Beautiful Infatuation

Chapter 19

"Oh, hey, Viraj!" Gaurav greeted as he withdrew his hand and focused on his friend while making sure his structure was intact. Sneha sighed in relief when Gaurav's hand left hers. She almost had a heart attack today from that light feathery touch. However, her fear resurfaced on hearing Viraj's angry tone and hard eyes on Gaurav.

'What's wrong with him now?' She wondered.

"What are you doing here?" Viraj asked Gaurav in his signature strict tone.

Gaurav looked at his mini-hill and then at him again.

"I was helping the girls with their project." He answered.

Viraj entered the room and walked in their direction with quick steps.

"Go to my study and analyze the papers on the desk. I need the report in an hour." He ordered while glancing at Sneha who had her eyes fixed on her project.

Sneha looked at Gaurav as she wondered how she'd hold the two structures when it was difficult to hold one, if Gaurav indeed left. Ananya would have helped but she was still on phone outside.

"Okay, sure! Just give me ten minutes and I'll be there." Gaurav answered gently to which Sneha sighed in relief. However, her relief was only short lived.

"Should I repeat myself, Gaurav?" Viraj asked sternly again which froze Gaurav. He looked up at Viraj and wondered what was so important!

"No! I'll go and check it out now." Gaurav answered and looked at Sneha, who was already looking at him hopefully.

'Please don't go! The hill will be ruined!' She prayed internally.

"I am sorry. This seems urgent!" Gaurav almost whispered to her. So, she nodded to him with a smile. All the while, Viraj could only clench his fist in anger as she gave Gaurav the smile that she never gave him!

'What's wrong with her?' He wondered.

Gaurav stood, wiped his hands with tissue, and almost ran in the direction of Viraj's study.

Sneha expected Viraj to leave as well, but instead, he was still standing in front of her as she sat on the floor crosslegged. Despite feeling his gaze on her, she kept her eyes on the hill structure.

'Why is he still here?' She thought. From the corner of her eye, she saw Gaurav's hill's POP paste slowly slip down. So, she quickly placed her hands on it too to save it from collapsing. Meanwhile, her hill structure followed gravity too. So, she came back to her mini-hill.

'Oh, God! Ananya, come back quickly!' She prayed hopefully.

She was about to pat the other mini-hill when Viraj's cold fingers grazed hers. She pulled back her hand quickly and looked at him in surprise.

Viraj expected her to at least look at him once, but her complete ignorance ignited his anger further. However, her desperate attempt to protect the two little structures made him submit and he bent down to her level to hold the hill that Gaurav had made. In that process, their fingers grazed and he felt her soft touch. But, she retreated quickly.

"Let me help you." He answered her unasked question.

Sneha nodded once and then focused on her structure.

'What is taking her so long?' She wondered while thinking of Ananya. Every second with Viraj felt like an hour to her. And, she knew he was looking at her...continuously.

'Should I ask him to stop staring?' She thought.

Unintentionally, her gaze fell on the mini-hill that he was holding and she realized that he was not holding it firmly and that the paste was getting deformed.