Irfan stood by his word and gave us the long awaited party on Tuesday. Both Paul and I grabbed this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to drink a shit-ton of alcohol and get wasted. The three of us were in a private booth inside a bar cum restaurant. In the midst of it, Paul and I got lost in a deep discussion.

“Seriously, what are we doing?” Paul asked after dropping his whiskey glass on the table with a thud.

“Shitting our lives,” I almost quoted Chandler while sounding wise as hell.

“No!” He emphasized, his small nose crinkling. “I mean, why? Why do we keep working for forty years until we retire? What's the fucking point? Are all of us truly happy to donate our precious life years to corporate slavery? Who made this a worldwide thing anyway?”

“We are all doing it for money, Paul. Isn't it obvious?” Irfan intervened, looking unfazed. I nodded along.

“But what does money do, sir? It buys things, lets us have a roof in our heads, and food. It doesn't give us mental peace. It doesn't enlighten us.”

“In other words, we have to pay to live. Live a life that isn't great to begin with. Still we keep hustling, making ourselves more miserable than before.”

“See, you get it, Natasha ma'am.” Paul said. We raised a toast for another shot.

“Oi, what's with this mega depressing talk. This is supposed to be a chill evening, not a night down the rabbit hole.” Irfan interfered again, stealing our glasses away from us.

“But I want to go down the rabbit hole. It's where you obtain nirvana,” I wriggled my brows at him while joining the gaps between my fingers. Irfan averted away, cringing. I turned to Paul instead. “At times, I think corporate slavery is a ploy by the ultra rich bastards to prevent us from reaching there.”

“Interesting. Though I think its more like a Matrix or Inception.”

“You guys are watching too many sci-fi's.”

“And you are lame!” I shot back then brought up the whisky bottle to Irfan's mouth. “Just drink the poison and join our cult.”

The rest of the evening continued in the same fashion. Paul and I continued to dissect the mechanism of our society today while I questioned the motive behind life and karma. We also insisted Irfan to drink, which he did a little. He bore the sole responsibility to drop us home after all.

I didn't remember much after that. I was in the car with Irfan and the next thing, my back hit the soft mattress. It smelled a lot like Kylie. Good. Her king size bed was better.

*

The next day.

“Never.” Irfan spoke while nursing the bridge of his nose. “I'm never taking you two out for drinking ever again. I don't know you anymore.”

“I'm deeply sorry, sir.” Paul apologized profusely.

“Stop being a drama queen! It's your fault for not getting wasted with us. We weren't that bad.” I defended.

“Well, there was one thing that wasn't bad...” Irfan trailed off. He then snapped out whatever la-la land he was in and stared at me. My brows knitted. More so when he pulled me to a side. “There's something personal I need to talk to you about. Let's have lunch together today.”

“Lunch with me? Are you PMSing? Didn't you say ‘I don't know you anymore’?” My nose crinkled.

Irfan swatted his hand away and instead shocked me by wrapping an arm around me in a friendly way. He was acting more sus now. “Aree, I was just being dramatic as you said. In reality, both you and Paul are my dear friends. Let's meet at lunch.”

During lunch.

“I wanted to talk about the apartment you live in. What's your monthly rent?” Irfan plummeted me down with the question right away.

“So that's what you wanted to talk about. Thank fuck! For a second I thought you were gonna propose me.” I heaved a sigh of relief.

“You? Nope. Not a chance in hell.”

“Atleast be subtle about it,” I deadpanned. “About the rent, um, its a strange story actually.”

So I recited about my destined meeting with Kylie, befriending the rest of the group, right till the sleepover where Kylie suggested to be my roommate.

“That's very kind of your roommate. What does she do?”

“She's a content writer working for Essence- A women's magazine.”

“Splendid! How long she's been working there?”

“For about a year now. She was previously...” I continued, talking about her pursuits in education and watched Irfan's eyes lit up like Christmas.

“Holy cow! No wonder there were so many books in the house.”

“Yes, there were— Wait, how do you know this?” 

“I was there yesterday, remember.” He hit my head lightly. “After I dumped you to her bedroom because you kept insisting for some reason, I looked around and talked to your roommate. She even offered me a sandwich.”

“Way to welcome an unwanted guest, Kylie... Wait!” I paused, coming up with a rather obvious realization with my brows raised. “Now I see what this is about. You have hots for my roommate.”

“Took you long enough, slowpoke. It's hard not to get affected by such a lovely woman as her. Her apartment is cute. Except you—” He said, earning a smack from me. He resumed with a dreamy smile. “Her voice is adorable. Her food is amazing. Her education is unmatched. She's kind and caring. What more do you need? She's the perfect wifey.”

“I agree... Hold on, Romeo! It's only been like, fourteen hours since you know her. How do you get whipped so fast?”

“Is she single?” When I said yes, Irfan took my hand, his eyes sparkling. “Please, I want to get to know her. You know what? I'll drop you home. We'll see what happens then.”

“What about your first love chick?” I asked, stunned. Irfan often reminisced about his childhood sweetheart he left in Pakistan and how he intended to reunite with her if he goes back.

“With Zoya, it's complicated. I want to be with her, but she's not willing to come here, while I don't want to ditch everything I worked hard for and go back. So we are getting nowhere... Unless I get a good job offer there.” He paused, his face grim. I mumbled an apology and suddenly he sprung back to life. “Great, now be a dear and be my wingwoman.”

“Wait, let me confirm with Kylie if she'll be home that time.” I giggled and typed a message to Kylie. “Although you are only meeting her. What happens after that is entirely upto her. I'm just playing cupid for once... Though I don't think you'll succeed.”

“We'll see about that.” Irfan smirked. Just then, he raised his hand to someone at a distance. “Over here, Vansh. Here! You're late.”

“You're here, too. Hi!” Vansh greeted me and I greeted back. He turned to Irfan, taking a seat beside him. “Sorry, got caught up in work. Do you know about the cricket match tomorrow?”

“India vs Pakistan. Yeah, I know. Wanna make a bet?”

“You bet I do,” Vansh said and they shared a proud smirk as they talked about it. I was almost compelled to tell a dirty joke but I kept my hoè tongue to myself. Later on, I joined to watch the match only because of Virat Kohli.

I kept my word to Irfan and let him drop my ass home for a few days. He got his stimulating chance to talk to Kylie. They even exchanged numbers. In the end, she agreed for one friendly date to test the waters. He was over the moon.

Unfortunately, fairy tales didn't last. Irfan and Kylie went for one dinner date and never went out again. I wasn't hoping for something to happen anyway. Living with Kylie made me figure out the kind of men she was into from the tidbits of her dating life. Irfan simply wasn't her type. Poor him.

“It's okay. Kylie said we can still be friends. Zoya is my true love after all.” He placed a hand on his chest.

“Cheatercock.”

~

Life was becoming dull.

One would ask how. I'd wonder that, too. There were a shit ton of things to do abroad. But one should remember how jobs sucked your time and energy. By the time your work hours were over, you simply wanted to roll on your couch and chill. My weekends with Chanel, Kylie and Sandra were the only exceptions. Rest, not so much.

A month passed by just like that.

Things were more or less the same with Rithik. We called, argued, shot taunts and ended our conversations abruptly. There were a few exceptions though. When he was dressed in a good mood, he'd listen to me talk about Boston, the girls and my life here while he talked about his. I even showed him around virtually sometimes. Key word, sometimes.

A few more days rolled by until the house party on Friday.

To commemorate the success of our project Natick so far, the principal of the project invited the whole team to his majestic mansion for a party night. Perhaps I'd come across some hot guys and of course, free food. Thinking about that, I went into the party.

At first, I stayed with the women of the team who gathered together but then, they dispersed one by one. The moment I left, Dave Keys came into the picture and started chatting to me. He was tall with brown buzzcut hair, amber eyes and a white complexion. He often approached me for a small chat in the office. Definitely had the hots for me so I tagged along. I wanted to see what this party had to offer.

As the drinks poured in, the party got wilder. Some of the employees began grouping in pairs. They flirted and laughed in close vicinity, hoping to get laid by the end of the night. I even noticed one pair missing. Probably went home to do the deed. What I loved about it is how chill everyone was. If something like this were to happen in India, it would quickly turn into a dirty office scandal. The pair would be plummeted down with slut- shaming behind the curtain of gossip, making it difficult for the pair to stay peaceful in the office. Relationships— casual or serious, homosexual or heterosexual, shouldn't be an excuse for unsolicited judgment.

I talked about the same with Dave as we sat closer in proximity. His arm wrapped around me while his fingers made circles on my arm. At times, I reciprocated his smile by touching his hands in between.

Not long after, we were in a quiet corner, kissing. A few seconds into it and I instantly regretted it. Dave's touch or kiss did absolutely nothing to ignite my pussy. Not even when Dave's hand cupped my bosom. Was I still suffering from the Rithik syndrome? Was I secretly guilty of kissing another man? Most probably, it was the stinking smell of garlic from Dave's mouth.

“What happened?” Dave whispered into the darkness, illuminated by the moonlight from the corridor window. I placed my hand on his chest, drawing some distance between us.

“I- I had too much to drink,” I lied, hoping he would buy it. Please buy it!

“Oh, but you didn't drink as much,” Dave said, his brows knitted. He placed a hand on my cheek. “Did I do something wrong?”

Crap! Looks like Dave caught onto my lie. “Actually—” I was about to speak when right then, a figure emerged from the corridor and stopped as he noticed us, dumbfounded.

“Vansh?” I called, startled. Vansh however didn't stay around to respond as he exited the corridor abruptly.

“Oops, looks like we were caught.  See you around,” I said and made a beeline downstairs before Dave could pin me down with questions.

~

I was a fool. Why did I think getting chummy with Dave was a good idea? Having enough of this dumb ass party. I called Irfan, my personal chauffeur to take me home. The damn bastard refused to pick my phone though. I decided to fetch him myself. I ate my dinner and started searching for Irfan from one room to another while avoiding the ones that seemed too suspicious to open.

The mansion had atleast twenty rooms. There were bedrooms, games room, theatre, library, sauna, and what fucking not. It grew quieter as I went to the second floor. I knocked on one door but accidentally pulled it open to reveal a study room. Someone was already there.

“Oh, it's only you. You scared me,” Vansh said, placing a hand on his chest. He was standing on the further end besides a study table.

I snickered, coming in. “Why? Were you in the middle of some hideous expedition perhaps?”

“Nah. I was simply looking around. I mean who would pass an opportunity to look around a mansion. Not me.”

“Right. One wouldn't pass looking around the mansion to miss an opportunity.” I answered, thinking of ways people often took advantage of empty rooms. He coughed at that.

Thereafter, I took my time looking around the room. I was particularly interested in the tech books stacked on one of the tables while Vansh rubbed the back of his neck, looking everywhere else but me. Perhaps I was imagining things but he seemed oddly tensed by my presence. Was he embarrassed by what he saw earlier? Shouldn't it be the other way around? It wasn't like I was giving Dave a blowjob in front of Vansh's face. In fact, the more I walked his way, the more flustered he became.

Interesting.

“It was an accident.” Vansh spoke up, raising his hands as if he was guilty as charged.

“Accident?”

“Look, I was on my way to the washroom which was past the corridor. You and Dave just happened to block my way. Was it my fault that I saw what I saw? No. You two should have been more discreet. Even so, I didn't go around spreading rumors so no worries, your secret is safe—”

I couldn't hold it any longer as I laughed out loud. “God, why are you justifying? It's chill. Though good thing you didn't tell anyone.”

“Yup, I'm a noble man.” Vansh said, taking another cautious step back while I stepped forward. He seemed taller now, though still not as tall as Rithik. A mischievous smile escaped my lips. This was getting more and more intriguing. I stopped when his back hit the wall. He cleared his throat, looking down at me nervously. “What are you doing?”

“Me? Good question. Honestly, I'm getting bored as fuck with this party. That guy, Dave was it? He was god awful. I swear I can smell garlic even after washing my mouth. Ugh, I regret tagging along with him now!” I ranted. A nasty idea sprung my head. I closed the distance between us and ran a sleek finger over his navy blue shirt. “Perhaps you can help me.”

“Excuse me?”

My smirk grew wider. “I suggest we move out of this shit place and spend the night, just you and me. What say?”

Vansh's nose scrunched at me like I'd grown two heads. He stepped away immediately. “Did you get your head hit by a truck or did someone give marijuana to you?”

My mouth formed into a thin line, trying hard not to laugh. “I'm assuming it's a no then.”

“Obviously!”

“Heh, but why? Am I not hot enough?” I fluttered my eyelashes at him.

“I have a girlfriend. A serious one.”

I scoffed. “Don't lie. I know you're single. Temporarily single or whatever ish Irfan told me.”

A mini argument ensured where Vansh assumed I was shamelessly persistent because I wasn't used to rejection. He was kinda right there. Instead, I fired up his loins by spitting shit about the male species, stating how they mostly thought with their dicks and how easy they were to manipulate.

“...I'm sure I can make you fall for my charms as well.”

Something must have ticked Vansh off because the next moment, he zeroed his eyes on me. “You're not even pretty as your cocky self claims you to be! Even Richie's forty year old wife looks hotter than you. I bet I won't be seduced even if you stand naked in front of me.”

I tilted my head to a side. “Is that so, Baweja? Well then, prove it to me.”

“Prove it?”

Vansh's eyes seemed to have popped out of his sockets as I unbuttoned the top button of my black collared dress. Somehow his overreaction enticed me further to open the second button. I just about placed my hand on the belt when I witnessed the most unexpected response ever. He covered his eyes. I repeat, he covered his eyes with his palms like an innocent child who discovered something evil. This was too fun.

Alas, our senseless charade was interrupted by stupid Gary who was puzzled by Vansh covering his face. He voiced out the same.

“Can't you see Gary? She's—”

“She's what, Vansh?” Gary asked, exchanging looks between the two of us, annoyed. Vansh finally opened his eyes to notice my top buttons, buttoned. He deadpanned. Somehow Vansh came up with the lamest excuse of a honeybee and how we were getting away from it. What a cartoon character. Gary continued. “Fine, but why are you two in this room in the first place? I was looking for you.”

“We were just looking around, Gar. I mean, who would pass an opportunity to look around a mansion,” I said, repeating the exact same words as Vansh while shooting him a knowing glance. His lips almost twitched. Almost. “We'll be downstairs soon.”

The moment Gary left, I allowed myself to burst into a fit of laughter. I covered my mouth, guffawing like a maniac while clutching to the table for support. It was so funny I could die. “Your face— Oh my God! You actually covered your eyes. You thought I was gonna strip, didn't you? Hilarious! Absolutely hilarious!”

Of course Vansh couldn't take this humiliation any longer as he headed towards the door. I hopped on my steps to reach the door to stand before him. I raised a finger, smiling mischievously. “Let's play a game.”

“Huh?” He frowned. 

“Prove it to me. Be that sakth launda who wouldn't give a shit even after I seduce you multiple times. Fifteen days— Bear fifteen torturous days with me. Well, you can always choose to give it to me if you can't take it. It's your choice. Be sexually frustrated or give up. Either way, I'll have you dancing around my fingers.”

Vansh stared at me, flabbergasted. I was sure he was thinking of a palette of colorful words about me. When he snapped out of it, he rolled his eyes. “I don't have time for this childish crap. Bye.”

“Fine, leave. I have no right to force you, however, I'll automatically assume you were bluffing and that all men are dickheads.”

“Come on! You're just saying that to provoke me.”

“No, I'm saying that to prove you wrong and have you, too.” I tilted my head to one side but he refused to answer. “No? Tch, tch, tch! Dickhead. Yet another dickhead—”

I didn't get a chance to speak any further before I found myself cornered against the door with Vansh's face looming right at me, his eyes blazing. Close. “Fine! I'll accept it! Challenge or whatever. In return you'll have to pay for my canteen food as long as I'm here. Understood?”

For a split second, I was speechless until I raised my head to meet his fiery gaze. “And what if I win?”

“As if. You won't be able to do anything since we'll only meet in the office. Also, I won't be meeting you outside so either way, it's free food for me.” Vansh answered with a smug and backed off.

“You're right. I won't be able to do anything in the office. Work is work,” I said as a matter of fact. Only to snicker in the next moment. He was like an innocent kid who was yet to learn the wicked ways of the world. My smirk only grew wider. “You think I didn't consider this? I'll figure something out. I always do. I love a good challenge after all. Ah, this party got so much better! Fuck my boring office life.”

Vansh's face fell. With nothing else left to do, I opened the door to leave.

“By the way, the movie room you are looking for is two rooms to the right. Sweet dreams, dickhead!” I winked while he shot daggers at me.

This was good. So good. Vansh's reactions turned out to be more entertaining than the entire party. It only intrigued me more. I looked forward to what more he could bring to the table. He better not disappoint. Damn, it felt as if I was back to being the old Natasha again. Almost. Henceforth, I left home with a cunning smile on my face.

Fun fact- You can read the last sequence in Vansh's pov in the book- Serious in Love. Lol! I hope this chapter wasn't boring for you. We will get to the interesting bits soon.

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