"STRAY AND PREY"

__________________________

I entered the cafè. It looked like a normal cafè in here. I moved further to see a middle-aged lady sitting behind the counter, headphones and and humming a tune.

Her eyes were closed, seemingly lost in the music. She must be the owner judging by her laid-back demeanor and nonchalant behavior at work. She was wearing a knee-lengthed floral sundress, a woolen shrug on top, glasses, and a few strands of her shoulder lengthed hair, which was white, pushed behind by a hair band matching her dress.

"Push me down, hold me down, spit in my mouth while you turn me on~"

She suddenly sung out aloud.

What the..?

"I wanna take your light inside~"

What's with the—nevermind.

No comments.

I cleared my throat as I made my way towards her.

"Excuse me?" I called out. But maybe she didn't hear me due to those headphones and with her eyes being closed.

"Dim me down, snuff me out~"

"Excuse me?" I tried again a little loudly this this time, hitting the table.

"Hands on my neck while you push it—"

"EXCUSE ME!"

She jerked up abruptly, opening her eyes, narrowing them as she looked at me. She surveyed me up and down. "What is it, hun, that you had to disturb my personal time like this?" She asked. Her tone was thin, sharp, and low-pitched.

"Isn't this an internet cafè?" I asked, not knowing where to start. It was a dumb question to start the conversation with.

"No, it's a dairy shop." The lady deadpanned, giving me a blank look.

"Huh?"

"Mai bahar itta mota board kyu lagaya? Obviously, it's an internet cafè, girl." She added later, with a scowl. Looks like someone was having a bad day.

[Why did I put up such a big board outside?]

"Sorry, I just thought—"

"Upstairs." She cut me off.

"Go to the first floor for internet cafe, in here it's just a cafè." She said, pointing towards the staircase, leading to the first floor. I mumbled a 'thanks' and quickly made my way up.

Pheww, I thought she'd eat me raw or grilled for lunch.

__________________________

The forest lay heavy with silence, disturbed only by the occasional crackle of dry leaves under leather boots and the low hum of static from police radios. Sunlight filtered sparsely through the twisted canopy above, casting long shadows on the forest floor where fallen branches and forgotten memories decayed alike.

A narrow trail, barely visible, led deeper into the woods, cordoned off now with thin yellow police tape fluttering against the wind — its black stenciled letters reading: CRIME SCENE – DO NOT CROSS.

Near a clearing, officers in khaki uniforms stood in a semi-circle, faces tense, batons slung behind them. A pair of constables guarded the perimeter, while Harsh, the senior inspector, stood there with a sweat-strained hat, and folded cross, examining the scene as Dhruv's team collected the remains and proofs from the surrounding area.

Crouched beside the corpse, Dhruv, in a white lab coat and gloves, gently dusted a nearby rock with fine powder, searching for prints. His face was calm and analytical — a contrast to the raw tension around him. A small kit lay open beside him: cotton swabs, evidence bags, and labeled vials, all carefully arranged.

"Blunt trauma to the skull," he murmured, almost to himself. "Possibly from that rock."

After examining, he stood up and walked towards Harsh. "Looking at the body now, I think the cause of death is either the impact on the skull or strangulation judging from the fingerprints on his neck. I'll be able to tell in detail when I examine the body in my lab."

Harsh nodded, looking at the body then at him. "Do you think..." he trailed off but made his implication clear.

"Most probably, yes. The fingerprints, the lack of clothing, internal bleeding in private parts, and the marks on the neck do suggest sexual violation." Dhruv said, confirming his doubt. His face was neutral, betraying no emotion, almost like he was used to extreme cases like this.

Harsh sighed, rubbing his forehead. "He was just an 18 year old, school going boy." He muttered, his voice heavy.

Dhruv blinked. "You better start finding who did this." He stated. His voice was calm—too calm, as if he's seen worse than this. Maybe he did. But you can't really compare crimes, can you?

Harsh nodded. His eyes reflected his determination to find the culprit and make sure he got the worst.

"I'll tell you more details and what we found when we examine him in the lab." Dhruv gave his shoulder a pat and went towards his car.

Dhruv made his way towards his laboratory. On the way there, there was only one thing on his mind, why did that boy have a tattoo that read 'STRAY' on the back of his neck? It looked fresh. Almost 4-5 days before. The writing was messy, not professional at all.

He didn't tell this to Harsh because he wasn't ure if it really mattered. Teenagers nowadays have weird tastes and preferences. Maybe he got it himself. Maybe not. Maybe someone purposefully engraved that on his neck. Maybe it was the killer.

There were too many maybes, and Dhruv didn't tell anyone anything unless and until he was 101% sure himself.

He took a turn, and his phone rang again. Harsh, again? Why was he calling him again? Dhruv picked up the call, putting it on speaker.

"Yes?" That's it.

His tone meant business. If it was for anything apart from business, then he was going to admit Harsh to the hospital himself.

"We found another body a little away from the spot. A girl. Teenager." Harsh said, his voice being firm and serious.

Dhruv frowned. This wasn’t exactly what he was expecting. Something was seriously wrong. He turned the steering wheel to take a U-turn. "I'm on my way."

...

As Dhruv examined the body, it was all the same. Every single thing about it was the same as the previous body he examined. The marks, the scratches, the fingerprints, every single thing.

He looked up at Harsh and nodded, confirming what they were thinking was right. These two cases were similar and connected closely.

Dhruv turned the body to examine its back. It was in the same condition as the rest of its body. But what caught his attention was the... tattoo. The tattoo on the back of her neck—the exact same spot—that read 'PREY' in the same messy writing.

That was the confirmation that these tattoos meant something.

They were the key feature of this case.

"Harsh," he called out to him, examining the tattoo. Harsh made his way towards Dhruv, hearing his call. "What? Did you find something?" He asked, looking at the body.

Dhruv nodded. "Yes. This. This tattoo." He showed Harsh the tattoo. Harsh frowned, looking at it carefully. Dhruv turned to look at Harsh. "I found a similar tattoo on the last body. Same spot. Same writing. The only difference was that the one on his body read 'STRAY', and the one on her body reads 'PREY'. I think these tattoos are the key."

Harsh nodded, thinking deeply. Before he could say anything, Dhruv continued, "And these tattoos look fresh. They are not old, almost as if 4-5 days old. It's too much for a coincidence to ignore."

"You're right." Harsh agreed. "A few hours ago, I sent the boy's pic to my team to search for him, and we found out that his name was Farhan Akhtar, 18, studied in DAS Inter Academy..." He trailed off, looking Dhruv to let his words sink in.

Dhruv's jaw clenched as realisation settled in. "That's Charvi's school." He stated, staring at zero, seemingly lost in thought.

Harsh inhaled sharply and nodded. "That's right. This boy he lived in a nuclear family. Hafiz Akhtar, his father, who was a senior manager in a bank. Ashra Akhtar, his mother, was a housemaker. He had a sister, Zoya Akhtar, who studied with him in the same school, class 11th. That's her." Harsh said, nodding towards the body of the girl.

"You mean they both siblings?" Dhruv asked, his expression changing for the first time. Harsh nodded heavily.

Silence.

Harsh exhaled. "Do you think the tattoos are just really a coindence? I mean, they are siblings. Maybe they went to the same artist and got them together." He stated his theory.

"I don't know, but my guts are telling me that this is not just a coincidence."

__________________________

Dhruv came back to his house at evening, to see his whole family sitting in the living room except for his dad. That wasn't surprising, though.

His Dadu was reading a book. Veer was doing something on his phone. His mom was knitting something. It was her hobby. Beside her, his grandmother, his sister, and the girl who had seemingly disrupted his thoughts were talking animatedly about something.

He shook his head and made his way towards his room, not wanting to disturb their evening.

(●~●)

Everyone were settled on the dining table, having their lunch. Dhruv cleared his throat and turned towards Charvi, who was sitting beside Meera.

"Charu," he called for her.

Charu looked at him, hearing his voice. "Yeah?"

"Take a few days off from school." He stated, making all the heads turn towards him. Charu's eyes widened in excitement and disbelief.

"Sacchi??" She beamed.

[Really??]

"But why, Dhruv?" Tarun asked in a serious tone. Dhruv looked at him and blinked, conveying that they'll talk later.

"It's just some stuff. I think even her school is going to be shut down for a few days." Dhruv replied, his voice being composed betraying no emotion.

"Iska sahi hai." Veer muttered under his breath to Yug, who was sitting beside him. Yug nodded, pouting. Even he wanted the holidays.

[Lucky her]

Charu had the biggest grin on her face. After all, this was the best news she'd heard in a while. Being in the 12th was exhausting, both mentally and physically.

"Iss bandariya ko toh dekho. Chehra kaise khil gya hai." Veer snickered. Charvi turned to glare at him. She kicked his foot underneath, making him wince. "Ow!"

[Look at this monkey. Her face brightened like a bulb]

Veer kicked her foot in return, but instead of her, Meera winced and turned to glare at him. "Tumhare pair ek jagah pe nhi tikte hai kya?" She hissed.

[Can't you keep your foot in one place, huh?]

Hearing Meera's voice, all heads turned towards Veer, who cursed his fate for being so generous towards him. "What happened, Meera?" Radha asked, glancing between her son and Meera.

"Ye hume table ke niche se pair mar rahe the." Veer's head snapped towards Meera dramatically. How upfront was this girl exactly? Was she trying to get him killed?

[He's hit my foot under the table]

"Did he, now?" Tarun's glare bored holes in Veer skull, who gulped and shrinked back in his chair. Before he could say something in his defence. Yug pulled his shirt and turned him towards himself.

"You hit Meeru?" He asked, accusing. His eyes were narrowed, and face scrunched, trying to glare at Veer but failing miserably.

Veer's jaw clenched. "I wasn’t hitiing her—but wait, Meeru?" He asked, srunching his face, giving Yug a weirded out look.

Yug cheeks flushed slightly, which wasn't unnoticed by anyone. Charvi chuckled discretely, chiming in between. "Yeah, so? Yug and I decided to call her that. What's it with you? Aap ye batao aapki himmat kaise huyi Meera ko marne ki? Pata nhi hai Atithi deva bhava?" She did her daily task to add refined oil on the already fuming blazes.

[How dare you hit Meera? Don’t you know that guests are treated like gods?]

"I wasn't —"

"Enough." Tarun's voice rang through the whole room, cutting him off. "Meet me in my study after dinner." He ordered, leaving no room for any further argument.

Veer shrank back in his seat, gritting his teeth. He glared at him, who glared back at him. It was as if they were cursing each other's lineage through their eyes. Their eye contact broke when Dhruv coughed rather loudly, gaining everyone's attention.

"Dhruv? Are you okay?" Radha asked, corcerned for her eldest child.

Dhruv, who was watching the exchange between the two with narrowed eyes, turned back to her nodding. "Yeah, um, I'm fine. Just a little sore throat, I guess." He gave her a reassuring look.

After dinner, everyone dispersed to their respectable rooms. It had been an hour since. The night was unweatherly chilly tonight, as if it was going to rain.

Charvi, who was in her room, looked at the weather outside. The chilling winds were calling her to engage with them. She grinned and texted him.

Charvi : Meet me on the terrace.

Two blue ticks and a thumbs-up emoji were all he got. But that was enough. She made her way out of her room, towards the terrace, humming. She was feeling too happy today.

Meanwhile,

Meera made her way downstairs towards the kitchen to fetch some water. After filling the water bottle, she made her way upstairs back to her room.

It was indeed a chilly night. She thought.

She was about to enter her room when she heard a noise coming from the second floor balcony. It was as if a metal crashed with steel. Why was—was someone trying to break in?!

"Thief!" Meera exclaimed, gasping.

If it was really a thief, Meera couldn't let him rob this family. She had to do something. Should I shout? Or call someone for help? But what if it's not really a thief and I'm just overthinking and misanalysising things? She thought.

Meera looked around for something, for self-defense. She should go check. If it is indeed a thief, then she might need something to fight him. Her eyes fell on a long candle stand, kept on one of the tables, she grabbed it, and went towards the balcony to check.

There he was!

A thief, indeed!

A dark figure standing on the edge of the balcony railing. It wasn't sure if he was trying to get in or out. But he looked shady enough, nonetheless, with a black jacket, face covered with the hood.

Meera narrowed her eyes and went from behind him caustiously and started hitting him with the candle stand. And boy, was she brutal. Meera kept hitting him recklessly, like her life mission was to beat him to plump tonight so much so he never thought about stealing ever again.

"Chor! Thief! Behaya kahi ke! Tumhe kya laga tha hum tumhe itni asani se yaha chori karne denge! Sharam nahi aati kisiki mehnaat ki kamayi lootte huye, huh?!" She gritted with clenched teeth, amisdst the beating, completely ignoring the man/thief's calls and yelps.

[Thief! Thief! Shameless! What did you think that we would let you steal here so easily! Don't you feel ashamed while plundering someone's hard earned money, huh?!]

Meera kept hitting him relentlessly, while the man kept groaning and trying to get her to stop. But figures, the Jat in Meera, was personally offended. His voice seemed familiar, but she ignored it. Every man sounds the same!

"WHAT THE HELL!!!!" The man screamed on top of his tongue. He had had enough of beating!

"Wah, Agra ke chor itne samajhdar ho gaye hai? Dekho toh angregi mein baat kar rahe hai!" Meera taunted, not wanting to listen to his any justification, she thought he would give.

[Wow, have the thieves of Agra become so smart? Look, they are talking in English!]

"Arghhhhh, pagal ladki, mai chor nhi hu!" The man yelled for his life. Meera scoffed at his audacity to lie in such an upfront situation.

[Arghhhhh, crazy girl, I am not a thief!]

"Chor nhi ho toh kya humare mausa lagte ho tum?" Meera asking, glaring at him, stopping momentarily, keeping her hands on her hips.

[If you are not a thief, then are you my uncle?]

"Jis ghar tum reh rahi ho uska dusra beta lagta hu mai! Gadhi!" Veer groaned, spitting the words out, barely holding up his aching body.

[I am the second son of the house where you are living! Idiot!]

Meera gasped, her eyes widening as Veer turned around, pulling the hood off his face, glaring at her. What did I do?! She mentally cursed herself.

"I—you—why were you stealing in your own house?" Meera asked, with narrowed eyes, coming out of her earlier shocked trance.

Veer's glare bore holes in her skull. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the stupidity of that question. "Why. Would. I. Steal. In. My. House?" He gritted out.

"How would I know that? Woh toh tum aur tumhare parmatma jane." Meera shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest, giving him a judging look.

[Only you and your God knows]

"I wasn’t stealing." Veer forced out the words. He had just stepped out of Tarun's study, mood foul, face twisted, eyes glaring at literally anything that came his way.

He was already annoyed when he got a text from Arnab telling him about an important race tonight. The sum was good, so he agreed. He was slipping out of the house as usual through his go-to-escape door—the balcony.

But then someone came and started hitting like him like a possessed woman!

"So, were we dancing on the railing in the middle of the night?" Meera sassed, raising an eyebrow.

Veer's jaw dropped. All the different emotions hit him at once—anger, disbelief, annoyance, frustration, irritation, and so on. "Tumse matlab? Mera ghar, mai jo chahe karu?" He retorted back.

[What's it with you? I'll do whatever I want]

Meera sighed, exaggerated. "Ha, ye bhi hai. Ab tumhara ghar, tumhari marzi... lekin aisa kya kar rahe the ki baata bhi nhi sakte?" She raised an eyebrow, leaning in conspiratorially, as if waiting to hear something scandalous.

[Yeah, that's true. You can do whatever you want, but... what exactly were you doing that you can't even tell me about it?]

Veer gasped, keeping both his hands over his mouth. "Chi, kitni gandi soch hai tumhari! You behaya aurat, sharam nhi aati kisi paraye purush se aise-aise sawal karte huye?" He blurted in disbelief and a hint of amusement.

[Ew, are you that dirty-minded? You shameless woman, aren't you ashamed to ask a man such violating questions?]

Meera's lips pressed in a thin lip. She was this, this close to smack his head on the wall ahead. "I didn't mean it that way, idiot!" She spat with gritted teeth.

"Then what did you mean, her highness?" He cocked.

"I meant like, you know, like, in a  hiding a dead body or something way. I meant it in that sense." Meera explained in her defense.

Veer gave her a nasty look that sounded something like 'Woman, are serious?' He sighed dranatically like a man free from the world's moh maya (worldly temptations).

"Aatmahatya kar raha tha mai." He deadpanned, giving her a blank look. His lips pressed in a thin line as he gave her a curt nod. "Iss ghar ke dusri manzil ke balcony se niche khud kar. You wanna join me?"

[I was committing suic*de / by jumping from the second floor balcony of this house]

Meera gave him a strange look and looked down from the balcony. She turned back to him. "Yaha se gir ke kon marega? Try something better. Anyway, hum bhi kiske muh lag rahe hai. Continue. Sorry to disturb your attempt." With that, she walked away, biting back a grin without waiting for his reply.

[Who dies after jumping from here? / why am I even talking to you?]

"Jo mera ye mar-mar ke haal kiya hai uski bharpaiyi kon karega?!!" She heard him hiss, calling out for her. But Meera, being the graceful queen she is walked away, royally ignoring him.

[Whose gonna pay for this damage you caused by hitting me with a bloody candle stand?!!]

Charvi, who had stepped out of her room to go to the terrace, humming happily, stepped downstairs. In her happy bubble, she didn't see her mother coming from front and almost almost collided with her.

"Dhyan se," Radha said in a stern tone. "Kaha ja rahi thi itna fudak-fudak ke, huh?" Radha asked, narrowing her eyes.

[Careful / where are you going at this hour, huh?]

"I was just..." She chuckled sheepishly, shrugging.

Radha shook her head at her daughter's antics. "Go give this to Dhruv. He said he had a sore throat. Go." Radha said, passing the cup of herbal tea to Charvi.

"Mummy, yaar, aap hi dedo na," Charvi whined. She had someone waiting for her on the terrace.

[Mummy, give it yourself,]

Radha gave her a stern look. "Not a word of protest. You've became lazy day-by-day. Go give it to your brother now." She said, leaving no room for argument.

Charu begrudgingly, took the cup and made her way towards Dhruv's room, grumbling. To her luck, she stumbled onto Meera who was coming from the second floor balcony.

Her voice shone in glea. She mentally thanked god for sending Meera in there at the right time. "Meeru didi!" She called out, walking towards her.

Meera turned, hearing her voice, and gave her a bright smile. Charvi quickly approached Meera. "Meeru, can you please do me a favor real quick?" She said hastily, in one breath.

Meera looked her amused by her hastiness. "Sure, what is it?" She asked.

A bright smile broke on Charu's face as she handed the cup over to Meera. "Please, give this to Dhruv bhaiya in his room. Okay, bye-bye."

Meera looked at wide-eyed. "What? Me? Lekin hum kaise..." She trailed off as Charvi dashed off without waiting for an answer from her.

[But how can I...]

______________________________________

I glanced at the crescent moon shining above me. Cold wind was blowing, caressing my hair, momentarily arousing goosegumps on my skin. It was indeed one chilly night. Just the kind she likes.

Speaking of her, where is my madamè? It's been 10 minutes since I was waiting here for her after I received her text. By that text, I could practically feel her excitement emitting from it.

About time, I heard soft footsteps coming from behind me. I didn't need to turn to see who it was. I knew it was her.

She came and flopped beside me on the swing. I glanced at her to see her, grinning up at me like a chesire cat who just got the secret of a lake full of milk.

Um, weird comparison, right?

"What's got you grinnning like that, madamè?" I asked turning to her side, raising an eyebrow. A small smile involuntarily graced my own face. Her smile was contagious, I can't help it.

"I've got us some really, really, really good news." She almost yelled, beaming with excitement and happiness.

"Yeah?" I asked, amused as well as curious.

"We won't have to go to school for a few days!" She beamed again.

Huh? What?

"What do you mean?" I asked, frowning. We won't have school? Why? How? "Who told you that?"

She shrugged. "Dhruv bhaiya did. He said to take a few days off from school, and also that the school is going to be closed for a few days, so we’ll get holidays automatically."

"He did?" I asked. Why would our school be closed down so suddenly? Did something happen or what?

"Yeah. Isn't that the best news you have ever heard?" Her happiness about the news was palpable. Of course. She's probably the biggest school hater I've seen in my life.

"But why?" I asked again.

She shrugged, shaking her head. "I don't know. He said we'll get to know tomorrow. By his tone, I knew he wasn't gonna tell me anything no matter how much I insisted. So, I dropped it and focused on the good news instead. I didn't want to ruin my good mood by getting a scolding from him."

I nodded. She took out her with a grin, I know too very well. She started typing out a message, I glanced to see the group chat name, 'Us Bro Us👾💀.' I cringed at the title. Guess who suggested that—our oh-so-dear Neil.

The fifth member of our 'gang.' As they like to call it.

"What are you texting?" It was 11:45. And I know all of those idiots were still awake and would probably respond in less than a minute after she sends that.

"Just benefiting by having a big brother." She replied, throwing her braid off her shoulder, winking conspiratorially.

I shot her a confused glance. She hit her forehead, overexagerated . Like she was so done with me. "Mujhe pehle pata chala na school band hone wali hai. Toh ab mai sabko bataungi ki kal school band hogi and Karan and Neel, being the idiots they are, would not believe it and hence, we'll end up having a bet, which I'd so obviously win. Pure 500 lungi dono se. Boom! Easy money, happy life, baby." She explained her top-tier plan, smirking.

[I found out before anyone else that the school’s going to be closed. So, I’m announcing it loud and clear—‘No school, people!’ And Karan and Neel, being the absolute idiots they are, won’t believe a word of it. Obviously, we’ll end up making a bet. And obviously, I’ll win. That’s a clean 500 from each of them. Easy money, happy life, baby]

She threw an arm over my shoulder, manspreading her legs, pulling off an smug expression. "Aur phir us paise se hum dono game zone jayenge." She winked at me.

[And then—with that money—we both are going to the game zone]

I chuckled despite myself. That was the most... ridiculous yet smart plan I've ever heard. "Aren't you a little genius in everything except academics?" I teased. My lips curled from the side.

"I'm just not a cramming idiot like 'em." She sassed.

"Does that ''em' include me too, madamè?" I mocked offense, turning in her direction, raising an eyebrow.

She clicked her tongue. "Nhi yaar, tu toh 4th idiot hai. Samajh ke padta hai. Jaise Baba Ranchod kehte the, success nhi consistency ke piche bhago. And bravo boy! That's exactly what you do." She patted my left forearm with the hand that was around my shoulder, smiling like she was honouring me with a noble price.

4th idiot.

I'd like to take that as a compliment nevermind.

"What a.. praise. Thank you, madamè." I mock bowed.

She giggled, and send the text. Suddenly, "Oye!" She beamed like a goldfish. What stupid crossed her mind this time?

"What's cooking in that head this time?" I asked, bored, not that this was anything new. Same stuff, same risk, same trouble, same way out, same us.

"We're having holidays. Let's hang out at someone's place one day. Waise bhi kitne din ho gaye hai hum sab school ke bahar nhi mile. What say?" She jumped on her seat enthusiastically.

"Yeah, no." I deadpanned.

"Whyyyyy??" She whined.

"Because we're in 12th, charu. Whose parents do you think will allow that, huh?" I explained.

"Ours?" She asked. Asked.

Like girl, think before you plan out stuff like that. But then again, her impulsive thoughts were stronger than her sanity.

"And whose gonna convince them and whose place?"

"Mine. Our parents won't say no if we're having a group study session, now would they?" She crossed her arms, giving me a knowing look.

I gave her a dead look. She scowled at me, without any actual bite. "Fine, let's take a poll on whatsapp, majority wins. Deal?" Without waiting for an answer she started making a poll to send.

Why does she even ask when we both know my answer is completely irrelevant? Chalni toh inn madamè ki hi hai. I sighed internally.

[It's go her way nonetheless]

She send the poll, letting out a breath of pure satisfaction. And mind you, the poll was something like:

If your girl wins the bet and we get holidays. Hang out. My place. What say?

○ Hell yeahhhhhh!!!🥳😘

○ Nah 🥲

○ If only Aadya comes🫠(exclusive for our simp aka Karan)

And within seconds, the first one was 99% and the third one was 1%. I think we all know that 1% is. "See, no one has any issue except for you." She said and showed me the texts.

Neil🧞‍♂️: Ye bhi koi puchne ki baat thi? You just had to name the place and time, sweetheart.

[What was the need to ask?]

Aadya🌸: I bet she send this because of Arjun.

Charu turned and gave me a knowing smug look. I sighed, shaking my head. What a bunch of crackheads! Inclucing myself.

Charu💅: You know me so well, babes😘.

She typed out, smirking.

Karan👽: I. Am. Not. A. Simp.😑

Neil🧞‍♂️& Charu💅: Oh, we knowwww😁!

Aadya🌸: Guys, can we not start this again?

Neil🧞‍♂️: My, my, look at that. Dear Aadya defending someone special, huh😏?

Aadya🌸: 😶

Karan👽: Just wait till I can get my hands on you.

Charu💅: Says the one, who's most probably blushing like a fool behind the screen🙄.

"Why do you always tease them?" I asked, nudging her.

"Because it's okay, ancient Arjun." She rolled her eyes. "Now, shh, let us play cupids."

Aadya🌸: Can we drop this and plan the potential hang out?

Karan👽: I agree👍.

Neil🧞‍♂️: Ofc, you do🙄.

Karan👽: 🔪

Charu💅: Alright, fellas. Let's see. Day after tomorrow. My place at 11am till 9pm. You'll all leave after dinner. And minds not, Veer bhaiya will drop you off. Cool?

Charu💅: And we all know that we're having a group study session and prof. Arjun's gonna teach us, right?

Prof. Arjun? Seriously? What am I their leverage to deal with their parents? If someday they found our study sessions are, the reputation and image, I formed in front of their parents is gonna down faster than wifi on hills.

Aadya🌸: Do we need to bring something?

Karan👽: Just 'You' is enough😊.

Neil🧞‍♂️: I smell spolied whipped cream, right charu?

Charu💅: Damn right😮‍💨.

Karan👽: 🖕

Charu💅: Iss saste SRK ko chodo. Behen dekhane ke liya do-chaar books le aana.

[Forget this discount-SRK. Just bring a couple of books to look convincing]

Aadya🌸:👍

Charu💅: and you two, don't Forget to bring my 500, got it?

Neil🧞‍♂️: Win the bet first🙄.

Charu💅: I already did😏.

Karan👽: Over confidence is bad for graphics.

Charu💅: Over confidence is fine when it comes from me💅.

Drama queen. Though, that statement was true. Everything is fine about her. Wait, what? Eh, no, not like that—nevermind.

For a fact, I know that hang out is gonna be a wild day indeed.

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Who's your favorite so far?

Send hearts to show your love for the characters.

Meera 🩷

Dhruv 🩶

Charvi 💛

Arjun 🩵

Veer 🧡

Suhana 💚

Dahlia (me🙃) ❤️

Let me tell you a little spoiler. The hang out is indeed gonna be wild ;)