my duppata got stuck in your watch

4

RISHI POV

The club was alive with energy, the beats of the music syncing with the buzz of excitement in the air. Rishi sat back with his friends in their usual circle, a glass of whiskey in his hand. It felt surreal to be back home after years abroad. The familiar laughter, the inside jokes, and the comfort of old friends—it was like slipping into a memory that still fit perfectly.

“Bhai, tujhe yaad hai college ke time pe wo prank jo tune Kunal ke saath kiya tha?” Arjun chuckled, pointing at him. “Poor guy couldn’t show his face for a week!”

“Shut up, Arjun,” Kunal groaned, though he couldn’t help but laugh. “It wasn’t funny then, and it isn’t funny now.”

Rishi smirked, taking a sip of his drink. “It was hilarious. Admit it.”

Kunal rolled his eyes, muttering something under his breath that made the group laugh harder. The sound of their laughter echoed above the music, drowning out the world around them.

But even as Rishi laughed along, a part of his mind was elsewhere. Or rather, on someone else. That girl.

The mysterious whirlwind in a lehenga who had quite literally splashed into his life. The memory of the juice spilling over his shirt, the shocked look on her face, and the way she’d bolted without so much as a proper apology—it all played in his mind like a scene from a bad Bollywood comedy.

“Who even does that?” he muttered under his breath, shaking his head.

“Huh?” Kunal looked at him, confused.

“Nothing,” Rishi said quickly, waving it off. But Arjun wasn’t one to let things go.

“Spill it, Rishi,” Arjun said, leaning closer. “What’s got you looking so distracted? Already met someone interesting?”

Rishi let out a short laugh. “Interesting isn’t the word I’d use.”

The others perked up, clearly intrigued.

“Okay, now you have to tell us,” Kunal said, his eyes gleaming. “What happened?”

Rishi sighed, setting his glass down. “Fine. Yesterday, right after I landed, I decided to check out this club to blow off some steam. And what happens? Some random girl in a lehenga—yes, a lehenga—spills juice all over me and runs off without so much as looking back.”

“A lehenga? In a club?” Arjun repeated, clearly amused.

“Exactly my point!” Rishi exclaimed, gesturing with his hands. “Who wears a lehenga to a club? And the way she ran out—like I was going to chase her or something. It was... bizarre.”

The group burst into laughter, their amused reactions making Rishi shake his head with a chuckle.

“Maybe she was embarrassed,” Kunal said, still laughing. “Or maybe she just didn’t want to deal with your wrath.”

“Wrath? Please.” Rishi rolled his eyes. “I was too stunned to even react. One second she’s standing there, the next she’s gone. It was like... poof.”

“Sounds like someone left an impression,” Arjun teased, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Don’t start,” Rishi warned, though his smirk gave him away.

The group shifted the conversation back to their college days, laughing about old pranks and stories, but Rishi’s mind kept wandering back to her. That split-second interaction shouldn’t have been memorable, but something about her lingered.

He shook his head, trying to push the thought away. It didn’t matter. He’d probably never see her again.

But somewhere deep down, he couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe—just maybe—the universe wasn’t done with her yet.