Vrishali was popularly known as the life of the party. She had a natural ability to make friends with anyone she met. Everyone adored her, and she had yet to find her perfect match amidst all the chaos of her college parties. However, she was not in...
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Vrishali glanced at Jordan, who was glaring at Michael. Hailey ignored everything and decided to take a nap. Kyle and Lexie were lost in their world. Aryan tried to ignore them, but he couldn't. The tension was visible. Michael flirted with Belle, and she blushed hard.
"Can you two, tone it done?" Jordan asked. Belle glanced at Jordan, who was wearing a frown. Michael winked in return. "I finally get the girl to blush, and you ask me to tone it down. Not happening, brother." Jordan huffed before getting up from his seat.
"You are leaving?" she asked. Aryan glanced between the trio. "I will find a seat somewhere else. I don't want to see this." Before anyone could reply, Jordan left. Aryan shared a look with Vrishali. "What's wrong with normal flirting? It's not like I'm being too loud."
"Forget it," Aryan suggested. Jordan moved to the other seat and took the one next to Orhaan. Belle was bewildered and taken aback by Jordan's behaviour. He appeared adrift when they attended a party last night. He hardly said a word to her, even when she attempted to engage him in conversation.
The classes continued. Vrishali couldn't shake the detached expression that Jordan wore. She resolved to speak with him after class. Despite her closeness with Michael, Jordan is a good friend, and she understands his feelings. Jordan had harboured a crush on Belle for a long time, and Michael developed feelings when Belle became his partner for a project.
*
Vrishali set her bag down and collapsed onto her back on the bed. Staring at the ceiling of her room, she reflected on what Jordan had said. He was going through a phase, and she was unhappy with how things had changed. She was uncertain whether Belle would fall for Michael or not. She suspected it was Michael having a laugh and engaging in some friendly flirting, but they hadn't anticipated that it could turn into something real, and now they might end up in a relationship.
Jordan had been serious about Belle for a long time and was planning to ask her out again. Vrishali feels sorry for Jordan, but they can't stop Belle from falling for Michael. Michael isn't a bad bloke either. Groaning, she shifted to her side when her phone began ringing. She answered the call without checking the caller ID. "Hello?"
"Hello?" Padmanabh's voice was gentle and she immediately smiled. "Isn't it late?" She heard some noise in the background. "Yes, it is but no one is asleep." She remembered the festivities happening in India. "Did you had fun today?"
"Yes, Naina Didi's family is here, and the kids keep me busy." Vrishali chuckled. "How was the festival?"
Padmanabh unbuttoned his jacket's top buttons. "It was good. I missed having you here. You would've enjoyed it."
"Hmm—next year, I will enjoy it beside you." Padmanabh smiled upon hearing that. "How was your day?" he asked. He heard Vrishali sign heavily. "Everything okay?" She spent the next thirty minutes spilling the tea between Jordan, Michael, and Belle. She wouldn't mind telling him about the trio, as it was a known gossip.
"So, Belle knew about Jordan's feelings?" Vrishali hummed. "Yeah, before Michael, he took her on a date, and from what I have heard, the date went well, and he kind of confessed that he liked her. Belle didn't give him an answer. We believed they were going to date, but Michael stepping into the picture was a shock."
"Does Michael know about Jordan's feelings towards Belle?"
"Yeah, he knew, and Aryan says the two argued about it. We don't know what happened between the two, but right now, there's tension." Padmanabh removed the jacket and went over to the window. "They will come to an understanding. As it is new, Jordan will take some time to get over it."
"Hope so." They spent an hour talking on the phone before calling it a night. Padmanabh slept as soon as the call ended. It was past one am in the morning. Vrishali giggled, looking at the phone before falling asleep.
*
Hailey and Aryan showed up for dinner. Gauravi made Indian food, and Deepansh brought ice cream tubs from the store down the road. Hailey and Vrishali helped set up the table while Aryan and Deepansh discussed the cricket teams.
"Can you two stop about cricket? Is it all you could talk about?" Vrishali said. Aryan and Deepansh rolled their eyes. "What's wrong with discussing cricket? Cricket is cool!"
"Okay, whatever you say." Gauravi and Hailey laughed as Aryan started his monologue about cricket while Vrishali seemed bored. It wasn't the first time they had argued about cricket. "Are you two going to stop your arguments and have food or not?" Gauravi asked.
"She started it, Aunty."
"Stop complaining."
"I'm not." The banter went on before the food was served on their plates. "You should stop coming here for free food."
"Vrishali, that's harsh," Deepash said. They all knew she didn't mean it seriously. "I will just stay in the guest room."
*
Vrishali handed the wine glass to her parents before sitting between Hailey and Aryan, holding her wine glass. They all sipped their wine in silence, enjoying the cool breeze. "I love your apartment, uncle."
"Tell me what you don't like. You seem to like everything."
"Stop it, you two," Hailey said, leaning against the bean bag. "We will be going to India to attend a wedding. You two join us. . ." Deepansh said. "Uncle, are you going to marry off Vrishali again?" Aryan joked, and everyone laughed while Vrishali slapped Aryan's shoulder.
"No, this time, it is her cousin. You might've known Nandini. She is getting married in December. You will be having Christmas holidays," Gauravi said.
"That's nice. If we don't have any plans. We will be joining. Is the wedding around Christmas?" Hailey asked. "It's not around the Christmas. It would happen around the first or second week of December," Vrishali answered. Vrishali pinged with incoming messages. She glanced at the screen to see Padmanabh's name. She excused herself and went to the restroom to look at the pictures he had shared with her.
She couldn't help but take her time going through his pictures. He had shared quite a few. In one picture, Akshita tried to gain his attention, but Naina was taking her away towards the other end. Padmanabh was seemingly lost, watching a little kid run before him. He was wearing a black sherwani and looking effortlessly handsome.
She sent a message complimenting him before going back to join everyone. Padmanabh read the message out loud in his office as a smile played on his face. He couldn't wait for December to arrive soon.
