him, moving in front of him, “Bechaari Saumya,” she said, in the echo of the person who had hurt her, “---joh pehle kamzor thi, bechaari Saumya joh pehle dabbu thi. Bechaari Saumya, jisse uske Tauji, Sangeet Kumar Shri Roop Kumar Mathur ne bachpan mein galat tarike se chua hai. Bechaari Saumya, jisse apna sachh batane mein dus saal lag gaye. Bechaari Saumya, jisne apne Tauji ko arrest tab karwaaya jab unhone kissi ke jaan par humla karne ki koshish ki. Bechaari Saumya, jiske Papa uske liye uske saath toh khade hue, par kabhi saath nibha nahi paaye. Bechaari Saumya, joh apne Papa ke kehne par, Shaadi ke liye maan gayi, jab woh ladko se baat tak nahi kar sakti. Bechaari Saumya, jiske Papa uski Shaadi aise insaan se bhi karane ko tayaar hai jisne kissi aur ke saath sambandh bana diye hai. Bechaari Saumya, joh kabhi apne liye stand nahi leti. Bechaari Saumya, jisse humesha sahaare ki zarurat hai. Bechaari Saumya.”
She looked past Hridhaan at her father, and moved towards him, grabbing his arm, she pulled him with her to stand in front of Hridhaan, “Lijiye uska haath Papa, pakadiye uska haath.”
When he did as she asked, his anger palpable, she offered her own, “De dijiye mera haath Hridhaan ko. De dijiye mera haath ek aise insaan ko joh mujhse mera sachh jaan ne ke bawajood mujhse Shaadi karne ko tayaar hai. Isliye hi toh karwana chahte hai naa aap, Hridhaan se meri Shaadi. Hridhaan mujh se pyaar karta hai, theek hai, Hridhaan mujhe khush rakhega, theek hai. Hridhaan bahut achha ladka hai, theek hai. Hridhaan ne mujhe cheat kiya, theek hai. Hridhaan ki family kabhi mujhe accept nahi karegi, woh bhi theek hai. Hridhaan Saumya ka sachh jaanta hai, fir bhi, fir bhi woh usse Shaadi karna chahta hai, toh aap karwa dijiye meri Shaadi Hridhaan se.”
She was crying now, she was grieving now, all because of what her father wanted from her.
She wiped her tears with her sleeves, “Kya farak padhta hai main kya sochti hun, main kya chahti hun. De dijiye mera haath. Kar lungi Shaadi main ek aise insaan se joh itna mahaan hai ki mera sachh jaante hue bhi mujhse Shaadi kar lega. Main bhi thak gayi hun abhi. Aap par bhoj banke. Jeena seekh lungi unn logon ke saath, joh jeevan bhar yeh sochenge ke apne ghar ki bahu banakar unhone aap ki beti par aisaan kar liya hai.”
Hridhaan moved, and she moved back, “Sumo---”
“Mat kaho mujhe Sumo!”, she shouted.
She inhaled, “Mat bulao mujhe Sumo. Main nahi maan na chahti thi iss rishte ke liye Hridhaan. Kabhi nahi dekha tha maine tumhe unn nazaro se. Fir, achanak se, ek din, koi tumse apne pyaar ka izhaar kar raha hai, aur isse pehle tum khush ho sako, ke koi tumse bhi pyaar kar sakta hai, wohi insaan mere Papa ka reaction dekh kar uss baat ko nakaar deta hai, keh deta hai ki unhone kabhi mujhe uss nazar se nahi dekha hai. Isse pehle ki main uss baat ko samajh paau, accept kar paau, tum, joh mere bachpan ke dost ho, mujhse apne pyaar ka izhaar kar rahe ho, aur sab log khush ho jaate hai. Joh Papa uss insaan ki baat par itna gussa ho rahe the woh tumhari baat par khush ho rahe hai. Kyun?”
She looked at her father, “Kyun? Hridhaan ne jab kaha ke woh mujhse pyaar karta hai, tab aapko gussa nahi aaya? Tab aapko nahi laga ke koi ladka aapki beti ko aisi nazaron se dekh raha hai? Tab aapko nahi laga ke Hridhaan galat hai?”
She looked back at Jeet, and the anger on her face forced him to take a step back. She moved towards him, “Nahi thi meri. Iss Shaadi ke liye humesha se naa karna chahti thi main. Kissi aur ka I Love You zyaada mehatvapoorn tha uss din mere liye. Par nahi, usse toh akela rehna pasand, I, Me, Myself, My Priyu, My Baby.”
She turned away from him as he looked on, his mouth open but no words coming out of them, “Toh haan keh di maine. Mujhe nahi rehna akela jeevan bhar. Mujhe chahiye ek jeevan saathi. Poora hona chahti hun main jeevan mein. Haan toh karli maine, par samajh hi nahi paayi, ke Hridhaan ke saath adhuri kyun hun.”
She looked at her father, her eyes unable to contain her hurt, “Khush thi main. Bahut khush. Ki yeh Rishta mere kuch kiye bina hi toot raha hai. Ki mujhe aap ke pass aake yeh nahi kehna padhega ki main yeh Shaadi nahi kar sakti. Ki mujhe aap ke gusse, aap ke dard, ka kaaran nahi banna padhega. Par nahi. Aap ko meri khushi ki kabhi parwaah nahi rahi hai. Parwaah rahi hai toh meri izzat ki, mere sammaan ki, mere past ki. Par meri, kabhi nahi.”
Jeet couldn’t believe it. She wanted what now? She wanted his words to be true? She wanted him to love her? She wanted to love him?
She wanted him?
Saumya wanted Jeet?
No, never.
No one could ever want him.
No one except her family and Hridhaan knew what had happened that day. No one from the Saxena family could connect the dots that the other guy she was talking about was him. Saumya didn’t want him. She was most likely making an example out of him.
Yeah, that was what this was.
“Toh asal mein yeh baat hai.”, his thoughts were interrupted by Hridhaan’s mother.
She looked between him and Saumya and laughed, “Aakhir tumne prove kar hi diya ke tum apni Maa ke hi bete ho.”
Jeet was blindsided, she clarified at his confused expression, “Ek aise insaan ko apne jaal mein phasa diya joh pehle hi kissi aur ka hai? Mujhe nahi pata tha ke tumhari Maa ne tumhe yeh bhi sikhaya hai.”
Jeet was dumbfounded. They knew. They knew that Saumya had meant him. Everyone knew that the woman that was supposed to be marrying Hridhaan was happier at his confession than Hridhaan’s.
He opened his mouth, but closed it, speechless for once in his life. How could he defend himself when he was being blamed for someone else’s actions? How could he be responsible for what someone else felt for him?
Is this really how his mother had felt when thrown accusations because of his father? His father had been equally responsible, yet he didn’t actually suffer the consequences of his actions, nor did he ever defend his mother.
Was he left to the same fate as his mother?
His head turned as she scoffed.
She came in front of him, her straight hair a point of fixation for him, and looked at Neeta Saxena and answered her question with a question of her own, “Kya Sanjeev Uncle ne bhi Hridhaan ko apni mangetar par cheat karna sikhaya hai?”
A crack echoed through the air. Neeta had just slapped her. She had just taken a slap because of him.
Saumya Mathur, the girl afraid of confrontations, had stepped in front of him, asked a slap worthy question and received the slap it was worthy of.
He did not have the privilege to slap people older than him even if they asked him questions that burned him from inside.
She had just taken a slap he would’ve eventually taken had she not stepped in front of him and answered for him.
He would never suffer the fate of his mother.
She would never let him suffer the fate of his mother.
She chuckled, “Neeta Aunty, aap ko aisi baatein nahi puchni chahiye jinka jawwab sunkar aapko dukh ho.”
Neeta took a step towards her, a finger pointed at her, “Tum kuch nahi jaanti. Tumhe kya lagta hai, iss kal ke aaye Jeet ne tumse do chaar baatein kya share kar li, aur tumhe sab pata chal gaya?”
She snorted, “Jeet Sir? Aur mujhse baatein share karenge?”
She looked back at him, and he realised that he did. He shared himself the most when he is with her. She knew him the most he had allowed a non-related person to ever know him. She knew everything that mattered to him, she had done everything for everything that mattered to him.
She didn’t know that she mattered to him too.
How could she, when even he didn’t know how much she mattered to him.
She looked ahead and defended him, “Kaunsi baatein share karenge woh mere saath? Ke unke BapuJi ne apni wife pe unki Maa ke saath cheat kiya hai and iski wajah se sab unse nafrat karte hai? Yeh baat share nahi ki gayi hai Aunty, saamaanya gyaan hai. Aur kya share karenge woh mere saath? Ke unhe kitna bura lagta hai jab unhe naajaayaz keh kar nakaar diya jaata hai? I’m sorry Neeta Aunty, par do pal unki aankhon mein dekh ke samajh aa jaata hai ki unhe kitna bura lag raha hai.”
She gulped, “Arrey woh toh mujhse apna birthday tak share nahi karna chahte the. Baatein share karenge mere saath. Jeet Sir?”
She looked at her father then, “Aap kabhi nahi samjhenge, meri raahat, jab inhone kaha ki inhone kabhi mujhe uss nazar se nahi dekha. Par ek aur cheeze hai joh aap kabhi nahi samajh payenge, aur woh hai meri chaahat, ki yeh mujhe uss nazar se dekhle.”
She chuckled, turned to look at him, “Kimkartavyavimoodh. Dilemma. Iss baat se toh khush hun, ki aapne kabhi mujhe uss nazar se nahi dekha, kyunki shayad yeh main bardaasht nahi kar paati. Par iss baat se dukhi bhi hun, ki aapne kabhi mujhe uss nazariye se nahi dekha, kyunki ab yeh baat mujhe chubti hai.”
He looked at her, really looked at her, allowed himself to look at her, something he hadn’t ever let himself do. It was her that always caught his gaze. Her loneliness, her cowardice, her strength, her love for her family, her care for him.
Her.
But he never let it get to his head.
In hindsight, he should’ve realised how much he had begun to lean on her. How it wasn’t the Shakkar-ke-Parathey, but her who brought them to him that made his day sweet. How it wasn’t his Baby, but her concern over his Baby that warmed him from inside. How it wasn’t his talks with Nani, but his venting out at her that returned him to his calm state.
How it wasn’t being alone but being near her that made him feel content.
He couldn’t love her. He wasn’t allowed to.
He couldn’t tell her. He wasn’t supposed to.
She wasn’t telling him she loved him anyway, she was just telling him that she had liked listening to him confessing his love for her.
She wasn’t telling him she loved him, but she had before. She had.
When she had bled for his Baby.
When she had burned for his Nani.
When she had stood in front of him, taken a slap while defending him, and refused to back down when the vitriol he was used to was thrown his way again.
He met her gaze and looked away.
He noticed she didn’t.
He inhaled, and exhaled, “Dekho Junior---”
She interrupted him, “Jaanti hun Sir. Samajhti hun aapko. Aap kabhi kissi se pyaar nahi kar sakte. Aap ko akela rehna hi pasand hai. Aap ko jeevan saathi ki zaroorat nahi hai.”
She sighed as she looked away from him, straight at her father and, quiet decisively, continued, “Main Hridhaan se Shaadi nahi karungi. Agar kal raat ko kuch bhi nahi hua hota tab bhi main Hridhaan se Shaadi nahi karti. Main jaanti hun ki woh sachh jaanta hai, uski puri family sachh jaanti hai, par koi yeh sachh nahi jaanta ki main Hridhaan se nahi, kissi aur se pyaar karti hun. Isiliye, main kissi aur se Shaadi nahi kar sakti.”
She walked away, a vision in her yellow suit. She had her hair down again today, and it flowed. He couldn’t believe he was looking at her right now. In front of her ex-fiancé, his family, her family, their friends, but he couldn’t stop for the life of him.
He couldn’t even if he tried.
Last night, when she was with him, when he was with her, when they were together, on the bike, the bike ride, everything had changed. He finally realised now what his heart palpitations meant. The sweets, the Mann-ki-Bhookh, everything.
He was looking at her, he was allowing himself to look at her now, because he too was falling in love with her.
Jeet was jolted out of his revere by Hridhaan grabbing his collar this time.
Hridhaan was snarling at him, yet he couldn’t look away from the spot she had just left empty.
How could she be brave enough to say everything she had and not think of the repercussions? Her father was just standing there, defeated, her mother and aunt were huddled together, worried, and her brother had smug smile on his face.
He had known.
All of Krish’s words suddenly made sense now.
Krish’s panicked rush towards him made him realise he was about to be punched. He grabbed the fist coming at him urgently, before pushing Hridhaan away.
He was about to retaliate, an instinct at this point, but he was stopped by the other woman that had perplexed him.
Reva stood between them and shouted, “Stop it, you both.”
Hridhaan tried to walk around her, but she stopped him again, and yelled, “No, stop it. It wasn’t supposed to go this far. It was a prank.”
Those words confused the hell out of him, and Hridhaan too, it seemed.
Reva sighed, and explained, “Woh drink sachh mein Jeet ke liye hi thi. I wanted him drunk so that we could speed run his realisation of being in love with Saumya but then, pata nahi kaha se, uss Shaurya ne uss drink mein drugs mila diye. And Jeet ki jagah woh glass tumhe mil gaya and you were totally out of sorts. So, I checked you into a hotel room, but Krish found us. And he is studying to be a doctor, so he helped and I was home before midnight. So, nothing actually happened. Everyone needs to calm the f*ck down.”
She looked at Hridhaan’s mother and said, “Aunty, slapping Saumya was not cool. She wasn’t actually wrong. Galat Sanjeev Uncle ne kiya hai. And moreover, I didn’t even know what she’s gone through her life. Aur aap log aise usse disrespect kar rahe ho?”
She turned to face Saumya father, “Uncle, jiss ladki ne pehle hi bina apni marzi ke itna sab kuch saha hai, aap ussi se uski anatomy cheen rahe ho, woh bhi usse emotionally blackmail karke?”
She turned back to Hridhaan, “Hridhaan, I love you, I do. But you have to agree ke tum apne aap ko Saumya se zyaada samajhte ho. Ke tum yeh thinking rakhte ho ki tum uske saath joh bhi hua uske bawajood usse Shaadi karke, uspe aur uski family pe aisaan kar rahe ho. She doesn’t need that. She needs actual support. Support joh maine aaj tak sirf ek insaan ko usse dete dekha hai.”
She turned to him then, “Jeet, I’m sorry ki maine yeh sab tumhare liye plan kiya. But can’t you see how much you love her.”
Jeet was furious at her correct assumption, so he fought, “No. I can’t see. Reva, tumhe pata bhi hai tumne Junior ki life kitni mushkil kar di hai. Uske Papa---”
Reva shrieked in frustration, “Oh My God! I literally told you ki mera plan tumhe talli karke tumhe yeh realise karwana tha ki tum Saumya se pyaar karte ho aur tum uske liye hi worried ho. Can’t you not see how insane that is. Frankly, ek blind insaan ko bhi nazar aa jayega ki tum ek dusre se kitna pyaar karte ho.”
Krish snorted.
Jeet snapped his neck in the whiplash of the motion with which he turned to glare at Krish.
Krish cleared his throat, “Jeet Bro. Yaar. It’s funny.”
He looked at Krish, then at Reva, then at the rest of them, and he too had to walk away because of the insanity of it, he did, but not before he said one last thing, “Sab ke sab yaha paglait hogaye hai.”
He moved towards the exit of the house, determined to go away, only he didn’t realise she was coming inside at the speed of an express train, and she didn’t look like she would stop.
Jeet did. He stopped, stepped away and cleared the path for her, and she passed by him, without stopping, not one inch of their skin meeting.
Oh, but his heart sang.
He wanted her.
Oh, how he wanted her.
It was all because of the bike ride.
It was all because of the handhold.
It was all because of Dil Jeeto. Haath Pakadne Ka Haq Woh Khud Degi.
It was all because of her.
He inhaled the scent of her, hoping against hope, praying to the gods he hadn’t asked for anything in a long time, that she would stop, that she would stay, that she wouldn’t go.
And somewhere someone listened.
She stopped, the corner of her Dupatta stuck on of his bracelets.
He paused, unsure of what she would do. She turned, asked him to remove it wordlessly, and he did as she asked.
He tried, not even remotely wholeheartedly, to untie the corner that was stuck in his bracelet. He wanted her near him. He wanted to be near her.
They wouldn’t be allowed to in the near future.
He believed her father would lock her away.
He believed Jeet would lock himself away.
He hadn’t allowed himself to lock himself away yet.
Sooner rather than later, Jeet knew, his rational mind would win.
Just until then, he wanted to stay near her.
She sighed and moved towards him. He stopped breathing because of her proximity to him.
She took his hand, her fingers a soft tickle on his callused palms, electrocuting his already wildly beating heart. She tightened her hold on his hand, stabilizing it, while her other hand found the corner of the Dupatta that was stuck on his bracelet. Her fingers on his wrist were just as soft as the ones on his palm. He wanted to close his fist around the hand that held his.
Did she even know what she was doing to him?
He leaned down, cricking his neck, just to look at her. Her barely subdued smile, her eyes filled with mischief, and oh, she definitely knew what she was doing to him. This was bold.
Everyone could see them.
Everyone would realise that Saumya, who couldn’t touch anyone, was touching Jeet.
She looked up at him as she freed the corner of her Dupatta from his bracelets, a smirk on her face.
She was going to be the death of him.
He was flustered. He was incredibly flustered.
Just like during the bike ride, during the handhold, he shook her off.
He grumbled, “Sorry.”
If she let out a chuckle at his rushed departure, he did not let it get to his head.
If everyone heard Jeet utter the word he just did, it did not matter, it was basic manners.
If everyone witnessed how comfortable she was touching him, he didn’t really know what to do about it.
He was falling in love.
She already had.
It was The F*cking Bike Ride.
Bollywood
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