King of my Heart-Unroyals #1

16.1 | Invitation

part one of 16

The last time Kedar saw Himani after the ball was at the auditorium during the Kathak competition. She was spinning, spinning, and spinning endlessly in that white ghagra skirt, as if it were someone else who twisted their ankle. He wished he could go meet her on the back stage after the competition to check if she was okay. Mere empathy towards a human being. Nothing else. Of course! He tried to teach his mind, or else he knew he would go crazy. It is not as if he can't catch feelings for anyone, but something was different. Nothing at all like the times when he would go home with a girl he met at the pub and wake up thinking whether her name was Amara or Anaya. This time it had things like an increasing heartbeat and forgetting to breathe around her. Either it's some sort of crush or he has aged seventy-plus at the age of eighteen.
But, by the time he went backstage, she was gone. Later, it was announced that she had won the first prize.

It was two days later, when Kedar was strolling through the library aisle in search of a copy of Metamorphosis for his weekly recreational reading, that he spotted Himani Arora with her nose buried in a book, her eyes darting from one end of the book to another, and her black hair cascading down her back smoothly. She was wearing a gray sweater over the white shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow. 
 
He stopped on his tracks upon seeing her, struggling to breathe as if the oxygen in the room had dwindled, his heartbeats doing acrobatics. He walked towards the table where she was sitting. 
 
'Hey,' he said. It felt so strange to speak to her after a few days. 
 
She looked up through the lashes from the book she was reading. 
 
He could see her expression change, her eyes widening; they were hypnotizing, luring him in.
A small smile, like never before, flickered across her cherry coloured lips. Or did he imagine it? It could be since his line between reality and delusion has been blurring at a fast pace lately. 
 
'Hey,' she said, closing the book she was reading. 
 
'Congrats.' He congratulated her for the first prize as he settled on the chair opposite her. 
 
'Thank you.' She replied. 
 
I haven't seen you around in so long. How's your ankle?' He asked. 
 
'Ah, it's fine now. Thanks for your help that day; I couldn't have taken part in the competition if I had walked up to my room.' 
 
He smiled in response. 
 
'Have you filled out your Oxford application?' She enquired. 
 
Oxford! It was a big deal. It was not his dream, but rather an order from his grandfather to lead him towards a more disciplined way of life. He had no other choice but to get in; otherwise, he'd have to live in the palace until he became the king. Deep down, he knew the chances of getting into a university where some of the most influential people known to humankind studied were slim.
 
'What are you going to pursue?' He asked her.
 
'Economics and Management.' She paused as if she were not sure about it. '
 
'Why?'
 
'I don't think I'd even get in.' She shook her head, thinking about the gravity of her dream. 
 
'Why not?' He shrugged his shoulders. 'If anyone could get in from this school, it's you.' 
 
She scoffed, thinking he was being sarcastic. 'Seriously!?'
 
Before he could reply, Lily came in with a phone in her hand. 'Look,' she said to Himani as she settled on a chair beside her. 'They are sending the invites.' 
 
'Don't think we'd get one too.' Himani replied.
 
'I know... But.' Lily's eyes drooped.
 
'What invite?' Kedar asked, clueless.
 
'Mayhem.' Lily replied.
 
Mayhem Halloween party. As the name suggests, it is a mayhem. Absolute chaos with blaring music enough to make you deaf, sweaty, drunk high schoolers in Halloween costumes, wreaking havoc upon the majestic lakefront house owned by the Pinecrest group of resorts. The Mayhem Party was a tradition set by Samara Kapur during her time in Aldridge-Heaton. It was usually organised on a Sunday around late October.
 
'You want to go?' Kedar asked her. 
 
'Of course. I mean, I wouldn't have wanted to. But it's the last year of school. We'd never get to enjoy the silly high school parties after this.'
 
'Fair point.' Kedar shook his head.
 
'What fair point?' Himani questioned. 'We'll get invited. Even if we do, we'll have a hard time blending in. They wouldn't want us there.'
 
'Trust me, people would be way too stoned to keep track of who's coming to the party.' He assured. 
 
'Seems like you're experienced in this.' Himani said, assessing his words.
 
'Well, I've got a past so distinct from this.' The corner of his mouth twitched into a smirk. 'Now you want to go?' He asked them both.
 
'You can get us invited?' Lily asked in excitement. 
 
'No big deal.' He said. Of course, he was invited to the party, but there was no reason to go. He was barred from going to parties, getting drunk, or anything of that sort. If he did, that news would reach the king in a minute, as he was sure that the school was keeping a close watch as per the instructions from the palace. He could get into trouble if he went to the party. 
 
'What do you say?' Lily turned her eyes to Himani.
 
'I...' She hesitated.
 
'Come on. You know I won't go without you.' Lily pleaded with her eyes. 
 
'Okay fine.' Himani sighed. 
 
'Okay then. I'll get you two invited.' Kedar said as he stood up to walk away.