Shadows Of Darjeeling

Chapter 20

Arnav stood among the crowd, Naman and Adi by his side, but his attention was never fully on the conversation. The party was a blur—loud music, people dancing, and endless chatter. It wasn’t the scene he usually found himself drawn into. But tonight, something about the whole atmosphere just felt... distant.

“So, you still planning on going out of town next month?” Naman asked, half a grin on his face as he looked at Arnav.

Arnav only half-listened, nodding as he glanced across the room. His eyes scanned the crowd disinterestedly, looking for a break from the endless noise. He needed another drink.

“I’ll be back in a second,” he said curtly, excusing himself from the conversation. Naman and Adi barely noticed as he made his way toward the bar, slipping through the sea of people effortlessly.

As he moved, the crowd thickened, and he found himself navigating through groups of guests, avoiding their chatter and glances. He was so used to this—the noise, the attention, the stares. But tonight, he felt a bit more detached than usual, his thoughts drifting elsewhere, his mind barely engaged with the party.

And then—he bumped into her.

The collision was sudden, and before either of them could react, she was stumbling backward, nearly falling into the stream of people behind her. Instinctively, Arnav reached out, his hand catching her arm to stop her from completely losing her balance. But his grip was harsh, and his tone cold.

“Watch where you’re going,” he said, his voice low, eyes narrowing as he quickly looked her up and down. He didn’t recognize her—she wasn’t part of his usual crowd. Her black dress caught his attention, the way it hugged her body, but he barely gave her that fleeting acknowledgment. The situation wasn’t new to him. People at parties bumped into each other all the time. But he couldn’t understand why this girl had to ruin his moment of solitude.

She looked up at him, her eyes wide with surprise, and for a brief moment, Arnav felt a flicker of something... something he didn’t like. It was an instant, a shift in the air, but it was enough to make him feel restless. Her face flushed with a hint of embarrassment.

Amira’s heart skipped a beat when she looked up and realized who she had just bumped into. She froze, her breath catching in her throat as her mind raced.

Arnav Rawat.

It hit her like a wave—the infamous Arnav Rawat, the name everyone whispered about in the corners of elite circles. He wasn’t just any guy at this party. He was the guy. The brooding, distant, almost mythical figure who had a reputation for being cold, rude, and completely out of reach. The guy who never seemed to care about anyone or anything.

Amira had heard the stories—rumors of his aloofness, the way he seemed to stand apart from everyone else, and how people were drawn to him without even knowing why.

But now, she stood in front of him, and that fear—an unsettling mix of intimidation and disbelief—took over her. She could barely breathe, her palms suddenly clammy. This was him. The Arnav Rawat.

Her mind raced, and for a second, she couldn’t even find the words to apologize properly. Instead, she just looked up at him, her eyes wide, barely able to meet his icy gaze.

"I... I'm so sorry," she stammered, her voice shaky. "I didn’t see you there."

Arnav, still holding her arm as if it were nothing more than a passing inconvenience, gave her a dismissive glance. "Yeah, no kidding," he replied curtly, his voice laced with impatience. "Next time, maybe keep your eyes open."

There was no warmth in his tone. No concern that she had nearly fallen. Just a cold, sharp reprimand. It stung, more than she expected, and her chest tightened with embarrassment. This wasn’t how she thought a run-in with him would go.