Chapter 4 - The Party

“Di? I am with the girl I told you about.”

Ayaan shouted as he entered a pretty-looking building that had various creepers with beautiful flowers over the windowsill. And a wooden board with ‘Kalpana’ engraved in calligraphy writing.

“Come inside, will you? You stupid how could you scream outside?”

He dragged Sparsh with him inside and followed the lady who was in her early thirties, long dark hair with a diagonal striped tie-died tunic of red and paired with loose denim. Once they entered, they were welcomed with a beautiful scent and perfectly looking mannequins with beautiful, expensive-looking clothes. The lady turned towards Ayaan and Sparsh and grinned.

“Aww… Ayyu, your girlfriend looks too cute. Nice choice bro.”

That lady brushed his hair lovingly while Ayaan whined not to touch his hair.

“By the way, I am Koyal, this brat’s elder sister. Ayaan asked me to doll you up today because of some celebration in your college. So come with me.”

Sparsh went inside with Koyal while Ayaan sat over the plush-looking couch as he took out his phone to play a game for time being.

“Here are few outfits I have matched up, try them out and let me know?”

A rack full of different shiny, flimsy attires with expensive fabrics neatly stacked with hangers was present in front of her. She searched through them and found a red balloon sleeve off-shoulder top and wide-legged black linen pants.

“This.”

“Oh, nice choice though. This will really suit you well. I will get complementing accessories for you, so change.”

When Sparsh changed, Koyal entered with few boxes she handed over her hoop earrings and heels. She then asked Sparsh to wear them and then she asked her to sit so that she could do her hair and makeup.

“But I don’t like it much. I don’t use any of make-up much.”

“I know but just a brush and you won’t feel much. Either way, I feel like Ayaan does feel like you don’t need to be dolled up. But this is all for a show, so this will be for one day only… moreover, how did you find my brother attractive? He is such a dork, if I were you and if he ever asked me out, I would have smacked him upside down.”

It caused Sparsh to laugh and Koyal started to laugh as well.

“You look so beautiful when you laugh Sparsh.”

Sparsh sobered up immediately.

“Aww come on, you should smile more often. Wait, if you are awkward with me, then I will tell you something. You know what is Ayaan’s favorite cartoon?...”

After an hour or so, Sparsh appeared in front of Ayaan and he didn’t bother to lift his head to look towards her as he was way busy gaming.

“Oh, you are here? Let’s go.”

He stood up and went ahead of her without sparing a glance.

“Ayaan pay up you dim wit!”

Ayaan just waved his hand and shouted later and went straight to his car. After he took a seat and put on his seat belt and that was the moment the lady next to her looked stunning and unrecognizable. So much that his jaw was dropped and his eyes were not at all moving away.

“Beautiful...”

That word sounded so unfamiliar that she turned her head towards him and her eyes widened. The sincerity reeking through his eyes was too overwhelming that a lone tear fell out of her eyes. No… no this can’t be happening. She can’t get used to this. All male populations in this world are equal to destruction. She can’t consider such endearments slide to her heart.

Without a word, he started the car as she cleared her throat. Even though he wasn’t able to keep his eyes away from her he didn’t want to be obvious so he drew slower than he used to.

When they attend the premises the place was fully packed. Ayaan gave out a smirk and grabbed Sparsh’s hand. The loud music, the crowd and the room reeking of alcohol excited Ayaan the same way it suffocated Sparsh.

“Hey… bro your new girlfriend?”

“Ayaan… you could have chosen me… why?”

“Aww… you guys look cute together.”

“Hey, man introduce your girlfriend.”

People waved towards him, congratulated him and asked him to join them for drinks. While all Sparsh did was cling to him and held his arm tightly. He didn’t get bothered much as this is what he wanted as he needs to show off Sparsh to the crowd as much as possible. Ayaan freed himself from Sparsh as he got bothered by her clinginess and he went to the bar. He ordered his single malt and relaxed as the EDM music buzzed in his head. After few sips, he looked around for Sparsh but instead, he found Ashita and Ron fighting. After few minutes Ron sat next to Ayaan.

“What’s with you and Ash today?”

Ayaan asked him as Ron sipped his single malt.

“Nothing much, she kept on nagging that you both are fake and all so I shooed her away and she started talking about I don’t understand and so on… gosh! Girls are nagging.”

Ayaan chuckled nervously as if he got caught and downed his drink in one go.

“There is nothing such… uhh… she doesn’t like the attention, so we kept it to ourselves...”

Ron gave a nod affirmatively that he understood and gave a thumbs up.

Just like a kid who got lost in a fair, Sparsh felt like she has nowhere to go yet escape this place right away. The crowd and such unfamiliar faces were choking her breath way too much. Closing her eyes, how she wished everything disappeared and she is back in her home sleeping on her mother’s lap, hear her mother’s bangles clink together, smell her peculiar scent- Sparsh felt someone push her causing her to stagger and her back collided with the wall.

“You are Ayaan’s new girlfriend right?”

A girl with a black leather jacket, white crop top and denim shorts greeted her with her minions on her back. The exact scenario reminded her of the bullies she met the same morning. The whole day has passed yet she is reminded of them. Why wouldn’t that happen? That was the part of her day where the whole nightmare occurred.

“Uhh...”

“Come on… we are harmless… we are just his friends from his class. We liked to meet you. That’s it.”

Sparsh felt a shiver crawl down her spine at the tone she used and the background music is adding up the chills.

“Umm-”

“Come on… don’t be scared, we are harmless… ask Ayaan.”

One of her minions dragged her with them and offered her a drink and she refused.

“I am Natasha by the way. I always sit next to Ayaan in the class. So we are really close.”

Sparsh gave a small nod. As if that would get on her nerves. She is just a fake girlfriend though. Sparsh reminded herself at the same time. She tried to stand up and leave them but one of her minions pushed her down and pinched her nose causing her to open her mouth and another minion poured the beer over her mouth. Causing her to cough terribly.

“Get some drinks for Ayaan’s girlfriend...”

Natasha shouted while all her minions laughed and one of them went to fetch the alcohol. Few more rounds were forcefully fed to her and boy her head did spin! All her life, among the things she feared, was this kind of drink that could lead to things spiral out of control.

Ashita was about to leave the club trying to wipe off the tears that filled her eyes.

“Hey Ash, wanna have a tequila shot?”

Sonal bumped into her but there was no response from her. It was as if she was frozen on a spot. Sonal turned towards the direction where Ashita’s gaze was on. And there was Natasha and her minions while empty glasses of alcohol were stacked and Sparsh was sloshed on the corner while one of them was kicking her to wake up. Looking at that Sonal rushed while Ashita got into her senses. Sonal rushed to inform the boys while Ashita went forward and pushed those minions away and held Sparsh.

“The hell Natasha! Are you really crazy? You could have killed her you, idiot!”

Ashita held her and picked Sparsh up with all her might and by holding her waist in one hand and throwing her arm over her back, she dragged Sparsh towards the bar. And that was when she looked at the chaos unfolding. Ayaan and his cousin Raghav were way too busy with their fistfight and the crowd around them screaming at them, encouraging them to fight.

Sonal never realized that she ever will get hurt emotionally again. But how wrong she was when she witnessed the scene unfolding. Nikhil was sitting over the couch and a girl sat over his lap and was kissing him on his lips and it seems like he was responding. Tears trickled from her eyes and she felt like her heart started to shatter into million pieces. The pain she felt was nothing compared to all the physical pain she endured in her life. Even the pain which she felt when her parents were divorced felt like a small sting. Guess she will always be unlucky when it comes to love.