A Date for Priyanka
Priyanka rummaged through her entire wardrobe to find the outfit that would be perfect for the Christmas ball. She had lehengas and shararas, salwar suits and dresses, but nothing that seemed to be fit for the occasion. Finally, after a lot of back and forth, she spotted a dress that left her elated. A pretty black dress, the perfect concoction of satin and lace. As Priyanka didn't favour revealing a lot of skin, the dress had a satin bodice, layered with lace extending to the sleeves, and a long skirt flowing to the ankles. She smiled, happy that she would look her best today.
"That is so beautiful!"
Priyanka looked up to see an awed Soumya walk into her room. "Thanks," she replied, the smile still lingering on her face.
"Are you wearing that to the ball?" Soumya queried.
Priyanka nodded, "What about you?"
"I might go for red," Soumya laughed. "Though I must say, your date is going to be mesmerized tonight!"
"Date?" Priyanka asked, confused.
"Of course! Didn't Rudr tell you that you're supposed to bring your date along?" Soumya asked her.
"That's the worst part about attending this ball," Priyanka muttered under her breath.
"Priyanka?"
"Yeah, he did."
"Great! So, who are you bringing along?" Soumya asked, the teasing evident in her tone.
The face of a certain arrogant ACP flashed before her eyes, but Priyanka pushed the thought aside. There was no way she was going to ask that insufferable man. Though if he asked, that was a different story.
Soumya was looking at her expectantly, so Priyanka decided to just be vague, "Let that be a surprise."
Soumya raised a brow at that and just said, "Nice," the stress on the 'I' a little too much.
Priyanka laughed. "What about you?"
"I'm going with Rehaan, of course. Neha is going with Dev, and Nisha with ACP Ranveer," replied Soumya, her words wiping the smile off Priyanka's face.
Soumya's cell buzzed and she excused herself, leaving a stunned Priyanka in her wake.
If she were honest with herself, Priyanka was hurt and annoyed. She had expected either Dev or the ACP to ask her to the ball, especially considering the fact that the duo had practically been competing with each other for her attention in the past few days whenever they were together. Priyanka could be naive but she wasn't blind. But now that both men had cast her aside in pursuit of prettier ladies, Priyanka was left with the onerous task of finding herself a date.
She sighed. Suddenly, she wasn't as enthusiastic about going to the ball anymore. She fell back on the bed and lay staring at the ceiling as her thoughts continued to stray. Sometimes, she truly hated the fact that she wasn't adept at social games. Striking up a conversation with a stranger was always a task to her. She always preferred to be at the sidelines during social events, automatically moving out of the radar of eligible men. Why couldn't she be like Rudr bhaiyya? Though barely two years apart, Rudr bhaiyya was a complete opposite of her. If he had to attend 10 different events during a day, he had the ability to get 10 different dates for each event. As exaggerated as it seemed, it was very much true.
"Prinku!"
"Rudr bhaiyya?" Priyanka sat up at the sound of her brother's voice.
"Prinku, Shivaay bhaiyya wants to know who are you coming to the ball with?" Rudr said as he walked into her room and sat beside her.
Priyanka was surprised at that. "Why?"
Rudr sighed, "I think he's worried you still haven't given up on Dev."
When Priyanka didn't respond, Rudr continued, "Is bhaiyya's fear justified?"
"I don't know, bhaiyya. I feel things are too complicated right now," she replied.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, concern lacing his tone.
She smiled. As roguishly mischievous her brother was, he still never failed to surprise her when it came to his responsibilities. He had his own twisted way of handling them, but he never shirked them. Something not many people knew about him.
"Once I have it all clear in my head," she replied.
"Ever the secretive brat," he teased, while she responded with a laugh.
"So who are you finally bringing to the ball?"
Priyanka bit her lip, unsure how to respond. Rudr narrowed his eyes. "You don't have a date," he guessed, to her dismay.
She nodded her head.
"Prinku, you are Rudr Singh Oberoi's sister! How can you not have a date?" he asked with mock horror.
"Um, because I'm not Rudr Singh Oberoi?" She replied. That earned her a disapproving look from Rudr before he broke into laughter.
"Don't worry, Prinku. You don't have to force yourself. Just come and have fun. You have three brothers, after all, so you won't really have a dearth of dance partners," he said with a wink.
After Rudr left, Priyanka thought about the whole thing again. She didn't want to give the party a miss, but neither did she want to turn up without a date and feel pitied by the arrogant Dev or the insufferable ACP. If only she knew someone who she could ask to the ball. And then, like a bolt out of the blue, she knew!
***