Deewana

Chapter 1: Whiskey

Aarav walked through the door of his room and gently laid a sleepy Muskaan on his bed. He called Anushka, Muskaan's bhabhi, to let her know that she was going to stay over with Riya. Surprised at the early morning call, Anushka questioned why Aarv didn't call earlier.

"Sorry bhabhi, woh hum log baaton mein itne kho gaye the ki dhyaan nhi hua. Sorry bhabhi."
(We were so lost in talking we didn't notice.)

Aarav changed into something more comfortable before sitting on his sofa and resting his head back. His eyes darkened as he gazed at the sleeping Muskaan whimper and a tear leak fall out her left eye, making its way down her temple before getting soaked by his white pillow. Standing up again, he covered his beauty with a blanket before heading downstairs to get a drink. He got an entire bottle of whiskey before walking back up. Pouring himself the whiskey, neat, he sat on his sofa again. 

The sight of the woman he loved more than his own existence flashed before his eyes, the sight of her sitting on the dirty curb. Anger boiled through his veins as he gulped his entire glass before pouring himself another one. The sight of Vaansh standing shirtless on his balcony when Aarav was carrying Muskaan away kept appearing in front of him too. And with that, another glassful of the drink was emptied within a second. 

No matter what Aarav did, the sights from this night just wouldn't stop appearing. HWer sitting on the road. Her crying. Him standing on his balcony. Watching them. Not making a move to see if she is okay. Her tossing and turning in his bed right now. The tears her shut eyes couldn't hold back. He felt like the different sights were creeping closer to him, the sound of her cries and sobs got louder in his mind. He was suffocating in the torture. Not being able to control his raging anger any more, Aarav clutched onto the glass in his hand in a tight grip before tossing it across the room. The glass made contact with the wall of his walk-in robe before it crashed into tiny pieces on the floor. 

Aarav thought back to the twenty-year-old Muskaan, who told him about her boyfriend. He thought back to when he had met the guy. He thought about what a horrible boyfriend the guy was. How much he irritated him. He thought back to how it broke into an uncountable number of pieces seeing her with another man. And how his blood boiled at how he treated her. He hated how defensive she would get about that douche. Aarav picked up the bottle before taking a large gulp of the whiskey. His eyes set on Muskaan as she seemed to have gently calmed down and was cuddling into his pillow. In his bed.

Aarav's thoughts wandered back to tonight and the rage returned and so did the questions. What was she doing there? Why was he not wearing a shirt? What happened? 

The questions were driving him crazy. He needed answers as soon as possible. But he also couldn't leave his most precious girl alone. Especially when she needed someone the most. That someone was him since he was the one she called. Not being able to bear the frustration of being oblivious to the truth, Aarav smashed the bottle of whiskey on his coffee table, completely unaware of how the sharp piece of glass flew and hit the palm of his hand. 

The sound of glass being smashed caught the attention of Chhaya and Rohan, who was walking downstairs to their room after she had to come up and coax him away from his work. Rohan and Chhaya opened the door of Aarav's room Seeing the shards of glass lying on the floor, Rohan was quick to pick Chhaya up and off the ground. She squealed lightly until she found herself on the couch. Aarav was breathing heavily, eyes red as he took in the fact that his cousin and his wife were now present in his room.

"Muskaan? Yeh yahan kya kr rahi hai? Aur ro rahi thi kya?"

(Muskaan? What is she doing here? And was she crying?)

The couple turned to Aarav, worry-filled their eyes. They knew Aarav would never do anything to hurt her, but seeing Aarav in such a dismantled state and Muskaan's tear streaks, they knew something was wrong. Aarav sat down and explained what happened to his cousin and sister-in-law as Chhaya treated his wound. Rohan promised to keep this between them until Muskaan is comfortable. Rohan gave Aarav a nod before Chhaya gave him a tight hug.

"We'll talk about this tomorrow. And fix yourself up before she wakes up. The last you want her to see if you like this."

Aarav nodded at Rohan as the couple walked out. Aarav went to his bathroom to collect a brush and pan to clean the glass. He didn't miss a spot, because he knew if he did that would mean he would risk Muskaan hurting herself.

The crisp, chilly sky turned into hues of orange as the sun bought in some warmth, it was extra hot today. Also burning with anger at the events of the night before. The light hit Aarav's face directly as he stirred on the sofa. He rubbed his eyes as he gently opened them, confused at his surroundings until it clicked. He snapped his sight towards Muskaan and found her sitting up straight.

Aarav was quick to move closer to her, he sat by her and she gazed down at her fingers. The tension surrounded the two with such intensity that the air was becoming thicker with every passing second. Not wanting her to be uncomfortable he asked her the question burning in his chest.

"Muhe abhi sirf ek baat hi poocnhi hai. Usne tujhe haath tih nhi laagaya? Haan ya naa? Baki mein kudh dekh lunga."

(The only thing I want to know right now is if he touched you. Yes or no? I'll take care of the rest.)

Muskaan looked up for a split second before gently shaking her head in a no. The heavyweight sitting in the pit of Aarav's stomach lifted ever so lightly before it fell right back. Then what happened?

Aarav let Muskaan freshen up as he tidied the bed. He needed her to relax before they had the conversation lurking between the two. A conversation about a person who had been swarming Muskaan's phone with texts and calls since last night. Texts and calls that were not yet seen.

So here is your first chapter!!!!

Comment what you thought!!