"What will you have my lady?" Arush asked teasing her. Aarchi rolled her eyes as both of them roamed around the hall greeting everyone.

"Arush" Vihaan called Arush and Aarchi.

"Hey, you look gorgeous" Aarchi said noticing that Vihaan did gift his date the dress she picked.

"I know. After all he gifted me" The girl replied rudely and clanged onto Vihaan. Aarchi looked up at Vihaan confused at the behavior.

"She's my date, Rishika" Vihaan introduced his date. Rishika held her hand out for Arush to kiss instead he turned it and shook it, holding her gaze.

"Bitch name for bitch person" Arush whispered in Aarchi's ear, making her glare at him.

"We'll see you guys later" Vihaan pulled Rishika with him.

"Going to be quite the night" Arush said observing the way Rishika held Vihaan's hand but her gaze was something else.

"I bet she won't last even an hour" Aarchi said looking at Vihaan and Rishika and then at Arush.

"45 minutes" Arush said looking at her.

"What are you betting?" She asked curiously.

"Until next week, I'll be your chauffer" Arush said turning around and placing his drink on the counter. Aarchi raised her eyebrows impressed by what he was betting.

"I'll put you into good graces of Tanya" Aarchi said placing her one hand on to the counter.

"Deal" Both of them shook each other's hand and placed a timer on their phone.

"May the best win" Aarchi said gulping down his drink and walking to the dance floor.

"Dance?" She asked smiling.

"Yupp" Arush followed her laughing at her antics. Aarchi and Arush were lost in their own world unknown to a pair of eyes that was fixated on Arush's hand on Aarchi's waist. Unable to watch more of it, Vihaan pushed himself off the table and walked to the dance floor.

"May I?" He shouted laced his hand on Arush's shoulder and asked for a dance with Aarchi.

"By all means but don't you have a date yourself to dance with?" Arush asked genuinely but shut up seeing Vihaan's glare. He bowed down to Aarchi and walked away but not before pointing at his watch and showing her that he won since it was exactly 1 hour and 1 minute before Vihaan left his date on the table they were dining at.

Aarchi rolled her eyes at Arush and placed her hand in Vihaan's.

"I'm never going to date" Vihaan confessed as they danced in a sync.

"Realized that long time back but didn't know you were so patient to handle for for straight 1 hour and 1 minute. Couldn't you have walked away before, at least I wouldn't have lost my bet to Arush" She looked at him angrily with a pout.

"You guys bet on me?" He looked at her amused.

"Well... What can I say?" She twirled holding his finger and then stabilized herself by placing her hand on his shoulder.

"We are quite in sync with each other"  Vihaan said noticing that she matched his quick steps easily.

"We are" Aarchi said noticing their dance for a while and agreeing with him.

"Why were you so shocked at the gate?" Vihaan asked remembering her shocked face from earlier.

"When tsked you sounded exactly like my Henry Cavil. Not everyone can bring out the British accent with such ease. Henry's voice is like Cadbury Dairy Milk silk but in dark chocolate flavour with infused mint. I was shocked because I thought that Henry was there infront of me" Aarchi said with a dreamy look that made her look exactly like a fairy in her beige dress and soft curls. Vihaan couldn't help but stare at the sight.

"Now that I am reminded of chocolate I want to eat chocolate, do you like chocolates?" She asked Vihaan pulling him out of his reverie. He shook his head refusing her making her gasp and look at him astounded.

"Guess your wife is going to be lucky in the matter of not sharing chocolates then. She'll have all her chocolates to herself, lucky her" Aarchi shrugged her shoulder and looked at Vihaan.

"How do you find good in a bad situation? I want that talent" Vihaan said jealous of how she managed to see the good in bad.

"It's a gift not everyone can get but just because god is nice he pairs 2 people who are opposite so they can share each other's gifts" She replied smiling.

"You have a way of talking" He said smiling.

"Aab aage?" She asked worriedly thinking of the further balls they had to attend.

"No idea" He said shrugging his shoulder.

"I'll keep my search in progress until we don't find you a nice date" She said determined.

3 months later

"Intehaa hogayi intezaar ki, aayi na kuch khabar mere yaar ki" Aarchi sang as she swirled the glass of water and checked the time on her watch, shifting her gaze to the door. Aarchi and Vihaan both sat at the table waiting for Vihaan's date to come who had successfully ditched them.

"This was a bad idea" Vihaan said finishing his glass of whiskey.

"Indeed. At this point just date me" Aarchi said huffing out in frustration seeing the pile of the rejected candidates increase with passing time and the list of potential candidates left in a small thin pile. Vihaan choked on his drink as he stared at Aarchi's defeated look. He pretended as if he never heard her and shifted in his chair wondering of what would happen if it were to happen.

___________

Next day

"Bhootnath dekhe?" Aarchi asked throwing a popcorn in her mouth.

"Yupp"

"It was my favourite movie as a child. I'd sit with nanu and dadu and watch that movie on repeat and you know what the fun part was, I'd sit in between them and they'll feed me. Those were the days" Aarchi said smiling dreamily.

"That movie is everyone's childhood" Vihaan said following her out.Aarchi sat between Arush and Vihaan, with each having a popcorn bowl in their hands and their lower bodies covered in big blanket.

Aarchi snuggled into Arush's arm when the sad scene came making Vihaan angry at her action. He immediately stood up making a lame excuse and walked to his room pulling his hair in frustration of not knowing why he was behaving as if he had a right to be jealous of that. 

She's nothing but just a friend.

'Is she really just a friend?' His mind asked him making him throw his pillow onto the floor.

'You like her' His mind rebutted.

"I don't" He argued with himself.

'Which colour kurti did she wear yesterday?'

"Pink chikankari kurti with white leggings"

'What is her comfort food but is not her favourite food?'

"Corn palak sabzi with piping hot garlic naan which in fact is her favourite food but she doesn't agree because she thinks that she is supposed to have a fancy food as her favourite food" He replied to himself smiling remembering the number of times she has ordered the same order in the last three months.

'Her favourite current song?'

"Soulmate but only the Arijit's part, rest she fast forwards"

'One item she can't live without?'

"Her watch. She's obsessed with watches"

'What makes you get out of the bed every morning'

"The hope of seeing her in the hospital" As soon as the realization hit him he punched the wall in ecstasy and immediately cried out in pain.

"FUCK ME!!!!! I am in LOVE" He looked at the mirror from where he sat and smiled like a man who just solved First World Problems.

"FUCK FUCK FUCK!! Owww" Vihaan again punched the wall forgetting the consequences of punching the wall with a bare hand.

"Vihaan..." Aarchi entered his room without knocking and looked at the dishelved room and Vihaan holding his fist. It didn't take her long to make up the story of what happened for him to leave the movie and end up sitting on floor holding his fist.

"That..." Aarchi looked at the ceiling feeling the warmth creep on her cheeks. Vihaan stood up shaking his hand so the pain reduces.

"Same pinch" Aarchi said and tried to run away but Vihaan stopped her by holding her hand.

"What same pinch?" He looked at her confused.

"Same pinch for whatever it was that made you lunch the wall" She said shyly and ran away from his room.

"Oh god no, fuck god why me?" He understood what she was implying at and soon his happiness turned into dread. He ran his hands over his face and cussed at his fate.

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