~ 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 ~

Chapter 9. Swimming pool

The party lights sparkled brighter as the night deepened, laughter filling the air and music swaying softly in the background. Amidst the crowd, Pratha stood silently near the refreshment table, her eyes scanning the hall.

Garv was there — somewhere. She could feel it.
Her heart fluttered at the thought, but destiny seemed to be testing her patience.

She sighed softly. Garv is here... yet I still can't meet him? That's frustrating. I just hope I get a chance soon, she thought, fidgeting with the bracelet on her wrist.

Just then, Riya arrived, smiling brightly. "Aarush, meet my bestie Pratha... and this is Avni," she said, introducing them.

Pratha bent down slightly, smiling warmly. "Oh, so this is Aarush... so cute."

"Hello, Pratha," Aarush greeted politely.

Avni crossed her arms. "Oh look, Masi, he's mentioning your name," she teased.

"Oh hey, Avni... will you be my friend?" Aarush asked eagerly.

Avni tilted her head and replied coolly, "No, I'm not interested."

Aarush smirked. "I'm very wealthy. When we grow up, I'll take you shopping a lot."

Avni rolled her eyes. "No thanks. Don't you know I'm from the Rathore family? I'm not any less wealthy. My dad already fulfills all my demands."

Aarush, refusing to give up, smiled sweetly. "Okay, but I just want to be friends with you."

Avni looked at him for a moment, then gave in. "Oh... alright, let's be friends."

The two shook hands as Riya smiled and excused herself, calling out to Garv.

"Garv, can you please keep an eye on Aarush for a while? I'll just go check on the guests."

Garv nodded. "Yeah, sure."

As Riya left, Avni looked up at him with a cheeky grin. "Hey handsome."

Garv smiled faintly. "Well, hello... what's your name, by the way?"

"Avni Rathore," she said confidently.

Garv's gaze instinctively shifted toward Pratha — who stood beside Avni, pretending to focus on her phone.

So... she told them my name, he thought, suppressing a smile.

Their eyes met for a fleeting moment. Pratha looked away quickly, her heart racing.

Aarush, noticing the silence, frowned. "Why aren't you both talking?"

"Yeah," Avni added mischievously. "If you both stay quiet like this, it feels like you're eavesdropping on our conversation."

Garv laughed softly and turned to Pratha. "Okay, okay... hi, Pratha," he said, meeting her eyes again.

The connection was instant — unspoken, deep, electric. For Pratha, that single glance felt like a storm. It was as if his eyes had found their mark — her heartbeat quickened, her breath grew shallow. His brown eyes and the slight smile on his face felt as though they were piercing right into her soul.

"Hello," she managed softly, looking away. Garv's chest tightened. The sound of her voice brought back the same feeling he'd had when she fell into his arms earlier. What's happening to me? he thought. I don't usually lose focus like this. She's... simple, yet tonight, she looks so incredibly— no, Garv, stop it. The music grew louder. People laughed, danced, and clicked pictures. But amidst it all, Tiksha was nowhere near the main hall. She had slipped away to meet her boyfriend, Sachin Kumar, behind the garden area.