"From Rivals to Forever: A Journey of Love"

Chapter 9

Aditi's perspective

The full-day practice was as exhausting as I'd feared. Reena ma'am wasn't taking any chances, making sure every detail of the function was perfect. By midday, I was feeling drained, but I wasn't going to show it, especially not in front of Kabir. He was watching me, I could feel it, and the last thing I needed was for him to see me tired.

Kabir. Just thinking about him made me tense. I knew he was going to use this practice as an opportunity to get on my nerves, like he always did. True to form, he was hovering around me, making little comments and throwing sidelong glances my way, as if trying to figure out my mood.

I tried to focus on the anchoring script, but my mind kept wandering back to last night. That stupid ice cream. I couldn't stop thinking about how close I'd come to eating it, how I'd stood there, staring at the freezer, actually considering it. But before I could even decide, Anaya had gotten to it first. The disappointment had been irrational, and I hated that it was even there in the first place. Why did I care so much?

We were in the middle of rehearsing the closing lines when Kabir started. "So, Aditi, had anything interesting happen last night?" His tone was casual, but I could see the mischief in his eyes.

My stomach twisted in nervous anticipation. I knew exactly what he was hinting at, but I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of a reaction. "Nothing out of the ordinary," I replied, forcing my voice to stay even. I kept my eyes glued to the script. "Just focused on the script, like a good anchor should."

"Really? No surprises? No unexpected treats?" he prodded, his voice light, but I could feel the weight of his curiosity pressing down on me.

My heart sped up a little. I could feel my pulse in my throat, but I wasn't going to let him see that. "Nope. Just the usual. Why, Kabir? Did something happen to you last night?" I shot back, finally glancing up at him with an expression that I hoped looked innocent.

He grinned, leaning in slightly, making my pulse quicken. "Well, I might've done something nice for someone, but I'm not sure they appreciated it."

I stiffened. My grip on the script tightened, my knuckles white. I wasn't ready to give in, not yet. "Oh, really? Well, maybe that 'someone' didn't notice. Or maybe they didn't care."

His eyes sparkled with amusement, and I could feel a bead of sweat forming at the back of my neck. He was too close, too perceptive. "Or maybe that someone just didn't want to admit they liked it."

I swallowed hard, trying to keep my breathing steady. "Maybe that someone has better things to do than think about whatever it is you're hinting at."

For the rest of the practice, Kabir kept trying to bring the conversation back to the ice cream. Every time we had a break, he'd find some way to slip in a comment or a question, and each time, I brushed him off, pretending I didn't understand what he was talking about. But with each passing hour, the effort to stay cool was wearing me down. I could feel my patience thinning, my nerves fraying.

By the time we reached the final run-through, I was a bundle of nerves. My usual calm was slipping away, replaced by a growing frustration. My heart was racing, and I could feel a flush creeping up my neck. Why couldn't he just let it go?