The Lines of Fate

6: What's happening?

Radhika heard her mother calling her and Ishaan. She went there with her eyes still on Keshav. She was not being able to take her eyes off. His walk, his way of talking with the journalists, and his every move were full of confidence.

The moment Radhika reached her mother, Keshav also came toward them.

"Birthday boy!!" he patted Ishaan's shoulder. His deep voice had a different kind of charisma, that made Radhika's heart flutter.

Why was she feeling like that?

"Rai! Rai!"

"Huh?" Radhika asked. She was so confused by her feelings that she didn't realize her mother was calling her.

"This is my best student, Keshav Kaur and Keshav this is my daughter Radhika." Her mother introduced them to each other. "You both talk...I will go and meet the others."

"It's so nice to finally meet you, Radhika," Keshav said forwarding his hand after Mrs. Sen went away. "Heard many things about you from Ishaan."

"Hope it was good things," Radhika said accepting the handshake. Strangely she didn't see any visions, then why was he coming into her dreams? Why?

"Obviously!! There can't be any bad things about a beautiful lady like you, right?" Keshav smiled.

"That's good," Radhika smiled back at him trying to hide her uneasiness.

"Yah!! you both... Stop using me as a medium to flirt around." Ishaan said making Radhika glare at him but without giving it any concern he said, "Let's go. I have to cut my cake."

"This guy!!" Radhika mumbled while lifting her fist while glaring at her brother making Keshav laugh at both of them.

Three of them went to the large table set up in the middle of the hall. A large chocolate cake was waiting on top of that to be cut. Everyone gathered and wished Ishaan as he cut the cake and distributed it to everyone.

"We have a ball dance after this." Radhika's mother whispered to her.

"What?" Radhika asked. She couldn't understand her mother's reason for telling her about it. And who even prepares a ball dance at a birthday party? Her family was really strange.

"You will ask Keshav for a dance."

"WHAT?" Radhika asked again, a little louder than before. She was confused. Why would she ask Keshav? She barely knew him. Moreover, she was experiencing strange feelings just by watching him from far. What would she do if they come to that proximity? NEVER! She was never going to ask him.

"I will not listen to anything. You don't know how much I had to do to convince him to come here. I didn't do it for me..." Her mother said.

"Then why did you do it?" Radhika asked being irritated.

"For you. It would be so good if both of you date." Her mother said with a wide smile on her face.

"Never! I am not going to date him. Enough of you to set me up with boys." Radhika said, crossing her hands over her chest.

Everyone was getting ready for the dance except Rishav and Yash. Both of them as usual was at the food sections eating something. How were they even able to remain so fit after eating so much?

"Why? You were fine while dating Vaarsh." Her mother said. "I can't understand why you two broke up."

"Ma! Will you stop?" Radhika was frustrated. "We are better off as friends."

How could she say things like that to her so normally as if their relationship was nice? What she needed was not a boyfriend but a mother's love. A mother who would caress her head at night so that she could fall into a deep sleep. A mother to share her problems......

She was tired...tired of pretending to be okay when she knew she was completely not.

"You allowed our relationship back then just because Uncle Aditya knew Vaarsh's family. You wouldn't have allowed it if he was from a normal middle-class family. So, stop acting as if you care!" She said before walking away.

After a few minutes, people started dancing with the slow music playing through the speakers in the hall room. Ishaan was with Bristi. Vaarsh was dancing with a girl he had been talking to the whole evening...

It was not like she was jealous but she hated her life. Why had it turned like that? What had she done for it to turn like that?

"What are you doing standing here all alone?"

Radhika turned, recognizing the voice; it could be no other than Keshav.

"Just enjoying the view," Radhika replied.

"Then why not enjoy it while doing it?" Keshav asked. 

Radhika understood what he was meaning but she felt like there was something else he wanted to say through those words so she asked, "What?" But to her disappointment, he didn't say anything but rather asked forwarding his hand, "Can I have this dance?"

A moment ago, when her mother said her to ask him for a dance, Radhika denied but when Keshav himself asked her, she felt confused for the third time thinking about him. For the first time in her life, her brain and her heart were not working together. Her brain opposed it while her heart agreed.

She was surprised when she accepted the proposal. She was acting according to her heart and not her brain.

What was happening with her? She didn't even feel like this when she was with Vaarsh. She was not being able to understand and she was hating that.

She jolted out of her thoughts when she felt Keshav's hands on her waist. She didn't even realize that she walked into the middle of the hall room with him.

"Are you okay?" Keshav asked being concerned. He understood that she flinched at the sudden touch.

"Yeah!" Radhika smiled but she knew she was not. She was not acting like herself...

The song played as they gracefully danced. For the moment she felt so happy as if there was no sorrow in her life. There was just her and a handsome guy who looked like a prince, happily dancing like in a fairy tale...

Why did she feel like that? Was Keshav the guy who could bring back happiness in her life? Make her believe in magic again...... All such thoughts were appearing in her head.

No!!  fairy tales were not real; magic was not real......

He was confusing her, he was making her vulnerable, making her weak.... she needed to move away from him then why was she not being able to do that?

"I have a show on Sunday night," Keshav said. "Magic show. I would like you to come. Well, if you want."

She should avoid him then why did she say 'Yes'. Why???