The moment Kirti fell onto Reyansh-
A faint ripping sound filled the air.
For a second, neither of them reacted.
But then Kirti's eyes widened in horror.
Her sharara... had torn slightly from the side of her chest. It was already a bit fitted, and now the fabric had given way, revealing a glimpse she immediately tried to hide.
Reyansh's gaze had instinctively fallen on her face at first-
But then... it shifted.
And stilled.
For a few seconds, he didn't say anything.
Kirti felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment. Panic rushed through her as she quickly pulled her dupatta up, covering herself as best as she could.
Before she could move away-
Reyansh spoke, his tone dry and slightly mocking.
"Planning to stay on top of me all day?"
("Aaj mere upar hi late rehne ka irada hai kya?")
Kirti's breath hitched.
She immediately stepped back, her head lowered, clutching her dupatta tightly.
Fear mixed with embarrassment.
But then-
She looked up.
And for a brief second... everything else faded.
His sharp features.
Those intense brown eyes.
And the small mole beneath them.
Recognition hit her instantly.
Yeh... wahi badtameez aadmi hai.
(This... is the same ill-mannered man.)
At the same time, Reyansh's expression changed too.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Yeh toh wahi NGO wali mannerless ladki hai...
(This is that mannerless NGO girl...)
A thought crossed his mind-
Did she hear anything?
His jaw tightened.
"Tum yahan kya kar rahi ho?" he snapped.
(What are you doing here?)
"In my house? Aise hi kisi ke ghar mein ghus jaati ho?"
(Do you just walk into people's houses like this?)
Kirti froze.
"And how much did you hear?" he added, his voice colder now.
Her fear doubled.
Words got stuck in her throat.
"Answer my fucking question, idiot."
Kirti flinched.
"I-I'm telling the truth..." she finally managed, her voice trembling. "Maine kuch nahi suna..."
(I didn't hear anything.)
"In fact, washroom ke andar bahar ki awaaz aati hi nahi hai... sach mein."
(In fact, you can't hear anything from outside when you're inside the washroom... really.)
She swallowed nervously.
"I work in the NGO... your family invited all of us. That's why I'm here. Aur main bas washroom ke liye aayi thi... mujhe nahi pata tha tum yahan hoge."
(I just came to use the washroom... I didn't know you'd be here.)
Her voice softened at the end.
Silence followed.
Reyansh studied her face for a moment.
Then-
"Hm." He exhaled lightly. "Accha hai agar nahi suna."
(Good if you didn't hear.)
"And if you did..." his tone dropped, dangerously calm, "then I'll make sure you end up exactly like the people I was talking about on that call. Samjhi na?"
(Understand?)
Kirti's fingers tightened around her dupatta.
"And now," he added impatiently, "are you going to keep standing here or leave?"
Leave?
She couldn't.
Not like this.
Not with her clothes like this.
And definitely not when her parents were outside.
Kirti stayed silent, her eyes lowered.
Reyansh frowned slightly.
His gaze drifted again... to the torn part of her outfit.
He clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed.
I don't care... he thought. But still... this looks bad.
Out loud, he said,
"If you want, I can arrange new clothes for you."
Then casually added, "Otherwise, go dance in these. I don't care."
Kirti looked up at him, surprised for a moment.
"Thank you... for asking," she said softly. "But if you're going out... can you just send my bag? Ya meri friend hogi-Naina naam hai-usse bhej dena."
(Or my friend will be there-her name is Naina-please send her.)
Reyansh gave a short nod.
"Oh. Okay. I'll see."
His tone was indifferent.
But his eyes lingered on her for a second longer-
As if trying to read something.
Before he turned away.
As soon as Reyansh stepped out of the room, the first person he spotted was Aarav.
"Oye, Aarav, listen," he said quickly. "Go ask someone from the NGO if there's a girl named Naina. Tell her to come to that room-her friend is calling her. Got it?"
Aarav raised his brows, a teasing grin spreading across his face.
"Ohhh bhaiii... you're calling a girl today?" he smirked. "I should probably check where the moon is rising from tonight."
Reyansh shot him an annoyed look.
"Just do what I told you. And keep your useless commentary to yourself."
Before Aarav could reply, Nisha walked up to them.
"Reyansh, come," she said firmly. "It's time for the engagement. And you haven't even properly greeted Miya's parents yet."
Reyansh nodded slightly and left with her without another word.
Aarav watched him go, shaking his head.
"Seriously... I'm only useful for these kinds of tasks, huh?" he muttered. "Now where do I even find this Naina..."
Just then, his eyes landed on Rakesh.
Perfect.
He walked up to him.
"Hey, the girl named Naina who works at the NGO-where can I find her?"
Rakesh looked slightly surprised but then pointed ahead.
"She's over there... with the kids."
Aarav followed his direction.
At first, he could only see her from the back.
But as he stepped closer-
Naina turned around.
And in that moment-
Aarav just stopped.
She was sitting with the children, feeding them, laughing softly. There was something so effortless about her... so warm.
He didn't even realize he was staring.
Until-
Naina noticed him.
She looked straight at him, raising an eyebrow.
"Excuse me?" she said. "Do you want to say something, or are you just going to keep staring? I already know I'm worth looking at... but still, say something."
Aarav blinked, then let out a small amused smile.
He stepped forward, extending his hand.
"By the way, I'm Aarav Malhotra. Nice to meet you."
Naina glanced at his hand, then shook it lightly.
"Oh... okay, nice. But do you need something?" she asked, a little unsure.
Aarav nodded.
"Yeah. Your friend is calling you. In that room. Seems a bit urgent."
Naina's expression changed instantly.
"What? Kirti?" she said quickly. "She wasn't around for so long-what happened? Where is she? Is she okay?"
Aarav chuckled softly.
"You're quite dramatic," he said. "Relax, she's fine. She just asked for you."
Naina made a slight face.
"Fine."
Without wasting another second, she got up quickly-
And rushed toward the room.
Aarav watched her go, that same faint smile still on his face.
"Interesting..." he murmured under his breath.
The moment Naina entered the room-
She froze.
Her eyes fell on Kirti... and shock instantly took over her face.
Kirti looked pale. Her expression was tense, almost frightened. And her clothes-
Naina's mind raced in seconds, jumping to the worst possibilities.
"Kirti! What happened?" she rushed toward her. "And your clothes-what is this? Tell me who did this, I swear I'll kill him!"
Hearing that, Kirti couldn't help but let out a small, helpless smile.
"Aree pagli..." she said softly. "Nothing like that happened."
Naina frowned, clearly not convinced.
"I told you na, this dress was tight," Kirti continued quickly. "So it just... tore."
Naina still looked at her suspiciously, but before she could question further-
Kirti grabbed her hand lightly.
"The problem is... I need to leave. Right now," she said, her voice dropping. "Anywhere is fine... but I just need to get out of here."
Naina's expression changed.
"I can't explain everything right now," Kirti added hurriedly. "Please... just help me get out quietly. I'll tell you everything later."
For a moment, Naina just looked at her.
Confused. Surprised.
But she understood one thing-
Kirti was serious.
"Okay," she said finally. "Wait here. I'll bring your bag."
Within minutes, Naina came back with Kirti's bag.
Carefully, making sure no one noticed, she led Kirti out of the room. They moved through the crowd quietly, avoiding attention, until they finally reached near the entrance.
As they were about to step outside-
Kirti stopped.
"You don't come," she said softly. "I'll go from here."
Naina frowned.
"Stay here... take care of the kids. And if Rakesh sir asks, just tell him I wasn't feeling well, okay?"
Naina sighed.
"Fine... but call me once you reach, okay? And share your live location too."
Kirti smiled faintly.
"Okay."
"And seriously," Naina added, pulling her into a quick hug, "if you're not okay, I'll come. Don't act strong all the time."
Kirti hugged her back, tighter this time.
"Thank you... for everything."
Naina pulled back, still worried.
"Take care. And I love you, okay?"
Kirti nodded softly.
"Love you too."
With that-
She turned...
And walked away.
____
Reyansh walked toward Miya's family, his expression calm and perfectly controlled.
"Hello, Uncle. Hello, Aunty," he greeted Rajesh and Rashmi politely. "I hope you didn't face any trouble while coming."
Rashmi gave a formal smile, while Rajesh nodded.
Reyansh's gaze then shifted to Miya.
She stood beside them...
Completely uninterested.
No excitement.
No nervous smile.
Nothing.
Just a blank, distant expression.
For a brief moment, Reyansh noticed it.
But before he could process it-
"Bhaiiii!" Riya's voice echoed.
"Come on, it's engagement time!" Ira added, grabbing his arm. "We need pictures with both of you!"
Without giving him a chance to refuse, they dragged him toward the stage.
---
The venue came alive.
Lights.
Cameras.
Soft music playing in the background.
Everyone looked excited. Happy.
Everyone-
Except the bride and the groom.
Miya stood still, barely reacting.
Reyansh, on the other hand, carried his usual composed mask.
Rings were exchanged.
Claps filled the space.
Congratulations followed.
Photos were clicked endlessly.
And just like that-
The engagement was done.
---
The moment everything ended, Reyansh stepped down from the stage and walked straight toward the drinks section.
He picked up a glass, taking a slow sip.
His face unreadable.
His mind... somewhere else.
"Wow, bro," Aarav's voice came from behind. "You're officially engaged now. I still can't believe this."
Reyansh didn't react much.
Instead, he asked casually,
"You sent her friend to the room?"
Aarav smirked.
"Yeah, I did. But you won't believe it-her friend is so dramatic."
Reyansh raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Oh?"
"Bro, within seconds she went full panic mode-'What happened? Where is she? Is she okay?' I swear, it felt like I walked into a movie scene."
Reyansh let out a faint smirk.
"Hmm."
Aarav continued, clearly entertained.
"But she's interesting though... not like the usual people here."
Reyansh didn't respond.
He just stared ahead, lost in thought.
For a second-
Kirti's face flashed in his mind.
Her scared eyes.
Her trembling voice.
And the way she tried to hide the tear in her dress.
His grip on the glass tightened slightly.
Did she really not hear anything...?
Aarav was still talking beside him-
Random things. Endless chatter.
But Reyansh-
He had already drifted away again.
Standing there...
Yet completely lost in his own world.
.
.
"Thank you so much for reading 🤍
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