HEY! Wow, you guys are just... ^_^ Yeah 21 reviews...so this is incredible. Even if my life is as hectic as the actual guys in CID I have to keep sending you updates, yes Aditi I can never let you guys down! I just want to tell you all how much I appreciate the reviews and SO much. Every single one gives me a massive grin. Hope you enjoy the rest of the story! I have lots of plans for all the twists and turns.. Anyways enjoy enjoy!

Once Daya had retrieved the ice cube from where Abhijeet had so mercilessly slid it down his back, he sat back down with the most thunderous look on his face. I tried to catch his eye, but he never even glanced in my direction. Trying not to make it obvious, I let out a disheartened sigh. Then, I reigned myself in. I couldn't be disappointed about it. I couldn't let myself get wrapped up in everything. If everything went to plan I would be sleeping with him in approximately eight to ten hours. If everything went to plan in approximately twelve hours I would walk out of his life forever as if nothing had happened. It was obvious that he liked me, so that was it, step one accomplished.

So why didn't I feel any better about it?

If I could have slapped myself around the face without looking like a complete loony I would have done so.

Nakul and I tried to pick up the tab at Pizza Hut, forward the receipt to our boss Sanjay and get a refund, but the guys were having none of it.

"Ap log pay kyu karoge? Hum itne bhi garib nehi ki apne guests ko pay karne de!," chuckled Kavin, "Hum pay kar sakte hai!"

"Ap log wese kitne amir ho?" asked Nakul, sidling up to Kavin, trailing his finger over Kavin's leather jacket around his biceps. Kavin exaggerated a cough. Mera Nakul kabhi nehi sudhera.

He didn't give an answer, just tapped the side of his nose with a sly look. Yeah, they were loaded, anyone with two brain cells to rub together could have worked that one out. Everywhere they go they always end up donating to child care centre or sponsoring orphans. At an average of about 10 to 20 lakhs is not that much of a problem for them, individually.

Next on our port-o-call was the cinema, Abhijeet's choice of activity for the day. We bought our tickets and went to the food stand of the cinema, seeing as we were a healthy thirty minutes early for the showing. I got a small coke and popcorn, which would have been enough to settle me. I wasn't that hungry anyway, we'd just come from lunch.

On the other hand, from looking at what the duos bought themselves you would have thought we'd been starving them for weeks. Daya especially, with jumbo popcorn and large drink. He could only hold the popcorn properly it was that big.

"Seriously," gaped Nakul, "Kitna khate ho? Yeh sab jata kaha hai?"

Daya grinned and looked at his long legs, pretty impressive might I add with that popcorn precariously perched in his speciality in kicking doors. Long legs …. Don't even go there Jhanvi.
"Shayad mere diet ke wajah se me group ka sabse tallest hu."

Even Abhijeet was sceptical.
"Par agar tu yeh sab khaiga," he commented, "Fat jaiga kisi din firse."

"Firse?" Nakul and I asked simultaneously. A fat Daya was just something that was impossible to picture in the mind's eye.

"Main tab bimar tha!" Daya hissed through clenched teeth shooting Abhijeet a glare far harsher than I thought he deserved. Abhijeet was obviously still annoyed about his interruption earlier. Tarika observed the same and started giggling.

"Daya ko tang karna band karo Abhijeet!" she nudged Abhijeet. He just shrugged.

I'll not bore you with the minute details of the film. Right from the start I knew that it wasn't going to my film but none the less it wasn't a complete waste of two hours. Abhijeet chose it. It was Abhijeet right down to the core from what I could decipher from my few hours of acquaintance. The movie consisted of nothing but fast cars, big explosions, and very scantily clad women. Not exactly my kind of movie. I like soppy films where the main character dies at the end and everyone comes out of the cinema depressed. Yes, I'm weird but, hey, if you haven't worked that one out you're a bit remedial.

Being an early showing the cinema was virtually empty, so we all sat in the back row to take the advantage of an unhindered view. Thanks to Nakul, the seating order was arranged in my favour, I was sitting beside Daya. How did we manage that? Well Nakul suggested that I ask him a question as we were walking into the cinema so as we would still be talking when we sat down, meaning it wouldn't look too obvious when I parked beside him. Okay it was a little awkward trying to start up a conversation after our round of foot feel-you-up but it was one of those things I had to do. It was about his training, where he learnt such nice martial moves and then what shampoo he uses. A pretty neutral topic I thought. The only reason my hair was more than average today was because I'd swiped some of Nakul's designer product this morning in the shower. Usually he would have killed me, but seeing as he hadn't mentioned it when I guess today's situation came first.

About half way through the film Daya abandoned his mutant bucket of popcorn, sliding it under the seat in front with an innocent whistle that made me laugh. He hadn't even made a reasonable dent in it, even with the food fight we'd all had waiting for the movie to start. I was almost sure there was popcorn down my bra from that but I thought it weird to check in a public place.

About three quarters of the way through the movie Nakul leant over and began to whisper.
"Usse puch kya ho raha movie me, bol use tujhe samjhme nehi arha! It'll make him feel important."

I marvelled at how easy he seemed to be making things. It was as if he had read and memorised the seduction tips and tricks book. It was clear that he had done this before. True, he'd had more than a few boyfriends in the two years that I'd known him but I didn't think he'd be as proficient at this manipulation business. At that moment, I felt a little sorry for all of his ex's. God knows what mind games he'd been playing with them.

I turned to face Daya, and I just had to smile. His dark eyes were fixed on the screen, the light and the shadows flickering on his perfect face. A dig in the ribs from Nakul reminded me that I couldn't watch him forever, although I was convinced nothing would make me happier than that, but we were on a tight schedule. No rest for the wicked.

"Daya ji?" I whispered.

"Mm?" he murmured, turning his face around, looking me dead in the eyes. I willed my brain not to completely shut down. Even in the dark he was still amazingly handsome.

"Erm… I'm not sure what's going on… Shayad meri ankh lag gayi thi."
I hoped that he wouldn't think me some kind of idiot. The plot was painfully simple, possibly another reason Abhijeet had chosen it. He struck me as the kind of person who wouldn't want to watch a movie that would require in depth thought. To my relief, Daya smiled.

"It's okay, jab Abhijeet movie chose karta hai to sab so jate hai!" he chuckled quietly. He angled his body towards mine in his seat and continued to explain what was going on in a whisper so as not to bother the others.
"…and now they're racing each other us larki ho churane ke liye but the guy in the red car doesn't know ki gari ka break fail hai so he'll crash when he goes above 150 kilometres an hour."

He paused, giving me another one of those small smiles that would give even a heart of stone butterflies.
"Samjhi?" he asked.

I returned the smile.
"Bhot ache se."

"Good," he breathed, so quiet I almost didn't catch it. I could see his eyes flit about in the light, half his face in shadows. But he wasn't looking at the screen. He was looking at me. My heart gave a jolt as my groggy brain made the blindingly obvious connection anyone else would have made way before now.

He was going to kiss me.

Overdrive doesn't even begin describe the state my body had gone into. What do I do? What if I forget what to do? What if my breath stinks? What if he thinks I'm a really bad kisser? He must have kissed many girls? Hasn't he? Sweaty palms, faltering breath, a heart beating so hard it felt as though it was going to break my ribs. I felt like I was fourteen again, sitting in a tree house with the boy next door. I was a grown woman, I had done this before. I had done a hell of a lot more than this before, so why did I feel like this?

Thinking time was over as I felt him move closer, ever so slowly, cautiously, as if the slightest movement from me in the wrong direction would be merited as a rejection.

Close enough now, I could feel his warm breath. I took one last glance into his eyes before closing mine and bracing myself for what would either be the best, most satisfying and euphoric kiss to date, or the single worst, embarrassing and career shattering moments of my life.

"Daya woh dekh?" cried Abhijeet, whooping at something on the screen.

The moment was shattered as Daya groaned, almost painfully, and turned away.
"Kya?" he hissed venomously.

"Yaar, tune miss kar diya, kitna acha scene tha!" Abhijeet said offhandedly, as if it hadn't really mattered as he placed another piece of popcorn in his mouth. Daya gripped the arm rests of the maroon cinema seats as he restrained himself from what I guessed had the potential to be fratricide.

For me, it was like a big balloon in my chest had been deflated, leaving me feeling hollow and empty. Then I had another one of those 'get a grip woman' moments where I had to reach inside my head to slap myself, metaphorically of course. If I got this worked up over a kiss… I didn't want to think about it. I couldn't get attached… I just couldn't get attached.

Nakul placed a reassuring hand over mine and squeezed a little.
"It's okay, it's not over yet," he whispered, trying to encourage me, "Himmat mat har! He has interest in you!"
I didn't know why I found that so funny, but I did. I giggled silently for the remainder of the movie. That had to go down in writing somewhere, Nakul had probably spent the duration of the movie thinking that alliteration up.

'He has interest in you!'

God I hope so.