You and I - a pranushka tale

chapter three

"What are those cars doing here?" Thara asked, opening the gates so the two of them can go in.

Mithrah realised that nobody was standing outside, meaning that whoever had come must be important. The family never gathers around together easily, everyone was always scattered around the whole villa.

"Do you think maybe its someone your parents found to marry you into?" Thara asked as the two of them warily walked to the door of the villa.

Mithrah shot her best friend a glare. "There is no way-"

Thara laughed, "I'm joking. Come let's hurry in."

They quickly walked in and noticed everyone in the house was crowding around two very tall men. The tallest of the two was one that was very familiar to Mithrah.

"Rana!" She shouted with joy before running through the crowd and into the arms of her only brother. She held him tightly as he laughed and ruffled her hair fondly.

"If it isn't the Queen herself," Rana said teasingly. "I was expecting you to be waiting by the entrance for me but you weren't even in the house. Too busy for your elder brother huh?"

Mithrah rolled her eyes as she pulled back. "I didn't even know you were coming today." She said throwing a punch at her brother. "When do you ever give clear information Mr I'm going to be a Commissioner one day. I actually went to the temple."

Rana suddenly grinned. "Hey, I'm already many steps closer to that sister."

Mithrah gasped and high five'd her brother. "Yes! Now you can easily get me out after I kill this guy who almost ran me over when I was at the temple with Thara." She said, momentarily forgetting the Audi was also parked outside the house.

Rana's eyes fluttered in recognition as he heard Thara's name. He looked behind his little sister to see her best friend peer down shyly. A small smile grew on his face at how her cheeks glowed with a red hue at his gaze. Mithrah caught the exchange between the two and narrowed her eyes.

"I'm here telling you I almost died and you are-"

He swung his arm around his sister to shut her up from continuing what she was about to say. "What matters is you didn't die nah?"

Mithrah shot him a glare. "Of course it doesn't matte-" She had began sarcastically before freezing as she caught sight of the other tall man.

A man who if she had met any other day, she would have stopped and stared without a second thought. He had that appearance which demanded attention and one she was sure certainly received endless amounts of it. His tousled curls reminded her of the darkest nights and his eyes were no less intense. They were catastrophically alluring. 

He was looking at her with an amused smile as she fixed a deadly stare at him. "Who's he?" She asked calmly turning to look at him. Almost like the calm before the storm. She eyed him up and down, taking note of his tall and well-built figure.

Rana let go of his sister and went and put his arm around the other man. "This is Prabhas. My best friend."

Mithrah's jaw dropped. "Your what?"

"My best friend..." Rana repeated slower, his face appearing confused. "We both trained together at the same camp for the police force. Why do you look so shocked?"

She noticed everyone around them was looking with intrigue at her reaction. She quickly shook her head and smiled. "I just didn't think you had any friends." She said, trying to make a joke.

Rana rolled his eyes as everyone else chuckled at the banter that followed between the siblings. Their mother had turned to the young man and accepted him home properly with a warm embrace.

Mithrah glared at him watching how her family members welcomed him in a similar manner to how she was. They crowded around him with adoring eyes and warm smiles, all of which fueled the heat growing in her.  It didn't help that he kept looking back at Mithrah, definitely noticing her annoyance increase with every second. A smirk graced his lips.

Thara came and stood near her with a dreamy look. "Your brother looks different." She said with a sigh admiring the man who was subtly returning the attention even with everyone surrounding him.

Mithrah scoffed. "His company has changed too. I didn't know he changed his best friend." She tried to remember who his previous best friend was and slowly remembered he always had a large group of friends but never an actual best friend.

This was a first.

Only then did Thara realise. "Wait...isn't he the guy who almost ran you over just now?"

Mithrah slowly nodded, watching the crowd disperse as the two men walked upstairs but not before Prabhas looked back and smirked, mischief lingering in his eyes. "That's the one."