𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐫𝐲𝐬𝐭

Part 9

POV AUTHOR

Tara was trying hard to calm her racing thoughts when she suddenly heard the sound of footsteps approaching. Her heart skipped a beat, and then she heard the all-too-familiar voice: "Tara."

She turned around, and to her surprise, it was Rahul standing there, looking concerned. "What are you doing here all alone? Come inside. It's not safe to be out here by yourself," he said, his steps quickening as he came closer to her.

"I was just... feeling suffocated inside," Tara replied with a half-hearted, somewhat fake smile, hoping Rahul wouldn't read too much into it.

"Suffocated from Samiksha?" Rahul quipped, his eyes narrowing playfully, making Tara's jaw drop.

"No, no! It's not like that at all. Why would I...?" Tara stammered, her cheeks turning red as she fumbled for words.

"I know, Tara. The truth doesn't need to be hidden," Rahul said, his tone almost teasing. "And hey, don't be jealous of Samiksha. She's just Tarun's friend. Tarun likes you, not her. Come on, let’s go inside before your brother and Tarun start searching for you like a mad bull."

Tara couldn't help but chuckle at the mental image of her brother and Tarun running around frantically looking for her. She shook her head but followed Rahul inside anyway.

As soon as they stepped into the party, Tara scanned the room, her eyes darting around, trying to spot someone. Rahul noticed and smirked, knowing exactly who she was looking for.

"He's in the back, doing some work," Rahul said casually, his grin widening as he saw Tara's surprised expression. "Don't worry."

Tara stared at him, caught off guard. "How did you...?"

Rahul just winked at her before disappearing into the crowd, leaving her to process his words.

Soon, the boys joined the group, and everyone was laughing and joking around. But Tara's mind was still elsewhere. She couldn’t find him. Her thoughts were interrupted by Mahi, who jumped in front of her with excitement.

"Guys, let's go for the couple dance!" Mahi said, eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.

"Okay, let’s go," Rahul replied, his hand shooting out to grab mahi’s before she could even protest.

"Ooh, hello, I am not dancing with you," Mahi said, raising an eyebrow at him.

"As if I’m going to let you dance with some other guy who is not me," Rahul said, his voice dripping with mock authority. Without giving Mahi a chance to argue, he pulled her toward the dance floor.

Meanwhile, Tiya and Manav, Shivi and Rohan, and Ishita and Rajveer were already on the floor, lost in their own worlds. Tara, however, was not in the mood to dance at all. But before she could escape, Tarun showed up beside her, his usual easygoing smile replaced with a more serious expression.

"So, Tara," he began, after a few moments of silence, "are you ignoring me on purpose?"

Tara’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly looked away, her cheeks turning bright red. "N-No! Why would I be ignoring you?" she stammered, her eyes flicking everywhere except at him.

Tarun didn’t seem convinced. "Then why aren't you looking me in the eye while saying that?"

Tara mumbled something under her breath and tried to look anywhere but at him. But Tarun wasn’t done. He stepped closer, his expression softening for a moment before he continued.

"Listen, Tara," he said, his voice almost pleading now. "I didn't tell you how I feel that day to make you uncomfortable. You asked for a reason, and I didn't think there was any point in hiding it. But why are you ignoring me now? It’s okay if you don’t like me back. I’ll make you fall for me eventually. But at least... at least don’t ignore me. I can’t stand that."

Tara felt her heart racing, her face flushed with a mix of embarrassment and something else she couldn’t quite name. She avoided his gaze and mumbled, "I wasn’t ignoring you."

"Really?" Tarun teased, his lips curling into a smile. "Then why is your face as red as a tomato right now?"Tara blushed more at his statement

"Hayee Tara meri jaan aise mere upper julam na karo blush kar karke iss kambakht ke pass ek hi dil hai woh bhi kiti baar le jaugi aese tho hum jinda hi nhi bachenge"he said while putting his hand on his heart and Tara was full red by now

(Oh Tara, my love, don’t torture me like this by blushing so much. This poor heart of mine—how many times will you steal it? At this rate, I won’t survive!)

Tara's face turned so red that even the lights around them seemed to dim in comparison. "Ahhh! I think we should join the dance floor now," she said, practically shouting, desperate to change the subject.

"As you command, Miss Highness," Tarun said with an exaggerated bow, making Tara roll her eyes in amusement.

But even as they walked toward the dance floor, Tarun couldn’t seem to stop staring at her, his gaze intense. Tara, clearly flustered, finally had enough. "Aap mujhe nahi samne dekh kar chale kahi gir na Jaye"

(Walk while looking ahead, not at me, or you might fall)

"Gir tho Gaye hai apke pyaar mai or kaha girenge" Tarun smirked, his eyes glinting mischievously.

Tara’s blush deepened. "Ugh, can you not say things like that? You’re making it so hard to act normal!"

"Normal? Who needs normal when you’re with me?" Tarun teased, his smile only widening as they finally reached the dance floor.

The moment they joined the others, they were swept into the fun. But even with everyone around them, Tara couldn’t escape the constant thoughts of Tarun. His words, his teasing—it was all so new to her, and it made her heart flutter in ways she couldn’t explain.

*****

Later that night, after a round of pictures and a hearty dinner, the freshers’ party finally came to an end. Everyone said their goodbyes and headed home. Tara, exhausted but still wide awake, went straight to her room, but her mind was far from ready for sleep.

She tried to close her eyes, but all she could think about was Tarun. Why can’t I get him out of my head? she wondered. Her thoughts were interrupted by a message on her phone, but it wasn’t from him. Instead, it was from shivi.

Meanwhile, in Tarun’s house, the brothers were in the balcony, talking seriously.

"Bhai, we need to do something about Sahil. He’s been following Tara around like a ghost," Rohan said, his voice tinged with frustration.

"Yeah, I know. I’ve already asked Sameer to find out his whereabouts," Tarun replied, his face hardening.

"And don’t get me started on him following Shivi around. If he doesn’t back off soon, he’s in for some serious trouble," Rohan added, his anger palpable.

Tarun smirked. "Relax, lover boy. I’ll handle it."

"Lover boy? You were the one who scared off ten guys just for passing comments on Tara!" Rohan shot back.

Tarun just grinned. "Yeah, but they had it coming. Anyway, enough of this. Let’s go for a race!" he said, slapping Rohan on the back.

The brothers, ever the thrill-seekers, quietly snuck out of the house, not wanting to wake their mom. They jumped onto their bikes, revved the engines, and shot out into the night, the race beginning with the roar of their bikes.

"Ready to lose, brother?" Rohan challenged, grinning.

Tarun smirked. "We'll see about that."

And just like that, the night was theirs. Two brothers, one race, and no rules.

******

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Love from,
Miss Sharma ❤️