A/N: Um, so this was definitely supposed to be longer, but then I decided to just split it up anyway. I'll just leave the 10k+ words chapters to FILWRS. Honestly, if I didn't split it up, I just know that I would've taken over a year to get this one chapter done because I clearly don't how to function as a human being even as a 21-year-old. Happy reading!
As agreed upon - more like caved because Sharon is fucking terrifying- everyone met up at Sharon's house in just under an hour.
Except for Vicky and Nilesh who were exactly three minutes and forty-two seconds late according to Sharon.
"Alright, so now that everyone is finally here," Sharon declared, narrowing her eyes at Nilesh and Vicky, hoping to heat vision them to death right then and there, "we can get on-"
Sharon huffed when she heard her phone ring, completely derailing her train of thought and therefore her plans. Grumbling as she took her phone out of her purse, ready to go off at whoever was on the other end, a smile finally graced her face for the first time in days when she saw who was calling.
"Hey Kiara!" she exclaimed, giddy as can be, causing everyone around her to let out a sigh of relief, thanking the heavens above for the creation of one Kiara Rai Prakash.
"Hi Sharon! I hope I'm not bothering you, I know you have midterms and how tense you get about your study schedule-"
"Kiara, relax! Midterms have been pushed back, so I have no plans to study as of yet."
"Oh! Well, actually that's kind of perfect. I'm not going to be in Mumbai until next weekend anyway."
"What, why?"
There's a protective edge in Sharon's voice, urgent and agitated, one that they all know much too well. Simmi and Rey shared a knowing glance before signalling for the others to give her a little space.
"Look, Shar, I know I was supposed to move in next week, but my label is insisting that I get as much work done as I possibly can before I start at St. Louis."
"Your label or your mother?"
"Sharon, it's fine-"
"No, it's not-" Sharon managed to stop from completely blowing up at her cousin when she felt Simmi gently squeeze her shoulder. Counting down from six in her head, Sharon let out a deep breath before continuing.
"Kiki," she heard Kiara sigh at the use of her childhood nickname, "do you need me to talk to your mom? Or maybe my dad could-"
"Shar, it's really not necessary. I can handle my mother."
A jibe of "no you can't" hung on the tip of Sharon's tongue, but she chose to ignore it. Instead, she informed her cousin that she'll be staying at their family's farmhouse with her friends if Kiara needed her.
"Um, what do you mean you're going to the farmhouse? It's still being renovated."
"What?!"
"Yeah, some leakage issue or whatever. Plus, there's also the broken windows from the last time your friends were there."
"Don't remind me," Sharon groaned, thanking her cousin before hanging up and then turning back to her friends.
"Bad news, guys."
"How bad?" asked Vishaka, raising an eyebrow.
"The my-farmhouse-is being-renovated-I'm-so-sorry-I-didn't-know kind of bad," she replied meekly, sending an apologetic glance everyone's way.
"What the hell Sharon-" Rey began to yell, but stopped immediately when he felt Simmi dig her claws-for-nails into his arm. He whipped his head to the side, only to be met with a deadly glare, one that would have even Sharon beaming with pride, which clearly said 'if you finish that sentence Reyansh Sinhania I swear to god you will not live to see the stars tonight so zip it'. Rey sighed in defeat, but not before mumbling something about how being friends with girls is literal hell on Earth.
"So what now, oh fearless leader?" Nilesh piped up.
Right before Sharon could reply, they all heard a familiar voice yelling in the distance, tensing up as it gets closer and closer because none of them would ever want to end up on the receiving end of that.
"Varun, what the hell?!" Taani shouted, stomping towards the gang with as much dramatic flair as her chunky combat boots would allow. "I swear this always happens when we decide to use your car for anything-"
"Then why do you even decide-"
"Because your car is the only one that's available. I knew I should've just walked the 170 miles!"
"Um, hey guys," Amar called out awkwardly, trying to gain their attention.
Swayam, who looked as though he would start to cry right then and there, dropped his bags and leaped into Amar's arms when he spotted him, yelling "Save me!" at the top of his lungs.
Taani and Varun immediately re-directed their furious glares towards Swayam, that insufferable traitor.
"So, what's your unfortunate story?" asked Neha, completely ignoring Swayam's theatrics because at this point she's practically immune.
"Someone, I won't say who - Varun - forgot to fill up their tank properly," Taani hissed, gritting her teeth.
"Classic Varun!" Vishaka muttered, sending Taani a sympathetic smile because yes, she wants to set Taani's hair on fire, but once again she has to be on Team Taani - it's the principle of the thing really.
"Anyway," Varun cut in, because the last thing he needs is Taani and Vishaka teaming up against him, "were you guys going somewhere?"
"Well, we thought that we were going to Sharon's farmhouse, but apparently it's being renovated," explained Rey, grinding his teeth together into a tight smile, flinching when Simmi pinched his side.
Taani's scowl suddenly formed into that classic Taani Desai smile that never fails to make Rey's heart skip a beat.
"I have an idea if you're all up for it!"
"This oughta be good," Vishaka sniped, because she can't actually be nice to Taani for more than five seconds.
"Shut up, Vishaka!" Vicky yelled, losing the last bit of patience that he had kept on reserve to tolerate Vishaka and her nonsense specifically.
"Taani," Neha linked her arm with Taani's while addressing her, "tell us what you were going to say!"
"Well, I was thinking that if you guys wanted to just get out of the city, you're more than welcome to stay at our farmhouse."
"Of course!" Varun was quick to nod in agreement. "The more the merrier, right Swayam?"
"Yeah, sure, why not?" Swayam mumbled, wincing as Varun's pointy-ass elbows try their best to break his ribs; Varun's way of saying 'get your shit together, you're being rude as fuck'.
"Okay!" Taani finally blurted out. "Since Varun's stupid car is useless, we can catch a ride with you guys, and your plans are only slightly affected rather than completely ruined."
The gang, original inventors of telepathy, glanced around at each other before Rinni asked, "Where exactly is your farmhouse?"
"It's in Surat," Varun replied, "so it should be around a four-hour drive."
"Four-hour drive huh?" Rey wondered out loud, completely ignoring the fact that all eyes were on him.
"Guys, he's just trying to rethink who should go into which car," Taani told them, as though simply stating the obvious.
"Oh," Nilesh began, ready to tease the hell out of Taani as he rests his elbow on her shoulder, "and how exactly do you know that?"
"Arre- I mean- voh-" Taani sputtered, widening the smirk on Nil's face.
"Haan Taani, batao," Neha added from her other side, mentally hi-5ing Nil as they shared a knowing glance.
"Guys," Taani somehow managed to escape from the cage that Neha and Nilesh had trapped her in, "I'm his AGS, we work together all the time!"
Just about everyone either snorted or rolled their eyes at that, even Varun.
Rey finally turned his attention back to his friends and declared, "Vicky, you brought your car, so you can take Nilesh, Bharat and Amar with you. Sharon, you can take Vishaka, Simmi and Rinni, which means that Swayam, Varun, Taani and Neha will be in my car because as we all know by now, it is basically a van. Got it?"
"Sir yes sir!" Bharat exclaimed, sending a mock salute Rey's way.
Sharon hopes that Bharat thanks his lucky stars he won't be in a car with Rey for four hours after whatever that was. She then turned to Varun and said, "Varun, if you want, you can leave your car here at my place while we're away. I could even ask Kaka to go get the tank filled so you can pick it up when we come back."
"Yeah, sure, that sounds great! Thank you, Sharon." Seeing the curious glance that the girl in question sent his way, Varun smiled and added, "I'm good with names and I catch on fast."
Swayam couldn't help roll his eyes at the exchange, swiftly making his way to the passenger seat of Rey's car and slamming the door shut with all his might.
"For his sake, I hope that my car is okay," Rey joked.
"For his sake, I hope that it's not," Taani quipped, causing them both to double over in a fit of giggles.
"You are both such dorks, get in the car!" Neha scolded playfully as Varun stifled a laugh, trailing behind her.
Once Rey's car had left, Vicky and Sharon's followed his lead.
When they all arrived at the farmhouse, the first thing Taani noted was, "Looks like Alina's already here," as she pointed to the bright yellow 1969 GTO Judge that was already in the driveway.
"Who's Alina?" Nilesh is the first to ask, not bothering in the slightest to hide the excitement on his face.
"My little sister," Varun gritted out, glaring at him.
"Shut up, Varun," Taani groaned, "she's only a year younger than you and she is very, very single."
Nilesh has never been happier to have Taani in his life. Forget Vicky and the others because clearly, Taani was made to be the perfect wing-woman.
"Haan, shaadi hi karade tu meri behen ki, yahi baaki reh gaya tha!"
Swayam lightly flicked Varun's forehead. "Chup re."
Varun could only whine as they all headed inside.
The minute they stepped inside the house, they heard a girl scream "Bhai!" at the top of her lungs before lunging at Varun, nearly knocking him over. Once Varun let her go and her feet were firmly planted on the ground, her hair floated perfectly onto her colourful dandelion-covered shoulders, as though Varun hadn't just taken her on a mini-spinning teacup ride like two seconds ago.
"Missed you asshole," she declared with a genuine smile on her face.
"I missed you too, Angel." Varun pulled her cheeks for good measure because no amount of sunshine smiles would help her get away with calling her brother an asshole.
"By the way, yeh sab…" she trailed off, gesturing towards the gang, sending a ferocious glare Vishaka's way in the process.
Nilesh was obviously the first one to approach her. Etching a bright smile onto his, Nilesh brought his hand forward and introduced himself à la Raj from DDLJ, which made Alina brighten up instantly. She freed a hand from the back pocket of her Pokemon shorts with every intention of shaking his and introducing herself - because he's the perfect balance of charming and dorky - but nooooooo, her brother just had to butt in like he always does.
"This is Alina, my little sister, remember?" Varun hissed, glaring daggers at Nilesh, causing both him and Alina to let out identical sighs of defeat as they lowered their hands.
Taani sent a glare of her own Varun's way as she gently pats Nilesh on the shoulder.
Simmi and Swayam, on the other hand, made absolutely zero effort to hide their triumphant chuckles, completely ignoring the disapproving glances that Sharon and Taani sent their way because seeing Nilesh squirm like that was worth it.
Once Swayam finally got all of his laughs out of his system, he quickly made his way to his best-friend, enveloping her into a tight hug, clearly unaware of the fact that if it got any tighter then Sharon would most definitely explode.
"Hey Romeo," Alina finally breathed out, now that Swayam has stopped cutting off the circulation to her everything.
Swayam smiled down widely at Alina, clearly unwilling to let her go, so Taani had to do it for him before Sharon ground her teeth to dust.
"Stop trying to kill my best friend," Taani decreed as she plucked Swayam's arm off of Alina's shoulder.
"Thanks, Ish," Alina said, leaning into Taani, "I knew I missed you the most for a reason."
"Liar," Taani whispered into her ear, unnoticed by everyone, except for Sharon who had the ears of a bat apparently, "you missed bhai the most."
Alina turned slightly pink at the statement, furiously glowering at Taani, which made Sharon want to throw something - like that extremely expensive vase that she knew even her parents would barely be able to afford - but balling her hands into fists would have to do.
"Hey, remember us?" Vishaka's voice rang out.
"I'm trying not to," Swayam muttered under his breath, earning another blow to his ribs, this time courtesy of Taani.
"Excuse him," they all turned around to find an all of five foot nothing girl - despite what her sky-high wedges want you to believe - walking over to them with two others in tow, "he never learned his manners. Hi, I'm Anju."
"Also known as Shortie!" Varun thought that it was a spectacular idea to add.
"Mittal, I will drop-kick you into the freaking sun, do not test me."
"She's kidding."
"I'm not."
"Juju, calm down," Taani insisted with those big round eyes of hers, giving Anju no choice but to concede. Once Taani saw that Anju was not going to slaughter Varun, much to both Vishaka and Nilesh's dismay, she decided to introduce the gang to everyone else.
"So guys, meet Shruti," the girl in the purple dress smiled kindly as she waved hello, "and Arjun."
"My little brother!" Anju made a point to add.
Arjun rolled his eyes. "By four minutes, let it go!"
"Never." Anju let out a grin that would have even a shark seething with jealousy.
"You know," Rey finally spoke up, "I have twin cousins who constantly have this exact same argument-"
"See-"
"-except they're eight years old."
Arjun and Varun both let out ear-splitting squawks of laughter, Anju's offended gasp not helping whatsoever.
"I like this guy!" exclaimed Arjun.
"I know, isn't he great? I can't believe Swayam is friends with him!"
"Wait, don't tell me this is Swayam's best friend!" Arjun snapped his head towards Rey. "Dude, are you Rey?"
Rey could only nod in confirmation.
Noticing the utterly gobsmacked look on Arjun's face, Varun assured him, "Yeah, I know, I was shocked too."
Suddenly, both boys felt their ears being twisted by none other than Taani of course.
"You assholes better leave my brother alone!"
"Oye, Jhansi ki Rani," Varun grunted, "bachpan ki tarah teri manmani nahi chalne wali!"
A wide smile overtook Taani's face, eerily similar to that of the Joker's, causing just about everyone to take a few steps back and think about how nice it was to know Varun and Arjun, may they rest in peace.
"Just because you outgrew me doesn't mean that I can't still kick your ass." When neither Varun nor Arjun said another word, Taani twisted harder and added with a hiss, "Say it!"
The boys sighed, now wishing they'd just kept their mouths shut in the first place, fuming at the fact that Swayam was in hysterics behind Taani. "Just because we outgrew you doesn't mean that you can't still kick our ass."
Finally satisfied, Taani let go of the boys and introduced them to the gang, hoping that the team didn't notice the frowns that had overtaken her friends' faces when she got to Vishaka.
"By the way," Shruti piped up, "yeh last-minute plan…"
"Varun ki gaadi-" Taani and Swayam didn't even need to finish their sentence before their friends let out knowing groans.
"Well, I hope that you have some magical solution as to how you're going to fit seventeen people in here, oh great Wicked Witch of the East," Arjun remarked.
"First of all, fuck you," Taani said, her psychotically cheery smile unwilling to leave her face any time soon. "Second of all, we have nine bedrooms. Well, technically ten, but Nani's room has always been off-limits. Anyway, even if everyone pairs up, someone still gets a room all to themselves."
"Yeah, about that," Anju cut in nervously. "Turns out, your mom is having her room redecorated, again."
Taani only gave Anju a blank look in return. "You have got to be kidding me."
"She's your mother."
Arjun regrets his words as soon as they slip from his mouth, partly because of the murderous glares he received from his friends and Vishaka, but mostly due to the brief, barely-there-for-even-so-much-as-a-second quiver of Taani's lower lip. Before Arjun can get a word in, Taani's face morphed back into that bright, bubbly smile of hers that can brighten anyone's day, although just about everyone in the room could tell that her smile didn't quite meet her eyes as it always did.
"Well, clearly I'm the only one that can solve the simplest of problems around here!" Taani threw her arms up in the air in frustration as her eyes began to dart around the room.
Noticing the curious stares that everyone else was sending her way, Rey said, "Guys, she's just trying to figure out who should go into which room," as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Acha Rey," Simmi spoke in a tone that immediately set off sirens in Rey's head, "since when are you an expert in all things Taani Desai?"
"What-"
"Haan!" Vicky threw an arm around his neck, practically choking him. "She's been here for what, barely two months? And yet you seem to know her so well."
"Come on yaar guys!" Rey shouted, somehow managing to break free from Vicky's death grip despite how rattled he was. "She's my AGS and I'm her GS, bas."
Watching as Rey unconsciously moved closer towards Taani, Vishaka finally spoke. "Now do you see why I am the way that I am?"
"Arre, isse acha toh 'just friends' hi bol deta!" Alina hissed, shaking her head in utter disappointment, earning a snort of approval from Nilesh.
"Got it!" Taani squealed, whirling back around to face her friends. "The rule is that guests are not allowed in the parents' or Indu di's room, and as mentioned before, Nani and Maa's rooms are unavailable. So in that case, Al," Alina glanced up at Taani, "I'm gonna' stick you and Shruti in Indu di's room. Varun, you'll share your parents' room with Rey, sound good?"
Varun and Rey exchanged knowing glances before nodding yes. What were they gonna do, say no to Taani?
"Great! So bhai, you'll be in Masa and Masi's room with Juno. Amar and Bharat are usually in Varun's room whenever they stay here anyway, so that's where they'll be."
The gang turned to the two Weakling boys in question, who merely shrugged at the puzzled looks on their friends' faces.
"Vicky and Nilesh are gonna' be in bhai's room," Swayam's face immediately flew into sheer panic, "and you didn't hear this from me, but all of his embarrassing childhood memorabilia resides in the trunk at the back of his massive closet, which is literally the size of our apartment."
"I have no sister!" Swayam growled, only for Taani to laugh maniacally in response.
"Ignoring my brother's dramatic ass as we usually do, Neha and Vishaka, I'm putting you in Alina's room," Taani briefly whipped her head towards her best friend, who provided her with a reassuring nod, "so that means Simmi and Rinni will be in the guest room. Sharon, I hope you're okay sharing a room with me and Anju?"
"Of course!"
"Ha, take that Arjun! In your freaking face, you smug bastard."
"I'm only gonna let that slide because I still feel kinda' bad," he grits out through the smile he had plastered on his face, which Taani waved off like an annoying fly.
"Now that we've managed to settle that, does anyone have anything they wanna do tonight?"
Choruses of 'get drunk', 'party hard' and 'eat as much I possibly can' ring throughout the room.
Taani groaned. "Should've seen that one coming."
Sharon gave her a sympathetic smile before exclaiming, "Guys, what about Moon Drop? I know ki naam thoda cheesy hai, but I've only ever heard good things about this club, and it's nearby so we can finally check it out."
"Yeah, but it's ridiculously hard to get into," Simmi reminded her.
"Uh, not really," Alina piped up, earning shocked looks from the gang.
"Our sister used to date the owner," Varun explained. "Plus, Indu di has somehow managed to stay friends with all of her exes."
"Oh my god, was this place named after her?" Rey asked, the first to put two and two together as usual.
"Yeah, that was Jai bhaiya's nickname for her," Alina groaned, scrunching her face in disgust. "I mean, I love love and all, but that's a little too much even for me."
"The point is," Varun cut in, "Alina and I can totally let Jai bhaiya know we'll be there with our friends tonight."
"So, what do you say guys?" Taani asked.
The gang all looked around at each other before screaming, "Hell yeah!"
The second that Sharon stepped out of Taani's bathroom in her low-cut, black leather dress, Taani remarked, "Wow! We might finally get to legally declare bhai as dead tonight once he sees you in that dress."
Sharon's smile fell as soon as she heard Swayam's name and Taani wanted to kick herself and her big fat mouth.
"Sorry Sharon bhabhi, I know you and bhai are going through a bit of a rough patch."
Sharon widened her eyes in shock. "How did you know that Swayam and I were having a fight?"
"Well for one, you didn't get mad when I just called you bhabhi."
Sharon let out a defeated sigh as she flopped down on Taani's bed, with Taani immediately taking a seat beside her.
"You are way too observant for your own good."
"Nah, you guys just can't keep a secret to save your lives."
"You'd be surprised."
Taani simply snorted. "Oh, you mean that trial relationship thing or whatever you guys are doing? Please, I already know about that!"
"Swayam told you?!" Sharon exclaimed.
Taani had to force herself not to facepalm right then and there. "Hai Krishnaji, you really are perfect for my brother! Sharon, I was home the night you guys had your big, emotional confession. Our apartment is tiny and as Swayam's sister, it is my birthright to eavesdrop on each and every single one of his conversations, particularly ones that may or may not involve my future bhabhi."
Sharon groaned, covering her face with her hands, not giving a shit about whether or not she ruined her makeup in the process.
Taani simply removed Sharon's hands from her face and gently tilted her chin up to look at her. "Sharon, being in love is nothing to be embarrassed about. You expressed your feelings and that's a really wonderful experience, especially when the person you like actually likes you back."
"Who the fuck doesn't like you back?" Sharon snapped. "Give me his name, I'll-"
"Do nothing because it's fine!" Taani couldn't help but feel touched by the fact that Sharon was probably ready to commit a homicide for her sake.
"Is it Shivam? Please don't say it's Shivam."
"Liar! You want me to say it's Shivam just so that you can have an excuse to hurt him."
"Untrue."
"Sharon, I think I know you well enough to know when you're lying. That being said, do you want to tell me what you and my brother have been fighting about or should I go hound him for answers again?"
"You of all people don't want to hear the reason."
"You guys aren't fighting because of me again, are you?"
Sharon nearly melted at how small Taani's voice sounded, immediately wrapping her arms around the younger girl. "Absolutely not! It's just- I've lied to Swayam one too many times. Between not telling him what was going on with you and then the whole 'Pink Valley' debacle… he has every right to be furious with me."
"That doesn't mean that he gets to be a jerk to you, Sharon. Say the word, and I'll punch him in the face, big brother be damned."
"Do not punch your brother in the face for my sake!"
"Who are we punching in the face?" Anju chimed in, finally stepping out of Taani's bathroom - she was the last one to get a turn to use it, of course - as she stuck one last bobby pin in her hair.
"My brother."
"I approve." Noticing the curious glance that Sharon sent her way, Anju added, "Please, anyone with half a brain can tell that he's been a total jackass for the past few days. I hate it when he gets in one of these moods. It was fine back when we were kids, but it is intolerable now!"
"Yeah, contrary to popular belief, bhai is not very good with his emotions."
"He has the emotional maturity of a fucking matar."
Sharon's eyes darted between Taani and Anju like the lady from the math meme. "You're talking about Swayam, right?"
Taani and Anju shared a look, with Anju signalling for Taani to talk.
"Look, Sharon, I think even you know that bhai tends to keep things bottled up. He puts up a front because he doesn't know-"
"Has never known," Anju oh so helpfully added, earning an unimpressed glare from Taani.
"Because he doesn't know how to deal with his emotions. All you've ever seen is what he's let you see, but now…"
"Now?"
Sharon grabbed ahold of Taani's hands and Taani squeezed hers instinctively, sending a reassuring smile her way.
"I think that he trusts you enough, albeit unconsciously, to let his guard down and open up to you. So yeah, you're gonna see sides to him that you could've never imagined existed."
"But like Taani said," Anju added, crouching down, "that doesn't give him the right to treat you like shit."
"Guys, I don't know, I still feel really bad-"
"And that's fine! But don't excuse his behaviour because you feel guilty." Taani cupped her face, her eyes boring into Sharon's. "Promise me that tonight, you will forget about this fight with bhai and enjoy yourself."
If it were anyone else, Sharon would've said no in a heartbeat, but for some reason, she couldn't with Taani.
"It's the eyes," Anju told her, almost as if she could read her mind, winking at Sharon once she saw that blissfully unaware smile on Taani's face.
Just then, Vishaka comes barging in, dragging poor Neha along with her.
"She needs a dress."
"So you broke down my door?"
"What did you expect me to do?"
"Vishaka, don't be rude!" Neha hissed.
Taani simply rolled her eyes, walking over to Neha. "Vishaka being Vishaka aside, you do need a dress. Don't get me wrong, you look super cute, but you're not exactly dressed for where we're going."
"Well, I was kind of hoping we'd mostly do indoor activities like watch movies and eat food," Neha replied meekly, causing the others to chuckle.
"Which is why you didn't bring anything to wear for a night out. That's okay, I'm sure we can find something for you."
"Arre par Taani, I'm not really comfortable wearing the types of clothes that you guys are wearing, no offence or anything."
"None taken," the girls all reassured her at once.
"Besides, I was talking about my sister's dresses," Taani said casually, earning choked snickers from both Vishaka and Anju, with Anju nearly falling over if it weren't Sharon's highly impressive reflexes, "they're definitely a little more your style. In fact…"
Taani trailed off, heading to the closet that she and her sister shared, pulling out a teal dress with three-quarter-length sleeves.
"This is perfect!" she declared, handing the dress to Neha as she pushed her towards the bathroom. "Go try it on."
Once Neha was out of earshot, Anju remarked, "Shree's gonna kill you."
"What else is new?"
"No like, actually murder you."
"Sounds like any other day, Anju."
Sharon seemed surprised at this new information, leaning towards Vishaka and whispering in her ear, "Do Taani and her sister not get along?"
Vishaka raised an eyebrow. "And you're asking me because…"
Sharon gave her a look that said 'bitch please, I can clearly see through your bullshit', causing Vishaka to sigh.
"No, Taani and Shree haven't been close in years. They don't really get along."
"Seriously? Because Taani doesn't seem like the type of person who wouldn't get along with her sister."
"I know, but it's a little more complicated than that. Also, Shree's a total bitch, so can't say that I really blame her."
Sharon furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "You sure seem to be speaking up in Taani's defence a lot lately."
"Well, it just so happens that there are actually people out there that I hate more than her."
Before Sharon could further question Vishaka, she turned her head to see Neha walk out of the bathroom. The dress was a smidge shorter than what Neha was used to, but from the delighted look on her face, the others could tell that she loved it.
"Taani, are you sure that your sister-"
"Abbe yaar, usko chod! You just worry about looking drop-dead gorgeous and having a great time."
"You really think that I look okay?"
Taani let out an incredulous gasp at how unsure Neha sounded. "Neha, you look gorgeous! I highly doubt that Vicky's gonna even make it past the threshold of this house."
"Taani's right!" Anju added with a bright smile on her face that instantly made Neha feel a million times better. "You look amazing! Just one last thing, hold on." Anju headed over to the dressing table and rummaged through her travel size jewelry box, finally getting her hands on the earrings that she was looking for and handing them to Neha. "Wear these! They match your shoes and everything!"
"Anju, you really don't have to!"
"Arre, I want to! They'll look really nice on you."
Neha sighed, finally giving in. "If you insist."
Anju and Taani hi-5, causing Vishaka and Sharon to chuckle.
"Okay girls, ab chale?" said Sharon, prompting the others to nod and head out the door, following her lead.
The rest of the girls stepped out of their rooms just as Taani and the others did, with not a single one of the boys in sight.
"And these idiots have the nerve to say we take a long time?" Shruti remarked.
Sharon rolled her eyes. "Please, Rey's hair takes an hour alone."
Taani snorted. "Bhai's takes two."
Knowing that they'd have to wait at least another twenty minutes for the boys, the girls all headed downstairs. Taani, Sharon, Simmi and Rinni managed to squeeze onto the sole couch that was available in the living room while the others scattered around them because once Taani's mom starts renovating, she does not simply stop at her own damn room.
The second that Taani and Simmi sat down beside each other, they both began to inspect the jacket that the other had on - Simmi's being a black leather jacket and Taani's a dark, distressed denim.
"Switch!" both girls yelled out at once, catching everyone by surprise.
"This feels better," said Taani, once she's put Simmi's jacket on.
"So much better!" Simmi nodded her head in agreement. "Although, I never pegged you as the leather jacket type. Or the leather pants type."
"Well, I haven't had an excuse to wear them until now."
"Point taken, but still. All we've ever seen you in are baggy hoodies and that bird's nest you call a topknot. I didn't even know your hair was red!"
"Well, I mean, it's fading now so what's the big deal?" Taani stammered, reaching up to touch her hair, causing Vishaka to smirk.
"Come on Taani, we're all friends here," she sneered as Sharon and Anju nearly lunged at her. "We all want to know when our quiet, meek little Taani suddenly became so bold."
Simmi instantly began to regret pestering Taani for no reason, gently squeezing her hand as she sent an apologetic glance her way.
Neha elbowed Vishaka in the ribs with all her might, earning a muffled giggle from Rinni and a beaming grin from Alina.
"Hey Neha, isn't that Shree's dress?" she asked.
Taani immediately tossed Vishaka's words aside to glance up at her best friend. "Yeah, so?"
Alina groaned as Shruti burst out laughing. "Taani, this is definitely one of the top ten best things you've ever done!"
Alina smacked Shruti on the shoulder. "Do not condone this!"
"Yeah, I can't believe that I'm saying this, but I agree with Alina," Anju added.
Shruti simply rolled her eyes. "You both suck! You know what, Taani's my new best friend. You enjoy Alina, okay Anju?"
The girl in question immediately gave Shruti a hi-5, making them both laugh uncontrollably at the disgusted looks on Alina and Anju's faces. Shruti laughed so hard, she nearly tripped over her new heeled boots. The only thing that stopped her from falling flat on her face was Varun wrapping his arm around her waist.
"Why do you wear shoes that you know you can't walk in?" he teased, steadying her.
"Shut up, they're just new!"
"You're okay na?" Shruti couldn't help but smile at the question, bringing Varun into a headlock, causing him to roll his eyes, albeit fondly.
Arjun, who had come downstairs with Varun, could feel his grip on the back of the couch tightening.
"You break it, you replace it." Alina's voice quickly pulled Arjun back from whatever rabbit hole of insanity he had been spiralling towards. Just as he took his hand off the couch, Alina takes his hand in hers, interlocking their fingers together. She glanced up at him with that incredibly annoying know-it-all look of hers that she knew drove him insane. "Please don't murder my brother just because you and Shruti don't know how to handle your feelings."
"I don't know what you're talk-"
"Save it for someone who's actually dumb enough to buy your excuses, like your sister."
Arjun shut his eyes, already feeling the beginnings of an Alina-sized migraine coming on. "Look-"
"And it's not like they're even being cutesy or some shit like that," she continued whispering, as if Arjun hadn't uttered a single word. "She looks like she's trying to choke him."
"That's just how she shows affection!" Arjun countered with a dopey, lovesick smile on his face, which earned him a well-deserved smack upside the head. Arjun's smile formed into a scowl as he began to go off at Alina, only to be stopped by Nilesh sliding in-between them, immediately earning simultaneous eye-rolls from Vicky, Bharat, and Amar, all of whom had been trailing behind him.
"Well it's about damn time!" she remarked, playfully raising an eyebrow, trying her best not to hit Arjun again for the gagging gestures he made from behind Nilesh.
"Come on Alina, you know how long it takes to look this good!" Nilesh ran his fingers through his hair, lightly flicking the back of Rinni's head with his other hand for the nearly inaudible "Yuck" that she let out.
"Oh really? So you mean to tell me that because I didn't take as long as you to get ready, I don't look good?"
Alina bit back the bout of laughter that had begun to escape her lips when she saw Nil's suave demeanour disappear into a flustered, sputtering mess.
"That's not what I-"
Alina let out a snort that sounded like the cross between a train whistle and horse, immediately trying to cover it up as a phlegmy cough.
"You-"
"Let it go, Nilesh, you can't get out of this one," said Amar, gently patting him on the shoulder.
"Yeah, she's Alina," Bharat added. "You were a goner the minute you entered this place."
"The Shekhawat-Mittal Beacon of Dreams!"
Varun and Alina immediately groaned at Amar blurting out the one thing that they were hoping he wouldn't. Alina glared at him as Varun threw a cushion at his face for good measure.
"I am never getting drunk with you again!"
Amar merely laughed at Varun's ridiculous exclamation and made his way over to the couch. Taani held her hand up for a hi-5 and Amar took that as an opportunity to pull her up so he could sit down next to Rinni, who immediately lights up in Amar's presence anyway. Taani folded her arms over her chest, glowering at Amar, ready to pounce if Neha didn't beat her to it.
"At least that's one less rakhi for you to make," she pointed out, preparing to smack Amar upside the head in the process, only for him to swat her hand away as he continued to stare at Rinni like an idiot.
Taani and Neha exchanged knowing glances of 'wow, why are we friends with this hopeless fool again?' as Neha threw an arm over her shoulder.
"I should just replace him with Vicky," Taani mused, shifting the Dazzler's attention away from raggin on poor Nilesh with Bharat and Alina, and towards her.
Except his gaze instantly fell on Neha instead.
Vicky strode over to Neha, stepping in-between his girlfriend and annoying little sister #457, who gaped at the taller boy for bumping her a good three feet away from them.
"Hadd hai yaar! Mujhe kya Vishaka samaj ke rakha hai?" The girl in question opened her mouth to fire back, only to be silenced by Taani with a glare that she knew said, 'this was my one shot of the day that I can take at you, so don't you fucking dare say another word Vishaka Mehta'.
And maybe Bharat holding her hand also helped, but Vishaka wouldn't even admit to that if held at gunpoint.
Meanwhile, Vicky had yet to let go of his poor girlfriend, blissfully resting his on her shoulder, completely drowning out the whines of his horrible friends, specifically Nilesh, Simmi and Sharon -
"Hai Krishnaji, get a fucking room!"
"Are you sniffing her hair?"
"Vicky, posture! It's like you're trying to have back problems before the age of twenty-five."
- in that exact order.
Vicky simply flipped them all off and murmured, "Who gave you this dress?" into Neha's hair.
Neha couldn't help but let out a light chuckle as she told him it was Taani.
Vicky then looked up at the younger girl and said, "I'm paying for all your drinks tonight," before continuing to make Neha turn red at god knows what he insisted on whispering in her ear.
"You two are disgusting!" Nilesh complained, earning a disapproving glare from Taani.
"Oh, because you two are so much better," she drawled, gesturing towards whatever weird thing Nilesh and Alina clearly had going on.
"You're only saying that because Vicky said he'd pay for your shit," Alina pointed out, quick to fistbump Nilesh as he let out a "Niiiiiiiiiiiiice" in support.
Taani simply rolled her eyes. "Maybe you two should get a room."
Simmi sniggered at Taani's utter disdain for whatever the hell it was that Alina and Nilesh had going on, sighing when she hears Nilesh softly say to Alina, "I never did get to tell you how great you look."
Sharon frowned at how quickly Nilesh and Alina have warmed up to each other, reaching out to comfort Simmi when Anju remarks, "Whoa, Simmi are those stars?"
Simmi averted her eyes from Nilesh and Alina, unconsciously reaching up to rub the back of her neck as she smiled at Anju.
"Yeah, I got them done as soon as I was old enough to get a tattoo."
"Cool! Why stars though?"
Simmi looked confused by the question because no one has ever genuinely wanted to know about her tattoos. "I don't know, I guess I just always liked stars."
"I can tell," Anju said, a twinkle in her eyes as she leaned down to gingerly stroke a finger along one of Simmi's dangly star-shaped earrings.
Simmi let out a light eep and Sharon swore that her best friend's heart was beating so loud that she could hear from where she was sitting. She glanced around the room at her friends, shoulders slumping once she realizes that the one person she was so desperate to see had yet to arrive.
Varun was quick to take note of the shift in the Dazzler's demeanour, letting out a dramatic sigh before shouting, "YO SWAYAM, REY, GET YOUR ASSES DOWN HERE!"
Sharon snapped her head towards Varun who simply winked back at her in true Varun Mittal fashion. She beamed up at him as she mouthed 'thank you', glad that Taani and Swayam's friends were probably the nicest people that she had ever met.
Just then, a disgruntled Rey and a sullen Swayam made their way downstairs at long last.
"Rey, I know that bhai can be a real pain when it comes to doing his hair and his hair alone, par aap bhi?" Taani teased, watching as he stood abnormally still.
Usually, Rey would have a comeback ready to go, finally having gotten used to Taani's sense of humour, but his brain went nuts the second his eyes landed on her.
At least he hoped it was his brain!
This was the first time that Rey had ever seen Taani quite literally let her hair down. Her hair wasn't terribly long, flowing right down to the middle of her back. It was the same deep red as her lips and Rey prayed that his face didn't match. He watched as she raked her fingers through her hair, tilting her chin up when she felt his gaze on her, which Rey had come to know as her way of asking if someone was okay. Rey knew that if he didn't switch his attention to something else right then and there, he wouldn't be able to take his eyes off Taani all night.
He quickly turned his head towards Swayam, hoping to forget about the way that Taani could captivate him like no other, only to find that his best friend was faring about as well as he was.
Swayam couldn't help but bristle at the sight of his childhood friend, practically family, and his… whatever she was, fucking smiling at each other. He knew how utterly how ridiculous it was for him to be jealous when Varun and Sharon were just being friendly but as usual, the irrational dumbass part of his brain overtook whatever little logic was resting up there with ease.
"Let's go guys," he grumbled, zipping out the door.
Man, he needed a freaking drink!
A/N: Alina, Anju, Shruti and Arjun are all my OC's. Personally, I think Alia Bhatt as Alina is really fitting, with Sana Saeed as Anju, Parineeti Chopra as Shruti and Siddharth Malhotra as Arjun.
Translations:
"Haan Taani, batao." - "Yeah Taani, tell us."
"Haan, shaadi hi karade tu meri behen ki, yahi baaki reh gaya tha!" - "Yeah, just get my sister married, that's all that's left now." (I swear it's a lot funnier in Hindi.)
"Chup re." - "Shut up." / "Be quiet."
"Oye, Jhansi ki Rani, bachpan ki tarah teri manmani nahi chalne wali!" - "Hey, Jhansi ki Rani, you can't do whatever you want like when we were kids!" (Not really an exact translation, but close enough!)
"Varun ki gaadi." - "Varun's car."
"Arre, isse acha toh 'just friends' hi bol deta!" - "It would've been better for him to say 'just friends' instead." (Again, much funnier in Hindi!)
"ki naam thoda cheesy hai" - "the name is a little cheesy"
matar - pea
"Abbe yaar, usko chod!" - "Forget about her!" (The closest translation I can give.)
rakhi - It's kind of like a bracelet that sisters either make or get for their brothers on Raksha Bandhan.
"Hadd hai yaar! Mujhe kya Vishaka samaj ke rakha hai?" - "Enough already! Who do you think I am, Vishaka?"
"Par aap bhi?" - "But you too?"