A Lot Like Love |COMPLETE| AnuPre Fiction

Chapter 1: Bad Choices Make Good Stories

"Come on 'yaar', this is the least you can do for me. If not for my amazing wingman-ship, at least for all the times I have been your best breakup prop" nagged Anupam one more time, but his best friend and confidant was in no generous mood today.

Prerna was sitting in her swing chair in the balcony watching the sunset, gently swinging, and humming the jingle from an old advertisement that was somehow stuck in her head today. As she lazily dragged a puff from her cigarette and passed it on to Anupam, he continued to rant. He needed her to accompany him for a party, more precisely the birthday party of his new love interest Nivi. What was her business there? She didn't know Nivi as yet, to be honest neither did Anupam, he had met her only twice so far, after matching on Tinder – but if previous track records were any indication, Prerna was expecting a major episode of 'Puppy Love' in the near future.

"Come on Anupam, I don't know anyone there. Forget me, even you don't know anyone there, what's the point of going there and getting bored?" Prerna tried pointing out.

"I know Nivi, and it is her birthday! Doesn't that count? Also do I ever question you when you ask me to help you, I always trust your sense of judgement Pri" coaxed Anupam further.

Prerna smiled; this was true - her BFF Anupam however annoying, silly and dumb he maybe, he has always been there with her to sweep the dirt under the rag. Sometimes looking at him she wondered how on earth were they even friends – unlike family, we get to choose our own friend right, if this was true, then there was no logical explanation to how, an innocent boy from Jalandhar with a kind heart, rich parents and alarmingly low IQ, managed to win her friendship.

"Okay fine, I will go with you. But just so you know, I am doing this only because it's you who's asking!" Prerna had given in to his demand.

[At Nivi''s party, later that evening]

He had noticed her from the moment she entered their house, only he didn't recognize her. He knew everyone here, well mostly, barring her and this guy she walked in with – who were they, wondered Anurag. He had seen that she had noticed him too, and she was conscious of his gaze. The guy with her seemed like a nut job, he couldn't be her date – also he was annoyingly chatty with Nivi, much to his discomfort. He would look into the 'Nivi-Retarded Guy' business later, for now his eyes were on her.

These were the moments Anurag regretted being a silent introvert, in his place any of his friends would have and would most probably in another hour, approach her with a funny conversation starter, make her laugh, dance a little and then walk out of the party hands on waist – but not Anurag, he was much too reserved and matured to pull that off – not that he didn't have his way around with women, after all he was the scion of Basu Wide Publication, the owner of the country's leading news channel – he had fan clubs on social media platforms on his name, he had unknowingly made it to the #1 position in so many random opinion polls for women's' magazines, 'The Eligible Man of the Year', 'Top 10 Sexy Entrepreneurs of today" etc.

Anurag's quiet and reserved nature never took the limelight away from him and even though he never approached' he had a lot of action going from all the women who approached him. He sighed looking at this girl today, unfortunately his elaborate resume of achievements, both in the field of business and women wasn't helping him today- this was mainly because, the woman in question seemed reserved too – reserved, not oblivious though. She was aware of his eyes on her, it seemed like she was enjoying the attention, but she was making no effort to establish communication with him. This woman seemed to like being chased. Problem was, if both of them liked being chased, they would just always end up being where they were today, two diagonally opposite corners of a room – what could be done, wondered Anurag.

Prerna was bored, she knew this was how it was going to be, after all she just knew Anupam and he was busy pleasing Nivi. Prerna made a mental note to get back at him for royally ditching her at the party. But for some time now, she was getting this feeling of being watched, conscious of a gaze she looked around for a while, before she noticed him – he was handsome alright, tall and broad frame, he seemed very much present in the party, but at the same time detached. He had sharp eyes and seemingly a refined taste judging by the glass of Macallan 1926 he was holding. Although the best part about him seemed to be the fact that he was quiet, unlike the unruly ones in the party, screaming jocksters she thought, laughing to herself. He wouldn't look away even when she caught him looking at her, he seemed confident, Prerna liked that.