Ishq Deewangi (Book 2)

13. Conditions Apply

"I'll return you the dress and the accessories and pay for the expense you did on me" She said before sitting in the car and driving off to her house.

Aryaman remained fixed in his place wondering what just happened so suddenly. One moment they were happily going to a ball just the way Maitri wanted and in the next both were going in two opposite directions.

He stood at the bridge for a few minutes before sitting in his car and driving to the penthouse. Once inside, he called his mother.

"Hi Aryuu" Kaira greeted him cheerfully.

"Is papa, Avi and Aaru nearby mum?" He was pacing back and forth in the living room.

"Yeah, I'll call them. Everything okay na?" She asked concerned. Kaira shifted the voice call to a video call and called the rest of the family members.

"Hi big brother" Aarchi greeted Aryaman as Aviraj pulled her hair and sat infront of her, distracting her attention.

"I'll slap you bad one day bhaiyu" She hit his back and stood behind him.

"I want to discuss something with you regarding Maitri" Aryaman said placing the phone in a phone holder and sitting on the sofa. Everyone tensed and sat with their back upright with full concentration to what Aryaman had to say. Aryaman explained everything to them and waited for their reaction.

"Its not her fault even, she had told me about this in the first meeting that she wants to stay in U.S.A but it slipped from my mind" Aryaman said frustrated at how he could forget such an important detail.

"Hmm, what have you thought about it?" Rishav asked holding Kaira's hand in his.

"I don't know. I like her presence but am not sure whether I'll continue liking it till the end or whether she's worth taking the risk of shifting here" Aryaman pulled his hair in frustration, hoping a miracle happens and he won't have to choose anything anywhere, so he doesn't have to hurt anyone's sentiments.

"Let us talk to Akshit and his wife, if we find a mutual ground well and good but incase, she's firm on her decision, what have you thought to do?" Rishav said looking at Kaira as if waiting for her reaction to know whether he said the right thing or not.

"I don't know papa, am confused myself" Aryaman looked at them tiredly.

"How about you go talk to her and find out what you want till then we talk to her parents?" Kaira suggested understanding the turmoil in Aryaman's heart.

"Hmm" Saying that he cut the call and ringed Raj for Maitri's address who quickly shared it. He drove to her house and knocked on her door. He knocked continuously at the lack of response from the other side of the door.

"Coming baba coming, you'll break my door" He heard her respond and stopped knocking.

She opened the door wearing cute little shorts and an oversized t-shirt. She held the door in one hand while the other hand held a lit cigarette and a stream of smoke coming out of her lips in form of a cloud. Aryaman looked at her hand and her mouth with wide eyes and an open mouth without blinking.

Seeing him there, the smoke got stuck in her throat causing her to cough loudly breaking his trance. She moved out of the way, allowing him inside the house as she tried to stop the cough and failed miserably. He quickly rushed inside and looked for the kitchen.

He got her a glass of water and asked her to drink it, discarding the cigarette in the ash tray. She sat waiting for him to scold her or anything, but he simply sat there waiting for her to stop her coughing spree. Once her coughs subsided, she looked at him questioningly.